With Passover days away, the folks at Café Alma want the Jewish community to know about the eatery’s offerings during this high holiday period. First and foremost, Café Alma, while kosher, is not Passover kosher. Lainey Richler owns the café along with husband Yair. She said this: “We are not certified kosher for Passover by any means. That’s because we bake (in our kitchen) and make our breads and muffins and bagels every day.” She explained that the presence of gluten flour in the kitchen at Café Alma all but precluded the possibility of offering kosher-for-Passover certified items.
Mira’s power bowl, featuring sweet potatoes, red onion, tomato, and dried cranberries with arugula
As she spoke, she sat before a salad called Mira’s power bowl, a kosher combination of veggies and lettuce that features lentils. Richler used the salad she was eating to underscore the complexities of Passover kosher. She said that legumes are called kitniyot in Hebrew, and under normal everyday dietary rules, lentils are considered kitniyot, and are gluten-free. But during Passover, kitniyot takes on a broader meaning that places legumes such as lentils, peanuts, and such in the category of grains, akin to wheat, and therefore unfit for Passover among some Jews. That has been the case for Ashkenazic communities for centuries, and some Sephardic communities as well.
Trays of salmon filets prepared for catered events
Complexity or not, there is a nuance she wants to convey to Jewish diners-out regarding Passover. “What we do want everybody to know is that while we are not kosher for Passover, we definitely offer kosher-for-Passover-style options for those who are not strict about keeping specific kosher-certified for Passover.”
In fact, Café Alma has established a Passover menu for catered dishes. The menu features four categories: Spreads, Main Courses, Salads & Sides, and Desserts. For instance, Jewish households can order main-course trays of spinach lasagna that is both vegan and gluten-free, as well as agave mustard salmon. Spreads include hummus, tahini, egg salad, and tuna salad. An array of salads and sides features harvest salad, Mira’s power bowl, curried apple quinoa salad, Israeli tabbouleh salad, and kale, mango, and avocado salad, as well as rice with chickpeas. And my favorite section, desserts, including chocolate cheesecake, raspberry cheesecake, and brownie bites. All the dessert items, including the brownies, are gluten-free, according to Richler.
An Israeli tabbouleh salad
Orders for catering for Passover must be placed no later than the end of business tomorrow, April 19. Order pickup is Monday, April 22 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“We have a lot of gluten-free items on our (regular) menu and the same is true for our catering menu. All of our salads are gluten-free, including the (Mira’s) power bowl, the apple-quinoa salad, and the leafy green salads. In fact, it’s not only for Passover, but we are a very welcoming place for anyone who is looking for gluten-free.” She went on to say that Café Alma is sensitive in the extreme to the special dietary needs of Jewish diners-out specifically, and all who dine at the café generally. The kitchen is set up with protocols that maintain tight controls on foodstuffs, so that diners wanting gluten-free or vegan dishes can order with confidence. “We have diverse options for people on strict dietary regimens — 100 percent health issues, and we understand how important that is to people who need to be careful about their diets,” she said.
Café Alma will be open on its regular schedule during Passover. Already in place is the model of “selling” the business, namely Café Alma, on Shabbat so the restaurant may provide service to customers on Fridays and Saturdays. At the end of the sabbath, the business reverts back to owners Lainey and Yair. The same model is used by the owners for the holidays, including Passover. Thus, Café Alma is able to stay open during Passover, and to provide both dine-in service and catering for Jewish families who want to take advantage of either or both.
See you at Café Alma!
