Variety of Kosher Foods Are Given the Taste Test at Festival : Benefit: About 3,000 turn out to sample cuisine and wines at the University of Judaism. Funds raised will go into the school’s scholarship fund.

There was more than the traditional bagels and challah, or egg bread, at the Taste of Kosher Los Angeles and Wine Festival on Sunday at the University of Judaism in the hills above Sherman Oaks.

About 3,000 participants feasted on non-traditional but nonetheless kosher Italian, Mexican and Chinese cuisine from some of the area’s finest restaurants and caterers--all of whom specialize in meals prepared according to Jewish dietary laws.

And to wash it down, kosher wines and champagnes and even kosher Pepsi were offered as families dined at the grassy campus in the Santa Monica Mountains and listened to bands playing contemporary Jewish music.

To make a food festival kosher, intense preparation was necessary, according to spokeswoman Mimi Sells.

Each grill used for cooking was gone over with a blow torch under a rabbi’s supervision, called “kashering,” to ensure its sterility. The grills were then sealed with tape until the food preparation began, Sells said. Dairy products were banned as well as pork or shellfish.

Winemaker Craig Winchell of Gan Eden, a winery that specializes in kosher wine, was there to promote and sell his wine for the coming Passover holiday.

“When people think of Passover wine, they think of Manischewitz wine,” he said. “There are some very high quality kosher wines out there that don’t taste bad and I am here to introduce them.”

Manischewitz, a very sweet wine traditionally consumed at Jewish holidays, has given way over the years to sophisticated Chardonnays, Cabernets and black muscat.

“I am looking for a good Passover wine after years of drinking the same kind,” said Patrice Fisher of Burbank, as she stepped up to the sampling table and eyed the rows of bottles. “I am trying hard to change that tradition.”

Some at the festival were surprised to learn that their $3 admission didn’t also buy their food.

“They didn’t give enough details on the flyer they sent out,” said Esther Swartzman of Burbank, who said she was intrigued by the low admission charge, but then was hit with a $5 parking fee and $1 or $2 for each small plate of food. “I didn’t know it would cost this much.”

But Sells said it was for a good cause. Money raised will go to the scholarship fund for the University of Judaism.

Adam and Heather Bienenfield, 11 and 9, respectively, were huddled together in a corner to sample the kosher hot dogs their dad had just bought for them. After drowning their dogs in ketchup, mustard and relish, the two were ready to eat. “I can’t really taste the difference,” Heather said, stuffing the dog in her mouth.