Haika’s Kitchen is the creation of partners Haika Powell and Jed Rapoport. Haika’s college education in fine art found an outlet in the art of cooking. She has been a working chef for 20 years, and spent the past 8 years as the pastry Chef for the prestigious Saucon Valley Country Club.

After so many years in food service, Haika became disillusioned and frustrated by the food industry’s heavy-handed focus on the bottom line.  Deciding where to buy ingredients and products was simply a matter of which purveyor had the lowest price.  She puzzled, shouldn’t the best prepared foods be made with the best ingredients rather than the least expensive?

Haika wanted to create an environment where she could focus on the food and where she and her employees could come to work and have fun all day long! But there was more; why not create a business that supports practices that don’t harm our environment? She wanted to support local farmers, sustainable agriculture and farming that relies on humane animal husbandry.

A tall order, but was it possible? Could a food service business be created that would be profitable and yet break from the long-held traditions and practices of the commercial food industry? Haika believed in her heart that it could. This meant she had to strike out on her own. 

The balance to Haika’s creative exuberance in the kitchen is her partner Jed Rapoport. A food industry neophyte and hopeless cook, Jed’s background in business, investing and writing provided the missing ingredients to the business recipe.

Haika took on educating Jed in the commercial food industry while Jed provided the devil’s point of view on the business concept. Haika made a strong case. She proved the depth of her vision and food industry knowledge to convince Jed of the vision.  

So it was on May 24th 2006 that Haika’s Kitchen welcomed the very first customers into the shop. The official grand opening was observed on June 29th 2006, when the Mayor of the City of Allentown cut a cake adorned with a red, white and blue fondant ribbon. The adventure was just beginning then, and continues today. We welcome you to become part of our ever growing circle of devotees!