Zomick's: What it Takes to Be Into The Kosher Baking Business
According to the Kosher requirements (Jewish laws written in the Torah), Jewish people can’t eat dairy and meat together. A Jewish person who practices Judaism is required to have a break for at least six hours between the consumption of dairy (milchig) and meat (fleishig).
Zomick’s bakery is fully certified as kosher, thus the chief baker, Mr. Zomick’s and his staff must be sure that all kosher milk products come from kosher animals and do not contain non-kosher additives.
Milk products cannot contain meat products or derivatives. For example, some cheeses are manufactured with animal fats and according to the kosher laws, this is not allowed. Also, is not allowed the bread to contain meat or dairy (pareve). This is because the bread is a staple food in many Jewish households and usually paired with dairy or
meat. The bread can contain eggs of suitable birds like chickens, ducks, and turkeys as long as they do not contain blood.
Each utensil has a different color, in order to indicate which can be used to create dairy and non-dairy baked goods.
To comply with the rules, Zomick’s Bakery purchases products that are certified by widely accepted kosher organizations. The most common certifying bodies that Zomick’s comes across are Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU), Khal Adath Jeshurun, Vaad Harabanim of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, Vaad Harabanim of Queens. There are also other organizations that certify products as kosher, but it depends on where that supplier is located. A supplier in Manhattan, New York, for example, would use the Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU) to certify the company’s products as kosher. On top of that, the bakery employs a rabbi who works for one of the certifying bodies. The rabbi will ensure that the bakery follows the rules that are set out in the Torah.
The Zomick’s bakery is committed to follow all kosher food specifications since their first opening in 1966 in Cedarhurst, NY.
“I can tell you that starting a kosher bakery can be a tough job that will give you a lot of headaches…expensive headaches,” says the Zomick’s chief.
Zomick’s team is built of Jewish and non-Jewish people. So, kosher rules may be new to some new non-Jewish employees. The Zomick’s chief tries to help the new employees to learn as easy as possible so that they can focus on baking.
“I have to say that I am so proud of my staff. The non-Jewish staff, have learned the rules so quickly. It is unbelievable.”
Zomick’s clientele is also a mix of Jewish and non-Jewish people.
When Zomick’s first opened, there was a large Jewish community in Cedarhurst. Over the time, the immigrants that resided in Cedarhurst moved out.
In the last few years, the Jewish community has been revived with the arrival of hundreds of newcomers, especially from South American countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela.
How the bakery came to be
Zomick’s began as a family business. When Mr. Zomick’s father, emigrated from Poland to the United States, he started out as a baker. He worked in different bakeries, saving every penny until he could bring his wife to New York City.
of the bakery. At the time, he and his wife had two kids, a son, and a daughter. Four years later, Mr. Zomick’s was born, and the business had outgrown the space. His father bought a bigger local on the same street, where is currently located.
As a child, Mr. Zomick’s was always interested in baking. At the bakery, he watched his father and learned from him how to turn raw ingredients into delicious baked goods.
After his father passed away in 1973, Mr. Zomick’s became the head of the bakery. He was committed full time to help with the production of bakery goods and the financial functions of the business like payroll and taxes.
Willing to experiment
Mr. Zomick’s, who is in his 70s now, still loves to bake and come up with new recipes to add to the product lineup.
Some of the new recipes that had greater success are the feta cheese horn, the pizza bagel, multigrain sourdough, and Zomick’s integral Challah.
Today, Mr. Zomick’s carries on the tradition of running the Zomick’s kosher bakery that employs more than 60 staff members.
The Zomick’s Challah Bread has become a big success. Due to the huge demand for their Challah Bread, their business has grown significantly and they expanded to a new location in Inwood, NY.
Zomick’s Challah Bread also can be ordered online.
