Gourmet, Fresh, Cholov Yisroel

As its name suggests, this marvelous line of fresh gourmet mozzarella cheese is fresh, healthy and absolutely delicious! We are always delighted when we can highlight an outstanding, kosher product − especially cheese. We included Fresh & Healthy Capriccio Fresh Mozzarella Cheese in our Ten for 10cheese feature earlier this year and it was so exceptional, we decided to do more extensive sampling.

Best Value Kosher Foods, producers of the Fresh & Healthy cheese line, is a "young" company located in Brooklyn, NY. Founded in the Fall of 2009 by Rivka Banavan, the company may be the "new kid on the block" but is certainly not new to the industry.

According to Yael Shanee, Sales & Marketing Manager, "our management team has over 20 years experience in manufacturing kosher dairy products and we are using this asset in operating BVKF. " Ms. Banavan started Best Value Kosher Foods because, " She believes that the kosher community deserves and looks for quality gourmet products beyond the basic ones." Growing up in a family with a background in the kosher dairy product industry, Ms. Banavan knows and understands the kosher consumers tastes and their everyday needs.

The company's goal is to offer the kosher consumer high quality and unique Cholov Isroel cheese products. They use the expertise of F. Cappiello Dairy, Inc. to produce their fresh Italian style Mozzarella and Ricotta cheese products. A three-generation family owned and operated cheese company, Cappiello are experts in making homemade style Italian gourmet cheese.

The line of dairy products produced under the Fresh & Healthy label are a cheese lovers paradise and we are highlighting several of our favorites:

Capriccio – The one that started it for us! Rounds of fresh Mozzarella completely covered in herbs. There are several flavor combinations including Pesto Di Genoa and Tuscan Olivia.

Ciliegine – There are several flavor combinations and this delectable treat is probably our absolute favorite! Small rounds of fresh Mozzarella cheese, about the size of cherry tomatoes, marinating in extra virgin and canola oils with the addition of assorted olives, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, assorted herbs and, of course, garlic.

Panini Slices – Slices of fresh sliced Mozzarella cheese. These slices are long and have several uses. We found them to be perfect, because of the length, for using when we made homemade lasagna.

Ricotta Cheese – One of the smoothest and creamiest Ricottas we have tasted. It can actually be eaten with a spoon; just top with freshly sliced fruit, berries, or even a drizzle of honey. We used it in our lasagna recipe, along with the Panini slices, and it brought the taste of the lasagna to a new level.