About Us

The Gefilteria is a new kind of food venture launched in 2012 with the mission of reimagining eastern European Jewish cuisine, adapting classic dishes to the values and tastes of a new generation.

We’re the people with the chutzpah to believe that Old World Jewish foods can be beautiful, inspiring and delicious. We produce limited runs of our signature artisanal gefilte fish in the spring and the fall. While don’t have a storefront, we’re regularly cooking a wide range of Jewish foods from the Ashkenazi – central and eastern European Jewish – culinary tradition, for unique dining events. Along the way, we’re looking to inspire others to reimagine and rediscover this incredible cuisine in their home kitchens.

Oh, and it’s pronounced ge·filte·ria, like a taqueria but with gefilte fish instead of tacos.

Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern

The Team

Liz Alpern, Co-Founder

Liz Alpern’s career in food is driven by her passion for bringing people together. Based in Brooklyn, Liz travels around the globe as a cook, recipe tester, educator and entrepreneur. Alpern holds an MBA from Baruch College and is a faculty member in the Culinary Entrepreneurship Program at the International Culinary Center in NYC. She been featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for food and wine and was named one of the Forward 50 for 2016.

Jeffrey Yoskowitz, Co-Founder & Chief Pickler

Jeffrey Yoskowitz fell in love with the art of lacto-fermentation while training as a pickler at Adamah, an organic farm in the foothills of the Berkshires. He has since worked in the food world as an entrepreneur, consultant, cook, and a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and Gastronomica, among other publications. He was named to the Forward Newspaper’s list of 50 influentials and also named to the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in food and wine.

Jackie Lilinshtein, Co-Founder

Jackie was a founding partner in The Gefilteria, drawing inspiration from her Russian family’s ethnic food traditions.