Arts

A newish Jewish experience

Nourish cafe puts its twist on traditional Jewish cuisine at Palo Alto JCC

The Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto debuted Nourish: A Newish Jewish Cafe earlier this year.

The nonprofit JCC is home to many different services, including its own preschool, gym and entertainment offerings for those in the Jewish community living on the Midpeninsula. And while it previously housed a cafe, the JCC opened Nourish in July with a goal to offer the community something unique.

At Nourish, you might overhear conversations spoken in Hebrew, but you will also see customers hard at work on their laptops and enjoying a snack, similar to what you see in any local Starbucks. That being said, the goal has always been to give the local Jewish community a place to meet others and foster new friendships, said Sally Porush, the JCC's chief people officer.

"What we're trying to do is have a place for our community to come together," she said.

Key to the success of the new cafe, said Porush, was bringing on board someone with strong restaurant experience.

Help sustain the local news you depend on.

Your contribution matters. Become a member today.

Join

Porush found her answer in Robert Stayte, whose experience in the food industry includes time as catering director for the University of California, Berkeley as well as years of working in corporate dining.

Stayte described the food he makes at Nourish as "Jewish cuisine with a twist," adding that he takes inspiration from traditional Israeli, New York deli and California cuisine. For example, one of the most popular dishes at the cafe is a play on In-N-Out Burger's famous "animal-style" fries (french fries topped with cheese, grilled onions and the chain's secret sauce). Stayte added his own twist by using Tater Tots instead of fries and topping them with bits of pastrami.

The menu includes a variety of flatbread pizzas and pastas, hummus plates and quesadillas. There's also coffee from Peet's Coffee and teas from Mighty Leaf. Nourish primarily serves breakfast and lunch, as the cafe closes at 5:30 p.m. during the week and is not open on weekends.

One of the biggest hurdles in crafting the new cafe's menu, Stayte said, was creating items that serve kosher customers who adhere to strict guidelines around preparing and eating certain types of meat and dairy. Among Nourish's kosher-friendly dishes are hummus topped with spiced chickpeas and a simple pasta with marinara sauce.

A customer favorite, Stayte said, is the falafel. Falafel balls are placed inside a generous piece of pita bread, surrounded by various vegetables, like tomatoes and cucumber. This is certainly one of the more traditional Jewish dishes on the menu, along with the matzo ball soup that Stayte said customers pick up in droves on Fridays to take home before the start of the Sabbath at sundown.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

The atmosphere in Nourish is relaxed and the decor wholly modern and unique. An entire wall is covered with cheeky quotations chosen by the staff ("The optimist sees the bagel, the pessimist sees the hole") as well as charging stations for laptops or cell phones (it is in Palo Alto, after all).

With the new addition of a desert-inspired "oasis play space" playground next to the cafe, the JCC anticipates many parents will become Nourish regulars. Parents of children who attend the nonprofit's preschool already make up a large portion of Nourish's customer base, Stayte said, adding that a lot of students from the nearby Kehillah Jewish High School frequent the cafe, especially for lunch.

Now that Stayte has a more specific audience in mind at the JCC, he finds himself enjoying the challenge. A resident of Palo Alto for more than a decade, he said he decided that Nourish was the right fit because it allowed him to pursue something new in his career. The concept forces him him to come up with innovative dishes that Jewish and non-Jewish customers can enjoy equally, he said.

"I wanted to have an impact on a community by helping to create a family-friendly atmosphere and a meeting place with great food that meets the needs of our diverse population," he said.

Nourish: A Newish Jewish Cafe

Oshman Family JCC, Jessica Lynn Saal Town Square, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto

650-223-8624

paloaltojcc.org/cafe

Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Craving a new voice in Peninsula dining?

Sign up for the Peninsula Foodist newsletter.

Sign up now

Follow Mountain View Voice Online on Twitter @mvvoice, Facebook and on Instagram @mvvoice for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

A newish Jewish experience

Nourish cafe puts its twist on traditional Jewish cuisine at Palo Alto JCC

by Patrick Condon / Mountain View Voice

Uploaded: Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 2:29 pm

The Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto debuted Nourish: A Newish Jewish Cafe earlier this year.

The nonprofit JCC is home to many different services, including its own preschool, gym and entertainment offerings for those in the Jewish community living on the Midpeninsula. And while it previously housed a cafe, the JCC opened Nourish in July with a goal to offer the community something unique.

At Nourish, you might overhear conversations spoken in Hebrew, but you will also see customers hard at work on their laptops and enjoying a snack, similar to what you see in any local Starbucks. That being said, the goal has always been to give the local Jewish community a place to meet others and foster new friendships, said Sally Porush, the JCC's chief people officer.

"What we're trying to do is have a place for our community to come together," she said.

Key to the success of the new cafe, said Porush, was bringing on board someone with strong restaurant experience.

Porush found her answer in Robert Stayte, whose experience in the food industry includes time as catering director for the University of California, Berkeley as well as years of working in corporate dining.

Stayte described the food he makes at Nourish as "Jewish cuisine with a twist," adding that he takes inspiration from traditional Israeli, New York deli and California cuisine. For example, one of the most popular dishes at the cafe is a play on In-N-Out Burger's famous "animal-style" fries (french fries topped with cheese, grilled onions and the chain's secret sauce). Stayte added his own twist by using Tater Tots instead of fries and topping them with bits of pastrami.

The menu includes a variety of flatbread pizzas and pastas, hummus plates and quesadillas. There's also coffee from Peet's Coffee and teas from Mighty Leaf. Nourish primarily serves breakfast and lunch, as the cafe closes at 5:30 p.m. during the week and is not open on weekends.

One of the biggest hurdles in crafting the new cafe's menu, Stayte said, was creating items that serve kosher customers who adhere to strict guidelines around preparing and eating certain types of meat and dairy. Among Nourish's kosher-friendly dishes are hummus topped with spiced chickpeas and a simple pasta with marinara sauce.

A customer favorite, Stayte said, is the falafel. Falafel balls are placed inside a generous piece of pita bread, surrounded by various vegetables, like tomatoes and cucumber. This is certainly one of the more traditional Jewish dishes on the menu, along with the matzo ball soup that Stayte said customers pick up in droves on Fridays to take home before the start of the Sabbath at sundown.

The atmosphere in Nourish is relaxed and the decor wholly modern and unique. An entire wall is covered with cheeky quotations chosen by the staff ("The optimist sees the bagel, the pessimist sees the hole") as well as charging stations for laptops or cell phones (it is in Palo Alto, after all).

With the new addition of a desert-inspired "oasis play space" playground next to the cafe, the JCC anticipates many parents will become Nourish regulars. Parents of children who attend the nonprofit's preschool already make up a large portion of Nourish's customer base, Stayte said, adding that a lot of students from the nearby Kehillah Jewish High School frequent the cafe, especially for lunch.

Now that Stayte has a more specific audience in mind at the JCC, he finds himself enjoying the challenge. A resident of Palo Alto for more than a decade, he said he decided that Nourish was the right fit because it allowed him to pursue something new in his career. The concept forces him him to come up with innovative dishes that Jewish and non-Jewish customers can enjoy equally, he said.

"I wanted to have an impact on a community by helping to create a family-friendly atmosphere and a meeting place with great food that meets the needs of our diverse population," he said.

Nourish: A Newish Jewish Cafe

Oshman Family JCC, Jessica Lynn Saal Town Square, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto

650-223-8624

paloaltojcc.org/cafe

Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Comments

Yum
North Bayshore
on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Yum, North Bayshore
on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:04 pm

Would love for this place to extend its hours. We often exercise at OFJCC after work, and getting dinner at the cafe would be awesome. Also, we take our kids to swim lessons or attend events on the weekends, and, again would love to get a meal there. The current hours seem only to benefit those who work or go to school close by. Seems like there is potential to serve even more customers.


Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto
another community
on Nov 14, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, another community
on Nov 14, 2016 at 1:51 pm

It is a big honor to have been featured in this story! We’re very proud of Nourish Cafe – and hope that everyone in our community, whether Jewish or not, will come and taste its amazing flavors. Just like all of our fitness and aquatics center, camps, schools and all of the OFJCC’s events, shows and employment opportunities, the cafe is for *all* to enjoy.


Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto
another community
on Nov 14, 2016 at 4:15 pm
Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, another community
on Nov 14, 2016 at 4:15 pm

Dear Yum, Thank you for your feedback! We are looking into extending the Nourish Cafe hours. Depending on a few different factors, it is our hope to include weekend and evening hours next year. Stay tuned at paloaltojcc.org/cafe.


Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.