nosh

Veggin’ Out
At The Nosh Pit

BY ALLISON JACOBS | Special to the Jewish News

L

et’s face it — it can be tough to
eat healthy these days. With so
many diet trends and changing
opinions on what’s good and bad,
one thing that is inarguably beneficial
for us are veggies.
While some may turn their noses at
the thought of biting into anything with
leaves, there’s a brand new food truck in
town that is turning veggie skeptics into
fanatics. It’s known as the Nosh Pit.
What began as a successful cater-
ing business has now blossomed into a
full-fledged mobile food haven, thanks
to local Jewish couple Karen and Eric

“We’ve had people who look at our
menu and say, ‘I’m reminded that
I have to eat better.’ That’s a
good compliment.”

To find out where
the Nosh Pit will
be making its next
pit stop and to
check out the full
menu, go to www.
noshpitdetroit.com,
or follow them on
Twitter or Facebook
@NoshPitDetroit.

52 November 3 • 2016

Schultz, along with their longtime
friend, Stefan Kudek.
The three have been spotted driv-
ing around Metro Detroit in their
bright green truck since the middle of
September with delicious eats on board.
There are several phrases painted on
the truck’s exterior, indicating the dishes
are “Bubbie approved,” and there are
absolutely “No bologna sandwiches!”
The Nosh Pit is all about serving
homemade soups and sandwiches sans
meat, but full of flavor. Everything is
freshly made and minimally processed.
Their newly developed savory pump-
kin soup seasoned with cumin, cori-
ander, cardamom and ginger has been
a huge hit this fall, and their Israeli-
inspired spicy Shakshuka soup remains
a long-standing popular item.
For those craving something slightly
indulgent, the sweet and savory grilled

cheese sandwich named after the
Schultz’s 14-year-old son, Jonah, is
another winner.
While Jonah proclaims himself as
“anti-vegan,” he approves of the vegan
or kosher cheddar cheese, smoky-fla-
vored mushrooms and organic banana
jam that brings this special sandwich
together.
Every member of the Nosh Pit has his
or her strengths. Stefan develops most
of the recipes, Eric is the marketing and
design guru, and Karen has always been
an expert vegan baker.
Due to the Schultz’s desire to spread
positive, healthy vibes around Metro
Detroit, they have said “yes” to stop-
ping at every type of event imaginable,
from Eastern Market’s Design Fest to the
International Vegetarian Food Festival
in Novi. They even held their own at a
recent beer and barbecue-oriented festi-
val in Ferndale called OktoBEERfest.
After participating in a handful of
events, the Nosh Pit crew confirms
plant-based eaters aren’t the only ones
exhaling a sigh of relief at the sight of a
health-conscious food truck.
“We’ve had people who look at our
menu and say, ‘I’m reminded that I have
to eat better,’” Karen says. “That’s a good
compliment.”
The Nosh Pit was one of several
food trucks spotted at this year’s Rosh
Hashanah on the River event at Chene
Park hosted by the Well.
“We are in talks of becoming kosher
for Menorah in the D,” Karen says.
“We’ve worked with Rabbi Jason Miller
and can do it for a one-time event.”
Ultimately, the Nosh Pit hopes to soon
find its own space, ideally at a local syn-
agogue, where they can have the free-
dom to cook in a kosher environment.
“This is something that means some-
thing to us,” Karen says. “We just kind of
fell in, and we’re all doing what we want
to do.”

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