Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn, bemoaning the lack of decent kosher food in Washington D.C., will start a delivery truck. This is him sharing a laugh with Rachel Ray.
Famous chef Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery, while not vegetarian, is one of the friendlist burger joints in the United States capital. Almost everything, from delivery boxes to oil, is recycled, ingredients are sourced locally, and the restaurant uses even uses biodegradable takeaway containers and harmless cleaning products.
So his environmental record is solid, but Spike just couldn’t get enough of the real good stuff: mom’s tasty Jewish cuisine. So, he teamed with the historical synagogue on Sixth & I to create adelivery truck called the Sixth & Rye.
His sister and spokesperson Micheline Mendelsohn told The Feast that Spike has aspirations to make his delivery truck as much like a traditional deli as possible.
Featuring such old-school delights as corned beef sandwiches and knishes, the truck will park in front of the former synagogue – now transformed into a Jewish community center and secular concert facility – once a week.
By April, the Sixth & Rye will serve food during the Friday lunch hour before Shabat, and hopefully fill the gap left by the lack of decent Jewish delis in Washington D.C. And, naturally, the meals will be kosher.
If the venture proves successful, Spike may consider expanding. His chances are good if his sandwiches are anywhere as delicious as his free-range turkey burger, which has received widespread praise.
:: The Feast
More on traditional Jewish food:
Review: Mama Nazima’s Jewish-Iraqi Cuisine By Rivka Goldman
Repair Your Eating Habits In Time For Yom Kippur
Celebrate The Jewish Holiday Of Purim The Old-Fasioned Way
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
