Tzvi Rudin has seen it all, with his many positions in different aspects of employment in the food industry — and he’s done it with love! He’s been a caterer, camp and yeshivah cook, mashgiach, you name it.

I have very little experience as a student eating school lunch. I was that picky kid who didn’t eat anyone’s lunch; yet I became a food writer…go figure. To add to the irony, my husband worked as a cook in school food programs for years before our business was born. It is with that in mind that I offer lots of respect to Tzvi Rudin, the man with many pans.

How did you come to work in the field of food service?

For many years, since I was very young, I worked in a camp under my uncle. Later, I went to Kosher Culinary Academy, a culinary school in Israel (which no longer exists). It worked well for me because it was an English-speaking program, and I got the added benefit of receiving certification to be a mashgiach.

After I returned to America, I worked for a restaurant and did some odd jobs. I got married and moved to Israel with a plan to start working in the industry.

But, frustratingly enough, I couldn’t seem to land a steady job. I literally went knocking door to door, looking for work. Every time I found a job, for some reason, I lost it shortly thereafter. After quite some time, I finally found a position in Har Nof — not as a chef but helping set up for parties. Then the chef was fired and I kind of got thrown into the job as the head chef for a catering company, cooking for multiple parties a day — everything from brissim to bar mitzvahs and weddings. I worked crazy long hours.

After the birth of my oldest son, we went back to America for Pesach, knowing that we were going to stay in the States.

What’s your current job?

During the year, I work as the cook in the Philadelphia yeshivah — I’ve been here for 16 years. For the past four summers, I’ve been working at the Agudah camps for girls in Marshall, Indiana. For the first half of the summer, it’s Camp MTM, and the second half it’s Maarava.

The requests from a boys’ yeshiva and a girls’ sleepaway camp must be very different!

Yes, as can be expected, the girls’ camps get lots of salads — Israeli, cucumber, you name it. They also eat lots of vegetables, like broccoli, string beans, and squash. The guys prefer proteins — meat and chicken. In the beginning of Elul zman, they always eat a lot. I guess the food in camp isn’t that great.

I cook for 750 in the summer and about 250 during the year. When I make pasta for dinner, we use about 100 pounds in camp and 60 pounds for the guys in the Philly yeshivah! Not all foods have such a dramatic difference, though. I make cholent for the girls Thursday night, Friday night, and Shabbos day, too. It gets devoured.

And not surprisingly, for both the boys and the girls, pizza is the favorite milchig dish and schnitzel is appreciated the most in the fleishig department. For Yom Tov, we serve the guys the same foods that they would get at home — tongue, brisket, and much more.

One thing I’ve learned is that the amounts of food are never totally predictable. Last week, I cooked four cases of eggs and there were none left. Today, I prepared three cases and there was a lot left over. Go figure.

Anything you specialize in?

Apparently, I’m good at stepping in to take over even when it’s the last minute. I once was asked to come help out at a camp where the cook suddenly walked out. There were more than a thousand people to feed! I got there on a Thursday and the kitchen workers and I made dinner that night and then made Shabbos. And after the workers got their weekly wage, they all walked out on me because the week before they had felt overworked. Who was left? It was just me and a dishwasher! I had to draft bochurim to come help, and then had to hire other workers. Having enough water was another issue, because the camp wasn’t designed for a thousand people. They had to shut off the water on one side of camp to give me enough to wash dishes and cook pasta!

Getting supplies has been a challenge lately for the regular consumer. Is there anything you’re finding challenging to keep in stock?

I put in my monthly delivery orders, including meat, three weeks before I need them. But lately it’s been a challenge getting chicken. In addition, since Philadelphia is out of town, I only get orders once a week. I always have to think ahead.

Is there something you can’t get while you’re working that you wish you could?

Rest. I can’t seem to get any rest!

Pro Tip

Cooking for a larger crowd? Do the things that take the longest to prepare first. If you run out of time, you can just make the easier-to-create items more simply.

Tzvi in 60 Seconds

Grew up in: Passaic, New Jersey.

Currently lives in: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with my wife, Naomi.

We have four sons: Reuven is 16, Aaron is 13, Yisroel Meir is 11, and Dovid is 9.

Bar mitzvah beginnings: I’ve been running kitchens since I was 13.

My go-to snack is candy.

Crucial kitchen tool: The knives must be the best quality. The sharper the knife, the less chance of an injury.

New culinary pursuits: I love grilling and it’s a mainstay of my food preferences, but lately I’ve branched out into smoking.

Food philosophy: A) It doesn’t have to be complicated! B) I don’t use MSG or soup bases.

Food jobs have included: a cook for Pesach programs, working for a caterer, a private caterer, a chef, and a cook for schools and camps.

Non-food job: I’m also a camp EMT.

Workhorse: On a good day, I work from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with a one-hour break from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On a busier day, I work straight through until 10.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 815)