Shidduch Hotline

Rabbi Yehoshua Wohl, who runs the successful Halacha Hotline, has begun an online dating service for Orthodox men and women. Bitachon.com seeks to introduce Orthodox singles to one another in a modest atmosphere.

The free service allows singles to create a classified ad describing themselves. The description can be detailed or it can be limited to a few basics, thereby respecting the personal feelings of each single. Each single registers with his or her full name, but only the first name is visible to site visitors. For a fee, one can add a photo to his or her profile, as long as the photo does not violate the rules of modesty.

The site caters specifically to Sabbath observers. Registrants are also expected to abide by the laws of family purity. These guidelines allow registrants to expect that anyone they may date is committed to minimal standards of a Jewish home.

The proliferation of eligible Orthodox singles has led to much discussion and despair. Hopefully bitachon.com will make a contribution toward reducing that population.

Poiret Spreads

Poiret fruit spreads, certified OK Pareve, represent a tradition that is a century old. Made in Belgium by Siroperie Meurens, Poiret spreads teem with fruit flavor, and there are no added sugars or preservatives. It takes up to seven pounds of fruit to yield one pound of spread. Flavors include Pear & Apple, Pear & Apricot, and Date & Apple.

To order Poiret fruit spreads, stores can call 954-755-8126. Visit Siroperie Meurens’ website at www.poiret.com.

Hot Stuff

When Grady and Jennie Lou Brown began marketing pepper sauce, in 1983, they had decades of home cooking experience to back them up. After all, it was Martha Brown, Grady’s mother, who had developed the delicious recipe that became Panola Gourmet Pepper Sauce.

Today Panola Pepper, based in Lake Providence, Louisiana, the heart of Cajun country, makes over thirty upscale products, all reasonably priced and certified OK Pareve.

Panola’s varieties run from mainstream to intriguing to downright unusual. (When a product is called Vampfire Hot Sauce, it had better taste good!) Whether it’s Chicken Wing Sauce, Cajun Poultry Seasoning, or Red Tabasco Peppers, Panola’s goal is to bring out a product’s flavor to the fullest. For the Browns, this is nothing new; it runs in the family.

To order Panola products or to find out about distribution, call 318-559-1774.