passover

Passover
On The Go

Some suggestions for packing
Passover fare after the seders.

M

Stacy Gittleman
Contributing Writer

y nomadic nuclear family’s roots are
still firmly planted in the New York
Metro area. Most years, we spend the
seders back East, enjoying a hot meal with our
extended family around an extended table. The
next morning it is time for the long road trip back
to our homes in Rochester, N.Y., and most recently,
Detroit. But what to eat along the way?
Whether you have work or school, or plans for
day trips or extended travel during the eight-day
Feast of Unleavened Bread, you should not feel as
a slave shackled to your kitchen. After all, this is
the Festival of Freedom! With some creativity and
advanced meal planning, post-seder days are a
great chance to get out and enjoy the early spring.
For our long road trips, our relatives stocked our
cooler with fruit and cheese, hard-boiled eggs and
gefilte fish, complete with horseradish on the side,
or we’d eat cold chicken pieces with cold leftover
grilled vegetables and fresh fruit. Some years, we
picnicked in warm sunshine at a roadside park
with a playground. Sometimes it was freezing
and it snowed so we brought all our food into
the Welcome Center right across the New York/
Pennsylvania border, awkwardly attempting to
spread cream cheese on matzah on a paper towel
while sitting on a bench.

NYC PASSOVERS

It is almost an injustice to visit New York City and
not partake in a slice of pizza or a decent bagel.
But Passover restrictions never stopped us from
enjoying our hometown. And only in New York
can you find kosher-for-Passover restaurants like
Mendy’s in Midtown or pop-up ice cream and
yogurt stands.
One year, on a beautiful April day in New
York City, about 20 members of our extended
family woke up the day after the second
seder and got nosebleed seats at Citi Field
to cheer on the New York Mets. Ballpark
officials allowed us to bring in food for
religious reasons (this is New York,

Toby Gittleman eats matzah at a Mets game during Passover.

there are lots of Jews), so we packed a very creative
lunch.
My sister-in-law created a menu from seder left-
overs, including a quinoa grilled vegetable salad,
foil-wrapped sweet potatoes and plenty of fruit,
matzah and cheese — and chocolate for dessert.
The only thing we missed was a
ballpark beer to wash it all down.

PESACH LUNCH HINTS

Cari Herskovitz, owner of Chef
Cari Kosher Catering, advises
thinking outside of the box when
packing Pesach lunches. Free
your meal from those two slices
Chef Cari
of bread. This year, her carry-out
Hershkovitz
Passover menu includes creative
twists like spaghetti squash with pesto to stave off

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April 6 • 2017

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