{"id":49550,"date":"2026-08-21T01:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T08:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=49550"},"modified":"2026-09-03T19:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T02:33:10","slug":"jccs-cafe-now-in-new-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2026\/08\/21\/jccs-cafe-now-in-new-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"JCC\u2019s caf\u00e9 now in new hands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After 17 years at the helm of Nava caf\u00e9 in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, Susy Siegel has retired from the food business. Customers who crowd around the institution in the atrium of the JCC will choose from a different array of offerings, as Ricci Leigh Smith is now operating the restaurant, renamed The Perfect Bite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The handover took place at the end of June. For the summer, the caf\u00e9 is in a transitional stage, as Smith and her team gradually replace the former operation with The Perfect Bite\u2019s menu, systems and style. An official launch is planned for Sept. 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s part of the reason why we wanted to be at the JCC,\u201d Smith said. \u201cTo kind of just get a bigger audience and make our food more accessible to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith brings considerable experience in both catering and institutional food service. The Perfect Bite spent the past seven years running the lunch program at Vancouver Talmud Torah. Although many families connected with the school are familiar with the company, Smith said the wider Jewish community may know less about her and her culinary creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers can expect a menu that features power bowls, Buddha bowls, Mediterranean grilled vegetables and a range of salads. Baked goods will include sweet and savoury croissants, seasonal scones, oversized cookies and cottage cheese muffins. Among the planned sandwiches are tomato and mozzarella with pumpkin-seed pesto aioli, tuna with wasabi mayonnaise, and croissants filled with egg salad or tuna salad. Breakfast sandwiches will be on the menu, as will traditional Jewish party sandwiches. (\u201cThey\u2019re usually white or brown bread with the crusts cut off, and you\u2019ve got tuna and egg, or salmon,\u201d explained Smith).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Perfect Bite\u2019s catering operation will continue to serve larger events, while the caf\u00e9 will allow customers to buy individual portions or small quantities. One of the most significant additions will be a larger selection of ready-made meals. The Perfect Bite has long offered a take-and-bake line through its website, but the JCC location will make the meals more convenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople that are busy, they can come and pick up something out of the freezer, put it in the oven, and have a nice homemade meal within 45 minutes,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caf\u00e9, which is under BC Kosher supervision, as was Nava, will be primarily dairy, though some meat products will eventually be available. The take-and-bake section will function more like a grocery store, with separate dairy, meat and pareve offerings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning in September, Smith expects the caf\u00e9 to be open longer hours, with Monday to Friday service from 8 am to 6 pm, as well as Sundays during the JCC\u2019s operating hours. Longer evening hours may be added if demand warrants. The Perfect Bite will also operate concessions for events at the Rothstein Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo
Ricci Leigh Smith is looking to launch the new caf\u00e9 officially on Sept. 8. (photo from the Perfect Bite)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Born in South Africa, Smith moved to Vancouver when she was 6. Her interest in cooking was fostered by her mother and an aunt who operates a catering company in Arizona. \u201cI always loved cooking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith studied at Vancouver Community College and was recruited by Culinary Team Canada while still in school. She spent three years traveling internationally and participating in competitions, including the Culinary Olympics. She later apprenticed in fine-dining restaurants and worked at the Four Seasons Hotel and Le Crocodile before establishing The Perfect Bite in 2010. \u201cI just knew I always wanted to do catering,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith attended Vancouver Talmud Torah, her children go there and her sister teaches there. She remains closely connected with the families and students she served when operating the school\u2019s lunch program. (VTT\u2019s food service is now being delivered by the company Aramark, with local chef Marat Dreyshner leading the school meal program. For story, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily Greenberg, VTT\u2019s chief executive officer and head of school, thanked Smith for her years of service and congratulated her on the new enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVTT has been incredibly fortunate to have Ricci Smith and The Perfect Bite as part of our school community for the last seven years,\u201d Greenberg told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cBeyond providing delicious hot lunches for our students, Ricci catered our major events with immense pride and care. While we will miss having her in-house as we launch our universal lunch program, we are thrilled to see her business continue to thrive in her new location at the JCC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith has long hoped to move the Perfect Bite into the JCC. When she learned that VTT would be changing its food-service arrangements, her first call was to Siegel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal was always to want to be at the JCC because it is a part of the community,\u201d said Smith, who is also looking ahead to the JCC\u2019s redevelopment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a time of immense change,\u201d she said. \u201cVery excited to be a part of all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her central goal is straightforward: \u201cMaking great food accessible to the kosher community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo
Susy Siegel (Nava) has handed over the reins of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver caf\u00e9 to Ricci Leigh Smith. (The Perfect Bite). (photo from Nava)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Susy Siegel, the June 30 turnover date was bittersweet. She is willing to use the word \u201cretired,\u201d but only with a qualification. \u201cFrom catering, yes,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll find something else to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegel took over Nava in 2009 from Harvey Sandler, who made aliyah and became a successful restaurateur in Jerusalem. By then, she was already an experienced caterer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before acquiring the caf\u00e9, she operated Susy Siegel Catering Services, preparing food at home or using synagogue kitchens. Taking over Nava gave her a permanent base and allowed her business to operate from the community centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nava functioned as a gathering place where staff, students, community leaders and visitors crossed paths over coffee and meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very active community centre,\u201d said Siegel. \u201cThe kids from King David came every single day. We got to know them. We got to know what they like, what they don\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegel and her staff also served the agencies operating in the building. She describes those relationships as warm and mutually supportive. \u201cThey were always very generous, very kind,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was just an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her final day brought conflicting emotions. After more than three decades in a demanding business, she was ready to leave behind the long hours and physical strain. At the same time, she was saying goodbye to the people, routines and workplace that had been so central to her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMixed feelings,\u201d she acknowledged, before adding: \u201cSad.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She quickly rebounded: \u201cI was happy to retire. Thirty-two years doing the same thing is hard. You know, I\u2019m not getting younger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The farewell also left her with a sense of completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI served the community as best as I could,\u201d she said. \u201cThey definitely reciprocated with their love and their good wishes, so it was emotional. It was nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegel was born and raised in Mexico City. At 19, she moved to Israel, where she began nursing studies. After three years, she and her then-husband relocated to Pittsburgh, where she graduated as a registered nurse from the University of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family later moved to Victoria, where Siegel worked in nursing, including at a hospice, and also became involved in Jewish education. She taught in Hebrew schools and served as principal at Temple Emanu-El while the rabbi was on sabbatical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After having three children, the 12-hour shifts associated with nursing seemed incompatible with family life. While catering appeared to offer a manageable alternative, she discovered it often meant 14- or 16-hour days. It didn\u2019t work out the way she had planned, she acknowledged. However, each of her three kids eventually worked alongside her in the food business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family moved from Victoria to Vancouver around 1990, and Siegel\u2019s catering career developed here. Although leaving the business, she is not withdrawing from the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegel has volunteered with the chevra kadisha<\/em> (burial society) for more than 15 years. She is also active with Bitachon, the Jewish community safety initiative that launched after Oct. 7, 2023. When she heard volunteers were needed, she said, participating seemed instinctive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt just seemed natural,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t even think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegel is considering training as an end-of-life doula, which would connect her nursing background with her involvement in the chevra kadisha. She expects to begin a course, perhaps in September, after giving herself some time to rest. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After 17 years at the helm of Nava caf\u00e9 in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, Susy Siegel has retired from the food business. Customers who crowd around the institution in the atrium of the JCC will choose from a different array of offerings, as Ricci Leigh Smith is now operating the restaurant, renamed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6073,43,3994,24994,24995,21248],"class_list":["post-49550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local","tag-food","tag-jewish-community-centre","tag-nava","tag-ricci-leigh-smith","tag-susy-siegel","tag-the-perfect-bite"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49550\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}