The female protagonist in the new Hallmark Channel holiday movie Hanukkah on Rye is Molly (Yael Grobglas, Jane the Virgin). She’s excited to be in a new relationship with Jacob (Jeremy Jordan, Supergirl) but things that a strange turn when they realize they’re direct competitors in business. Both run rival delicatessens. The tagline of the movie is “Two rival delis serving a whole latke of love.”
Latkes are pan-fried potato pancakes traditionally prepared to celebrate Hanukkah.
The character of Natalie (see below) is portrayed by the iconic bespectacled singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb. She’s best known for her 1994 song “Stay (I Missed You),” which was featured in Ben Stiller‘s movie Reality Bites starring Winona Ryder, Bridget Fonda, and Ethan Hawke, among others.
Loeb most recently appeared on TV singing her famous, Grammy Award-nominated song ‘Stay’ in a Geico commercial. Twenty years later, Loeb won her first Grammy Award in 2018 for Best Children’s Album, Feel What U Feel.
Loeb has released ten studio albums including her latest, A Simple Trick to Happiness (2020), and six children’s albums including Feel What U Feel (2016).
Hanukkah on Rye premieres on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, December 18, the first night of Hanukkah, at 8 pm ET.