It’s one of my favorite times of the year — Rosh Hashanah!
The Jewish new year represents new things, new perspectives and sweet tastes. Honey is the usual theme; however, let’s talk about “beyond honey.”
Rosh Hashanah gifts, be they in the form of food items or not, always puts smiles on people’s faces. Most Rosh Hashanah specialty gifts are currently purchased online — on several websites.
That’s a little different than back in the day when kosher distributor Joffe Brothers was one of a few local kosher suppliers to grocery stores and shops. Jessup-based Castle Foods was one of the specialty food distributors to the Baltimore-Washington region with products such as specialty honey.
Honey currently comes with a wide range of price tags, according to their specialty brand and manufacturing processes. Savannah Bee Company is one name that stands out in today’s marketplace with its many premium, naturally flavored honey. Flavors like acai honey, lavender honey and chocolate honey, to name a few. Mike’s Hot Honey (infused with chilies) is another edgy honey on the market.
Sorry, I planned to write about ‘beyond honey,” but was pulled back in …
These days, Rosh Hashanah gifts have morphed into many cool things. Pomegranate table runners and chocolate babkas are a winner every time, and a shofar makes a professional shofar blower!
One company knocking it outta the park these days is ChallahGram.com out of Brooklyn, New York. Ordering via their website seems very user-friendly. The company’s Rosh Hashanah packages are shipped anywhere in the United States and contain the essential items to make you smile and share.
Back in the day, the appearance of round challahs in such stores as Giant, Food-A-Rama/Super-Super, Eddie’s, Shapiro’s, Jack’s, Weis Markets, Farm Fresh and many others was the sign that Rosh Hashana was coming.
Stacked high near the bakery departments — round and soft. You rarely saw a regularly braided challah during this time of year.
Wishing you and your family a safe, peaceful, and sweet new year!
Northwest Baltimore resident Jeremy Diamond is author of “Tastemakers: The Legacy of Jewish Entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic Grocery Industry.” A second edition will be coming out soon and available on Amazon and The Ivy Bookshop in Mount Washington. He can be reached via Facebook or LinkedIn.
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