United Herzlia Schools is cooking up a storm with a first-ever community operator collaboration and a stunning, modern canteen based at Herzlia High School’s Highlands Estate campus called Fress Canteen. The operator of this venture is a partnership of three people with extensive experience and knowledge of running kosher restaurants and catering services in Cape Town, but the new Herzlia canteen is a brand-new business with a fresh, new approach! We welcome Michael Wener, David Hepple and Omri Suiza!
Andries van Renssen, UHS Executive Director, explains that “outsourcing the canteen was a natural decision because at Herzlia, our expertise and aspiration is to provide world-class education and we want to mirror that in our facilities and services. Our collaboration with specialists in this field will further improve service delivery and the experience for our pupils, parents and staff. In addition, the new canteen will also cater to the community and become a community space for anniversaries, family parties, barmitzvahs, batmitzvahs, chaggim, weddings and simchas. We can’t think of anything better than sharing our beautiful space at the foot of Table Mountain with the creation of lifelong memories created at special simchas.”
van Renssen adds that “the new name for the canteen was dreamed up by the Herzlia community itself in our “Name Your Canteen Competition” where a total of 11 entrants picked this name in various iterations. So instead of just one winner, we have decided to award each and every one of them with a co-sponsored R1000 voucher to The Press or Goldies Deli. Mazaltov to Gila Carrol, Cheryl Epstein, Amy Godfrey, Ian Halfon, Nicola Harris, Romy Kruger, Emma Levin, Mia Salkinder, Mark Rodger, Janine Rodgers, and Gary Schwartz.
So, all that is left to announce is the new name which is… Fress Canteen! Fress is a commonly used Yiddish word that needs no introduction and is intended to be light-hearted, fun and humorous and encapsulate the joy in eating and sharing good food as part of Jewish custom.
Geoff Cohen, UHS Director of Jewish Identity & Community, is “so excited that we will soon be fressing at our brand new Fress Canteen. At last, our beautiful new canteen is ready to be opened and I can’t wait to see our Herzlia community enjoying the wonderful food that will be available. I am also thrilled that the unique name we have chosen was chosen by so many of you in the naming competition as we all know that food is an essential part of being Jewish. So let’s all fress together.”
The Fress logo was inspired by Herzlia’s brand colours with the addition of orange mirrored in the interior design of the new canteen wallpaper. It’s bright, fresh, healthy, friendly, welcoming and warm with the addition of the bagel ‘e’ to add dynamism, fun and playfulness. The sesame seeds symbolise growth, nurturing, health, Israeli food and deliciousness! It essentially symbolises and reflects a happy space where pupils, staff and guests feel welcome, feel nurtured and eat (lots!) of good food!
