According to Yoskowitz, reaction to the gefilte fish has been overwhelmingly positive at pop up restaurants and market appearances arranged by the Gefilteria over the past nine months.
“People, even the younger generation, are so excited about our products,” enthused Yoskowitz. “We get inquiries from all over the United States from eager customers wanting to find out where they can get our products.”
While the Upper West Side Zabar’s location on Broadway and 80th Street is currently the only place to buy The Gefilteria’s twenty two ounce gefilte fish loaf, the team has their eye on other retail outlets and may once again offer gefilte fish online at www.thegefilteria.com during holiday seasons. Both Zabar’s and the Greene Hill Food Coop in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn carry The Gefilteria’s kvass and horseradish and the horseradish is also available at the Westside Marketplace on Broadway and 110th Street. Yoskowitz is quick to add that they hope to place The Gefilteria products at other locations around New York City and they are experimenting with various high quality freezing techniques in order to be able to ship gefilte fish to locations outside of the metropolitan area
Looking ahead to the future Yoskowitz hopes to expand The Gefilteria’s product line.
Asked about two other food items that rank high on the list of “frightening Ashkenazic foods,” p’tcha and schav, Yoskowitz laughed.
“From the beginning, schav is an item we have talked about,” said Yoskowitz. “We aren’t working on it right now but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it one day. As for p’tcha, it isn’t something we are contemplating for now, but I love the utility of it: Life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. Life hands you hooves, you make p’tcha. We live in such a wasteful society and we should embrace this tradition of making the most of what you have when you don’t have much.”
The Gefilteria’s products are under the hashgacha of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens.