In the Cone 

Rabbi Menachem Lefkowitz*, Kemach’s mashgiach and my contact person, assured me that the drive to the plant shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes — tops. There was a hitch, though. I had to come that very day, at a specific time, because this was their final production day; the factory wasn’t scheduling a new kosher output for Kemach till months later. Talk about pressure.

Naturally, this assigned time was at the height of Montreal’s traffic. Inching my way along the Metropolitan expressway, a trip I hadn’t taken since before the pandemic, the half-hour drive took me an hour and a half. Rabbi Lefkowitz was pretty anxious, as well.

“The owner has been here since 5:30 in the morning. He wants to leave already,” he told me over the phone.

What fun!

When I finally arrived, I was surprised at how few vehicles were parked outside the building. Had everyone left? But inside, the place was packed, and production was working at full speed.