Knishes return as Lipkin’s and Best, two Philadelphia kosher bakeries, merge in Overbrook Park

Kosher knishes are popping out of the oven again in Philadelphia, now that Lipkin’s Bakery has resurfaced in a new home.

Lipkin’s, believed to be Philadelphia’s last wholesale bakery for the Eastern European-rooted filled pastry, closed its Northeast Philadelphia shop in April. Last week, owner Steven Nawalany began working with Paul Spangler at his Best Cake Kosher Bakery, on Haverford Avenue near City Avenue in the city’s Overbrook Park neighborhood.

The bakery, now known as Lipkin’s Best, is baking the knishes, cakes, and cookies from Lipkin’s recipes. Just as Best did before the partnership, Lipkin’s Best follows Keystone-K kosher certification — acceptable to many Orthodox Jews — and is closed on the Sabbath.

» READ MORE: Lipkin's Bakery in Northeast Philadelphia has closed

Lipkin’s, which operated for 47 years on Castor Avenue near Rhawn Street after decades in South Philadelphia, was certified by Ko Kosher and was open on the Sabbath. Some of Lipkin’s products contained dairy, which by Jewish dietary law cannot be mixed with meat products.

The knishes and other baked goods at Lipkin’s Best follow the Keystone-K guidelines, and are considered pareve, meaning that they contain neither meat nor milk.

“Everything that Lipkin’s has in recipes is either already pareve or it’s convertible to our pareve product,” said Spangler, a longtime kosher caterer who acquired Best Cake Bakery last year. The major change is that the pizza knishes now contain nondairy cheese.

Former Lipkin’s employees are working at the new business.

The move toward a partnership began last spring when Spangler heard that Lipkin’s was closing and that Nawalany was considering opening a wholesale bakery in the suburbs, abandoning retail altogether. Lipkin’s had served numerous delis and synagogues.

“I already had a relationship with Steve,” Spangler said. “I contacted him, and said to him, ‘It would be a shame to let Lipkin’s die. It’s an icon here in the Philadelphia market, and I need us to work together.’ And we spoke, and the rest is history.”

Nawalany said the move to Overbrook Park puts Lipkin’s product line before a large Jewish retail audience in Lower Merion. “This is a great area for kosher products,” he said.