From Devon Avenue to Buffalo Grove

Chicago’s Orthodox community runs along a north-south corridor that begins at West Rogers Park — the West Ridge neighborhood centered on Devon Avenue, where Hungarian Kosher Foods, Romanian Kosher Sausage, and Tel Aviv Kosher Bakery have anchored Jewish shopping for decades. Shuls like Adas Yeshurun, Khal Chassidim, Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel in Lakeview, and Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago hold the city’s Orthodox population. North through Lincolnwood and into Skokie, the community grows: Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob, Or Torah, Kehilath Jacob Beth Samuel (KINS), Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie. Further north, Buffalo Grove and Northbrook bring a growing community of younger families.

The day schools — Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov, Yeshivas Brisk, Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov, Arie Crown Hebrew Day School, Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Lubavitch Mesivta, and the Cheder Lubavitch — feed thousands of students every morning, and feed back into the community for every Tu B’Shvat program, Rosh Hashanah event, and Pesach drive. The cRc — Chicago Rabbinical Council — provides the kashrus framework that holds the whole community together. We ship in family quantities and in bulk for those programs alike. UPS Ground from our California farm reaches Chicagoland in 3–4 business days, which means a Monday-morning order arrives in time for Shabbos every week.

The Yom Tov Calendar in Chicagoland

Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

Tishrei in Chicago brings the first proper cool nights — long davening across Adas Yeshurun, KINS, Skokie Valley, and the dozens of other shuls; Yom Tov seudos that often run several hours, hosting bochurim home from yeshiva and married children from out of town. Dates anchor the simanim plate alongside apples and honey, the head of a fish, pomegranates, and the rest of the seder of the night. Soft caramel-rich Medjools are the natural fit. Most Chicago-area families need 2–3 pounds across the two-day Yom Tov; larger households or those hosting, more. After Yom Kippur, three or four whole Medjools with water makes a gentle break before the seudah comes to the table.

Sukkos

Chicago Sukkos weather is its own thing — there will be at least one night of rain and at least one night cold enough that everyone bundles up under the schach. The sukkos still go up across Devon Avenue, across Skokie, across Lincolnwood and Buffalo Grove, and the meals get eaten through it all. The date palm itself is part of the festival: a single closed palm frond is the body of the lulav, and the same tree gives us the dates we eat under the schach. Whole Medjools as a centerpiece bowl, golden Zahidi in harvest salads with squash and pomegranate, plenty for chol hamoed afternoons when the children come home from school.

Tu B’Shvat

Tu B’Shvat is observed across every day school in Chicagoland — Hanna Sacks, Joan Dachs, Arie Crown, Ida Crown, the Cheder, Lubavitch Mesivta — with classroom programs around the Seven Species. Many Chicago families hold a full Tu B’Shvat seder at home — four cups of wine and a procession of fruits with brachos and divrei Torah. We recommend a multi-pound mix of Medjool and Zahidi for the seder, plus date silan for families who use it on Tu B’Shvat in lieu of honey, drawing the holiday’s sweetness from the Seven Species themselves. Schools, shuls, and Chabad houses running programs should contact us for bulk orders well before the date.

Pesach, Shabbos, and Year-Round

Pesach prep in Chicagoland starts weeks early — kashering kitchens, the long lists for Hungarian and Romanian and Tel Aviv Bakery, the Pesach store pop-ups across Skokie and West Rogers Park. Dates appear in charoses, in Pesach desserts, and as a natural sweetener through the eight days. Year-round, dates show up at seudah shlishit, in challah recipes, and in the lunchboxes packed for the morning carpool down California Avenue or up Crawford.

Family Quantities, Bulk for Schools, Shuls, and Chabad Houses

Chicagoland is a community where bulk orders make sense — large families, large seudos, day schools and shuls running Tu B’Shvat seders and Rosh Hashanah events, and Chabad houses across the region preparing for community-wide programs. We ship across all those scales.

What’s in the Bag

Hand-harvested whole dates from our family farm in Sky Valley, California — the heart of America’s Coachella Valley date country. Single-ingredient. No added sugar, no preservatives, no oil coatings. The ingredient list on every package is one word long.

Naturally kosher. Whole, unprocessed fruit with no additives. We do not currently carry a kosher certification mark — please check with your rav or rabbi if certification is important for your observance.