Kosher Food and Drink

Big news out of Rochester, N.Y. as Lipman’s Kosher Butcher & Market owner Aharon Baruch has sold the store to Naf & Anna Hanau, operators of the historic Malek’s Bakery of Brighton, N.Y., and former owners of Grow & Behold Kosher Meat. The sale will be effective on January 1, 2025. The Rochester Jewish community numbers about 20,000 and dates back to the early 19th century.

A former apprentice at Lipman’s, Baruch has owned Lipman’s since 1993. Lipman’s, 1482 Monroe Ave., Brighton, (585)271-7886, lipmanskoshermarket.com, under supervision of Rochester Kosher Services and Buffalo Vaad Hakashrus (BVK), was founded by Morris Lipman and a partner on Rochester’s Joseph Avenue in 1930. Lipman’s son, Albert, would buy out the partner in 1949 and move the business to Brighton.

A Rochester native, Naftali Hanau moved from Brooklyn, N.Y. to work for Hillel Community Day School (HCDS) in 2023 before being approached by HCDS, the owner since 2022, to manage Malek’s.

Malek’s was opened by Hungarian Holocaust survivor, Lea Malek, in 1977, who sold the bakery to a trio of local Wegman’s employees, Don Russi, Chuck Treviso, and Jon Yaeger, in March 2002. The bakery was then sold to bakery employee, Hoang Ngo, around 2012, who wanted to retire but have the bakery remain open. Ngo made the uncommon decision to sell the bakery to Hillel Community Day School, which saw the need for a local kosher bakery to remain open for continuity of the Jewish community. Malek’s: 1795 Monroe Avenue, Brighton, under supervision of Rochester Kehillah Kosher (RKK), http://www.maleksbakery.com, (585)461-1720.

The Hanaus have always been interested in food and customer service and have considered “opening a deli/bakery/catering enterprise at some point,” so the purchase of Lipman’s follows that dream.

On his Facebook post announcing the sale, Hanau says, “I grew up around the corner from Lipmans, and have a lifelong passion for making delicious meats and feeding people. After moving back to Rochester last year, the stars have aligned and it’s become clear to everyone that this is the right next step. We’re grateful to Aharon Baruch for his years of service and are looking forward to continuing and building on his commitment to the community.”

Lipman’s opened in Rochester in 1950 and stands as “the only kosher market in Western New York,” allowing kosher consumers access to kosher meat and products otherwise hard to find locally, serving other nearby communities, as well.