All over for Passion 8
Sydney high-profile caterers Passion8 are now in liquidation and its once buzzing commercial Lane Cove HQ are now deserted bar a few administrative staff…and the food that it supplied to COA’s meals on wheel service is now being aired into Sydney from Melbourne.
COA’s George Freund loads up his car with Rosh Hashanah meals pic: Henry Benjamin
Melbourne caterer Peter Unger has been air-freighting meals to the Bondi Junction HQ of COA which has been distributing Kosher meals to the frail, aged and younger members with disabilities of Jewish community since August 22 when it became known that Passion8, its previous suppliers was facing closure.
A spokesman for the liquidators of the failed Kosher caterer told J-Wire: “Today the plant is closed apart from a few admin staff. I have two offers to buy the business and one of them is definitely interested in continuing to maintain Kosher catering. The company accepted orders from the community for Rosh Hashanah and I am happy to say they have all been delivered.”
But at the COA volunteers and staff have been flat out ensuring that recipients of it Meals on Wheels service continue to get their regular deliveries.
A spokesperson for COA told J-Wire: “We readily accepted the offer from Peter Unger. Although there has been a price difference especially in the cost of air freight, we have to thank Toll for making the rates as reasonable as possible”.
Passion 8 was formed in 2005 following the merger of Steve Edelmuth and Graham Flax’s Cherry Bim with Stanley and Felicia Kahn’s Front Page and has offered a cutting edge catering service to Sydney since the day it opened its doors. Edelmuth told J-Wire: “I can only hope that one of the offers on the table will come to fruition and the entity we built will be able to continue its Kosher catering activities.”
Felicia Kahn added: “I have always loved what I have done for the community and I don’t want to do anything else”.
Bev Lanesman and Julia Gordon prepare food for distribution photo: Henry Benjamin
In the meantime community organisations such as Moriah College and Masada College find themselves having to make new arrangements.
Back at the COA, Julia Gordon told J-Wire: “We were forced to look around and eventually accepted the offer from Melbourne. Peter Unger’s company also prepares Kosher meals on wheels for the Melbourne Jewish community. We started getting ours from Front Page 16 years ago and continued after the merger when they became Passion8. The food was always very good. We have always paid for the food but we do subsidise it. We do not charge what we pay for it. We deliver to our clients three times a week and the food is always fresh. We have 227 people on our books and we can deliver 700 meals a week but that number always increases at Yom Tov”
She said that Passion8 was supposed to stop production on August 31 but was allowed to continue “to satisfy orders for Rosh Hashanah”. Talking about Passion8 Gordon said: “They were very decent people and did wonderful work for us. No failure in 16 years. The food was always delivered fresh and on time.”
Gordon added that they were researching other options but the help from Peter Unger had been necessary to ensure that there was Kosher food on the table for Rosh Hashana and the Shabbat which immediately follows it. “There is no-one in Sydney who could meet our needs.We are in discussion with some of the Sydney caterers and continue to do so. The first meals from Melbourne were delivered to us on August 22.”
COA offers choices of meals for those availing themselves of their services. “The meals come from Melbourne in bulk and we have to repack them so our volunteers have been flat out,” she added. “Today 40 people were involved in the delivery process. We deliver all over Sydney.”
Peter Unger told J-Wire: “We have made three deliveries but for the next month it will be once a week because of the Chagim. I am going to meet with Julia next week and hope to get together with her at the same time as the scheduled delivery arrives. We hope that we can continue the arrangement on a long-term basis.”
Peter Unger has delivered over 1,000 meals to COA and has helped the continuity of the Rosh Hashanah meals COA clients have come to expect for the last 16 years.
What a load of rubbish. Liquidation? They are opening for business again in October.
Thank you to Stan and Felicia ,Steve and the crew who always gave 110% and were part of our lives through every one of our Simchas which they made great successes. We are very sad for you and wish you all the best. The community has lost a great asset.