Where else would you find a group of 90 Jewish college students on a Monday night in February during midterm season? It is certainly not expected to find them serving up classy wines, eating choice steaks, and hanging out on a dessert yacht.
While not exactly the standards of a typical college party, the Kosher Food and Wine Experience at Pier 60 of Chelsea Piers attracts Jewish college students from the New York City every year, majority of which attend Yeshiva University.
The Kosher Food and Wine Experience is now in its 8th year and is a destination for kosher wine aficionados and foodies from all over the world. Events take place in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, and Israel. This year, KFWE added a luxury yacht to the event, which featured two floors of desserts and dessert wines, in addition to a mixology bar and a lounge area.
The KFWE in New York draws about 90 pourers to pour the over 200 featured high end wines. Because many of the top-tier wines are not Mevushal (not cooked, therefore many only be handled by a Jew who is Shomer Shabbat), all of those 90 pourers most be Shomer Shabbat. The job of the pourers is to open and pour wine for all the guests that arrive at wine company’s table and stand among the winery staff.
“It’s great to be part of a Jewish, classy and high end event that is professional,” says Daniela Garzon, Stern College senior and 3 year veteran at KFWE. “And don’t worry, I am not even skipping class!”
The event specifically appeals to Stern students because of the quick, 15 minute crosstown bus ride to Chelsea Piers. “It is a great place for [Stern girls] when they are on their break working to try many different restaurants that they might not be able to experience because of their significant higher costs than Mendy’s, Eden Wok, and Tiberias. It’s an opportunity to enjoy great food and work at the same time,” says Shlomo Blashka, Wine and Spirits Educator at the Royal Wine Corporation and manager of the pourers at the event. Blashka estimates that 50 of the students are from Stern and Yeshiva College, 15 are from Touro College, and 10 from Queens College.
The second shift of the KFWE, which includes over 20 different catering and restaurant vendors from the tri-state area, is even more popular with Stern students because it takes place after the school day. Prior to the event, in the large room of Pier 60 overlooking the Hudson River, Blashka gives all the pourers a brief tutorial as to how to pour the wine correctly and how to put corks back into the bottles. They are also warned by the Mashgiach at the event that they may not allow anyone to pour wine for himself or herself and they are the only ones at the table who can handle the bottles in any way.
Sarah King, a senior at Stern, has been working for Bartenura Winess for the past 2 years. “I most enjoy meeting people and asking where they are from and why they are looking,” she says as she recommends a red Joyvin to a guest. King and others all said that they found out about the event from Stern College: In the Know. “As a college student, I don’t get to experience something like this often,” noted Stern student Michal Denberg, also pouring for Bartenura. Evan Kalatizadeh, Yeshiva College senior, mentioned that he most enjoyed seeing how Israelis conduct business with each other. Gabi Stein, a sophomore at Stern College says that she learned a lot more than she knew about the wines and a little bit of some waitressing skills as well.
Garzon says that when she started, she was most taken aback by the amounts of spitting of wine. Now after 3 years, Garzon has been placed with Cellier De Capcances, a Spanish winery because she can speak Spanish with the other winery staff. Garzon was excited to show off an oversized bottle of wine on display that was decanted and served to guests. She has spent the past three years collecting the leftover corks from the event for an art mural.
What happens when a pourer is allowed wines at his or her winery and then many others from across the room? Blashka answers that, “Real wine tasting is tasting and then spitting out the wine. I make note of those acting responsibly and hire them again next year.”
Even if a student is not interested in professionally working with wines, there is still a lot to learn from working at KFWE. “One of the greatest skills anyone can learn at these events is patience and working under pressure,” Blashka remarks. “You will have 2000 attendees clamoring for wine but you will learn how to perform efficiently and quickly to handle the consumers demands.”
KFWE really does expand the horizons and wine knowledge of Jewish college students beyond the “blue bottle.” “With such an array of wine and food, KFWE is a great opportunity to discover great wine, fun new restaurants, or just a have a magical night out,” says Jay Buchsbaum of the Royal Wine Corporation. There clearly a demand for kosher food and wine, and Jewish college students want to be a part of it.
“I think it is important for YU students to explore New York City’s Jewish art and culture scene,” says Aryeh Younger, a YU Senior who was covering the event for a Jewish publication. He adds, “What a better way to bring in the month of Adar!”