With a small team, Teyf then bring the meals directly to these seniors across New York City.
“I am personally cooking and delivering these meals. I know that my grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors, are smiling down on me. This is something I want to do to honor them and because it’s the right thing to do,” Teyf says. “It’s in my soul to give back.”
An estimated 38,000 Holocaust survivors live in the greater New York City metropolitan area, according to Selfhelp Community Services. More than 50% of them live in poverty.
The pandemic is particularly traumatizing, echoing their lives more than 75 years ago during the Holocaust when food and resources were scarce. Because of coronavirus restrictions, they struggle with a lack of resources and community as they isolate at home.
Teyf has partnered with the Museum and the Met Council to identify 50 Holocaust survivors who need assistance. Additionally, the Museum is reaching out to other survivors to assess their needs so Teyf can provide more support.
He also is setting up an arrangement to deliver more kosher meals to essential healthcare workers at hospitals throughout New York City. The meals include salads, entrees, and desserts.
Jewish dish from Teyf’s restaurant
Teyf’s family has more than a century of epicurean experience.
“My great-grandfather started baking matzah for the Jewish community in Minsk in 1920,” he says. Each of his grandparents was the sole family survivor of the Holocaust. “After the Holocaust, my grandfather continued his father’s tradition of baking matzah for the Jewish community, which he had ultimately risked his life during Communist times until 1979. In 1979, my grandfather decided to pick the whole family up and leave Minsk for the United States for our Jewish freedom.”
Museum President and CEO Jack Kliger praised Teyf’s philanthropy.
“David is doing a real mitzvah,” Kliger says. “The Met Council and David are being generous with their hearts and minds: stepping up to serve others when there is a great need in our city.”
Feeding Tradition, Chef David Teyf’s cuisine combines his heritage with the culinary history of New York. By David Teyf’s hand, even a simple potato latke is a labor-intensive dish. But it’s all part of the chef’s mission to serve meals inspired by his heritage. Dishes are done just as they were in the old days but updated with his own creative air. Potato is hand-grated at the nest setting, and there’s no added our or matzo.
“A lot of the foods produced today in the Jewish community and restaurants, it’s all lost in translation,” says Teyf. “Chefs are not staying true to the way things were originally done. I’m not sure they know how they were originally done. They weren’t exposed to seeing grandparents and great-grandparents making things from scratch and not taking any shortcuts.”
SWEET START
It’s a belief he’s followed since his earliest days in New York’s food scene. Teyf started his career 20 years ago wholesaling hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels. These quickly popped up on the menus of the city’s most exclusive dining destinations. Many years later, he sold the business but never lost the appreciation for cooking traditional Jewish dishes in the way of his ancestors. Even the name of his café, Lox, is a nod to that heritage, it’s an homage to how fish was salt cured before refrigeration.
Lox’s location at the Museum of Jewish Heritage is just as influential to the chef as its menu. Teyf’s great-grandfather started a matzo factory in the 1920s that was repeatedly destroyed. Each of his grandparents was the sole family survivors of the Holocaust. “Growing up and listening to these stories and the tears, and my grandmother having numbers tattooed on her hand and now being a part of a museum that focuses on the life and the Jewish movement was so special,” says Teyf.
Each meal at chef David Teyf’s café, Lox, and his bar and restaurant, 2nd Floor at the 2nd Avenue Deli, starts with a complimentary matzo babka bite—a modern twist on a traditional dish.
Teyf was first approached about opening a café at the museum when his catering company, now named Madison & Park Hospitality Group, worked an event at the space.
A boutique kosher caterer. Teyf uses seasonal and locally- sourced ingredients, a style of cooking he learned in Italy. He also trained under Japanese masters, which is what inspired his passion for fish dishes.
Teyf’s catering menus, while planned, are never set and can change up to the day of, just based on daily trips to the markets.
“I always tell my clients just to trust me, because I’m not going to use something if I’m not proud of it,” he says.
“(The clients we work with) have to understand it’s more of a tasting dinner. I’m very picky about the ingredients we use, but clients love the last-minute creativity of something that excites me.” DT loxnyc.com
By Jill Sieracki
This article ran in the Summer 2018 Culinary issue
Earth Day 2017 is almost here, but environmentally-minded food and drink options can be yours year-round. To get you in the spirit for Apr. 22, here are two very interesting sustainable options — one for eating and one for drinking.
Every year, billions of pounds of coffee cherry fruit — a byproduct of coffee production — are discarded or, to a lesser extent, composted into fertilizer. Rather than leaving these cherries to rot in heaps or pollute local rivers, Coffee Flour converts them into a nutrient-dense and distinctly flavorful culinary ingredient that is high in fiber, protein, potassium, calcium, and iron. Coffee Flour’s business model also provides supplemental income for smallholder farmers and creates additional jobs at local coffee mills, turning what was once a botanical pollutant and waste product into an economic boost to coffee-growing communities around the globe.
In addition to being highly-sustainable, the flour is also a dynamic, easy-to-use cooking ingredient. Its mild, earthy flavor makes it a subtle yet nutritionally potent addition to many of the foods we know and love, from brownies and granola to sauces and pizza. Coffee Flour is currently available for purchase online at Marx Pantry and Nuts.com, and in-store at select Sprouts Farmers Markets.
Once a historic family-run American dairy, Elmhurst Milked recently shifted its focus from dairy milk to nutmilk to help lead the plant-based revolution. The innovative company utilizes a patented cold milling process called ‘milking’ to craft non-dairy milks that combine the full nutritional content of whole nuts with a superior, creamy texture and full flavor. Elmhurst Milked’s nutmilks are made from whole raw nuts, never pre-processed pastes, and boast up to four times the nut content of other leading brands.
Available in Almond, Walnut, Hazelnut and Cashew varieties, Elmhurst Milked’s products contain none of the industrial stabilizers, whiteners, emulsifiers or gums typical of other leading nutmilks and are certified non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, lactose-free, and kosher. Elmhurst Milked’s nutmilks can be enjoyed on their own as high-protein, low-sugar beverages or used as replacements for dairy milk in cooking. Their high protein content and foaming properties also make them an excellent match for cappuccinos, lattés and other espresso drinks. Elmhurst Milked’s nutmilks are currently available at select Publix throughout the Southeastern United States and will soon be available for nationwide shipping on Elmhurst Milked’s website.
Born in the backyard of a matzo factory in Minsk, Russia, Chef David Teyf has been strongly practicing his roots in Russian and Jewish culture throughout the entirety of his life. His new restaurant, Lox — as located in the Museum of Jewish Heritage — is 100 percent kosher and brings his background to life.
While growing up in Minsk, now Belarus, Teyf was exposed to the culinary world early on.
“My grandparents provided the Jewish community in Minsk with matzo,” Teyf said. “My great-grandfather started in 1920 under Communist times, which was illegal. They were burned down many times, but they prevailed and kept making matzo for the Jewish community.”
During this time, Teyf’s family faced the Holocaust. His grandmother was part of the Jewish partisans, a group of Jewish individuals who escaped from ghettos or concentration camps and fought against Nazi Germany. Some of his family members are Holocaust survivors.
To be located in a museum with a strong connection to his upbringing means to provide a place where kosher individuals have the opportunity to experience Jewish and Russian culture while eating well. Teyf realized there are not many places in New York City to enjoy such authentic cuisines.
Caviar by Lox / Photo: Rayna Greenberg
“Jewish food in the states got lost in translation,” Teyf began. “We took it back to the original way it’s been done, by hand, no equipment.”
As a chef whose training is very focused around the Japanese world of fish, incorporating Jewish and Russian culinary influences was not hard for Teyf. Lox serves various smoked salmon dishes, a Jewish-inspired bento box, baked goods and other traditional favorites. Everything made at Lox is promised to be handmade and homemade while offering the freshest of ingredients.
To ensure the highest quality, daily trips to the produce and fish market are made, fresh breads and hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels are brought in from a commissary Teyf has in Brooklyn, and curing the salmon for lox is an intricate process that leaves smoky and delicious sushi-grade fish. Last month, the menu offered lox flavors including pastrami, sake and wasabi, and double-smoked. But the menu will change four times a year based on the seasons, Teyf added.
Lox 5 Ways / Photo: Rayna Greenberg
Each recipe is part of Teyf’s very own personal creations, a unique quality at Lox that raises the standard of kosher Jewish and Russian cuisine. The Old-Fashioned cocktail inspired Teyf’s flavors of salmon, a rarity when it comes to lox and kosher food in general. The next menu will feature a lox with bourbon, orange zest and angostura bitters, a taste that only Chef Teyf knows before he tries it.
To combat the label of Jewish and Russian cuisine, Teyf has a specific vision for Lox. “We want this concept worldwide. We want Lox in other museums around the world, we want to show our pride and show that Jewish Russian food can be great,” Teyf declared.
As noted by Downtown publisher Grace A. Capobianco: “When I was younger I loved a good Kosher meal. However, over time when discovering a new kosher deli or restaurant, I often left disappointed. But a few weeks ago at Lox, I experienced the best everything. This is what kosher food is supposed to be: refreshing, authentic, delicious and fresh.” Capobianco continued: “My favorite was everything, but for now lets focus on the homemade bagels and the cream cheese sushi-grade salmon, infused with grapefruit gin and juniper berries…I’ll be back more than I probably should.”
Chef David Teyf is dedicated to changing the perspective of kosher food in New York City. As a customer, you’ll never know what unique dishes the menu will offer when walking into Lox.
But one thing is guaranteed while visiting: one taste, and you won’t believe that it’s kosher.
New York City has its fair share of world-renowned steakhouses, but only a few notable kosher steakhouses. Reserve Cut is both Downtown Manhattan’s only kosher steakhouse and Manhattan’s largest kosher steakhouse overall. Located in The Setai at 40 Broad Street, the restaurant seats well over 200 people in dining rooms filled with black leather chairs and grey banquettes.
Owner Albert Allaham came to New York from Damascus, Syria in 1999 at the age of 12. He comes from a long lineage of expert butchers dating back over 200 years from Syria, with The Prime Cut in Brooklyn being an example of his family’s meat expertise. However, fans of Reserve Cut know to expect a modern approach to kosher fare, with plenty of interesting fusion fare blended into the menu. The Volcano is one of the surprising menu options available, combining spicy tuna, Asian pear and avocado.
Albert spoke to Downtown about Reserve Cut’s past, present and future. The restaurant can be experienced online at www.reservecut.com, while social media die-hards can follow it through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
What came first: Your idea for a kosher steakhouse, or the idea of opening up a steakhouse?
Albert Allaham: Difficult question. My inability to find a great kosher steakhouse in New York City sparked my idea for opening Reserve Cut. As a butcher, I naturally think of steaks. It was a perfect marriage.
Are you the one and only kosher steakhouse in the Financial District?
AA: Yes.
In Manhattan?
AA: While there are a few others in Manhattan, we are the only one of our kind. It’s a unique market, and what really sets us apart is the fact that every single steak is handpicked by my father and butchered by me. We are committed to offering seamless service, a deep sense of hospitality, and PERFECT ingredients handled with respect, cooked honestly and well.
For someone that isn’t concerned with food being kosher, how would you describe Reserve Cut?
AA: Cuisine-wise, we are a modern American steakhouse with global influences. We offer the highest-quality meats, and an elegant ambiance that is enhanced by a dimly-lit space and a beautiful hall of glassed-in meshuval wine bottles leading up to the dining area. Our dishes are plated with artful touches that showcase their inventiveness.
We are also really quite unique as we offer a bar and lounge, four private dining/meeting rooms, and seating for 250 guests.
What made you choose your location downtown? Had you spent a lot of time around the FiDi area?
AA: It was a natural decision, as it would make us centrally located to the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and 59th Street bridges, as well as the Midtown, Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and FDR Drive. We would also have all major subways nearby and the Staten Island Ferry…All roads lead to Reserve Cut.
You were a butcher before opening up Reserve Cut. Is there anything you miss about being a butcher?
AA: I still consider myself a butcher at heart, as the roles are the same: to take care of my guests. I also spend time working in the kitchen as the restaurant’s head butcher, and oversee the meat’s aging process, so fortunately I don’t get to miss being a butcher very often.
Did anyone in your family lineage wind up in a non-meat-oriented career? Any teachers?
AA: We all started in the meat business, however, my family also has outside business interests as well. There are no teachers in my immediate family, but we are teaching, coaching and mentoring 150 associates every day.
What is your favorite item in the menu at Reserve Cut?
AA: I don’t have a single favorite menu item. I put my passion in every dish, so they all have a special meaning to me.
In general, what is your preferred cut of steak?
AA: An 18-ounce Wagyu Bone-In Steak. It is the BEST steak in the city.
When someone mentions being a vegetarian or a vegan, do you have a usual defense of why you are a meat eater?
AA: I descend from a family of butchers, so I’ve always been surrounded by the meat industry and eating meats. It’s how I was raised.
Reserve Cut’s wine cellar
What’s ahead for Reserve Cut? Any special events or promotions?
AA: Brand expansion. We’re creating Reserve Events, which is going to use Reserve Cut catering. We already have an event booked for this summer, and we’re working on a few locations in the city right now. Miami is also a hot destination, as is L.A. If Israel was closer, it would be my next restaurant. Israel has been one of the top 10 in dining in the world. We also have new menus that we will be announcing this summer.
Is there a possibility of another Reserve Cut opening in the future?
AA: Absolutely. When I open my next restaurant, one of my ideas is to have three chefs, and the chefs will work together to change dining in the three restaurants seasonally and have a tasting menu weekly.
When you’re not busy with the restaurant, how do you like to spend your free time?
AA: Spending time with my family and friends.
Finally, Albert, any last words for the kids?
AA: I would say, to any young business owner, to not be afraid. If you think it’s going to be too big of a space, if you think the rent is going to be too much, don’t worry. Just go after it. You’ll succeed.
