If three young Orthodox businessmen have their way, the days of going hungry because there is no kosher food easily available, will soon be over. Right after Passover this year, consumers can expect to start finding specialized vending machines dispensing "Hot Nosh" kosher meals and snacks everywhere from casinos to airports to amusement parks throughout the country.

Alan Cohnen, 30, of Teaneck, and Doron Fetman, 31, of Monsey say their Rockland County-based company, Kosher Vending Industries, is being regarded favorably by colleges and universities, hospitals and corporate offices, and hotels in every price range.

"With our vending machines in place, commercial enterprises and service agencies will be able to offer their workers, customers, and clients on-the-spot kosher food, allowing everyone to stay on the premises," said Mr. Cohnen.

The first "Hot Nosh" brand sold in vending machines will offer consumers in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, a choice of moderately priced, Kof-K certified-kosher Sicilian-style pizza, mozzarella sticks, potato knishes, onion rings, or vegetarian cutlets. The machines will keep the meals frozen until a customer’s cash or credit card selection triggers the mechanism which will then heat and deliver the food piping hot in between 45 and 90 seconds, depending on the choice.

During a trial last month, a 45-second wait resulted in a generous portion of cheese sticks which were meltingly smooth on the inside, covered by a hot crunchy coating.

The patented vending machine is made by KRh Thermal Systems, Inc., which has, thus far, licensed only three companies to buy and stock them. Kraft Foods and Tyson sell non-kosher products, and Kosher Vending Industries with its "Hot Nosh" brand is the only company allowed to use the machines for kosher food.

Messrs Cohnen and Fetman foresee their Hot Nosh brand being sold globally, reducing problems for kosher travelers and allowing hotels, military installations, and other venues to offer what will essentially be a mini kosher café.

"We expect the machines very quickly to be in every Hillel House throughout the country," said Mr. Fetman. "Yeshivas and day schools may not need the machines for lunch, but Hot Nosh will be a great way to offer students, faculty, and visitors snacks, especially in the evening or for sports events."

For the present, Hot Nosh will feature other companies’ certified kosher products in the vending machines, but Messrs Cohnen and Fetman are already equipping their own commissary, with separate dairy and meat kitchens, in which their own brands of certified-kosher food will be prepared.

The food will then be trucked or shipped frozen to the machines, which, according to Messrs Cohnen and Fetman, will be constantly serviced. They expect to offer live, 24-hour (six-day a week) customer service to help with any problems the vending machines may have.

Thus far, they said, they have had no difficulty convincing prospective site managers of the benefits of offering kosher food in their vending machines. But different sites have different requirements. Some venues are happy to have the vending machines simply as a service; others may require a fee or a percentage of the take.

For Messrs Cohnen and Fetman, the idea behind Hot Nosh was their own experience growing up and going to school in New Jersey and New York. Mr. Cohnen, who grew up in Paramus, attended the Torah Academy in Teaneck before going on to study business at Ramapo College. Mr. Fetman grew up in Elizabeth and attended JEC before studying business at Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School.

Now that they are married and raising families of their own, Messrs. Cohnen and Fetman said they expect the availability of kosher food in their vending machines to make airport travel, sports events, or any occasion easier than they had it.

Mr. Cohnen said he could recall being stuck in an airport and watching enviously as other passengers used the time to sidle up to fast food establishments to order lunch and snacks.

"All I could do was wait for the flight to take off so that maybe I could have my kosher meal. When our vending machines are in every airport, all kosher consumers will enjoy the same benefits as everyone else," he said.

In fact, studies indicate that observant Jews may not be the only ones to appreciate the new kosher vending machines. While Orthodox Jews have long been seen as the "engine" behind the kosher food industry, it is well established that many other consumers buy kosher products for a variety of reasons. Some think kosher is healthier; others like that there is a supervision process in place.

Messrs Cohnen and Fetman are betting that Hot Nosh and Kosher Vending Industries is an idea whose time has come.