Big Y at Bishops Corner in West Hartford will host a kosher food sampling on Thursday, Sept. 18, 4 – 7 p.m. The sampling will feature a variety of foods – ice cream, cheeses, crackers, knishes, juices, biscuits, meatballs, candy, chicken fingers, deli meats and more – from an assortment of kosher vendors. And a clown will be on hand to delight children with balloon animals and other surprises.

“With Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur around the corner this is a great way of offering tasty kosher treats. We are attempting to show people who don’t keep kosher that kosher food is tasty and good. We also want people who do keep kosher to be able to try those items that they might not necessarily buy. It is a festival of foods from many different vendors and all different departments from around the store,” said Edie Perew, Big Y’s kosher deli supervisor.

Among the many featured vendors are: Mehadrin, Maneischewitz, Gefen, T&L Creative Salads, Shor Habor, J&J, Meal Mart, Tuv Taam, Natural & Kosher, Haolam, Aaron’s, New York Famous Knish, Yossi Catering, and Kedeem.

“It’s an opportunity for both adults and kids alike to have fun and sample foods they might not get a chance to try while gaining a strong sense of community,” said Jeff Weingart, owner of Dar Gene Provisions, who is organizing the sampling.