Hannukah, also known as Chanukah or the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which took place in the 2nd Century BCE. This year, Hannukah begins on Wednesday, December 25th, and ends on January 2nd, 2025. In honor of the holiday, there are plenty of events — from Menorah Lightings to block parties, in Montclair and beyond, from December 11th to December 26th. The Montclair Girl team has curated a whole list of Hanukkah events and some places serving holiday treats. Read on for a list of Hanukkah events happening in Northern New Jersey for 2024, and a guide to local restaurants and bakeries serving Jewish baked goods.
Events
Chanukah Fire + Ice | 3 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown
December 26th | 5PM
Located at Pioneer Park at the HQ Plaza in Morristown, this free event will feature doughnuts, hot drinks, chocolate gelt, Chanukah music, a Chanukah giveaway for children, and a free raffle. Guests can also look forward to a live sculpting and light of a menorah made of ice, stilt walkers, and a roving magician. See the website for more details.
Read More: Where to Find Passover Dishes in New Jersey
Hannakauh Celebration + Menorah Lighting in Verona | 600 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona
December 26th | 6PM
The free event, which begins at 6PM, will be held outside of Verona’s Town Hall. Guests can look forward to live music from Rabbi Dan’s Midnight Nosh Band, arts and crafts for children, fried treats and refreshments, and more. See this link for more information.
Menorah Lighting in West Caldwell | 707 Bloomfield Avenue, West Caldwell
December 26th | 4PM
Essex County locals can look forward to a Menorah lighting at West Caldwell Civic Center on December 26th. Rabbi Lucas of Congregation Agudath Israel and Educational Director Susan Werk will light the Menorah. Refreshments will also be served. See the event flyer here.
Montclair Chanukah Fest + Menorah Lighting | 5 Seymour Street, Montclair
December 26th | 5:30PM
The Wellmont Arts Plaza will host a free Chanukah Festival and Menorah Lighting on Thursday, December 26th. There will be a live concert featuring Kosha Dillz, an LED robot, hot latkes and beverages, and gifts for children. RSVP for this event here.
The Annual Chanukah Soiree | 225 River Street, Hoboken
December 26th | 7:30PM
The Chabad Young Professionals of Hoboken + Jersey City community will host an event for young Jewish adults at the W Hotel, located at 225 River Street in Hoboken, on December 26th. The event includes a Menorah lighting, an open bar, a sushi bar, various hors d’oeuvres, and a latke + doughnut station. For more information about this event click here.
West Orange Hanukkah Menorah Lighting | 66 Main Street, West Orange
December 26th | 3:45PM
Essex County locals can head to West Orange this Hanukkah season. The annual West Orange Menorah Lighting will happen on December 26th at the Town Hall on Main Street.
Treats
Babka Bailout | 476 Central Avenue A, Jersey City
Babka Bailout is a Jewish bakery in Jersey City specializing in babka and challah bread. The menu includes innovative creations like Cereal Milk, made with marshmallow fluff and condensed milk and coated in fruity pebbles, and traditional Jewish treats like plain challah bread topped with sesame seeds. In addition to its expansive menu, this bakery has partnered with Butterfield Market + Catering in NYC to provide gelt babkas for Hanukkah. These treats are topped with chocolate coins and mini cutouts of the Star of David.
Choc O Pain | Multiple locations in Hoboken + Jersey City
This bakery, with all over Hoboken and Jersey City, is serving Bordelais Boule sourdough bread. For an additional cost, this treat can come with a specialized stencil, including a “Happy Hanukkah” design. To place an order for this bread, see here.
Hank Schwartz’s Delicatessen | Jersey City
Jersey City locals can usually find this Jewish deli at the Riverview Farmers Market on Sundays. The weekly menu typically consists of options like vegan lox, whitefish salad, all kinds of sandwiches, and more. In previous years, Hank Schwartz’s provided a separate menu for Hanukkah, which included items like crispy potato latkes, housemade crème fraîche, and applesauce. Details regarding a special holiday menu for this year have yet to be announced, so make sure to check out the business’s Instagram for any future announcements.
Hobby’s Delicatessen + Restaurant | 32 Brandford Place #2723, Newark
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Hobby’s Deli, located in downtown Newark near the Prudential Center, has been featured in documentaries, various media outlets, and publications like Food and Wine Magazine and the New York Times. This Jewish deli serves Eastern European delicacies like corned beef, chopped liver, potato pancakes, and homemade soups. See the menu here.
Kosher Nosh Deli Restaurant + Catering | 894 Prospect Street, Glen Rock
Kosher Nosh Deli Restaurant has served the Bergen County community since 1976 and provides Kosher Catering, Kosher Delicatessen, appetizers, and more. Aside from its everyday menu and selection of Jewish desserts, this spot also serves a Shabbat Special all day on Friday and Thursday nights. For $49.98, locals can enjoy one quart of the daily soup, an oven-roasted chicken, the choice of egg barley + mushrooms, kasha varnishkes, or orzo + mushrooms, challah bread, and more. See the full menu on the website.
Liv Breads | 275 Essex Street, Milburn
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Liv Breads in Milburn will take pre-orders for Hanukkah. Its menu consists of sufganiyot in either strawberry jam or Nutella, chocolate-Graham babka, and challah bread. Pre-orders are available from December 25th to January 1st. To order from Liv Breads, see this link.
Mikki + Al’s Noshery | 179 Glenridge Avenue, Montclair
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In addition to the usual hot and cold sandwiches, salads, beverages, and desserts, Mikki + Al’s in Montclair is serving a special menu for Hanukkah. From a holiday brisket with gravy to a savory noodle kugel, there are plenty of options to consider. The menu also includes sufganiyots filled with raspberry jelly and coated in cinnamon sugar. To see the full menu and place an order, see here. Also, keep in mind that orders must be placed 48 hours in advance.
Nana’s Deli | 27 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston + 210 Hudson Street, Jersey City (inside Harborside Building)
This deli has locations in Livingston and Jersey City and serves Jewish staples like matzoh ball soup and brisket. Along with assorted dessert and bread platters, Nana’s Deli is providing a Kiddush Catering Menu, which comes with Nana’s Famous Tuna, egg salad, cream cheese, vegetable cheese, sliced cheeses, and a tomato + onion platter. Customers can also choose various add-on options like homemade hummus + pita chips and salmon salad.
Sweet Kneads by Ridhma | 38 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston
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Sweet Kneads by Ridhma is a Kosher-certified boutique bakery in Livingston. For the Hanukkah season, this spot is providing Hanukkah dessert boxes, which are now available for pre-order. Customers can look forward to mini doughnut holes in flavors like jelly, lemon raspberry, Nutella rocher, and more. To place an order, call 973-320-9030.
See More: Where to Get Jewish Treats in Hoboken, Jersey City, + Beyond
Yuki’s Bakery + Coffee | 720 Monroe Street, Hoboken
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This Jewish and Israeli spot sells all kinds of treats, including babka, challah, and rugelach cakes. In years past, Yuki’s Bakery featured a special Hanukkah menu, which included strawberry jam and chocolate sufganiyots. Make sure to visit the bakery’s website for potential announcements regarding a Hanukkah menu.
Vesta Chocolate in Montclair is a Haven for Rich + Chic Desserts
It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day or Halloween to enjoy chocolate. For those who are always craving a sweet, indulgent treat, the one-of-a-kind goodies from Vesta Chocolate in Upper Montclair are guaranteed to hit the spot. We apologize in advance for any addictions this post may cause. Located at 598 Valley Road in one of the most unique retail outposts in town, complete with a vault filled with all things chocolate, this craft factory and café churns out a variety of bars, bonbons, and baked goods as well as chocolate and coffee beverages. Read on to learn more about Vesta Chocolate in Montclair, New Jersey.
The History
Vesta Chocolate is owned and run by hospitality veterans Julia Choi Rodriguez and Roger Rodriguez. This power couple has deep roots in the food industry and experience with world-renowned brands such as Jean-Georges, Bouchon Bakery, Starbucks, and Guinness just to namedrop a few.
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Julia, who emigrated to the U.S. from Seoul, Korea at a young age, began her career in advertising where she worked with popular names in food like Baskin Robbins and Bonefish Grill. After longing to work more directly with food, Julia studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and after graduating, went on to be a successful pastry chef in some of New York City’s most prestigious kitchens. After deciding to work independently, she started Baby One More Bite, a food styling business responsible for national, highly-publicized campaigns for brands such as Daily Harvest, POPSUGAR, Siggis, and Nespresso.
Read More: Behind Montclair’s Newest Bakery: She Imagined Sweets
Roger is the master chocolate maker behind Vesta and, for good reason, has dubbed himself Dr. Chocolate. Roger is originally from the Dominican Republic and grew up in New Jersey. He studied graphic design at Rutgers University, and he then attended the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) where he struck a happy medium between his creativity and passion for sweets.
It was inside the kitchens of Jean-Georges and Gramercy Tavern as the pastry chef that Roger invited and explored the challenges presented by working with chocolate, whereas others avoided the ingredient completely. He spent the next seven years at Cacao Prieto, a small-batch chocolate factory in Brooklyn, where he was the head chocolate maker and exclusively used organic Dominican cacao beans and sugar to make bars and other chocolate products.
The pair teamed up when they noticed a significant gap between mass-produced and small-batch chocolates and seized the opportunity to make artisanal, handmade chocolate a part of everyday life. Enter Vesta.
What’s Inside
Vesta opened on Valley Road in late 2019 in the heart of Upper Montclair and has been luring customers with the dizzying smell of chocolate ever since. The menu includes a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates, chocolate bark with combinations like apricot and pistachio, fig and hazelnut, and the famous bonbons.
Aside from the chocolate bonbons, there are always specialty flavors in the rotation. In celebration of the Lunar New Year, Vesta produced a six-year-aged Korean miso caramel bonbon filled with umami and decadence.
On the shelves of the store, customers can find hot chocolate mixes, cacao spreads, and chocolate-covered fruits and nuts. It’s no surprise that with the couples’ pastry prowess, there are also baked goods like chocolate chip cookies and sea-salt brownies at Vesta. For vegan patrons, there are also non-dairy chocolates and treats available.
The beverage menu has coffee and espresso drinks, and of course, classic hot chocolate made with the brand's own chocolate and topped with the fluffiest homemade marshmallow to complement. As the seasons change, there are also specialty drinks like peppermint hot chocolates and pumpkin spice lattes.
On a cold winter day, there are few things better than bundling up with a cozy hot chocolate, but one such thing is an iced chocolate on a muggy summer day. You can thank us later. Try the golden milk or matcha latte for something sans caffeine or chocolate.
Most of the chocolates and pantry goods can also be purchased online and shipped nationwide. For larger formats, Vesta also does wholesale and corporate orders.
Vesta in the Media
Julia and Roger Rodriguez have been featured in national publications such as People Magazine, Goop, Forbes, and Bon Appetit while also dominating the New Jersey food scene with spreads in NJ Monthly magazine and Edible Jersey as well as voted ‘best of’ in confection categories in the greater Essex County area. In partnership with Eater back in 2022, Vesta hosted a demonstration class at the Ace Hotel in Brooklyn called "Mastering Truffles." Vesta Chocolate has also won the Best Chocolate Award in Confections at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in Washington State for its bean-to-jewel bonbons.
See More: You Can Find the Viral “Dubai Chocolate Bar” at this Hoboken Shop
Despite the unfortunate timing of Vesta’s opening with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a hurricane recovery, and other challenges the Rodriguezes have faced, Vesta has proven it can withstand even the most difficult trials and come out on top.
Follow Vesta on Instagram to stay informed on events, collaborations, and limited-time products.
