A truck of kosher knishes and matzo ball soup rolls into New York

Hot dogs, babka and egg rolls are all made hot-to-go in the Manischewitz Deli on Wheels

The Manischewitz Deli on Wheels served up warm soup and apps on a wet New York day. Photo by Samuel Eli Shepherd

By PJ Grisar, Olivia Haynie, Samuel Eli ShepherdMarch 24, 2025

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, for all its cachet, is not glatt kosher. Halal carts, for all their ubiquity in New York City, tend not to serve babka.

Enter the Manischewitz Deli on Wheels, an orange truck set to serve up rugelach, hot dogs and even vegetarian egg rolls, filling a need for hungry New Yorkers who’d rather not take a number at a brick and mortar delicatessen.

“The idea is this is a deli on wheels and we’re gonna be selling soups in the winter, hotdogs in the summer — just iconic Jewish dishes all the time,” said Shani Seidman, Chief Marketing Officer of Kayco, Manischewitz’s parent company.

Seidman noted that Manischewitz launched a line of frozen food offerings a year ago, all emphasizing convenience, and this roving kosher food truck was in step with a re-brand emphasizing convenience and striving to skew younger.

With a citywide license, and a schedule posted at the beginning of every week starting after Passover (Manischewitz is now in its “matzo crunch” time), the mobile deli plans to drive to college campuses and food festivals and perform demos at supermarkets across New York and New Jersey.

On a cold day, the matzo ball soup hit the spot. Photo by Samuel Eli Shepherd

On a drippy spring day, with some collective congestion between us, we flocked to the truck’s outpost by the South Street Seaport Museum for some Jewish penicillin — matzo ball soup — and some light noshing.

The flaky gluten-free knish, served with a schmear of mustard, was a bit too crumbly for our tastes. It was served whole on a paper plate but fell apart in our hands. And while the vegetarian egg-rolls were missing that deep-fried crunch, the soup and the pigs in a blanket (or, as they are more kosherly named, “franks in blanks”) met our standards of Jewish comfort food.

We did not have a chance to sample the chocolate babka or rugelach — both pareve — but we imagine they were equally carby and nostalgic. The warm chicken and vegetable broth from the soup kept us cozy amidst the dreary weather.

Sam Yusupov, wearing a crimson “100 Years of Culinary Chutzpah” Manischewitz apron and an orange Manischewitz hat, served up each dish fresh out of the oven and out of the concession window.

“We’re going to be all over New York and New Jersey,” said Yusupov, who enthusiastically called out the name of each dish like a modern pushcart proprietor. A self-described “foodie,” Yusupov works in “brand awareness” for Manischewitz when he’s not slinging easy hors d’oeuvres.

“Do you know how simple it is?” Yusupov said. “They go into the freezer section. Buy this for a couple of bucks. Put it in the oven. Done! You can host people.”

Sam Yusupov with a fresh platter of all-beef “franks in blanks.” Photo by Samuel Eli Shepherd

The crowd outside the Manischewitz Deli on Wheels on Monday was small, but mighty. Other members of the press chatted while taking iPhone videos of each other chowing down on hot dogs. The crew handed out samples of merchandise that will be available from the trucks. We peered inside orange swag bags that contained bags of kosher-for-passover chocolate macaroons and football jerseys emblazoned with “Retzlaff,” referencing Jake Retzlaff, the Jewish quarterback at Brigham Young University, who has an unconventional brand endorsement from Manischewitz.

The Deli on Wheels delighted us with its creative branding and warm servings of classic Jewish comfort food. The concept is kitschy, knish-y and fun — just don’t expect to see it driving on Shabbat.

PJ Grisar is a Forward culture reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and @pjgrisar on Twitter.

Olivia Haynie is an editorial fellow at the Forward.

Samuel Eli Shepherd is a culture journalist and a digital reporting and editing intern at the Forward. He can be reached at [email protected].

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