(USA TODAY) — As millions of Jews sit down to traditional beef brisket and potatoes Monday, Shirlee Franco is giving her Passover seder a gourmet twist.
Serving a menu that includes Chilean sea bass steamed in fresh crushed garlic and white wine, the home chef from Silver Spring, Md., is part of the new wave of Passover celebrants melding tradition with modern tastes — and the Kosher food industry is stepping up to help.
Spending for eight days of Passover accounts for $1.3 billion of the $12-billion kosher foods market, says data-tracker Lubicom Marketing Consulting. In 2012, there were more than 23,000 Passover food items. This year, that list has grown to more than 53,000.