Keeping It Kosher

West Ashley chef Marcie Rosenberg knows her way around a kitchen. And not just any kitchen, but she knows her way around a kosher kitchen as well as anyone in Charleston.
“Don’t put that spoon in there!” she says to a fairly new employee not completely familiar with the guidelines of keeping a kosher kitchen.
Kosher foods are divided into three categories: meat, dairy, and pareve (edible substances that contain neither dairy nor meat). Jewish law forbids consuming mixtures of milk and meat or using the same dishes for both dairy and meat. Pareve foods accordingly can be consumed together with either dairy or meat.
Beyond the normal challenges of running a kitchen, these are the things that Rosenberg has to manage on a daily basis. But that’s why for the last decade and a half she has been the go-to caterer for local Jewish families for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and weddings to holiday meals and other private events.
With Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) this week, Rosenberg has been busy taking orders and preparing for the holiday season. On the Hebrew calendar Rosh Hashanah is followed quickly by the seven-day celebration Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).
So Rosenberg undoubtedly has an exciting couple weeks ahead of her. Actually, she has an exciting several months ahead of her, even beyond the holidays. That’s because Rosenberg is taking a leap with her business. For the last 14 years she has been operating under the auspices of the JCC. But now she is branching out wholly on her own with Dining In Kosher Catering.
Rosenberg will continue to cook out of the JCC’s kitchen, at least for now. The building’s uncertain future that has prompted her to explore taking Dining In beyond the walls of the JCC. The center’s board voted to consider selling the facility this summer.
If the JCC is sold and Rosenberg no longer has access to its commercial kitchen, she will have to make a move and is using this time to figure out the viability of her catering business and what she will do if and when that day comes.
But this isn’t Rosenberg’s first foray into entrepreneurship. Shortly after moving to Charleston from New Jersey, she and her husband David owned and operated The West Side Deli, located on Savannah Highway. For nine years the Deli was a popular spot among West Ashley’s Jewish community.
Today, about 125 people order from Rosenberg regularly. While talking about her plans for moving Dining In in a new direction, Rosenberg is preparing several trays of chicken marsala to be picked up later that day. In addition to Italian dishes like chicken marsala or American classics like honey barbecue chicken, Rosenberg also specializes in traditional Jewish dishes, like Gefilte fish, potato kugel, and sweet and sour brisket.
Rosenberg, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., says that some of her recipes are family recipes but that many of them are ones that she created through years of experimenting.
She is best known for her Challah, a special braided bread. According to Rosenberg, in a typical week she will make as many as 120 large Challah and 30 small. But during Rosh Hashanah she might make three, four, five times that. Some years, she’s made upwards of 700 loaves during that time of year. This year, she’s holding a contest through Dining In’s Facebook page where people can guess how many loaves she will prepare this Rosh Hashanah. The closest to the correct number will win a free Challah.
For Rosh Hashanah it is symbolic to serve sweet things like apples and honey with the meals. Even Rosenberg’s normal Challah loaves are varied to be sweeter, some even having raisins. “We serve sweet things during Rosh Hashanah, so you will have a sweet New Year,” says Rosenberg, who is also hoping that this will be a sweet year for Dining In as she begins a new chapter.
Dining In is Charleston’s dedicated Kosher caterer, under Orthodox supervision. For more information call 763-8160, visit www.facebook.com/charlestonkosher, or email marcieschallah@gmail.com.