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MOOSIC — Potato knish. Corned beef sandwich. Chocolate babka.
All these and more were to be had at the annual Jewish Food Festival, held at PNC Field on Sunday.
The event is in its 10th year, although food at an outdoor venue has been the focus for the last three.
“It’s really exciting to see people here from all walks of life,” said Rabbi Benny Rapport, co-director at the Jewish Discovery Center, which held the event. “I believe food is a big uniter.”
According to Rapport the event began with a focus on Jewish culture in general. But it didn’t take long to realize that many of the people attending the event came for the food. So three years ago, the center decided to shift the event’s focus to a food festival.
“People are excited to taste the different foods, choose different things,” he said, adding that patrons travel across state lines to attend the fest.
Since the food must all be certified Kosher, the dishes were prepared by the center. Some individual vendors sold Kosher-approved foods as well.
About 25 vendors participated in the festival, with offerings ranging from Kosher canned goods and honey to clothing, jewelry and craft stands.
Gail Scaramuzzo, owner of Canned Classics, was one of those vendors.
What was once just a hobby — Scaramuzzo said she would create canned salsa bread and other goods for the holidays — quickly grew to boast a following. Now she’s in her second year with the business, selling at various markets, festivals and craft events.
“It’s kind of a hobby gone berserk,” she said.
She and Orna Clum agree that the festival helps patrons experience different cultures, and learn about local small businesses.
Clum, a beekeeper who owns Clum Family Honey, said she came to the festival not only as a vendor, but to support the center where she is a member.
“It’s a great opportunity to let local people know that we exist, and for outsiders to taste and experience the Jewish culture,” she said.
Perhaps one of the more interesting stands was Shofar Factory, where adults and children could create their very own shofar.
Created from the horn of a ram, the shofar is a traditionally blown into at Rosh Hashanah to usher in the new year.
At the tent, Mendel Raices, of Scranton, assisted children by drilling a hole into the tip of a horn to create a mouthpiece. Raices said that he helps at the center by educating people about the history of the shofar and how it was created.
“It takes about 10 minutes to create here,” he said of the drilling, sanding and polishing. “But it’d take much longer to do it from scratch.”
Overall, Sunday’s heavy rains didn’t deter people from coming for their favorite dish.
As lines started to form outside of the tents, guests opened up their umbrellas and pulled out their raincoats as they waited to order their favorite plates. As for the top-selling delicacy? Rapport said the corned beef sandwiches were well on their way to being sold-out.
Under a large leisure tent, West Scranton resident Carol Simonovich finished her meal with her friends as they waited for the rain to subside.
She said the group enjoys all ethnic foods, adding that a little rain wouldn’t stop the group from coming to get their favorite foods.
“If it’s ethnic food, we’re there,” she said. “When you have a set goal, rain doesn’t stop it.”
Gloria Benway, a self-described kosher food enthusiast, agreed with her friend. Benway said this was the trio’s first time at this particular festival, but they have traveled to various Jewish and other ethnic events throughout the region.
“The fest is worth the rain,” she said. “The food is delicious, the prices are excellent.”
The festival runs through 6 p.m. Sunday, and admission is free. Proceeds fund various programs through the Jewish Discovery Center.
