(By: Sandy Eller)

It was an epic celebration of food at Kosherpalooza 2024, as 4,000 people flocked to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus to see, be seen, and be part of the foodie scene.

Debuting last year after the official retirement of the long-running Kosherfest food show, the theme of Kosherpalooza this year was “Back for Seconds,” the event’s lighthearted approach evident throughout the day. From a water cooler decked out in a cover that said “Use your kup,” to a purple apron available for sale at the official show swag shop that had Kosherpalooza spelled out in yellow Hebrew letters accompanied by the words of the Hadran, it was clear that while business may have been conducted on the show floor, the day was equal parts food and fun.

Hosted by Fleishigs Magazine and Powwow Events, Kosherpalooza featured more than 1 00 booths, demonstrations and panels, with plenty of goodies just waiting to be tasted. It was evident from the moment that Kosherpalooza opened that the show was a hot ticket, with the line for pre-registered attendees stretching out the door. Inside, there were similar-length lines at some of the hottest booths including Brooklyn Bagel, where the queue of people waiting for a small slice of cheesy pizza never seemed to get shorter at any point in time during the day. Also wowing the crowd was The Pizza Guy, whose meat pizzas included one topped with chumus, chopped liver, sauteed onions, honey and a techina drizzle, with a similarly complex assortment of ingredients topping their shawarma, buffalo chicken and deli pies.

Unique sodas popped up in multiple places, including Happy Dad’s hard seltzer and teas, Bubala’s fruit infused seltzer water, and FreshFizz organic naturally sweetened drinks, which clock in at a relatively slim 60 calories per can. Vice president of sales Chava Schwartz explained that the product evolved out of her own family’s preferences and is available in hibiscus ginger ale, jalapeno limeade, date cola and the mojito-inspired mint lemonade,

“My husband loves soda, my kids love soda and it was always a point of contention because I want the house to be healthier, so we came up with this,” Schwartz told Yeshiva World News.

Freeze-dried candy was another popular item that appeared at more than one Kosherpalooza booth. Popinsanity, the Monsey-based gourmet kosher popcorn company that gained national attention after it appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s 2018 list of favorite things, debuted their line of freeze-dried candy including marshmallows, red hots and sour swirls for Purim this year. Newly married Sarah Newhouse of Astroeats shared that the seeds for her line of more than a dozen items, including freeze-dried ice creams and cheesecake, were sown during the pandemic.

“It was during corona and everyone was locked inside and no one was able to move,” said Newhouse, whose unopened items have a 25 year shelf life. “I saw a video of all these non-Jewish people tasting freeze-dried candy and it wasn’t kosher andI wanted to taste it really badly. I begged my parents to buy me a machine. They finally agreed and I started a business.”

I Want Romanian’s three foot long gift-boxed salami had showgoers stopping to get a better look. Owners Jacob and Dave Willner send meat from the iconic Chicago butcher store to buyers throughout the country.

“During COVID we realized we could ship the stuff nationwide,” said Jacob Willner. “Romanian wasn’t interested in doing it, so we took it upon ourselves to do it and it’s been a hit ever since.”

I Want Romanian ships more than 20,000 pounds of meat each year, and their customers have included rabbis traveling to remote parts of the country where kosher items can be hard to find. Gift packaging is available for those who want to share Romanian’s beloved meats in honor of a special occasion, and the extra large salami at the show was accompanied by a large happy birthday sign saying “Romanian salami gets better with age and so do you!”

The emphasis on the Jewish angle of a kosher food show was evident in the layout of the booths, with aisles on one side of the room dedicated to meat items, with dairy on the far side of the show floor. Washing stations were on hand for the multitude of bread items being showcased, and Crave sourdough’s large display contained the full text of bentshing. Several non-food booths gave show-goers an opportunity to do a mitzvah while attending Kosherpalooza, with Torah Anytime, Masbia Foods and Daily Giving providing tzedakah opportunities. An orange sign at the AliyahNow.org booth loudly proclaimed “JEWS GO HOME TO ISRAEL NOW!”

The Kosherpalooza schedule was filled with demonstrations of all kinds. Israeli superstar Gad Elbaz demonstrated his perfect Moroccan fish recipe and Micah Siva shined the spotlight on plant based foods with a pulled “beef brisket” made out of king trumpet mushrooms and extra firm tofu. An afternoon Chopped-style competition had private chefs competing for bragging rights, while the day-long lineup of panels included a cocktail contest and a segment on koshering presented by the OU. Fun and games took center stage on a sizable portion of the show floor that featured a cookbook signing area, a 360 degree video dance platform and a special Kosherpalooza photo booth.

Yehuda Klein, president of Fish Grill, which opened a Brooklyn location at the end of January, enjoyed Kosherpalooza’s unique vibe.

“I liked seeing that there were more boutique brands as opposed to larger ones,” said Klein. “There really isn’t a platform for mom and pop places or smaller brands, so it was nice to see them at a big event like this.”

Witnessing the excitement and innovation in the kosher food space was a big draw for Joseph Jacobs Advertising CEO Elie Rosenfeld, while Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz appreciated the fact that Kosherpalooze was created with the kosher consumer in mind.

“The packed scene was reminiscent of the shuk in Israel, with people trying to explore and experience,” said Gewirtz, a columnist and writer. “The fresh samples of hot food added to the party ambiance and energy while the live shows and demos got people involved. The importance of each person in the kosher continuum was definitely evident.”

For Kosherpalooza’s Shlomo Klein, COO of Fleishigs magazine, feeling the electricity in the air at the show was incredibly rewarding.

“I go to trade shows all the time and people are there because they are working and they have to be there,” said Klein. “This is a show that is built for consumers. Everyone is happy and the vibe is wonderful.”

But as Klein saw last year after Kosherpalooza’s success translates into real business.

“Consumers came into supermarkets for two to three weeks after the show asking store managers ‘How come you don’t have this? I saw it at Kosherpalooza,’” said Klein. “Consumers have a say in the business now and baruch Hashem, you saw that in the show.”

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