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Food

Celeb Chef Jose Andres Goes From Serrano to Sephardic in L.A.

A Sephardic Jewish eatery may be the next project for celeb chef , whose restaurant empire spans Washington D.C., Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and South Beach.

“I want to open a Sephardic Jewish restaurant. I think L.A. should be the place for that,” the chef behind hotspots like The Bazaar and Oyamel tells Munchies. Stay tuned.

Egyptian Brings Jewish Food to Long Island

Image by Courtesy of Pastrami Express

The Ahmeds in their eatery.

It took an Egyptian-born owner to bring Jewish classics to a corner of Long Island.

Since opening last month, Pastrami Express has become a hit for its kreplach, kishke, fresh-baked knishes and — of course — pastrami.

“I’ve worked for 15 years in this type of business,” co-owner Abe Ahmed tells the Long Island Herald. “We like Jewish food and it made sense to open up here in Seaford.” His wife, Annie, is his business partner.

Kosher in Kansas City?

Image by Courtesy Meshuggah Bagels

Pete and Janna Linde in their new bagel place.

Kosher bagels in Kansas City? Meshuggah!

No, really. Meshuggah Bagels will open downtown next week.

“We use a secret mix of Artisan flour, yeast, malt, sugar and salt. Painstakingly perfected to the point that even a New Yorker would swear they were biting into a piece of home,” enthuses its website.

Local couple Pete and Janna Linde are behind Meshuggah. He’s a Jewish former mechanic who grew up in New Jersey; she’s a longtime Del Monte executive.

The place is certified by Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City, says KansasCity.com.

Brisket Diplomacy

Call this one a meat-and-greet.

Mile End Deli partners Noah Bernamoff and Joel Tietolman barely got their famous smoked meat to Washington in time for a reception with Canada’s newly elected leader, reports the Montreal Gazette.

When they realized a shipment of meat hadn’t arrived in D.C. from Brooklyn, they had a manager get on a train with five briskets — and rushed the meat to Dupont Circle’s DGS Delicatessen for steaming.

“It was a real honor for us to be there,” Tietolman said. “(Trudeau) didn’t actually eat any of our meat; I don’t think he ate anything at the event, but he was really gracious. We gave him a copy of the Mile End cookbook that we signed for him.”

Israeli-Spanish-Chinese…

Two top Israeli-born chefs are pairing up for the first time.

Bar Bolonat and Balaboosta brain Einat Admony is the latest chef to partner with Shahaf Shabtay at Tasca Chino, the Latin-Asian-fusion spot near Union Square in New York City.

On Wednesday, the pair will “add her unique Israeli spin to Chef Shabtay’s special entrees,” according to an announcement.

Look for Phnom Penh Fish of stone oven black bass , randang paste, cauliflower, coconut, kaffir lime; lambchop with artichoke, miso, galangal, shitake teriyaki; and Beijing duck with Chinese charcoal, dashi mirin, spring onion, foie gras, homemade pancake.

Events To Add to iCal

Blintzapalooza takes place March 20 at Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Washington. The event’s always featured a cooking contest for goodies like bagels, challah and blintzes; this year, it’s cheesecake.

And the Tallahassee Jewish Food & Cultural Festival happens April 10 at Temple Israel. On the menu: pastrami, corned beef, knishes, stuffed cabbage, matzo ball soup, kosher hot dogs, falafel plates, cheesecake, irresistible strudel, rugelah, noodle kugel and — yes — more.

Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward.

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