Vegan Jewish Food Takes Center Stage in Queer Film The Bra Mitzvah

Vegan food made by Jewish pop-up Mort & Betty’s was featured both on-set and on-camera during the production of new film The Bra Mitzvah. The short film, written and directed by LGBTQ activist Stacy Jill Calvert, follows the growing pains of 12-year-old Becca, who must be fitted for her first bra prior to her Bat Mitzvah at the behest of her overbearing nana, played by Robin Roth. “The Bra Mitzvah is a coming-of-age film which deals with themes of Jewish culture and identity,” Calvert told VegNews. “When I found out about this vegan Jewish pop-up, I knew it had to be part of the film. Our first scene is at breakfast, and since many of our cast and crew are vegan, I felt that Mort & Betty’s aligned perfectly with our needs in the scene and on the set.” For shooting the scene, Mort & Betty’s prepared a family-style bagel feast (complete with a vegan take on whitefish salad and vegan “schmear” made by Los Angeles-based brand Blode Kuh); Winter Vegetable Latkes topped with caramelized apples; and a seasonal fruit platter. For the crew, the vegan pop-up served Everything But the Bagel Wraps stuffed with carrot-based lox; a Reuben Salad dotted with corned beets and smothered in Russian dressing; and a Double Lentil Soup. Vegan advocate and entrepreneur Megan Tucker founded Mort & Betty’s as a monthly pop-up in the Los Angeles area in November 2018 and is putting five percent of sales toward opening a farmed animal sanctuary. “It was so much fun to cook and present items my family enjoyed when I was a kid for the film,” Tucker told VegNews. “It felt really special to have this captured on set, and I can’t wait to see it on a big screen.” In addition to hosting pop-ups every first Sunday of the month in Los Angeles, Tucker is working on a retail side to Mort & Betty’s, including prepared foods named after Jewish vegan celebrities such as the Bialik’s Burrito (made in honor of vegan actress Mayim Bialik). The Bra Mitzvah—which co-stars VegNews Digital Director Jasmin Singer—is scheduled to complete production later this month, and will be released early next year.