Aaron Wallach is kind of living the DC young professional dream. After bonding with his friends at The University of Maryland over college drinking…of coffee…he and his friends went on to start their very own organic coffee company JavaZen. Today, he is JavaZen’s Chief Wellness Officer, current (though soon to be former) Moishe House Bethesda resident, Boca Raton aficionado, and chicken soup connoisseur. Get to know him!
Allie: A little birdie (AKA: my coworker) tells me you started a company called JavaZen. First off, mazel. Second, how did that that came about?
Aaron: My 3 second pitch – JavaZen is organic coffee in a compostable tea bag. Its truly brewed coffee on the go. Check it out on Amazon prime, Mom’s, Wegmans, and at camping stores across the country.
The JavaZen journey began four years ago at the University of Maryland. My co-founders and I wanted better coffee than what was being served to us. So, we went about working on solutions to make coffee better and healthier for ourselves and for the world.
Allie: What’s your go-to coffee order?
Aaron: Easy. A single origin organic coffee bean brewed in a french press for four to five minutes with 8oz of purified spring water. However, this is hard to find since most “coffee bars” are more focused on selling milk and sugar than on coffee.
One free pro-tip: when going to Starbucks, they have a sugary matcha tea drink for pretty cheap. It’s my go to order.
Allie: Any special plans for the High Holidays?
Aaron: I’ll be hitting the clubs with my grandma down in Boca Raton, FL. This means, Sunday brunches, early evening dinners, tennis lessons – all while wearing nice khaki pants and a collared shirt of course. It will truly be something special.
Allie: What’s your favorite Jewish food?
Aaron: Chicken Soup made with a special heritage kosher chicken. For the past two years, I’ve lived in a Moishe House in Bethesda. Over the summer, my house did a series of meals and events which focused on ethical kosher eating. For many of the meals, we went around the table asking each participant what it meant to keep kosher. For some, the ethics of how food was made is important, and for others is was an afterthought.
As a young Jewish leader and professional, I see the connection between Judaism and food becoming a central tenet of what it means to be Jewish for our generation.
Allie: Complete this sentence: When Jews of DC Gather…
Aaron: …we all talk about the food.
