By Sarina Trangle
Michael Kahan knew it was time to open his own business when caterers were requesting his bread for events featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bette Midler.
With this clientele fresh in his mind, Kahan dubbed his bakery Challywood.
Four years later, the Fresh Meadows business appeared on ABC’s cooking-themed talk show “The Chew” and TLC’s reality show “Bakery Boss.” The celebrity attention again persuaded Kahan to flex his entrepreneurial muscles.
In keeping with advice from Buddy Valastro, host of “Bakery Boss,” Kahan said he has hired a chef that used to work with Valastro and also baked at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas to expand the bakery’s repertoire.
“For the kosher market, a lot of stuff is repetitive and boring — pound cakes, baklava,” Kahan, 32, said. “We’re going to have some very upscale, fresh desserts.”
The menu would mark a new era for Challywood, which has built a reputation on a staple of Jewish dining — challah, an egg-rich bread that is traditionally eaten on the sabbath and Jewish holidays.
Kahan left the mortgage business in 2009, shortly after the industry crashed. He started helping his mother at her Fresh Meadows store, Violet’s Bake Shop, and quickly realized challah was the bestseller. He began baking the bread.
In November 2009, caterers hired for the Philadelphia Jewish Heritage Museum’s debut chose Kahan’s bread after tasting dozens of samples around the city. Kahan said he spent 16 hours daily producing the 1,800 loaves before the museum opening, which was headlined by Seinfeld, Midler and other high-profile Jewish people.
A few months later, Kahan formally opened his own business out of Violet’s Bake Shop, on Union Turnpike.
One day, he spilled lemon filling meant for chiffon in challah batter and decided it was wasteful to throw it away. He wound up liking the finished product.
From then on, Kahan experimented, pulling dozens of flavors out of the oven, such as rocky road, garlic and Italian herb and cookie dough.
Challywood currently offers more than 30 flavors of challah, from apple cinnamon to jalapeno. Loaves come in traditional braided styles as well as round designs that can be easily torn into individual servings. They run from $3.99 to $6.49, with rolls costing 69 cents each.
Kahan said Challywood built up business through its website, where several people from New York, Michigan and California have turned to order bread.
“We have a lot of customers in California. I think it’s the name,” he said. “We’ve gotten orders from 49 of 50 states. Every one but Alaska.”
In 2012, Challywood bought the health food store next to Violet’s Bake Shop and expanded into the space. Currently, Kahan said the business bakes about 1,000 loaves during a slow month and close to 700 breads daily during the December holidays.
Business was particularly brisk after Challywood was featured on television this winter.
Kahan said he learned a lot from Valastro, who convinced Kahan’s mother that baking as many products as possible on the premises would attract customers and help her struggling store.
Challywood, at 189-07 Union Tnpk., is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m Wednesdays; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays; and 7 a.m. to about two hours before Shabbat begins Fridays. Call 718-776-1905 for more information.
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.
