I have the greatest job in the world. I have said it before in my book Jewish Cooking for All Seasons (John Wiley and Sons) and I’ll say it again. I am a chef. I get to make delicious things for people to eat all day long. Chocolate is my playground, great olive oils are my toys and the best produce is mine for the taking. I get to do this all day long and I get paid for it! I am a chef-with a twist. I am the new Executive Chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering at the Spertus Institute in Chicago.

I can’t wait to get into the new building next month with my brand new kitchens, all gleaming shiny and bright. I can’t wait to show the Jewish Community, that after 10 years of cooking kosher in my former restaurants (Shallots, Shallots NY and Shallots Bistro) that I have many tricks still up my sleeve. But, there is a catch.

First, I must teach an entire company about kashruth.

Everyone is eager to learn. Why wouldn’t they be? It is interesting, culturally and historically. It is also chock full of good food facts and interesting rituals. So, to the casual observer it is interesting. But, how do I explain how it feels to keep kosher? How do you help someone to understand why we do this? Certainly there are many Jews who don’t keep kosher. Many of them book parties through us and don’t know many of the rules themselves and cause the event planner to know the “ropes” more than they do. This is always embarrassing for everyone as the event planner wonders, often aloud; how is that the people eating the food don’t know the rules but we must?

How do you make someone understand that eating a delicious chocolate midday is cause to make a blessing?

My plan of execution has been simple. I would help immerse my catering director, Vice President of Catering, Chefs and others in the Jewish world. I started out by giving them calendars. I pointed out the holidays, the candle lighting times and explained the rules of the road for each holiday. Basically that consisted of what we should eat and shouldn’t eat and where we eat it.

All of that seemed pretty logical.

I should say that this is not my first time doing this. When I opened my first restaurant almost 10 years ago, I went through this as well. My then sous chef was “uber” indoctrinated so much that he stuck with me through 3 kosher restaurants and became so much a part of the local community that he is invited to Shabbat dinners regularly and has his own preferences for cholent recipes.

I guess I just need to decide what are the important things to teach. I need to narrow down what are the “must haves” for operating kosher events and dealing with Jews who keep kosher.

I have started them all off with the obvious rules that everyone knows about milk and meat, shellfish and pork. I have emphasized, for obvious reasons, the no work policy on the Sabbath and holidays. And we have learned a little Hebrew and Yiddish along the way. I have to tell you I was proud when I spilled something on myself and my catering manager looked at me and pointed and said “Oh, you schmutzed yourself”! I kvelled all day long.

So, now we are the nitty gritty stage. It is no longer so new and unique, this kosher thing. We have gotten past the idea that a rabbi actually blesses the food and equipment to make it kosher and we have gotten past the idea that the laws of kashruth are outdated notions of “healthier” ways of eating. What I did find was that everyone is respectful and non-judgmental. I am enjoying my co-workers and they are enjoying learning.

Laura Frankel is the Executive Chef for Wolfgang Puck Kosher Catering and Cafe at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies and the author of JEWISH COOKING FOR ALL SEASONS (John Wiley and Sons)

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