We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dani Goldblatt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Growing up as a kosher consumer, there was a lot of food I saw and wanted to try, but couldn’t. Kosher is the dietary laws observant Jews follow. No pig, shelfish, mixing dairy and meat, and all fish must have fins and scales. Any land animals need to have a cleft hoof and chew it’s cud, like a lamb or cow to be consider kosher. Finally, the animal needs to be healthy to be considered kosher.

I started making BBQ because I wanted what I couldn’t have. Kosher BBQ didn’t exist in LA so I said I’ll just make it. I have a masters in education and was a teacher for 10 years. I was just doing this for fun and my family.

In a group on facebook, a guy named Jeremy Yoder of Mad Scientist BBQ asked how to make a kosher brisket. I offered to reach out as my background is in Jewish education and I knew I could make this happen at the highest standard for an observant Jew. After this one time cook together for a VIP, there was a demand for more. We kept at it a few times until Covid shut the world down. I started selling for fun out of my house and but didn’t think I would leave teaching to do BBQ. Going back into the classroom post shut down was hard and I knew I needed a change. My husband and I sat down, came up with a business plan, worked numbers, etc to make sure this was viable.

Now, I am a full time caterer and offer weekly take out for Shabbat (the Jewish sabbath) and travel offering meat classes and demos all over the country.

Dani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Part of my mission is to bring people together over good food. The goal of my BBQ isn’t just “good kosher BBQ” but fantastic BBQ, kosher or not. Everything we do, is house made. We make our own rubs, sauces, pickles, and so much more. Trust me, if I could make have my own fermentation lab, I would have it! We have some exciting things coming up this fall like dry aged meats and other R&D.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients is having them try my food at events along with word of mouth. I found that I can pour money into advertising in the Jewish community, but nothing beats word of mouth or personal referrals.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

BBQ on a 500 gallon smoker isn’t always easy. I have cooked for 16 hours in 115 degrees and I have also cooked in downpours where we get 6 inches in a day (that’s a LOT for LA!).

My mantra is to take things one hour at a time. Baby steps is how you get to the end result when things are feeling overwhelming.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.holysmokeskosherbbq.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holysmokeskosherbbq/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolySmokesKosherBbq/?locale=sr_RS&_rdr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-goldblatt-78068749/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/holy-smokes-kosher-bbq-san-fernando-valley