The HKA Monthly Newsletter

Iyar 5774 May, 2014

New Kosher Products

Dr. Praeger's new Kale Veggie Burgers are a vegan blend of all natural vegetables, quinoa, brown rice and kale. All Dr. Praeger's products are kosher (OU), GMO-free and have no saturated fat. Their Veggie Burgers are a delicious and sensible food choice for lunch or dinner. For more information visit: www.drpraegers.com

Runa energy drinks are made from Guayusa, a native Amazonian tree leaf that indigenous people in the Ecuadorian Amazon have brewed like tea for thousands of years. Drinking guayusa is essential to what makes them "Runa"- fully alive. Guayusa offers a clear, focused energy by balancing as much caffeine as one cup of coffee with twice the antioxidants of green tea. Available at Randall's.

Kashrut Alerts

Oronoque Orchards 9" Deep Dish Pie Shell UPC: 70427 13709, Mrs. Smith's Bakeries: The OU symbol was inadvertently left off the most recent printing of packaging. The product and UPC listed above is kosher pareve and certified by the OU, even without the OU symbol. Future packaging will bear the OU symbol.

Pita Pal -NEW Ancient Grains are certified HKA Kosher even without the HKA logo.

Sunflower Grove Ranch Flavored Sunflower Seeds are certified by the Orthodox Union as an OU D - Dairy product. This product contains dairy ingredients, as indicated in the ingredients and allergens statements. Some packaging was printed without the D - Dairy designation. Corrective actions have been implemented.

Upcoming Events with HKA Supervision

Lions of Judah
Heart to Heart
May 14th, 6:30 pm
@ Saks Fifth Avenue

Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner
May 29th 6:00 PM - 10:00 pm
@ Hilton Americas

Jewish Family Service
Reel Hope - A night at the Movies
June 1st, 5:00 PM - 9:00 pm
Honoring Linda R Burger with the Joan Alexander Chesed award.

The Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston Invites you to the 78th Annual Meeting
June 2nd 7:00 pm
@ Congregation Beth Israel

Contact the HKA

832.477.2406

Info@Kosherhouston.org

www.KosherHouston.org

About the HKA

The Houston Kashruth Association is a member of the Association of Kashrus Organizations and is recognized and accepted by all national kashrut agencies.

The HKA has provided quality kosher supervision to food establishments and manufacturers in Houston and throughout Texas for over 35 years.

HKA Board of Directors

Co-President: Ron Moses

Co-President: Steven Plumb

Treasurer: Larry Ellard
Secretary: Steve Paletz

Karen Bernstein

Reuven Bisk

Joan Foster
Alex Gonik
Gita Holodovskaya

Shoshana Issacson

Asher Lenga

Marshall Levit

Hetty Perl

Gary Swartz

Brian Thum

HKA Rabbinic Council

Rabbi Yehoshua Wender

HKA Rabbinic Council Chair

Young Israel of Houston

Rabbi Barry Gelman

United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston

Rabbi Daniel Masri

Congregation Beth Rambam

Rabbi Gidon Moskovitz

Meyerland Minyan

HKA Staff

Alex Pfeffer

Executive Director

Rabbi Mark Urkowitz

Senior Rabbinic Administrator

Rabbi Yossi Grossman

Rabbinic Administrator

This Month's Newsletter Sponsored by

Madras Pavilions's objective is to provide genuine and authentic Indian cuisine in Texas with the exciting and authentic taste of the many regions of India, combined with style, flair, and presentation. It serves food from six different regions of India and has a team of specialist chefs recruited from India, each producing their own regional specialties. All of their food is natural and freshly-prepared daily on the premises with no additives or preservatives.

The Madras Pavilion chef team will gladly assist with the development of a customized menu for your special event. We will provide a wide variety of menu items for complete lunches, dinners and receptions.

We cater for all occasions, all types of parties and we provide on-site service for any size orders.

For Indian Cuisine in Houston and Dallas Catering Information Please contact us at 713-256-5441 or 832-656-7861.

Local Kosher News

Houston Pecan Co - Sun Dried Tomatoes

Houston Pecan Co has a full selection

of nuts and dried fruit, wonderful for snacking and baking. New item

is sun dried tomatoes. - delicious! Conveniently located at 7313 Ashcroft Suite 212, 77081.
Ph. 713-772-6216 or online at www.houstonpecan.com.

Menchies Gift Card Special

Don't forget the perfect gift for

Graduation - FREE frozen yogurt

(up to 10 oz.) at Menchie's with the purchase of $25 in gift cards!

Wrights of Texas Fresh Salsa

Family Owned Locally-Katy, Tx Handcrafted

Raw/Gluten-Free Can be found in Whole Foods, Central Market, Belden's and select HEB and Kroger stores.

http://www.wrightsoftexas.com/

Join Three Brothers Bakery in celebrating our 65th Anniversary this month! To thank our wonderful

customers, we'll be hosting a different contest every

day on our social media accounts and in stores. We'd love

for you to visit our S. Braeswood location, to see our giant gingerbread man, which we unveiled on our birthday, May 8th!

Katz Coffee introduces new flavors

Founded in 2003, Katz Coffee is a small-batch, custom roasting operation based in Houston, Texas. Katz Coffee

specializes in custom and proprietary blending and roasting for some of Houston's most highly-acclaimed and discriminating chefs and restaurant and coffeehouse owners. Katz coffee is available at Laykies Gourmet/Cafe @ the J and Belden's. www.katzcoffee.com

Kosher News

What's in a Name? Independent Kosher Stores go for the Exotic

By KT Staff Reporters

BROOKLYN - A new large supermarket in Boro Park scheduled to open shortly is namedBreadberry. In a trend that began with Pomegranate in Flatbush, the growing cadres of modern upscale kosher supermarkets carry names that are designed to immediately trigger thoughts of gourmet and upscale foods rather than instant recognition of kosher. It was what was behind the Chestnut name in Williamsburg and Evergreen in Monsey. That is not to say that including kosher or glatt in the name has disappeared.

One of Monsey large kosher supermarkets is called Rockland Kosher. Chicago's Hungarian Kosher is another example of long-standing name that has stood the test of time. Two leading supermarkets in Cedarhurst and Boro Park are named Gourmet Glatt. The growing number of one-stop kosher stores is competing for instant concept recognition, say marketing experts. Located in heavily populated Jewish neighborhoods, there appears no reason to include kosher in the name, hence names like Chestnut, Pomegranate and Evergreen. It coincides with what marketers say is the welcoming features of a supermarket that appeals to the five senses. A colorful produce display, a mouthwatering takeout section, and the aroma from a bakery are all designed to entice the shopper to fill a shopping cart.

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Law Aims to Boost Halal, Kosher Food for Poor

By JEFF KAROUB Associated Press

For the first time, the federal government is required to purchase and provide food banks emergency supplies of kosher or halal products, serving a population whose survival could otherwise be at odds with strictures of faith.

The void was first revealed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the East Coast in the fall of 2012 and led to food shortages for those most in need.

A Jewish philanthropic organization in New York alerted lawmakers to the rising numbers of people coming to its food banks and often finding shelves devoid of kosher offerings. That led to legislation aimed at boosting emergency supplies for food prepared in accordance with Jewish and Muslim dietary rules, and, after some unsuccessful attempts at passage, the measure was tucked into the sweeping federal farm bill signed into law in February.

"This amendment is going to go a long way toward ensuring that folks who are struggling to get by ... don't have to choose between religious beliefs and putting food on the table," said U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley, a New York Democrat who worked on the measure. "No one should have to make those kinds of decisions."c

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