Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.
Bubbelah, the new Jewish concept from chef David Nayfeld of San Francisco’s Che Fico, opened for delivery and takeout on June 18. By the time you are reading this, it most likely will have opened its dining room, too. Your dedicated columnist already has a visit scheduled for July so rest assured, a full report will be coming.
Bubbelah is featuring not only Ashkenazi classics and dishes from Nayfeld’s own Russian heritage like pelmeni (veal dumplings) but also foods from other parts of the Jewish diaspora such as katchepuri, the Georgian eye-shaped savory pastry with egg and salty cheese inside. Bubbelah is located at 1300 El Camino Real, Suite A, Menlo Park, and is open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In October, I featured a book about Mexican Jewish cooking called “Sabor Judío” by two Jewish academics, Ilan Stavans and Margaret Boyle, when they did an online event through the Jewish Community Library. Now, Boyle will make a live appearance in San Francisco, at Omnivore Books in July.
In just one example from their book, Boyle wrote about how her great-grandmother substituted matzah for tortilla chips in the popular breakfast dish, chilequiles, during Passover. The free event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, at Omnivore Books, 3885a Cesar Chavez Ave., S.F. tinyurl.com/sabor-event.
From the San Francisco Chronicle’s food newsletter, I learned that Inna Jam, an East Bay jam and shrub company founded by Dafna Kory, will shut down soon. A colleague profiled Kory and the company in J. in 2013. Kory, who was born in Israel, started the company in 2010. Since then, its jams and shrubs (fruit vinegars that are delicious as mixers with seltzer) have been available in gourmet grocery shops around the Bay Area.
The Bagel Blurb: The San Francisco Chronicle wrote recently about the opening of Bones Bagels in Noe Valley. Owner Noah Orloff has been known for riding his bike around the city to deliver bagels. When he started his delivery service, he often used his stationary bike to power a flour grinder. According to its website, Bones Bagels are of the naturally leavened sourdough variety. Bones is located at 741 Diamond St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.