A Tempting Tradition
When Karen Griffin first started offering her rugelah at farmers markets, people would often reply, “Arugula?” And then she’d explain that rugelah was dough wrapped around a filling, in a traditional Jewish pastry, which she named Just Like Nana’s because she learned to make them from watching her grandmother. Griffin looked up to her “nana” as a role model for cooking and baking, and to her mother as an entrepreneur. After returning to Rhode Island with her husband in 2011, postretirement, Griffin heard about Hope & Main helping new food businesses get on their feet. She was ready. She started making her rugelah in 2015, beginning with four kinds: cinnamon, chocolate marmalade, apricot and raspberry. She’s since tried to create a lighter dough and a less-sweet filling than many rugelah she’d tried. With butter, sour cream and coconut oil in the dough, she’s gotten quite creative with fillings, including Nutella, espresso and, for fall, a pecan pie rugelah. She’s also now at her own commercial kitchen located in Pawtucket, and the rugelah are for sale at specialty markets around the state, as well as select farmers markets and cafés. Visit her website for a list of retail locations plus dates for her seasonal warehouse sales.
