metro >> Out To Eat
he Jo s Of Eating
betroit coo s. 'a es and caters, too).
Vivian Henoch
Special to the Jewish News
I
f ever you've been to a bar mitzvah,
a wedding, a Federation community
event of any size, you've seen their
work ... you've tasted the fruits (and
pastries) of their labors. You've sampled
their party trays, or you've sat down
for heartier fare served in full-course
meals. They're young; they're Jewish; and
they're all about the simple joys of eating
delicious food, good for the soul.
says. "Our fresh produce — any kind of
leafy vegetable — has to be washed and
checked by me. It can be a tedious pro-
cess, but it yields a cleaner product:'
Gold 'II' Greens is not certified halal,
but by default, many Muslim and Hindu
students choose to come there for their
meals.
"You can walk in any day and see an
Orthodox rabbi from Oak Park sitting
across from a young student wearing a
burka," Yisroel says. "This is something
you probably won't see anywhere else in
the world:'
CHEF CARL OUT & ABOUT TOWN
These days, Cari Herskovitz (married to
Rabbi Yisroel Rosenbloom of Gold 'n
Greens) can be found serving up Israel-
style falafels and fries, hot and fresh, in a
pop-up shop on the corner of Woodward
and Cadillac Square in Downtown
Detroit. For Chef Cari, street fare is just
a summer fling and only a part of the
full-service catering business she runs
from her location at Congregation B'nai
Moshe in Oak Park.
A graduate of the Natural Gourmet
Cookery Institute for Food and Healing
in New York, she has mastered her
culinary skills working for many years
with some of New York's finest food-
ies. Moving back to Detroit in 2003, she
founded Chef Cari Kosher Catering,
specializing in health-conscious cuisine
with international flair, all certified Glatt
Kosher under the Kashruth supervision
of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of
Greater Detroit.
"It's all about fresh:' Cari says.
"Everything's made from scratch.
Nothing canned, nothing frozen:'
Chef Cari has plans to expand from
her catering business to a new restaurant
at a location soon to be announced. Stay
tuned.
RABBI YISROEL ROSENBLOOM,
KEEPING KOSHER AT
GOLD 'N' GREENS
A welcome kosher dining option on the
Wayne State University campus, (in fact
the only kosher restaurant Downtown),
Gold 'II' Greens has developed a citywide
following. With vegetarian, vegan and
gluten-free choices on the menu every
day, serving one-price, all-you-can-eat
meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner,
what's not to like about this unique din-
ing experience?
What does it mean to keep a busy
campus dining hall kosher?
"My job is to make sure that every
product that comes into the kitchen is
certified kosher, that's there's no cross
contamination in the production lines,
no meat, shellfish or pork products of
any kind:' Rabbi Yisroel Rosenbloom
18
July 3 • 2014
MAX SURNOW, BAKING
COOKIES JUST LIKE MOM'S
With a family recipe for a low-cal
chocolate chip cookie with the crunch
of a biscotti, Elaine Surnow didn't know
she had the basic ingredients for a
wildly successful business. But, with the
encouragement of family and friends to
start selling and packaging those cook-
ies, she launched Cooper Street Cookies
with sons Sam and Max in 2011.
Cooper Street Cookies are baked in the
same way the original recipe calls for:
handmade with all-natural ingredients,
no preservatives, no artificial flavors,
zero trans-fat, lactose-free, nut-free, oh
yes, and kosher. Everything, including
package design and labels, is sourced in
Michigan.
A partner in the success of the busi-
ness and crucial to the production, JVS
brings the work crew into the bakery
every weekday morning. The crew mem-
bers are all clients of JVS' Supported
Employment Program, a service which
supports people with special needs in
securing employment.
"When we first heard about the pro-
gram two years ago, we thought we'd give
it a try," Max says. "Now the team from
JVS comes in like clockwork every morn-
ing and does everything from baking to
packaging and labeling. We couldn't ask
for a better workforce'
Packing a good crunch in the market
today, and noting that chocolate cinna-
mon is still the family favorite, Cooper
Street Cookies, now in nine crunchy
flavors, can be found in Krogers, Busch's
Fresh Food Stores and Whole Foods.
PAM TURKIN, ERIC GOODMAN
& RYAN GOODMAN,
JUST BAKING CUPCAKES
Because people eat dessert with their
eyes, Just Baked Cupcakes are baked to
be beautiful.
Before launching her company, Pam
Turkin, a VP of marketing for a mer-
chandising firm and an avid home baker
herself, traveled extensively and noticed
how cupcake shops were starting to pop
up coast to coast.
In 2008, she decided to bring the con-
cept home to Detroit. Since opening the
doors of its first retail shop in 2009, Just
Baked has grown to 19 outlets through-
out Southeastern Michigan. With new
partners in the business — brothers
Eric and Ryan Goodman — now on
board, the company recently opened a
store in Ohio and is looking to expand
to Beachwood, the heart of Jewish
Cleveland.
From taste-tempting cake flavors
to rich butter cream toppings, every-
thing about a Just Baked product says,
"Splurge, share and enjoy:'
"It's all about beautiful presentation:'
Pam says. "People will come in and buy
four or six cupcakes, mix and match. It's
a very interactive product, designed to
be set out on a plate for people to cut up,
sample and compare. With more than 40
different delectable flavor offerings daily,
there is sure to be a flavor for everyone:'
Favorites? Pam's choice tends to
Pumpkin Spice. Eric favors Oreo
Chocolate.
Chef Can Herskovitz
Rabbi Yisroel
Rosenbloom
DANIEL KOHN, SATISFYING
KRAVINGS FOR KOSHER
Great burgers, sushi and gluten-free
friendly. What more can you ask of a
kosher dining experience? The newest
enterprise in a third-generation family
business, Kravings opened in Oak Park
in January 2014.
Daniel Kohn runs the restaurant in
partnership with his mother, Leah, who
owns the company that includes Quality
Kosher Caterers.
"My grandmother, Esther (Etta)
Mouthner, a refugee from Hungary,
started our catering business in 1968:'
Daniel says. "My dad, Paul (z1), was
a chemistry and biology teacher and
started helping her with the business in
1978. It was my father who really took
the company from my grandmother's
simple old-style home cooking to where
it is today. My father's passion for great
food was something we shared, and it
will always influence our menu here:'
To broaden his experience in the
food and hospitality industry, Daniel
worked for the Ritz Carlton Company in
Colorado, then New York. Since moving
back to Detroit in 2011, he finds himself
where he's always meant to be — feeding
Jewish Detroit, focusing on the quality
and variety of good, simple food.
And you can believe him when he
says, "If I'm going to serve you a burger,
it better be the best burger you'll ever
bite into:'
Pam Turkin and Eric and Ryan Goodman
❑
Vivian Henoch is editor of myjewishdetroit,
where this story first appeared.
Daniel Kohn