There was a time when fine kosher dining meant enjoying a nicely charred steak with a side of fries, or a pastrami on club with a can of Cel-Ray at your favorite kosher restaurant. Of course, that was back when we had rotary phones, when computers were so big they took up an entire room and when gasoline cost under a dollar a gallon. Not that I have anything against a well-done steak or pastrami, but kosher food has taken a new direction, following the mainstream food world into arenas that feature an increased interest in herbs, grains and a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables, with emphasis on fresh ingredients and all new flavor profiles. These trends have opened up new vistas for the kosher consumer looking for something different when dining out or even when dining in, a phenomenon that a relatively new company called KitchenSurfing.com hopes to capitalize on.
Kitchen surfing is a unique concept that brings professional chefs to your home to prepare a meal in your own kitchen. The Brooklyn-based KitchenSurfing.com combines the warmth of a dinner party with the gourmet factor of a restaurant meal, creating a win-win situation, both for private chefs and for diners. Chefs have an opportunity to showcase their talents and avoid both the low pay and the difficulties of the restaurant scene, while diners can enjoy a gourmet meal or dinner party in the comfort of their own home, prepared by a fully screened private chef, without ever having to lift a finger. KitchenSurfing.com began in Brooklyn but currently operates in eight cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and the Hamptons. This past summer the company opened a kosher division under the direction of Crown Heights resident Yuda Schlass. Schlass is an out-of-the-box thinker whose pop-up sandwich shop Hasid+Hipster creates contemporary gourmet treats, including a recent $15 sandwich special consisting of an egg-beef burger with Portobello mushroom, roasted balsamic-glazed onions, a mock cheddar cheese gratin and arugula, drizzled with mustard-roasted garlic aioli and sriracha ketchup on a rosemary focaccia bun with French fries and truffle mayonnaise. Clearly someone who understands that there is a huge market for sophisticated kosher fare, Schlass is well suited to heading up KitchenSurfing.com’s kosher arm.
Schlass began laying the groundwork for the new endeavor last spring, writing manuals for chefs and training them in the nuances of kosher cooking. KitchenSurfing.com currently has 17 chefs, including five Orthodox Jews and eight who are either Jewish or come from a kosher background and all are fully trained in kosher cooking. Clients who enlist its services choose the chef of their choice and then the fun begins.
“Typically before any booking, the chef and client discuss the menu,” Schlass told The Jewish Press. “During this conversation the chef goes over any equipment he or she might need to execute the menu and if the client does not have the necessary equipment, the chef will amend the menu accordingly.”
Prices are determined by each chef based on menu, location and number of guests. KitchenSurfing.com has catered over 70 events since officially launching on July 1st with an average price of $70 per person. While the company has no official kashrus certification, chefs only use ingredients from a list of approved kosher stores and prepare everything in the host’s kitchen using the host’s dishes, utensils, cookware and appliances, leaving it up to guests to decide if the host’s kashrus standards are acceptable to them.
Kitchensurfing.com has run a number of supper club dinner parties since its inception, with a fall event hosted by Jamie Geller of Joy of Kosher, under the supervision of OK Kosher, in Schlass’ Crown Heights loft. The party was limited to 20 guests, including members of the media, and was a golden opportunity to get a first-hand look at kitchen surfing, and mingle with some serious foodies.