Warren-based 'Just Like Nana's' handcrafted rugelah is introducing this traditional pastry to a new audience

Traditional rugelah, an Ashkenazi Jewish pastry, is crescent-shaped  and filled with nuts, and fruit preserves. It's most popular during the fall holidays of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, as well as Hannukah.

Karen Griffin, a Hope & Main maker who lives in Greenville, grew up making rugelah for her family after her Nana, the family cook, needed someone to take over the bulk of the meal preparation duties. "Ever since I was a teenager," she says, "people have been telling me my rugelah is delicious."

This retired teacher, who spent most of her career in elementary schools in the South Providence, Silver Lake, and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods, was raised Jewish, and learned to cook time-honored Jewish foods, but her rugelah is anything but traditional. "I want it to appeal to everyone," she says, and while she does make some with more classic fillings like currants and cinnamon, she also mixes it up with fillings like apricot walnut, raspberry walnut, chocolate marmalade, raspberry white chocolate, and pecan pie. She also prefers to make the rugelah in more of a strudel shape, which is cut into individual two- or three-bite servings.

Griffin's rugelah is a flaky treat with just the right amount of richness and sweetness; as perfect for a hostess gift as it is as a keep-to-yourself indulgence. While not guilt-free, Griffin uses only the highest quality ingredients, and bakes with coconut oil as she's a huge fan of both the flavor and its anecdotal powers at boosting brain health. "I like to start every day with a piece of rugelah," she says. "And I notice if I don't have it."

Griffin had faith that her recipe would be well-received, but she credits Hope & Main and their comprehensive marketing and production support for helping her get the business end of her business off the ground. "I didn't know anything about how to do this," she admits.

Just Like Nana's has only been in production since June. "I knew about Hope & Main," says Griffin. "But I was still working on perfecting my recipe at home. The biggest challenge has been learning to scale the recipe for higher-volume production."

And volume is needed, as demand has grown quickly. Just Like Nana's rugelah is available at Angelina's and Kate & Company in Bristol, The Coffee Depot, Blount's Market and Tom's Market in Warren, Sweet Lorraine and Grapes & Grains in Barrington, and Willy's Local Foods on Wickenden Street in Providence.

Production is a three-day, affair; Griffin preps the dough on day one, rolls and fills on day two, and bakes and packages on day three. Each production session results in roughly 1000 pieces. Griffin's long-range plan, besides expanding to more distribution outlets, is to produce enough to hire people; ideally the underemployed or unemployed, such as the interns that come to Hope & Main through the Amos House job training program.

Ultimately, Griffin wants to do more than just create a delicious, popular product. "I want to build a recognizable brand."