Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods

You’ve heard the name before. ‘UNGAR’S’. That’s right! The name that is synonymous with frozen gefilte fish. Ungar’s Gefilte Fish, the one that cooks up moist and flavorful just like home-made, and ready for your family and guests. The tasty blend of pure cold water fish, eggs, onions and spices carefully mixed in the regular 22oz. loaf or the twin pack: two 1 pound loaves packaged together.

This year for Passover they will also have available the No Sugar Added variety, as well as the fabulous new Salmon Gefilte Fish. All Kosher for Passover and all made without artificial flavors or ingredients.

Originally manufactured by Reuben Ungar in New York, Ungar’s Gefilte Fish is presently made in Elmwood Park, New Jersey by the same company, which is now owned by Dr. Peter Praeger.

The Praeger-Ungar relationship began several years ago after Dr. Praeger operated on a relative of Mr. Ungar. This event resulted in a long-term friendship between the Ungar family and the Cardiac Surgeon. The Ungars would often invite Dr. Praeger to dine with them on holidays and special occasions; introducing him to the extroadinary taste and special quality of their own gefilte fish. This personal friendship eventually developed into a business relationship when the heart surgeon decided to buy the Ungar’s company.

After taking over Ungar’s Gefilte Fish, Dr. Praeger opted to expand the food line, commenting, "Ungar’s originally started out as a kosher gefilte fish company, but I thought it would be proper to combine the best of both worlds: kosher food and health food." His personal interest in promoting health foods was a natural extension of his genuine concern for the well being of his cardiac patients who must carefully watch their diets.

"After an operation, my patients often asked me to prescribe a healthy diet. But unfortunately, what’s out there is either a lot of bland food that people don’t really like, or some great-tasting food that my patients aren’t allowed to eat," he lamented. And so began the ‘Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods’ line of fresh frozen foods.

Today that line consists of six varieties of Veggie Burgers, Potato, Spinach and Broccoli Pancakes and several types of breaded fish sticks and filets. The newest products are Fishies, small fish shaped nuggests of ground fish and spices, perfect for the littlest family members and Dr. Praeger’s Premium Gefilte Fish made with fresh white fish and packaged in a newly designed box.

Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods have consistently been rated ‘exceptional’ in published food tastings and reviews. Here is what a Washington Post food writer had to say about the California Veggie Burger: "The packaging of this ‘quality, sensible food’ includes so many health endorsements that we figured the patty would be utterly flavorless. But it was great. Think of a potato pancake with some peas and corn thrown in for good measure and you’re close to the taste where, the packaging brags, ‘you recognize all the ingredients’”.

A distributor for Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods says, "These specialty foods fill a tremendous need in kosher healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes, where there is a great demand for much more kosher, health food." He added that although the target area was originally healthcare institutions, the company has branched out to cater to the needs of the individual consumer. "We found that in almost every segment of the food industry, people have a use for these products. We’re selling it to hotels and even country clubs."

The company’s success rate has been high. "Everyone who’s sampled our foods has bought them," says Dr. Praeger. He added that the company sells the food line to many large supermarket chains, specialty food stores, health food stores and small kosher shops. Schools, including Yeshiva University, hospitals, restaurants, diners and summer camps are all on the customer list. In addition, Dr. Praeger’s Foods are now being distributed across the United States and to several other countries including Canada. In the future, the company will continue to expand its kosher health food line," Dr. Praeger continues.

Originally, Ungar’s just produced gefilte fish for an ultra kosher, ultra orthodox clientele. Now we are branching out to the general public. We’re constantly working on new product development and in the near future we hope to have items such as matzo balls, blintzes, falafel and all natural sorbets."

This Passover, look for the name synonymous with frozen gefilte fish!