SEPTEMBER 26 • 2024 | 89

W

hen Colorado resident
and Metro Detroit
native Laya Barak had
ankle surgery back in 2012, she
found herself facing devastating
gastrointestinal issues from the
many antibiotics she needed.
Rather than turning to
potentially dangerous prescription
medications full of side effects to
get her immune system back in
order, she began drinking bone
broth her mother, Dorothy Barak,
created. Dorothy Barak, 71, of
West Bloomfield and a former
Jewish Family Service executive
board member, was a quote-
unquote “broth specialist” who had
perfected her recipe for years.
Laya Barak, now 42, went

on a liquid diet following the
surgery and drank bone broth
religiously. She also incorporated
anti-inflammatory foods into
her diet and, within a couple of
months, found herself in nearly full
remission. Her symptoms virtually
gone, she realized that bone broth
held tremendous health benefits
and wondered if others could go
through the same experience.
“We realized that we can start
a business and help more people
with any kind of issues,” she recalls.
“And we had no idea how many
issues bone broth can help with
when we started this journey.”
Research shows that bone broth
can improve gut health, lessen joint
pain, maintain strong bones and

muscles, reduce stress and even
promote healthy skin. Reaping
these benefits firsthand (and doing
research themselves), the Baraks
decided to launch Broth Masters in
2015.
The direct-to-consumer organic
bone broth company sells Dorothy
Barak’s trademark beef and chicken
bone broth, or stand-alone chicken
bone broth. The bone broth is
shipped frozen in insulated boxes
across the United States and can
be purchased in different package
sizes.
The Baraks’ broth is slow-
simmered for 48 hours in their
Berkley-based commercial kitchen,
which they recently secured, using
a secret recipe Dorothy Barak keeps

close to her heart.
“Every ingredient is mindfully
selected for its healing or anti-
inflammatory properties,” she
explains. “Every ingredient is put
in at a specific time at a specific
temperature.”

A NATURAL TAKE
Since starting the company nine
years ago, the Baraks have received
powerful feedback from customers
who they say are largely individuals
looking for holistic wellness
options.
A woman with gallbladder
issues, for instance, claims to have
been able to avoid surgery by
incorporating bone broth into a
holistic diet. A young man going
through chemotherapy couldn’t
eat solid foods but was able to
consume liquids like bone broth.
After starting Broth Masters,
his mother claimed it was a key

Jewish Penicillin

FOOD

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Broth Masters offers bone broth as
functional medicine for a variety of wellness needs.

PHOTOS COURTESY BROTH MASTERS

LEFT: Roasted Winter
Vegetables with Quinoa
and Bone Broth.
BELOW: Dorothy and
Laya Barak, founders of
Broth Masters.

continued on page 90