As a child in Oklahoma, Aaron Tomasko didn't have much access to Jewish food growing up. Although Ashkenazy's grandmother grew up in Brooklyn and his mother on Long Island, he only encountered Jewish delis and bakeries during visits to family on the East Coast, or when his grandmother Lorraine and grandfather It was only when Jerry came to visit. Otherwise, he relied on what his mother made at his home.
“When I was a kid, we would make latkes for Hanukkah and my mom would make sweet kugel, but she called the noodles pudding,” he says. “I never ate knives when I was a kid. I just heard people talking about them. There were zero knives in Oklahoma — at least, I couldn't find any. Ta.”
Growing up, Tomasko sought out Jewish food, including knives, wherever he traveled. He and his partner Rachel Brasher typically avoid red meat. That means skipping many of the deli staples like the pastrami sandwich. Instead, we ate white fish and kasha wanikes.So when he and Brasher opened a latke cart sweet lorraine In 2021, they decided to focus on the dishes they eat and love, including latkes, rugelach, savory kugel, and black and white cookies. This year, the two moved Sweet Lorraine's to Southeast Portland. Labyrinth Forge Brewing Company, offering potato knish and different laquet variations. By chance, the couple opened Portland's only real dairy restaurant.
a dairy restaurantFor the uninitiated, this is a luncheonette specifically compliant with kosher laws, with strict separation of dairy and meat. So instead of serving things you'd find in a deli, like pastrami, dairy restaurants focus on dairy products like cheese blinze, whitefish melt, potato cheese knish, borscht with lots of sour cream, and cheesecake. I'm guessing. Dairy restaurants are disappearing Nationwide; in Portland, several Jewish restaurants in general closed at an alarming rate. Jacob & Sons, Kornblatt's and Kenney & Zooks all closed this year. That means Portland is completely devoid of any real Jewish delis that serve meat.it remains sweet lorraineis a kind of unicorn in the city. It's one of the few dairy restaurants on the West Coast, and one of the few places in the city where you can eat latkes and whitefish year-round.
Much of Sweet Lorraine's menu development involves pairing Tomasco and Brascia's favorite dishes with dishes that Tomasco's mother and grandmother loved as children. Whitefish appeared on the menu as an homage to Lorraine's memories of her mother eating whitefish while playing mahjong with friends.in sweet lorraine, a white fish salad served on a handmade challah with lettuce, tomato and half-sour pickles. During Hanukkah, his mother made latkes while his family played dreidels. He serves potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce for a light and fluffy texture, but he also rotates variations of latkes with flavors like zucchini scallion, jalapeño cheddar, and red pepper scallion.
Tomasko and Brasher like to get creative with their menus. Oi hegewald is a potato and onion laquet topped with hot smoked salmon. smokery, fried egg, dill sauce. Sweet Lorraine offers varieties such as “Bloomy” cheese and sweet potato, broccoli cheddar and cherry cheese. Other specials often feature dishes more unusual than what you'd normally find in Portland, such as Hungarian cheese latkes. “This was a really good way to introduce people to some foods that are probably not as common as you know, like pastrami sandwiches and bagels, and to explore it for themselves.” he says.
Since living in Portland, Tomasko and Brasher have always heard Portlanders talk about how few Jews live in the city. However, Tomasko disputes that theory. According to research from Brandeis University, 56,600 Jews live in Greater Portland, this is not important. However, 20 percent of Portland Jews are members of a congregation, and 30 percent say “not finding Jewish activities that interest them” is a fundamental barrier to connecting with the larger Jewish community. I reported that it is happening. In Tomasko's view, it has more to do with isolation than numbers. “The Jewish community in Portland is not that connected,” he says. “Part of our mission is to build bridges and connect people through food.”
Another thing they're planning is a Hanukkah party at the brewery on Sunday, December 10th from 5pm to 8pm. The party will feature live music, dreidels, potato-grating competitions, and, of course, lots of latkes. “It's important to us that it's a safe and welcoming space for everyone,” Tomasko says. “We have customers from a variety of backgrounds.”
sweet lorraine accept pre-order for hanukkah Those interested can pick up Sufganiyot and Latkes beers from December 6th to December 15th. Sweet Lorraine's is located inside the Labyrinth Forge Brewing Company at 61 SE Yamhill Street.
