State Officials Indifferent To Kosher-Food Needs At Public Venues
Officials at some New York state facilities seem to be dismissive of the need to offer kosher food to visitors at public venues such as The Great New York State Fair and Saratoga Race Course.
I have been going to the state fair in Syracuse since 1980 and have seen many observant Jews touring the massive 375-acre facility, including a number of young families with baby strollers. One or two strollers are for the babies and a separate stroller is needed just for the food they had to shlep because there is no kosher food available for purchase onsite. The observant Jews I’ve met over the decades tell me they travel to the fair from Brooklyn, Long Island, Canada, and the Midwest only to discover there is no nourishment for them at the often hot and crowded fairgrounds. (Close to one million people attend the state fair annually, which has been held annually in Syracuse since 1890.)
There is an International Food Pavilion sitting centerstage in the sprawling complex with a multitude of ethnic food vendors including German, Asian, Polish, and a non-kosher deli. Where is the kosher deli? When elected officials, even those who are non-observant Jews, attend the state fair, a stop at Gianelli’s Sausage is a must. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a kosher knish or hot dog stand was also a must-see stop at the fair?
Tucked away in one of the pavilions there is an information booth set up by the Syracuse Chabad under the auspices of Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport but it is rarely staffed and there are no brochures to assist Jewish visitors with kosher food options.
For several years I have been trying to get the leadership of The Great New York State Fair to obtain a deal with a kosher food vendor during the 12-day agricultural extravaganza. I began doing the work state fair officials should have done, including approaching potential vendors. I had a moderate amount of success and passed along my findings to the leadership at the fair, which is run by the State Department of Agriculture and Markets. When questioned, Commissioner Richard Ball told me he thought a kosher food kiosk would be a welcome addition – but then nothing happened.
Two years ago, the owner of Teaneck-based Five Star Caterers, Kenny Yager, expressed serious interest in setting up a truck that would serve a variety of kosher food. When I saw him several months ago in December, he said he never heard from state fair officials and was still interested in getting his truck up to Syracuse.
The owner of Kosher Sports, Jonathan Katz, told me he wants to operate a kosher kiosk at the state fair. Kosher Sports operates the kosher food concession at Citi Field in Queens.
Strickly Kosher, Inc., which manages kosher vending operations at several sports venues including Yankee Stadium, was also recommended to fair officials several years ago. Owner Jeffrey Striks says he has not heard from those officials.
Troy Waffner, the acting director of the fair, told The Jewish Press in June, “We reached out to all of the people you suggested with no luck and then we widened our search to other kosher vendors in the Rochester and Buffalo areas. We did get some interest from a kosher pizza place, but they have not filled out an application.”