Before Passover, fill up on bread with a ‘festival of chametz’
In the days leading up to Passover, Jewish families around the world begin clearing their homes of chametz, or foods containing leaven, which are forbidden during the weeklong holiday.
In Israel, a delightful tradition has emerged: The night before Passover, after home kitchens have been stripped of every cracker and bread crumb, families head out to their favorite bakeries and restaurants to gorge themselves on pizza, cake and other devilishly delicious forms of chametz.
Might as well go out with a bang, eh?
“Once your house is clean and ready for Pesach, you can still enjoy it outside,” says Orit Hendler Leib, the owner and executive chef of Deja Vu Bakery & Catering, with a wry smile. The bakery is located inside the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto.
This year, Leib, who moved to the Bay Area five years ago from Israel, is bringing the tradition to the South Bay.
Her chametz-fest boxes start at $7 and feature everything from fresh-baked challah and Jerusalem bagels to white sauce pizza, cookies and her specialty brownie-blondies, which come in multiple flavors, including lemon cheesecake and German chocolate crumble.
She’ll be taking orders through Wednesday for pickup at the JCC.
“While other food businesses are preparing their kitchens and menus for Pesach, we will be filling orders for the night before,” says Leib.
It’s one of many pivots Leib, a mother of four, has made since the pandemic struck last year and the catering side of her business disappeared.
But Deja Vu’s kosher certification has filled a need in the South Bay and Peninsula, something Leib discovered when planning the bris for her youngest child, Ziv, four years ago.
“I remember my kosher caterer said the only thing I can’t do is the cake,” she recalls. “I said, ‘That’s the most important thing.’ ”