Zicklin MBA Student Honored in Forbes’ “30 Under 30”
Elizabeth Alpern, an MBA Student at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, has been named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in the category of “Food and Wine.” Alpern and her busines partner Jeffrey Yoskowitz run a business called The Gefilteria that sells Old World Jewish foods, including kvass, gefilte fish, and borscht. The business sells food in stores in the New York Metro area, in addition to other cities. The products are also available online.
Alpern said that she was honored by the recognition from Forbes, and also by customer support for The Gifilteria. “The outpouring of enthusiasm from our fans and friends has been particularly meaningful to us,” Alpern said. “When we began, we couldn’t have imagined that so many people would share our desire to reimagine and update these Old World Jewish Foods! We are truly grateful to be recognized as the gefilte people.”
Before developing The Gifilteria, Alpern had gained food industry experience as a baker, recipe tester, and events coordinator in Brooklyn. She met her business partner, and they bonded over a mutual passion for traditional Eastern European Jewish foods. They launched The Gefilteria with a pop-up cafe in Brooklyn. Although they only expected support from friends, the launch party turned into such a big event that the business was featured in the New York Times the day after it launched.
Alpern had very little knowledge of business when she started The Gifilteria, so she enrolled in Zicklin’s MBA program to learn how to develop her business. Alpern says: “I came to Baruch to get solid analytical skills for making business decisions. I am now in my second year here and I have not been disappointed. Much of what I learn in class translates directly to my business.” She plans to graduate in May 2014.
