Kosher Food Booms in Panama City
In January, my family and I flew to Panama City for a little winter respite. I had heard that there was a Jewish community in Panama’s capital city, but wondered how much there could really be, beyond a few old timers and maybe a Chabad house. I was in for a surprise.
Driving up to our Airbnb—a towering apartment adjacent to the Pacific Ocean—we noticed a massive (think suburban supermarket-size) kosher grocery store about 800 feet from our front door. Travel weary and toting a hungry toddler, we crossed the street toward an unassuming strip mall to find a quick dinner. There, near the pharmacy and an organic produce market, was Solomon’s Deli, a Montreal-inspired delicatessen featuring smoked meat and pastrami, and Darna’s Bread Co., a kosher bakery and café with a Middle Eastern spin. “Wait,” my husband asked, “are we still in Brooklyn?”