Grand Velas Riviera Maya Celebrates Jewish Holidays Via Special Menus

02.03.2024 - 13:03 / forbes.com

The Jewish community celebrates their holidays with a wide variety of food offerings. From latkes to Yehi Ratzon platters, those of the Jewish faith feast on foods that have been part of their culinary culture for many centuries. The traditional Jewish family relies on the comfort of the kitchen where they prepare favorite dishes in the company of friends and relatives.

In order to pay tribute to the Jewish holidays, Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico now offers new kosher and kosher-lite dining options for guests. Dining at the AAA Five Diamond Mexican Resort for Jewish guests can range from kosher style to meals catered from the Chabad of Playa del Carmen. Recognizing the importance of traditional dietary laws and honoring traditions, Grand Velas Riviera Maya has created a special website for Jewish guests to learn more about its offerings and submit questions or requests for more information.

For Passover from April 22 to April 30, the resort also offers a seder dinner at its oceanfront Azul restaurant. The special menu includes a green salad featuring arugula, baby spinach, radishes, endives, onions, poached peppers, avocado, cucumbers and grape tomatoes, matzo ball soup and braised fish with asparagus risotto and edamame puree. Kosher wine will be available all week. Throughout the year, Grand Velas offers festive celebrations for other Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah complete with themed activities, traditional meals, nightly candle lighting, gift wrapped toys available for purchase and more.

Guests of Grand Velas Riviera Maya have an array of options for dining when traveling to the resort throughout the year. The hotel can order kosher meat on behalf of the guest, up to seven days before their arrival on property. This approach allows the resort’s award-winning culinary team to prepare meals using the pre-ordered meat in accordance with kosher practices across its eight restaurants.

The team can prepare menu offerings or create special dishes customized to personal preference. Meat offerings include a wide variety of cuts from beef, lamb, veal and chicken and are priced according to quantity. Additionally, Grand Velas Riviera Maya can offer guests a pescatarian plan to avoid meat altogether and enjoy the region’s renowned seafood offerings. With this option, the guests’ personal concierge will provide them with daily menu offerings each day and make any necessary adjustments.

For the resort’s guests who follow orthodox kosher, the resort has also partnered with Chabad of Playa Del Carmen to allow guests to place kosher food orders directly through the Chabad. Each meal will be prepped, supervised and signed off by the community’s leader, Rabbi Mendel Goldberg. The meat is Glatt