metro >> on the cover Fresh Out With Farm Fresh closed, kosher consumers worry about options. Yaffa Klugerman I Special to the Jewish News CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "My husband and I are extremely dis- appointed by Farm Fresh closing," said Oak Park resident Talya Drissman Woolf, echoing the sentiments of many in the community. "It was our go-to spot for shopping." Many Farm Fresh customers also said they would especially miss Jerry Denha, the supermarket's beloved owner, who sources said was despondent about the closing. "Jerry was always looking out for us," Woolf said. "Many times he'd bring me a cart when I had started with a basket. If he was missing an item, he'd do his best to stock it for us. He went out of his way to make it a welcoming, reasonably priced and clean market for the Jewish contingent in the area:' Specifics about the reason for the clos- ing remained unclear. Mike Salmo, the store's manager, said only that sales were down and that the store could no longer make ends meet. He insisted, however, there was "no truth whatsoever" to rumors that kosher distributors would not service Farm Fresh or that lack of consumers from the Jewish community were contributing fac- tors to the store's closing. Salmo added that he was currently negotiating with possible buyers and would strongly recommend to purchasers that they include a large kosher section. In the meantime, consumers worry that having only one remaining Glatt kosher butcher and grocery in the area — One Stop Kosher Food Market, located a mile to the west of Farm Fresh at 10 Mile and Greenfield in Southfield — would result in increased prices. "One Stop has no competition now," noted Oak Park resident Mirjam Gunz Schwarcz. "I love One Stop, but competi- tion is always a good thing for the con- sumer:' Shlomo Goldman, the New York-based owner of One Stop, responded that his store's prices have always been based on fair market value and would not increase as a result of Farm Fresh's closing. "We're here to service the community," he said, "as we have been doing since 1996:' Kosher Retailers React Statistics indicate that demand exists for kosher establishments in Metro Detroit. In 14 October 24 • 2013 Jh ill•111111111111111111MMINIMMIMMIIM I Kosher meat used to fill this empty case at the now-closed Farm Fresh Market in Oak Park. How the community will be affected by Farm Fresh's closing has yet to be determined. But some kosher retailers are already making plans. a 2010 update to a study of Detroit's Jewish population, 22 percent of respondents said that they kept kosher to some degree — the same percentage as in Miami. Fourteen percent of Detroit respondents said they kept kosher in and out of the home, which was the second highest percentage out of 35 different communities. Moreover, the study found that Orthodox Jews, who arguably depend the most on kosher establishments, made up a significant part of the community. In Detroit, Orthodox Jews comprised 11 percent of the Jewish community, ranking it fourth in the country, below Baltimore, New York and New Jersey's Bergen County. How the community will be affected by Farm Fresh's closing has yet to be determined. But some kosher retailers are already making plans. "In reaction to the Farm Fresh closing, we have been internally discussing mov- ing to monthly deliveries," said Chaim White, co-founder of KC Kosher Co-op, which currently delivers kosher products to the Detroit area twice a year. "But we'll probably first wait to see if our co-op mem- bers contact us request- Chaim White ing us to do so." Based in Kansas City, the co-op delivers kosher products to 16 cities. It has about 300 members from the Detroit area, and has been delivering here for two years. In a move spurred by the Farm Fresh closing and the shuttering of Hiller's Market in Berkley at the end of this month, Holiday Market on Main Street in Royal Oak recently opened a new kosher section that offers poultry, meat and cheese. According to owner Tom Violante, the selection of kosher prod- ucts could very well expand if it proves to be popular. "We are trying to make sure that the people who want kosher food can get it," he explained. At the Costco on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township, countless kosher products fill the shelves, including chick- en, meat and cheese. Bradley Whetstone, the store's assistant general manager, said Costco would certainly consider suggestions for additional kosher items in demand as a result of the Farm Fresh closing. "We do well with kosher products," he said. Meijer and Trader Joe's also have some kosher meat and poultry. Rabbi Jason Miller, who founded and directs Kosher Michigan, which certifies businesses from a Conservative view- point, said the Farm Fresh closing would undoubtedly affect many in the Detroit Jewish community. "I'm saddened by it because it's one kosher [source] in this community that is no longer," he said. "[But] I don't think there's a dearth of options for kosher food in this area:' One Stop's Goldman agrees — but adds that such availability is precisely the problem. "We carry a large variety of kosher products," he said. "But it's very difficult for smaller stores such as ours to stay in business, especially when we are com- peting with the Walmarts and Costcos. That's really our challenge. We keep fighting it so we can stay in business and support the Jewish community here:' Kosher Restaurant Challenges While Farm Fresh's closing was not caused by lack of support within the Jewish community, the event is particu- larly disheartening because the store is the latest of several kosher food establish- ments to close. In recent months, two res- taurants in Southfield shut their doors. The Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit, known as the Vaad, lists 30 local retail establishments, including caterers, bakeries, butchers and 7-Eleven slurpees, that it certifies as kosher. Rabbi Yosef Krupnik, who has served as its kashrut administrator for more than two decades, has seen many kosher restau- rants shuttered because they could not make ends meet. "On some nights," he said of the res- taurant owners, "they tell me they lose money by turning on the electricity:'