Rearview Mirror
By: Larry Gordon
With Pesach behind us and Orlando, at least for us, in the rearview mirror, I can say it was truly delightful. And as I told my friends, Dani and Eli, it truly was the ultimate Pesach.
Coincidentally, that is what they call their Pesach programs, as these endeavors are known. Here in Orlando, where we left earlier on Sunday morning, it was the first opportunity to explore what happens to at least part of a city like Orlando on Pesach.
Not to get too technical, but while there is an assortment of glatt kosher Pesach programs in Orlando, in reality, we and a number of others were in the nearby town of Kissimmee, Florida.
Today, aside from the warm weather, Florida is known mostly as that place where many of our people spend Pesach, where NASA launches spacecraft, and where many Major League Baseball teams play their spring training games.
If memory serves, it was the Houston Astros that used to play their Spring games in Kissimmee.
But this year, aside from the rocket launches to the moon from the Kennedy Space Center, the next best thing was in fact The Ultimate Pesach program hosted by Eli Grossbard, Dani Gordon, and Chaim Richter.
Someone must know how many various communities are out there with names like Solara, Windsor, and Encore that are turned over so as to make way for mostly New Yorkers to come down to spend Pesach in the South or anywhere but home.
The interesting thing about Eli and Dani is the fact that after years of studying these types of endeavors, they perform with remarkable excellence. The competition was no doubt fierce, but they persevered and endured as they literally worked ’round the clock to present one of the most outstanding Pesach experiences with a distinct uniqueness that we have experienced personally over the last few decades.
The caterer, Chaim Richter, performed beyond anyone’s expectations. And that is what made this first year of The Ultimate Pesach so unique. Make no mistake: the quality of the food on a yom tov like Pesach is one of the most important aspects, aside from the tefillos.
Until now, if you wanted to go away for Pesach to celebrate the chag, the choice was either your parents’ or in-laws’ home or a hotel somewhere.
In past years, there was a nice selection of hotels for Pesach in the Catskills. For example, back in the early 1980s, we spent two Passovers at the then-popular Homowack Lodge in Spring Glenn, New York, which was near Ellenville.
After that, we spent about four of those special-diet Pesach yom tovim at the Stevensville Hotel in Swan Lake. We’ve been to quite a few more exotic places after those six years back in the 80s when our children were young. Their youth is very relevant to this conversation because of the type of day camp these hotels offered.
The interesting dimension to The Ultimate Pesach near Orlando, Florida is the level of service and variety of food they offer to make your yom tov as enjoyable as possible. You can ask the men and women or even the teenagers and young kids about how to take all the elements of Pesach and combine them to a level of perfection to satisfy all clients.
And that is how The Ultimate Pesach comes into the picture. Simply stated, you are in your own home with all the ready-made food delivered to your doorstep just prior to yom tov. All you need to do is warm it up in your oven, set it on Shabbos mode, and serve. Sure, you don’t necessarily have waiters serving you, but you also don’t have the hustle and bustle you usually have in a hotel dining room, which is often the case.
It is the best of all Pesach worlds: your own private home, a pool for the kids, and top-level cuisine prepared exclusively for you and your family. And I believe that is the direction this industry is heading in the future. I mean, what is so appealing about renting a home in Florida and then unpacking pots and pans and all the frozen meats you’ve dragged down either on the plane or in ice chests in the back of your car?
No matter how you view it, each year we come to the realization that Pesach is a pretty big undertaking. Ah! But when you discover a place like The Ultimate Pesach, you can check off many of the items on that long list you’ve been compiling since last Purim.
Over the last few weeks, just about every aspect of Pesach preparations was taken care of. Perhaps you’re concerned that folks like Eli and Dani make it too easy on your family to enjoy the chag as a result of their hard work. I can report that I’ve seen these men working tirelessly to make sure every aspect of your Pesach chag is delivered beyond your expectations.
Pesach is a beautiful and magnificent yom tov, but it’s the details and the painstaking work that can make it challenging at times. So, you think that I’m neglecting to mention the cost of all this? Not really. We all know that the cost of Pesach seems to grow with each and every passing year.
Of course, it costs more to rent a home and have your food prepared for you. But in some instances, these are big homes where the cost can be shared and indeed some do it that way.
If you’re thinking in that direction for the future, just keep one word in mind: ultimate. As in, The Ultimate Pesach.
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
