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A new catering business based in Overland Park is working to fill a gap in Kansas City's food scene by providing kosher meal options.
Kosher food refers to meals prepared according to Jewish dietary laws. While kosher ingredients are readily available in grocery stores — identifiable by specific symbols on packaging — prepared kosher meals have been much harder to find in the Kansas City area.
That's where Graze KC comes in. The catering company, founded by Brachie Pearl and Chaya Niedzwiecki, aims to serve both kosher consumers and the broader Kansas City community.
"These are people that otherwise can't ever eat out unless they're invited to somebody's house," Pearl said. "That's where the need is, not like, you know, I can buy cinnamon in the store, but can I buy challah? Much more difficult."
Kosher meals differ from regular food preparation in several key ways. On a basic level, kosher dietary laws require separating milk and meat products. Pearl and her partner prepare these foods in separate kitchens and follow all dietary rules that they can't ensure are being followed in other restaurant kitchens.
The business addresses a real need for the community. According to US Foods, the average American eats out three times per month or orders takeout more than four times per month. For anyone who eats kosher in Kansas City, those numbers would be much lower simply because there are very few options.
"Our vision with Graze is absolutely to cater to the kosher consumers in Kansas City and then as well, to the broader community, whether you're a kosher consumer or not," Pearl said.
Graze KC offers everything from grazing boards and takeout meals to large event catering. A major focus of their current work involves planning for the World Cup. The global audience that event will bring will likely include more people who eat kosher, so the company plans to offer a menu for every day during the six-week tournament period.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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