East Rutherford, NJ - Growing Kosher Market Arrives at Stadiums to Feed Hungry Fans

East Rutherford, NJ - Jeffrey Striks has taken a bite of a new niche in the American kosher food market: sports stadiums, and business is so good that he's expanded his company, Strikly Kosher.

His core market is the most observant Jews who follow the laws of kashrut, which restricts what food can be eaten and how it is prepared. But he's also attracting customers who aren't Jewish and perceive that kosher food is healthier. They enjoy his knishes, chicken nuggets and "knockwurst," not the traditional German sausage but a chicken product designed to look like a hot dog.

Striks, 49 a Queens, NY native, offers a dog and a prayer. In the seventh-inning stretch during baseball games and during halftime at football games, Striks coordinates a minyan, a Jewish prayer service that must have at least 10 men. At a recent New York Jets game, about 30 men joined in prayer near a Strikly Kosher stand. "We pray for the team to win," "we want playoff games because we make a lot of money."

Joel Felderman, an observant Jew, said the kosher stadium stands allow him to enjoy games more. He had always eaten before games because he didn't have glatt kosher alternatives in the stadium. "It makes me feel like I'm a real fan," "I can buy a hot dog like everyone else and not compromise my religious beliefs. I can get the total experience."