Tenafly—Did you ever put your heart and soul into a lengthy project that by the time it was finally completed you were just so relieved? (Perhaps your yearlong college thesis comes to mind…) Well, that was NOT the feeling at 11 Harold Street in Tenafly last Monday evening. In fact it was quite the opposite. The excitement was palpable.
This labor of love, a cookbook entitled Many Tables, One People, debuted on Monday May 6th at Lubavitch on the Palisades (LPS).
You may be thinking, “Another cookbook?” You already have 15 plus cookbooks sitting on your shelf. Maybe you dust them off every 3-4 months to look for a new side dish to add to your traditional Shabbos meal repertoire. Better yet, you most likely bring your iPad into the kitchen, load epicurious.com and voilá you’re all set. But, before you pass onto the next article, allow me to introduce you to the most delightful cookbook that was just released by LPS (otherwise known as Chabad of Tenafly).
Many Tables, One People is a beautiful, full color, soft-cover cookbook with over 250 recipes. It is replete with creative crafts for kids and is punctuated with fun food facts throughout. It also has incredible color photos of tables set for different holidays, featuring decorative pieces from our local Judaica Store in Teaneck as well as other from boutiques such as The Silver Cellar (www.silvercellar.com) in Brooklyn. One of my favorite sections is entitled “Emergency Substitutions.” Who knew that 2/3 cup milk + 1/3 cup butter can be substituted for 1 cup of sour cream?
What makes this cookbook unique is that there are recipes literally from around the world. More specifically, because the parent body of LPS who submitted the recipes is so traditionally rich and culturally diverse, there are Israeli, Italian, Russian, Mexican, Indian and Persian food featured in the book.
“You are what you eat,” said Rabbi Mordechai Shain, Executive Director of LPS. “Kosher cooking is not just healthy for your physical being, but it helps you emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Kosher food nourishes your soul. If you have a healthy soul, you have a healthy body.”
The photographs of smiling children and Morahs definitely give the book an extra layer of warmth and love. You are sure to enjoy perusing the book even if you do not have a child in the school. Some of my favorites are children holding STOP signs to remind them to “stop and say a B’racha” before eating and photos featuring giggling children dressed up in Purim costumes.
What delighted Editor-in-Chief and Assistant Director of LPS Sonya Solomon most is that the cookbook was completely a volunteer project. “What I love is that this cookbook brought so many people together. We have the most talented, dedicated and gracious parent body.”
School Director Orite Rubenstien was amazed by the outcome. “This huge undertaking by Sonya Solomon and over 60 parent volunteers has created a wonderful sense of community among our parent body, which is exactly what Sonya wanted to achieve. New friendships and an even stronger commitment to helping the future of LPS are just some of the results of this amazing cookbook.”
On Monday May 6th, LPS hosted a beautiful release party for their newly published cookbook. Over 50 parents and friends of LPS came out on a busy school night to enjoy an evening featuring a recipe demonstration and tasting by special guest chef Allison Hoschander. They also had the opportunity to marvel at and buy the newly released book.
Allison Hoschander, a married mother of three, has been cooking since she was a small child. Hoschander recently took second place in the nationwide Manischewitz cooking contest involving thousands of entrants. Her recipes have been written up in many papers including The Jewish Standard. She has home-catered several events specializing in hors d’oeuvres and desserts. She has also written a local cooking column in the Oceanside Chadashot since 2011. She loves showing the home cook how to elevate ordinary food into extraordinary dishes.
“It was an incredible event,” said Orite Rubenstien. And indeed it was a huge success. Chef Allison received raving reviews. She prepared an entire Shavuot menu from this new cookbook, from appetizer to dessert—loaded baked potatoes with cauliflower, carrot soup with parsley matzoh balls, easy cheescake and more. At the end of each segment, servers came out of the kitchen right on cue with beautifully prepared samples of the demonstrated food. They were delectable!
As Chef Allison was preparing the food, she explained how to use the cookbook as a personal guide and how to customize the recipes for your own family and table. She too was impressed with the book. “The cookbook is beautifully done with fantastic pictures and new and unique recipes,” she said. “It was such a pleasure reading through it… and so hard to choose only four recipes to demonstrate!”
Many Tables, One People will serve as your new favorite bridal shower gift this summer, birthday present for your mother -in-law, best friend or sister or even (hopefully not) a belated Mother’s Day gift. It will soon be available in many local supermarkets and Judaica stores. It can also be purchased online on the LPS website.
So why should you buy this cookbook? If the reasons noted above have not convinced you, this last one might just do that. You will find this book irresistible because it is filled with the most important ingredient of all: LOVE!!!
