To Be (Kosher) Or Not to Be....

Of the many requests I get, Kosher (followed by sugar-free) is most often asked of our rugelach.

I have been looking into becoming a kosher kitchen. After doing a little research, I found that the problem is the inherently high expenses of maintaining a kosher kitchen.

I not only bake rugelach. I am a caterer as well. Thus, to keep my operation under one roof, I would need to be Kosher for baking as well as catering. Baking is not too bad, in that it would cost me nearly $5000 annually for the certification. A catering kitchen is absurdly expensive, since I would need to have a full-time rabbi(s) on site during all times of operation. Now I know why when it comes to Kosher caterers, there are so few choices out there.

My choices: Have my baking operation and my catering operation in different locations and pay rents plural as well as not be able to utilize employees for both businesses, or abandon the catering side of the business altogether. Both are not options for me.

As a boutique baker and caterer, the cost of obtaining kosher certification is currently not financially viable. The option is still on the table, but not in the foreseeable future.

Donuts? We don't need no stinkin' donuts!

Glad to know we are developing a nice fan base with The University of Chicago Police Department. Rugelach replacing the stereotypical donuts? Hey, anything can happen!

Post Holiday Stress Disorder

FIRST POST!

So I made it through my first Jewish High Holiday season, but not without war wounds.

I was prepared for holiday orders, but when the Chicago Tribune ran that story about me, well, let's just say that normal sleep was no longer part of my basic daily regimen. In a matter of weeks I have gone from a normal 11pm bedtime to anywhere from 2am to 8am. It has been a rough adjustment to these new hours I need to keep. What makes it more difficult is that the hours are not consistent, so my body's clock doesn't know what to do! Throw in my catering gigs on top of that and it's amazing that I'm still vertical!

Anyway, in future posts I plan to share stories about my doings as The Rugelach Man, caterer, customer stories, and more.

Shana Tova!