Creative Kosher Thinking

I recently came across an interesting blogpost that discussed handling secular school events that occur on Shabbat.

I’ve noticed that high schools with even a small number of Jewish students are sensitive to holding events on Friday nights that may exclude students from observant families. But smaller middle schools or K – 8 ones may not have enough of a population to take notice when scheduling dances or sports events.

Secular Friday Night Lights

Just as our chefs create kosher dishes from just about any cuisine, Friday nights also require creative kosher thinking.

The author of the post I mentioned is a rabbi. She talks about walking a tightrope between her desire to raise her middle school-aged son to maintain a Jewish lifestyle and allowing him to participate in the contemporary world. In this case, it was a Friday night dance hosted by other parents, not the school. Her son wanted to go. And she didn’t blame him.

But you can’t ask parents to reschedule an event after the invitations go out. So she arranged for her son to spend the night with a friend who lived near the school. The following morning (Saturday), she walked six miles to pick him up and take him home.

This is creative wisdom. This mother and rabbi adhered to her principles with very little impact on her son. (We can assume he is used to walking to temple.) During their walk—certainly, there’s a lot of time to talk over six miles!—they discussed how he would soon be making his own choices about ritual observances that are at odds with the modern world.

She may feel like she’s walking a tightrope but I think she’s showing her son a very steady path. Call it creative kosher thought.

Creative Kosher Thinking in the Caterers’ Kitchen

Here at Mitzuyan Kosher Catering, we’re steadily building a reputation for developing contemporary and creative kosher dishes inspired by cuisine from around the world.

Take a look at our Testimonials page and you’ll see the accolades for our approach to kosher catering, which incorporates East Indian, Mexican, barbecue, Chinese, even

sushi dishes! We do this because these are the foods people want to eat. Bring us a recipe and we’re confident we can make not just a good kosher version, but a superb one.

Much of the creativity and open mindedness in the kitchen really comes from a desire to offer something totally different. Kosher food is more than brisket and latkes (although we love these foods ourselves!) We create kosher dishes that can be served at elegant, black-tie events, cocktail parties, fundraisers, and other events that deserve to have food that matches up to the surroundings.

A lot of our inspiration also comes from the desire to eat healthier. So our chef thinks about new ways to serve up protein-rich foods like fish, dark leafy greens, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. You’d be amazed what can be done with simple, fresh ingredients and a lot of imagination.

All our food and service conform to COR (Kashruth Council of Canada) standards and all events are supervised onsite by a mashgeach.

 

Speaking of simple foods, we thought we’d share this Mediterranean vegetable polenta from Tori Avey. You don’t have to tell anyone it’s also vegan!

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