Rabbi Yaakov Spivak’s Shiur at Talia’s

Last Sunday, October 28th, Talia’s [668 Amsterdam Avenue (between 92nd & 93rd Streets) New York; NY 10025; Telephone: 212.580.3770] hosted a brunch with Rabbi Yaakov Spivak who in his unique analytical style gave an insightful shiur on Avraham Avinu, The Man of Seeming Contradictions.

He spoke of how courageously, armed merely with his faith in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, he withstood all outside pressures and created a new faith, showing the real truth, the real meaning of our life on this lowly plane of existence.

Chef Oren and his sous chef

The food was quite good; I had a Pasta Bolognaise, prepared by Chef Oren. It consisted of rigatoni, ground beef and a nice subtle tomato sauce.

I hope there will be many more such Brunch and Limmud occasions at Talia’s

CS

Food and Learning

Talia’s Steakhouse, [668 Amsterdam Avenue (between 92nd & 93rd Streets) New York; NY 10025; Telephone: 212.580.3770] not only serves moderately priced, wholesome food, but also feeds the soul.

A partial view of Talia’s steakhouse

Every Wednesday they feature a Chabad evening nourishing the neshomo without forgetting the physical being. But… starting again this coming Sunday, at 1:00 pm, Rabbi Yaakov Spivak will present Brunch and Limmud.

A view of the audience (of all ages) listening raptly to Rabbi Yaakov Spivak. Effie Nagar – Talia’s owner, in blue shirt – sits against the back wall.

Rabbi Spivak will speak on Avraham Avinu, The Man of Seeming Contradictions. Reb Yaakov will analyze how and why the father of our Patriarchs was told to do exactly what he so vforcefully preached against, how and why he lived where a Jew is commanded to stay away from and yet, somehow never wavered in his faith, while successfully making converts.

As usual this brunch also promises to be interesting, and inspiring. Plan on coming – this coming Sunday (October 28th) at 1:00 pm – to Talia’s Steakhouse, [668 Amsterdam Avenue (between 92nd & 93rd Streets) New York; NY 10025; Telephone: 212.580.3770]. Come on over and say hello, don’t be shy!

CS

UPDATE

The time for this brunch has been moved to 11:00am instead of 1:00pm

Attend and feed body and soul!!

Kollel Ayshel Avraham’s Sixth Graduating Class

Monsey’s Kollel Ayshel Avraham, graduated 13 musmachim this past June 24th. Various speakers spoke of the meaning of becoming a rabbi, of the obligation to the public they are serving, of the responsibilities their new titles conferred upon them. Rabbi Chananya Elbaz, spoke for the Iggud Harabbonim. With gentle wit, he delineated the obligations, the rewards, and the often grueling job of teaching, counseling and leading the congregation. He was followed by Rabbi Yaakov Klass, the Halacha Editor at The Jewish Press…

One of the graduates, Rabbi Dovid Stein, sang a stirring rendition of Eylu Devorim… 

The Rosh Kollel, Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, then presented the diplomas to the graduates and spoke emotionally about the unbroken shalsheles, the chain of learning and tradition, which his Rebbeim at Baltimore’s Ner Yisroel Yeshiva passed on to him and which he now passed on the to the graduates.

Rabbi Moshe Schmerler, President Kollel Ayshel Avraham Alumni Association and Rabbi Mendy Myrocznick Director of Alumni Affairs Kollel Ayshel Avraham Alumni Association planned and more than ably conducted the proceedings, making for an interesting event filled with touching moments and words of chizuk.

CS

Perfect Jewish American!

This past Tuesday morning the Manischewitz Company celebrated the opening of its new corporate headquarters in Newark, NJ.

From left to right: Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker, Co-President and CEO Paul Bensabat, Co-President and CEO Alain Bankier and Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Yona Metzger

After both CoCEOs spoke about the company and their vision for the future, Mayor Booker took to the podium. With wit,  with a palpable sincerity – rare in a politician of any political stripe – he interspersed Yiddish words (impeccable pronounced!) in his speech, welcoming the company into the city. Israel’s Chief Rabbi Rav Metzger followed, he remarked on the Mayor’s facility with the Yiddish words and beside speaking of the company products he also blessed Cory Booker to go on to the national scene as a future President.

The affixing of three mezuzos followed…

Affixing the second mezuzah

After the mezuzos were in place we toured the manufacturing facility, which culminated with the baking (from start to finish) the World’s Largest Matzoh (25 feet long, 82 square feet!) ever, baked right in front of our eyes.

Detail of the finished matzoh as it came out on the conveyor belt

After the matzoh baked we all went in to the buffet luncheon in the company’s boardroom.

The Manischewitz Company was founded in Cincinnati in the spring of 1888 as a matzoh factory by Rabbi Dov Manischewitz. In 1932 it moved to its expanded facility in Jersey City and this move paved the way for the introduction of more products. While it is the US largest manufacturer of processed kosher foods, it is also the world’s largest manufacturer of matzoh.

The company today manufactures over 600 products with brands such as:

• Manischewitz
• Season
• Barney’s
• Guiltless Gourmet
• Asian Harvest
• Rokeach
• Mishpacha
• Horowitz Margareten
• Jason
• Mother’s
• Carmel
• Tradition
• Croyden House
• Mrs Adler’s
• Goodman’s

CEO Paul Bensabat interviewed by my good friend Rabbi Yaakov Spivak

On Wednesday past, we posted a cookbook review titled Perfect Jewish… With that title in mind, I wonder what could be more Perfect Jewish American than the Manischewitz Company‘s products? Could a Jew in America have grown up without ever having tasted any of of the company’s products? Absolutely impossible!!

CS

No Broadcast Tonight

Kudos to our dear friend, Rabbi Yaakov Spivak at the Jewish Radio Network, for hosting the past eleven episodes of The Kosher Scene Radio Show. We’re so excited to announce that starting next week, we’ll be moving to a terrific new net station.  We’ll be bigger and better than ever with new tech abilities and worldwide coverage. Check The Kosher Scene Radio for updates and details about our new and exciting venue. This week, however, we will be taking a week hiatus from radio while we make the necessary transitions.

Last week’s show featured Moshe Aaron Zimmerman from Liquors Galore (1212 Avenue J; Brooklyn, NY 11230-3702; Telephone: 718.338.4166), if you missed it here is the archived show. In the past, Aaron has shared some basics of wine tasting on this blog’s pages, with a four part series on Enjoying Your Wine (Buying, Tasting, Storing and Grape Varieties). His talk on our show was interesting and very informative.

Here are the links to our past guests’ audio files:

• Pastry Chef Paula Shoyer – Author of The Kosher Baker.
• Sol Kirschenbaum – Owner of Teaneck’s NoBo Restaurant (1400 Palisade Avenue; Teaneck, NJ 07666, Telephone: 201.837.1000), partner at Presidental Tours and Israeli wine expert.
• Elizabeth Bland – Blogger, writer (for various trade magazine) and lecturer on all subjects cheese.
• Gil Marks – author of the Encyclopedia of Jewish Foods and more.
• Nina Shapir – Owner and operator of Natural Village Cafe in Brooklyn.
• Jay Buchsbaum – Executive Vice President of Royal Wine Corporation.
• Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum – Author of three cookbooks (with a fourth one due out this summer), the visionary trailblazer behind the legendary Lévana’s Restaurant and cooking teacher extraordinaire.
• Chef Jack Silberstein – Partner at Jack’s Gourmet.
• Tammy Cohen – Partner at 18 Restaurant .and marketing expert
• Rabbi Yaakov Spivak – Radio and TV personality and blogger at the New York Daily News

We have a great lineup of upcoming guests, enjoy a quiet night off tonight, but be sure to listen our new show. We’ll give you the details at the beginning of next week.

CS

This Evening’s Internet Radio Guest Will Be…

Last Wednesday, we spoke to radio and TV personality, newspaper columnist Rabbi Yaakov Spivak. We spoke about some interesting insights on Megillahs Esther. If you missed the broadcast you can hear it here.

This evening we will feature a conversation with Aaron Zimmerman, owner of Liquors Galore (1212 Avenue J – between 12th and 13th Streets; Brooklyn, NY 11230-3702; Telephone: 718.338.4166).

Mr. Zimmerman opened his first liquor store in 1998, it was located 2 blocks away from his current location, it was long and very narrow. Three years ago he moved to his present location into what is one of the most beautiful, best organized wine and liquor stores. When you first walk into this well appointed store you can’t being impressed by the looks, the knowledgeable stuff and the encyclopedic knowledge of their product by the store owners. Wines, for example, are organized by country of origin and – within each country – by winery. Center isles display sale items as well as some of the newest products.

Aaron has shared some basics of wine tasting on this blog’s pages before, with a four part series on Enjoying Your Wine (Buying, Tasting, Storing and Grape Varieties). This evening we will talk about some of the newest kosher wines to enjoy on Purim and Pessach and suggestions on how to enjoy the Arba Kosos at both sedorim without getting sick.

Just listen in, gentle reader, at 8:00pm (Eastern Time) on Wednesday, March 2nd, on Jewish Radio Network. Enter the site and click on the red “here” under the white “Radio,” then wait about 30 to 90 seconds for the application to start streaming.

CS

Our Next Internet Radio Guest is…

Tammy Cohen of 18 Restaurant was our guest this past Wednesday. Here is the audio file of that broadcast, in case you missed it.

This week’s guest (on Wednesday, February 23rd) will be Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, we will talk about various inyonim concerning Purim. Rabbi Spivak, a native of Atlanta Georgia, received his ordination from Baltimore’s Ner Yisroel Yeshiva. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Loyola College, and is a nationally known newspaper columnist, as well as a radio and TV commentator and a never tiring community activist.

Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, host of a very popular radio show (on the New York airwaves) on Torah with an occasional dose of politics

As Rosh Kollel of Kollel Ayshel Avraham in Monsey, NY, he has seen his musmochim occupy positions in Jewish communities across the world. As Executive Director of EMES he’s known throughout the world for his successful efforts in combating missionaries and specifically those who called themselves Jews for Jesus. This group, particularly, regards him as their nemesis. He is the founder of Jewish Radio Network, where we broadcast.

We will be discussing some of the parallels between the narrative in Megillas Esther and today’s situation between Israel (world Jewry) and the leaders of Iran, as well some interesting Purim customs from around the world.

Just listen in, gentle reader, at 8:00pm on Wednesday, February 23rd, on Jewish Radio Network. Enter the site and click on the red “here” under the white “Radio,” then wait about 30 to 90 seconds for the application to start streaming.

CS

The Kosher Scene on Internet Radio, Tonight

Last week, on Wednesday the 15th of December 2010, at 8:00pm, we did the first of our weekly radio shows on Rabbi Yaakov Spivak‘s Jewish Radio Network. Though normally we are scheduled for Wednesday evenings at 8:00pm, this week and this week only, we will be on tonight at 9:00pm because of a scheduling conflict.

Our first show had some technical glitches, which the engineer promised to correct by tonight (I could not always hear my guest, nor could the guest always hear me), even so, French trained, Washington, DC, based, acclaimed Pastry Chef and cookbook author Paula Shoyer proved to be very informative and delightfully entertaining, many listeners want her back. To listen to last week’s broadcast, please click here.

Tonight’s guest will be Jay Buchsbaum, Executive Vice President at the Royal Wine Corporation. His knowledge of wine types, wine history, wine making, etc, is encyclopedic as you will hear tonight. Some of you may already knew him, some may not, but everyone is in for a treat! So, please, give us a listen tonight at 9:00pm on Jewish Radio Network.

We have some very interesting guests lined up for the coming weeks, chefs, experts, authors and more. If there is someone you wish to hear interviewed let us know and we will do our best to schedule him/her.

Well, gentle reader, here we are hoping you’ll send us in your guest suggestions, we hope to see your comments soon and – above all – we hope you’ll be listening in this evening.

CS

Brunch and Limmud

Yesterday – Sunday, the 18th of April – at Talia’s Steakhouse, [668 Amsterdam Avenue (between 92nd & 93rd Streets) New York; NY 10025; Telephone: 212.580.3770] Rabbi Yaakov Spivak spoke on the opening paragraph of Pirkey Avos and tied it in with today’s relationship between Israel and the US.

Rabbi Yaakov Spivak making a point...

Talking about the nature of the Spiritual World, Rabbi Spivak said: “The World To Come is a world of Chessed, kindness and concern for others. As much as Joseph’s brothers’ act of selling him may have been justified in the eye’s of some of the commentaries, the Zohar tells us that their souls were reincarnated into the ten great Rabbis of Rabbi Akiva’s time [tortured and murdered by the Romans], so that martyrdom would free them from what they did. Betrayal is the ultimate anti-Chessed act! That is why the sight of eighty percent of American Jews’ uninformed support for the White House’s attempt to restrict Israel from building in Jerusalem is so distressing.”

A partial view of the audience (of all ages) listening intently. Effie Nagar - Talia's owner, in blue shirt - sits against the back wall.

The food was quite good and fairly priced. What made it all the more attractive, however, was the 50% discount for anyone who attended Rabbi Spivak’s lecture. This lecture series will become a regular Sunday event starting on Lag Ba’Omer, which falls – this year – on May the 2nd.

Talia's Steakhouse's Executive Chef Executive Victor Naim and his Sous-Chef

Chef Victor, Talia’s new Executive Chef, combines 30 years of culinary experience with a passion and dedication that drives him to find the freshest and finest ingredients for the creation of his gastronomic delights.

CS

This Week’s Upcoming Events

Sunday, April 18th

Talia’s Steakhouse

(668 Amsterdam Avenue -between 92nd & 93rd Streets• New York, NY 10025 • MAP
Phone: (212) 580-3770)

Today, Brunch with Rabbi Yaakov Spivak. Starts at 12:00pm sharp. Come to Learn and get a 50% discount on your meal!

Monday, April 19th

Beyond Milk and Honey: Israeli Street Foods

Dinner and a Show with the incomparable Levana. Mention you saw it on The Kosher Scene and get a discount on your ticket.

Tuesday, April 20th

Kosher Wine Society

Enjoy a selection of premier Scotch, Bourbon and Cigars from Cigar Inn

We will be tasting three exclusive malt whiskeys

Usquaebach ‘Premium Blend’ Flagon
Usquaebach 15YO Pure Malt
Usquaebach Reserve

and three select Bourbons

Buffalo Trace
Eagle Rare 10 year old
Blantons

Tuesday, April 20th – 7:30 PM-9:30 PM

Roger Smith Hotel
501 Lexington Ave, Penthouse — New York, NY 10017

Thursday, April 22

Israeli Wine Lovers Club

Featuring wines from the Tabor Winery.

Check the links above and don’t forget to mention you first saw it at The Kosher Scene.
I’ll be at all four events, hope to meet you there!

CS