Café Scene: An open affair

Serving open cocktail sandwiches, a local chef hopes to tempt the bar mitzva crowds.

By SARAH NADAV
Updated: SEPTEMBER 10, 2017 18:02
little sandwiches (photo credit: Courtesy)
little sandwiches
(photo credit: Courtesy)
For American Jews, bagels at a brit are ubiquitous – the only real questions are how much salmon is being served and whether the cream cheese is full fat. Chef Yehoshua Racz is trying to change that with his menu of high-end open cocktail sandwiches that he hopes will tempt people away from the standard fare.
Originally from Hungary, Racz attended culinary school before moving to Israel in 1996. He has worked in a number of restaurants in both Budapest and Jerusalem, mostly creating upscale caféstyle food. In addition to being a chef, Racz received rabbinical ordination from the Jerusalem Rabbinate and a black belt in karate.
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His sandwiches are artfully prepared, delicious and presented beautifully. That said, I am not sure that he is really going to be able to topple the brit mila bagel monopoly just yet.
Racz creates his sandwiches with a variety of flavors – he serves everything from Mexican (spicy mayonnaise, corn, cheese) to Italian (pesto, tomato and mozzarella). In addition, he does not neglect our cravings for smoked salmon (with cream cheese, lettuce tomato and green onion) or humous (homemade with egg, tomato and pickle).
There were a few issues: the toppings tended to slide off and the crust was a little hard to chew through, creating some eating awkwardness, but that said, I think these sandwiches would be great for a work or evening event, somewhere where you could easily walk from table to table choosing the food that you like. I also think that they would be great with cocktails and I could see them being served at upscale events.
Chef Yehoshua Racz is a full-service caterer and provides everything needed for an event priced at NIS 59 per person. For more information check out his website, www.chefyehoshua.com, or call 054-524-0163.
The writer was a guest of the chef.