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Palo Alto to get babka bakery

Uploaded: Jun 6, 2018
Aye Lét, a new bakery opening at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto this fall, will serve one item only: babka.

Owner-namesake Ayelet Nuchi, a native of Tel Aviv who lives in Palo Alto, said the Jewish pastry has become increasingly popular both inside and outside the Jewish community.


The future home of Aye Lét at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto. Photo by Elena Kadvany.

Nuchi, a pastry chef, has run a catering company since 2000. Last summer, she decided to focus solely on babka, which had become her most popular catering item.

Babka, dense and not overly sweet, is often made with cinnamon, raisins or chocolate. Nuchi will serve seven different flavors at the bakery, including cinnamon-pecan, halva, maple and two savory options.

The bakery will also serve coffee and tea.

Nuchi hopes to be open by Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which starts at sundown on Sept. 9.

Aye Lét is located at Suite 15, between clothing stores Marine Layer and Society, at the 855 El Camino Real shopping center.
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Comments

Posted by Micah, a resident of Charleston Meadows,
on Jun 7, 2018 at 8:36 am

This is fantastic news! Can't wait to try.


Posted by Will, a resident of another community,
on Jun 7, 2018 at 10:33 am

Chocolate Babka!! I'm so excited. Haven't had it since I left Manhattan 25 years ago


Posted by JLN, a resident of Charleston Meadows,
on Jun 7, 2018 at 12:57 pm

JLN is a registered user.

To Will: Babka (chocolate) has been available at both Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels and Trade Joe's for some time, and is pretty good. I look forward to trying Aye Let's offerings.


Posted by Jennifer, a resident of another community,
on Jun 7, 2018 at 2:33 pm

Dreams come true!


Posted by Abitarian, a resident of Downtown North,
on Jun 8, 2018 at 8:37 am

For the uninitiated, that brick of somesuch sold by Trader Joe's bears only a passing resemblance to the much lighter babka we got from the kosher bakeries in New York.

Greens, sold by Izzy's and other local outlets, is closer to the real thing, but is mass-produced and pre-packaged and made with palm oil.

Looking forward trying fresh, house-made goods from the new babkary, but skeptical of any flavors beyond cinnamon and chocolate ;-)


Posted by Native NYer, a resident of Downtown North,
on Jun 9, 2018 at 3:58 pm

Very excited. Hope you don't use palm oil in your babka. Might you also consider old style yeast dough hamentash?


Posted by Rob R, a resident of University South,
on Jun 10, 2018 at 11:34 pm

"babka" suggests Russian or Slavic origins? Can someone educated us on where, when and how it came in to Jewish cuisine? Thanks.


Posted by Abitarian, a resident of Downtown North,
on Jun 11, 2018 at 9:46 am

Rob R. wrote:

"babka" suggests Russian or Slavic origins? Can someone educated us on where, when and how it came in to Jewish cuisine? Thanks.

----------

During the Jewish diaspora, many who left their ancestral homeland in Israel settled in eastern Europe. This group of people and their descendants are known as Ashkenazi Jews and their cuisine has much in common with other cooking local to the region -- Polish, Russian, German, etc. Of course, the Jewish recipes needed to be kosher -- no pork or shellfish, no mixing of meat and dairy, etc.

Wikipedia has a short take and pictures of Polish vs. Jewish babka, see Web Link


Posted by Abitarian, a resident of Downtown North,
on Jun 11, 2018 at 9:48 am

Oops, see Web Link


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