Memories of my early childhood are based on senses of taste and smell. Speaking to Chaim Davids, the founder of Prohibition Pickle, I was brought back to the Lower East Side where Sunday evenings were spent inhaling the aromas and ingesting the fabulous offerings of pastrami, corned beef, and chopped liver- with the crunch of whole sour pickles on the side.
In creating “an imaginative new world delicatessen serving old world elevated Ashkenazi fare” Chaim answers the demand of Anglo-American tourists and citizens who wonder why there isn’t a deli on every corner of every street in Israel. Settling in Gush Etzion, Chaim, who has a rich background in food service, opened a storefront and then found an empty warehouse from which he is currently delivering his products all over Israel.
Chaim is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and as a teenager became interested in food preparation. He graduated from Baltimore Institute of Culinary Arts and went west to California where he learned about wineries, breweries and acquired hands-on experience in restaurant food service.
With his move to Israel, Chaim met his future wife and started off married life in Jerusalem. In Machane Yehudah Shuk he worked with craft beers and pub grub. Moving out to the Gush, Chaim decided to work on his passion- producing Ashkenazi deli- his mantra being “Make pastrami great again” AND HE HAS! Prohibition Pickle was founded in 2020. Because of the COVID epidemic, food deliveries became de rigueur, and Chaim and company began catering services that satisfied a growing customer base in the Gush and beyond. His menu is mouth-watering and in fact, he has created two original products of his own. Chaim, his wife and three daughters find the Gush Etzion community to be very united- neighbors care about each other. You’ll find a beautiful Feed a Family program option on Chaim’s website.
Please visit Prohibition Pickle on the ACHI Market- https://achi613.org/achi-vendors/prohibition-pickle/– the homepage alone will make you feel nostalgic for simpler times, and the menu will assure a large variety for everyone’s appetite. Be’tay-a-vone- בתאבון- Enjoy!