He’s got to be a matzo man
Streit’s is still a family business, going strong on the lower East Side
Streit’s Matzo has been baking on the same corner of Rivington St. for 87 years.
Surrounded by the trendy eateries and bars that have taken over the lower East Side in recent years, Streit’s is a reminder of what the neighborhood once was.
“We think it’s important to maintain our history and our roots,” says owner Alan Adler, 60. “The neighborhood is changing. We’re one of the last holdouts from the early 20th century.”
With two of his cousins, Adler — great-grandson of founder Aron Streit — runs the family business, which consists of a retail store and factory stretched across four tenement buildings.
All three grew up in the factory and have fond memories of a place that has remained largely unchanged since Streit, a baker from Austria, opened it in 1925.
“When I was 8 years old,” says Adler, “I was picking [up] matzo on the line at the end of the oven,” a job he says is far more fun than his current position.
As director of operations, he oversees the production of matzo. The factory churns out an average of 2,000 pounds per hour — for both everyday and Passover use.
Streit’s gets so many orders for the holiday that production of Passover matzo usually begins in the fall and lasts until two weeks before the observance — sometimes even longer.
“If more orders come in, we’re ready to bake more,” says Adler. “Last year we baked until the very end. We baked until we ran out of boxes.”
For Passover, matzo, an unleavened bread, is made following stricter guidelines than usual.
Streit’s, which normally employs three full-time rabbis, brings on four more during holiday production to ensure that items are “super kosher.”
From the time the water hits the flour to when the matzo is finished, cooking time never exceeds 18 minutes, in accordance with Jewish law.
The quick bake is achieved by two convection ovens that reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees.
Although the ovens, both from the late 1930s, look identical, Adler says the matzo coming out of each actually looks and tastes different — which is one reason that Streit’s has never moved.
“There’s always the concern that if you build a new oven out on Long Island or New Jersey in a new facility, it might not taste the same.”
Passover matzo is still the heart of its business, but Streit’s is no longer just a seasonal company.
“We do a substantial part of our business year-round and to non-jews as well,” says Adler.
Whereas Passover matzo consists only of flour and water, the daily varieties come in flavors like sun-dried tomato, garlic, basil and poppy seed.
In recent years, the company has introduced Mediterranean, Spelt and Adler’s favorite, Five Grain matzo, which uses apple cider instead of water.
They also produce plenty of non-matzo items, including spreads and sauces, cookies and wafers and even soup mix.
Customers continue to come from Pennsylvania, Florida and beyond to tour the factory — a 90-year-old woman recently told Adler about one she took when she was just a girl.
Regardless of where customers come from, they all remember the distinct flavor of Streit’s matzo.
“New York City water obviously has a lot to do with it,” says Adler. “People always say New York City bagels and New York City pizzas taste the best. We tend to agree and we think New York City matzo tastes the best.”