Three months ago, Sholom’s Knollwood Place Apartments were hit with the stunning news that Prime Kosher Catering, which had been running the kosher dining program, was going to be leaving the St. Louis Park facility.
Now, a new vendor is in place and the culinary director is eager to start. Yona Solutions, a health care facility management company, has signed on to revamp the dining program.
“We don’t have an official start date, but we’re ready when they are,” said Chef Drew Cohen, who is leading Yona’s food program on the Sholom West Campus. “We have the menu developed, and the culinary approach is approachable gourmet food.”
Cohen has more than 25 years as a fine dining and private chef. He became a consultant for a former client of his, and began running a culinary program for the nursing home he owned.
“I loved having altruistic work and having work with value,” Cohen said. “Sholom is literally in my backyard.”
Cohen’s grandmother passed away while she was living at Sholom, and he remembers the nurse being caring, but the food being scary.
“It’s funny how life comes full circle,” he said. “Having the opportunity as a chef with 25 years of culinary experience has meant more to me than I could’ve imagined.”
The Nosh Nook quick-service counter at Knollwood is open. Late-August is the target date for the main dining room to open. Cohen said it can be a heavy lift to get a restaurant open.
“It starts with menu development and testing recipes,” he said. “It can take months for a proper fine dining restaurant to open, and we don’t have that luxury.”
Cohen said the background work includes setting up accounts for vendors, hiring and on-boarding staff, sourcing plates and silverware, doing a complete inventory of what was left, getting licensing taken care of, and deep-cleaning the kitchen.
“There’s a reason that lots of people open restaurants, and only 10 percent survive,” Cohen said. “It’s brutal.”
The biggest change coming to the restaurant at KPA is that it will not be fully kosher. The decision, according to Rachelle Strasburg, Sholom’s vice president of sales and marketing, came down to the preferences of the residents.
“We were thoughtful in how we went about the process,” Strasburg said. “It’s about the dignity and wants of residents.”
Strasburg said new menu items will be shared with the broader community on Sept. 14 at the Taste of Knollwood event.
Sholom CEO Jim Newbrough said that while it won’t be a kosher kitchen, they will still honor Jewish traditions and dietary sensitivities, including not serving pork or shellfish.
“We will offer a variety of options to respect individual choices, including a kosher-style approach and a dedicated kosher dinner plan for those who request it, available through Sholom Home West,” Newbrough said in a statement. “This change was not made lightly. It was informed by direct feedback from our residents and leadership and approved by the Sholom Community Alliance Executive Committee. We are proud to partner with Yona Dining Solutions to offer a flexible, high-quality dining experience that supports wellness, connection, and inclusiveness.
“Sholom remains firmly rooted in Jewish values, and our commitment to cultural and spiritual integrity continues to guide everything we do.”
Cohen said they met with residents in an hour-long town hall meeting to help guide the type of menu they want to create.
“It’s based on what the community wants,” he said. “The effort we’re going through, especially the executive chef (Nat Burns), to make all from scratch is amazing. Everything is made from scratch except the bread. Even the potato chips are being made from scratch.”
Turns out a large majority of the population that Knollwood draws residents from no longer keep kosher – now more choices available.
Interesting situation. Will fully kosher meals cost residents more in their meal plan? Will the Nosh Nook have fully kosher food available?
As someone who observes kashrut, will this knock Knollwood off of the list of places I can go?
Definitely worth following.
I think you should have the sweet and sour cabbage borscht/soup from Cross Road’s Deli on the menu rotation and a good moist recipe for Kasha Varnishkas which could go with dairy or flashik meal. I have the perfect Kasha recipe which you can scale. If you have a recipe for the soup and need help adjusting it…….”I Can Do That”. I live across the street from Sholom West.
Seems there is no longer KOSHER food at Sholom Home. That is one of the major parts of what makes a retirement home Jewish.
FYI, there is no such thing as “kosher style.” It is either Kosher or it isn’t.