(Image: Aviv Hummus Bar)
Owners Jodi and David Nussbaum are turning to the community to help Capitol HIll’s Aviv Hummus Bar become kosher certified.
Aviv has launched a community fundraiser to support the changes required to achieve certification.
“One of the most common questions we have gotten from customers is ‘Would you ever become kosher?,’” they write. “Well, we are excited to announce that that day has finally come! By pursuing kosher certification with the Vaad of Seattle we hope to expand our Aviv community, while continuing to serve our years-long loyal customer base.”
CHS last visited with Aviv in 2022 as the 15th Ave E restaurant marked its five year anniversary. David Nussbaum talked with CHS about his passion for Israeli food and, especially, his love for smooth, nutty hummus.
“It’s a lifestyle. It’s simple, it’s sexy, it’s delicious. It can be eaten any time of the day; breakfast, lunch, dinner,” Nussbaum said. “ I’m really a purist when it comes to it. Keep it simple and clean and the nuttiness of the chickpea and the tahini come forward. It’s life changing.”
As the war in Gaza has generated international alarm and concerns spanning human suffering and instability in the region, there has been criticism of Aviv for its Israel connections.
CHS first talked with Nussbaum in 2017 as he was preparing to debut the restaurant. The Aviv menu was inspired by his travels and visits with family in Israel, Nussbaum said.
Aviv is also Nussbaum’s middle name and means spring in Hebrew, invoking thoughts of fresh and new that he hoped to bring to the restaurant.
“We are two Seattle-area natives, descendants of proud Israelis who fell in love and opened this restaurant with the hopes of creating a little piece of our other home, here,” the Nussbaums wrote this week as they thanked supporters for backing their effort to become kosher cerified.
The process of transforming Aviv’s 15th Ave E kitchen will cost around $20,000, the owners estimate, including labor costs, new equipment, a hand-washing sink for customers, the certification fee, and mashgiach services for the first year, plus the costs of switching over including a week-long closure to complete the koshering.
Becoming kosher will also be joined by plans to make it easier to serve families. The Nussbaums say they are planning expanded hours for Aviv “to accommodate after-school dinner dining and pick-up” plus the addition of a few larger tables.
Aviv Hummus Bar is located at 107 15th Ave E. You can learn more at avivhummusbar.com.
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