Organic options for tasteful simchas
By Susie Davidson

Most people don't interrupt their great time at a simcha to ponder
just what's in those bright green and blue frosting flowers, or if that
rolled-up chicken ever had an antibiotic or hormonal injection. But some
do, with good reason.

“Eating natural and organic foods is very important to me,” said
Alan of Cambridge. “I wanted the same for my guests.” At his
wedding, they enjoyed salmon, roasted veggies, whole-grain bread,
mesclun salad and an all-natural, whole-grain wedding cake with edible
flowers.

And Merrill Indeck of Lexington wanted healthy fare at her
daughter’s recent bat mitzvah party at the Brandeis Faculty Club. “I
thought if they had nongreasy, healthier foods and fruits and
vegetables, they’d have plenty of energy for dancing,” she said.
Which they did!

According to Kidsorganics.com, Blue No. 2 increased brain tumors in
rats, and Red No. 40, with a history of bannings, may cause tumors in
lymph glands. (Select Herb Tea offers natural food dyes, for your next
cake-making exploit.) If you think a little dye, additive, preservative,
hydrogenation, irradiation or genetic modification won’t hurt,
consider the cumulative effect. Innocuous and little-used? According to
the USDA, 91 percent of soybeans and 73 percent of corn grown in the
U.S. in 2007 was genetically engineered, along with other crops. And
what about common party foods that are entirely chemicals, such as
coffee creamers, sugar substitutes and whipped toppings? Blech!

All this, without the pink plastic cutlery and the royal-blue dyed,
chlorine-bleached napkins.

In 2005, the National Institutes of Health’s National Toxicology
Program named 246 materials either known, or anticipated, to cause
cancer. Although many are industrial, like dioxins and PCBs, airborne
particles attach to plants and enter the food chain. Some are made
exclusively for food use; some are created by preparation, like
barbecuing and high-heat frying.

“The history of food additives is riddled with those that, after
many years of use, were found to pose health risks,” says the
Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Since the answer, for many, is only natural, organic foods have been
popping up in airlines and restaurants. Kosher caterers and stores are
also getting hipper. Higher-priced, sure. But better tasting, and better
for you and the environment.

“I wanted something that reflected my own standards,” said Hillel
Bromberg of Newton, who celebrated his son’s bar mitzvah last year at
Hebrew College. A vegetarian, he had friends bring meat-free dishes, and
even gave out recipes. The resultant pot-luck was a healthful bounty of
good nutrients as well as good cheer.

Jim Speigel of Concord, N.H., a longtime vegetarian, concurred. "We had
vegetarian food at my wedding," he said.

Simcha guests at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls
Village, Conn. enjoy Glatt Kosher cuisine under a canopy of trees or a
glass-walled synagogue overlooking the Berkshires (the 450 acre-site
also houses the Teva Learning Center). Much of their produce is organic,
grown in season on their own farm. Vegetarian, vegan, and organic, no
red meat or food allergens are common requests. Boring? How about
Vietnamese spring rolls with rice vinegar sauce, sun-dried tomato, olive
and herb phyllo bundles, sesame-crusted tuna steak, or Belgian endive
leaves filled with salmon pate and microgreens?

Yummy desserts need not suffer. “Our Kosher all-natural chocolates
and confections from Star-D certified Lake Champlain Chocolates make
great party favors/place settings,” said Lauren Klatsky, Marketing
Team Leader at Whole Foods Market in Brighton, which has a nearby
concentration of Jewish neighborhoods. “Do-it-yourself types will find
a great selection of organic produce and fresh fish,” she added,
noting that their Russian customers love the smoked fish and pickled
herring.

Whole Foods’ bakehouse, which is certified Kosher by Kosher
Technical Konsultants under the supervision of Rabbi Alan Ira Silver,
M.D., is the only certified organic bakery in Massachusetts, said
Klatsky. Kosher hearth breads, challah, and a variety of dairy baked
goods (cakes, pastries, even hamantaschen) are party options, and Kosher
sheet cakes can be customized. Of the array of cookies, Mandelbrot and
macaroons from Kosher vendors, Klatsky personally loves the black and
white cookies from Brooklyn. Their bagels and lox or fruit and vegetable
platters are appropriate for day-after brunches. “We have also done
wonderful floral arrangements for b’nai mitzvot and weddings,”
Klatsky added.

The store sells Kosher organic chicken from Wise Organic Pastures, a
supplier that met their strict meat standards. A spokesperson at
Brooklyn-based Wise said that caterers do request organic chicken,
turkey and beef. “But often, it is just for smaller affairs because it
is more expensive,” she said. Wise’s chickens are raised in natural
sunlight with room to roam, and the buildings are washed down between
flocks with natural disinfectants, as opposed to the conventional
formaldehyde (!). They are fed an all-organic grain diet free of
antibiotics, and slaughtered under the supervision of the Beth Din
Tzedek of Crown Heights and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis.


Trader Joe’s also stocks Kosher organic and natural items suitable for
party favors, snacks, and table toppers.


"At both NRM and our new retail cafe "A Perfect Taste" in Stoughton, we
are constantly asked to provide organic, all natural and food that is
just generally healthy," says Neil Morris, President of NRM Catering,
Inc. Local farmers supply NRM with organic products.


Back to those pinks and blues. Styrofoam, some plastic cups and bowls
and most opaque plastic cutlery contain the possible endocrine disruptor
and carcinogen Polystyrene, or PS, which may leach into water and food.
Alternatives include Ecowise’s recyclable Preserve cutlery, made from
100 percent recycled plastics. Seventh Generation and Greener Earth
Marketing make unbleached paper goods and compostable, plant-based
dishes and cutlery to keep the event conscientious, from table-top to
bottom.