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Everything you need to celebrate Rosh Hashanah in style

We chatted with challah queen Dolly Meckler about her tips for a festive New Year.

Colorful wine glasses, round challah loaves, a multicolored lazy susan, and a pink bowl arranged playfully on a colorful pink, yellow, and blue patterned background. Credit: Reviewed / Estelle Colored Glass / Challah Dolly / French Bull / Raawii Strom

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My favorite holidays have always been those that involve food. I take Thanksgiving prep very seriously (read: there are lots of lists) and all I ask of my husband on Valentine's Day is a few bars of quality chocolate... and maybe also wine. I wasn't raised in a super religious household, but my mom always made a point of observing the High Holy Days out of love for my stepdad and his family traditions. And not unsurprisingly, my favorite Jewish holidays were the ones that involved food, in particular the soft, cloud-like goodness that is challah.

My lifelong challah obsession recently led me to discover Challah Dolly, a New York City-based challah company on a mission to to "make Jewish tradition 'cool,' modern, and accessible" by way of this dreamy loaf. Since challah is integral to the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday, I was eager to speak with the challah queen herself to find out her favorite items for celebrating the Jewish New Year.

About Challah Dolly

Left: Dolly Meckler, founder of the challah company Challah Dolly, holds packaged loaves of challah. Right: A close-up photo of beautifully browned challah loaves.
Credit: Challah Dolly

Challah Dolly has grown exponentially since Meckler started this project in March 2020, which she attributes to social media.

Founded by Dolly Meckler in March 2020—yes, right at the start of COVID-19—Challah Dolly began as an accident. "I'm a freelancer, so when COVID hit last year, no one was hiring freelancers, and I couldn't find any work," Meckler explains. "Everybody was baking bread all over my Instagram feed, so I wanted to try, too. I decided to bake challah bread simply because sourdough seemed way too complicated for me—someone who was a complete novice in the kitchen."

Meckler documented her challah baking on Instagram, which is where she attracted her first customers.

"People replied to [my stories] asking if they could buy my loaves," she says. "I was in business! From there, things just started to grow organically. All my sales were from word of mouth and social media, then I started to host pop-ups, and then I started to offer my loaves in retailers around NYC. I now ship nationwide, and I've shipped challah as far as Hawaii!"

When she isn't baking specialty round challah loaves for Rosh Hashanah, she's baking challah for every occasion.

Loaves of challah covered in everything seed seasoning.
Credit: Challah Dolly

Everything Seed Challah is one of the many year-round challahs Challah Dolly offers.

"Challah Dolly is for people who love family/friend time, for people who love good food, and for people who want to adopt new traditions," says Meckler. "It wasn't until the last few years that I started to view Shabbat (and, frankly, my Jewish identity as a whole) as this really cool cultural tradition that encourages the idea of dedicated time with family and friends, around a table of delicious food, to wind down after a long week. It can be whatever you want to make of it. And it's available for whoever wants to adopt this tradition."

Here are Meckler's High Holy Day must-haves for setting the table and enjoying a special meal, from her Instagram-famous challah, to maximalist housewares, and beyond.

Challah Dolly's Round Challah

Credit: Challah Dolly

Round challah loaves are eaten specifically for Rosh Hashanah to represent the idea of continuity and the wheel of the seasons.

"First and foremost, there will obviously be Challah Dolly at my High Holy dinner," says Meckler. "This year I'm offering round plain challahs and round honey cinnamon raisin challahs."

The deadline for ordering round challah loaves from Cholly Dolly is Sunday, August 29, so be sure to get your holiday orders in ASAP. However, if you miss the boat on the holiday loaves, we recommend snagging a regular Challah Dolly whenever they're in stock.

Get Round Challah at Challah Dolly starting at $12.50

French Bull tableware

A multicolored Lazy Susan topped with small melamine bowls in assorted colors.
Credit: French Bull

Lazy Susans get a modern makeover in psychedelic patterns like this.

Since this holiday involves eating, you'll definitely need to set the table. "My favorite flatware to use is French Bull—it's so bright and happy, and makes any occasion more fun," she says. "I'll be using psychedelic French Bull Lazy Susans for my challah, French Bull floral dinner plates for the meal, and French Bull mini bowls for individual servings of apples and honey so people can dip as they please!"

Raawii Strøm Small Bowl

Various pink, white, and marigold yellow ceramic vessels arranged on a white surface.
Credit: Raawii Strøm

These modern Danish-inspired bowls are just as functional as they are fashionable.

"No Rosh Hashanah dinner would be complete without apples," explains Meckler. "I'll definitely be displaying a bowl of honey crisp apples on my vibrant and colorful table in this Raawii Strøm Bowl. I love the color and shape, and it's the perfect size for decoration in your home or to place on a festive dinner table."

As a fellow proud owner of this bowl (shoutout to my wedding registry), I can confirm that these bowls make an excellent statement piece when you're not using them, as well as fully functional serving vessels.

Get the Raawii Strøm Small Bowl at West Elm for $57.60

Anna + Nina Flower Candle Set

Left: A set of white candles with white and green flowers carved into them. Right: The same candles in gold candle stick holders on a dining room table.
Credit: Anna + Nina

These festive flower candles are made in Italy by the brand Anna + Nina.

"I unfortunately don't own these, but I'm fantasizing about adding these floral candle sticks to my dinner table," she says. Anna + Nina, the Italian brand behind these beauties, makes a variety of eclectic candles to suit every palate. (That is, as long as you're not a minimalist.)

Get the Anna + Nina Flower Candle Set of 2 at Liberty for $43

Estelle Colored Glass

Six wine glasses, each in different shades including seafood green, light pink, dark blue, chartreuse, violet, and fuchsia.
Credit: Estelle Colored Glass

Colorful glassware will brighten any table, making the occasion feel extra celebratory.

"Another item on my wishlist is glassware from South Carolina based brand, Estelle," Meckler says. "The fuchsia wine stemware glasses are so fab, and I'm also a fan of the mixed set."

We couldn't agree more, Dolly. Estelle makes glassware in all shapes and sizes, including rocks glasses, cake stands, Champagne coupes, and more.

Get the Estelle Colored Glass Mixed Stemware Set at Anthropologie for $175

Challah-themed accessories

Left: A photo of a person wearing a small gold hoop earring with a gold challah loaf dangling from it. Right: A person wears three necklaces, one of which is gold with a gold challah pendant.
Credit: Studs / GarbageNY

Challah Dolly has collaborated with trendy jewelry brands Studs and Garbage NY to create challah-themed accessories.

"Of course, this year I will be sporting my original Challah Dolly pendant by the female-owned jewelry company Garbage NY," she says. "I worked with the ladies of Garbage to turn a photo of my traditional three-strand loaves into a rendering and mold, and then into a gluten-free, neck-ready Challah Dolly pendant. These are perfect for challah lovers!"

If earrings are more your speed, you're in luck—Challah Dolly teamed up with Studs to make a downright adorable challah charm huggie.

Nail polish

Right: A bottle of red nail polish. Left: Dolly Meckler, founder of Challah Dolly, poses next to a pile of packaged challah loaves.
Credit: Deborah Lippmann / Challah Dolly

Meckler wears one of her signature colors, It's Raining Men, even on challah shipping day.

"I know this isn't quite a 'table setting must-have,' but if I'm hosting a party, my nails need to be party ready," explains Meckler. "If you know anything about me, my nails are a staple to my look. I'm a sucker for pinks and reds, and I'm always on a mission to find the best pink. Recently I discovered my new favorite hot pink called Peace Out Purple by Color Club. Otherwise, I love colors like It's Raining Men by Deborah Lippmann or Bath Bliss by See My Toes."

Get Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Nail Color at Nordstrom for $17

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