With winter (mostly) in our collective rear-view mirrors, it’s time to turn our attention to the renewal of spring! Comfort foods—rich and heavy like a cozy blanket—cede the plate to the fresh promise of new, seasonal flavors.
And like the new season, the spring holidays of Passover and Easter celebrate new beginnings and bring together friends and family around the table.
Passover is an important holiday filled with celebration, family, and, of course, delicious food. Hosting Passover can require a lot of preparation and time in the kitchen. And extra time is a precious commodity that few of us have. Instead of stressing over the menu and spending all day prepping and cooking, let us take care of this celebratory meal for you!
Family traditions are one of my favorite things – the rituals, the memories, the nostalgic feelings of family traditions provide me so much joy. I was raised in a Catholic family and we celebrated holidays in a big way. All the major holidays were big deals in my family and celebrated way more than birthdays, so holidays are super important to me. One of my favorite things about my husband is that he is Jewish, and I have spent the last 7 years not only getting to celebrate the major holidays I grew up with but also celebrating all the Jewish holidays. I was pretty familiar with Hanukkah and even Rosh Hashanah, but full disclosure, I knew nothing about Passover. I vividly remember going to my future brother and sister-in-law’s house for Passover the first time. I was super excited to attend and learn about all the traditions of Passover. I won’t lie – I was also intimidated because I was hosting Passover the second night to a big crowd, and somewhat terrified about that experience. Ok fine – I was more than terrified. I sat at the table soaking it all in, completely mesmerized by all the prayers, songs, new to me foods, the wine (so much wine), and all the traditions. I also fell even more in love with matzo ball soup that night.
My favorite Passover menu item!
As Passover approaches, you may be planning to host a Seder. It’s a great way to share the Jewish tradition with family and friends, both old and new.
The Seder is a religious feast observed during the first two days of Passover. The name means “order”, which is appropriate because the meal consists of particular rituals that pay homage to the history of Judaism.
During the Seder, each ritual corresponds to various aspects of the story of the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. This story is read aloud from the Haggadah.
The Haggadah, which is Hebrew for “telling”, is the religious text that guides the Seder. It explains the meaning of each food on the Seder plate, recounts the story of the exodus, and contains prayers, songs, questions, and vignettes about Passover.
If you’re hosting a Seder this year, it’s important to ensure your Seder is welcoming and hospitable.
Here are a few tips for being a great host:
We’re pretty notorious for our ability to cater many Jewish holidays in style, with respect to traditional foods and their cultural significance. While we take pride in the menus we put together specifically for holidays like Passover, Hanukkah, Yom Kippur, and Rosh Hashanah, there’s something special about being asked to take part in the Jewish coming of age celebrations for boys and girls: bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs.
We recently catered perhaps the coolest bar mitzvah, ever. The whole event revolved around a baseball theme, and was over the top in the best possible way.
All photos provided courtesy of Jai Girard Photography.
