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January 14, 2005
Nava is the new place at JCC
Harvey Sandler brings more kosher options to Vancouver community.
KYLE BERGER
There's a new, pleasant aroma lingering around the Jewish Community
Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) these days and it's definitely
not coming from the men's changing room outside the gym. It's coming
from the centre's kosher kitchen, where Harvey Sandler has been
preparing innovative meals for Nava Creative Cuisine.
Nava, which was formerly known as Chagall's until Sandler took possession
of the café in December, has undergone several esthetic changes
in the past few weeks. But the most drastic change, Sandler explained,
is coming in the form of new, fresh foods and even more choices.
"We're going to have fresh omelettes in the morning and pastas
in the afternoon that are made-to-order," he said. "We'll
have quesadillas, burritos, wraps, soups and chili. And we'll still
have pizza, but we can make more than just cheese pizza and it will
be available when people want it."
Sandler explained that these are some of the steps he is taking
toward his ultimate goal of changing the way people eat kosher in
Vancouver.
"As a guy who keeps kosher, we don't have many opportunities
in this city to eat normal, everyday foods that you might look for
in a restaurant," he said. "So that's what I'm trying
to create to a certain degree.
"Our main objective with the café is to pretty much
service breakfast, lunch and have late evening meals, mainly focusing
on lunch because that's when generally the biggest crowd is around,"
he continued. "We want to bring fresh, wholesome food to the
table. With the JCC being a sports centre, we also want to have
healthy food."
He noted that, in the short time he has operated the café,
he has sold a lot more sandwiches than he expected, particularly
the healthy ones, such as one that features roasted red peppers,
marinated artichokes, spinach and goat cheese on a multi-grain baguette.
Sandler also said that customers should expect to see a lot of changes
at the popular café under his leadership.
"The only thing customers are going to see that's the same
as Chagall's is the counter, the walls and the chairs, which will
eventually be changed as well."
Sandler has been in the food service business for 10 years now.
He started his career as a restaurant cook before taking an apprenticeship
with a chef from Scotland who had been classically trained in England.
He followed that up with several years as a chef at Anducci's restaurant
on the North Shore, and has spent the past four years running the
kitchen at Seymour's Pub.
But Sandler admits that he has always had the dream of running his
own business. As someone who keeps kosher, he relishes the opportunity
to work in an industry to which he can personally relate.
"Being kosher and being the executive chef in a non-kosher
place, I was never able to try the things I was making," he
explained of his former job. "I was making things and having
my sous-chef taste them and tell me whether they were any good or
not. That gets tiring after a while."
Sandler had considered purchasing Chagall's when it was up for sale
in the past but he felt that the time wasn't right. Until now.
"Back then it wasn't really the right time for me," he
said. "But I've really been involved in the Jewish community
over the past few years and I've been running a kosher catering
business on the side that's really blossomed. So what I know now
[about kashrut] as opposed to what I knew three years ago is that
much greater and that makes a big difference in being able to be
successful."
Having the ability to make use of the JCC's facilities and customer
traffic was another aspect that helped Sandler make the decision
to purchase the café.
"There's something like 2,000 people walking through [the JCC]
on a daily basis," he said. "There is also a large catering
aspect to this business with the Wosk Auditorium. And with a meat
and dairy kitchen we can really attack every kosher market in the
city."
Although he still considers the operations of the café to
be in catch-up mode – renovations have just recently been completed
– Sandler invites members of the community to check out Nava
Creative Cuisine and let him know what they think.
"Come on down and try us out and give us your feedback. We
always need to know what's going on and if we're doing a good job."
Nava's hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday,
8 a.m. to two hours before the JCC closes for Shabbat on Fridays,
and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
For more information about the café or for catering, call
604-263-7507.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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