Lepage Food and Drinks

For Chef Risa Lichtman, Cooking for Rosh Hashanah Is a Way to Reconnect With — and Redefine — Her Faith | Eater Portland

"Run by chef Risa Lichtman, Lepage Food and Drinks is a multifaceted Portland food business serving seasonally driven Jewish- and Mediterranean-inspired comfort food via small-scale catering, community-oriented food events, and a soup subscription; I note that Lichtman has offered Rosh Hashanah holiday meals for years and that people come to her specifically for Jewish holiday food they don’t want to make themselves. For this year’s pickup Rosh Hashanah menu she offers a classic matzoh ball soup (chicken or vegetarian turmeric broth with carrots, celery, and herby matzoh balls), roasted beet salad with fennel, celery, apples, hazelnuts, and poppy vinaigrette, a custardy noodle kugel with raisins, cottage cheese, and summer berry compote, Mom’s cola-and-wine-braised brisket with carrots and jus, round raisin challah made with honey and local whole grain flours (braided in a round shape for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize the cyclical nature of the seasons), and honey cake with almonds; her menu is described as “kosher-style” (not strictly kosher, and she doesn’t use a lot of pork) and integrates Pacific Northwest-grown produce from farms like Pablo Munoz, Eloisa Organic, and Flying Coyote. Orders will be available starting tomorrow on the Lepage Food & Drinks website." - Janey Wong