Congratulations to Jasmine Einalhori, Batsheva Goldstein and Josh Pashman, our three finalists in the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts' Next Great Kosher Chef Competition! These finalists faced stiff competition from many applicants and we congratulate every one of our contest participants and thank everyone for their enthusiasm and involvement.
Our three finalists will compete on December 12th in Long Island City for a full scholarship to the CKCA Winter 2011 Professional Program in Culinary Arts, and of course, bragging rights to the title of NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF.
The December 12th competition has three parts: a written exam, a series of surprise culinary challenges, and a final market basket challenge. Three judges will preside over the final market basket challenge, which is an "Iron Chef" style competition. The event will be professionally filmed and will be made available to the public.
Stay tuned next week for the opportunity to win one of two free tickets to the event!The event will be judged by
Elan Kornblum, editor and publisher of Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine,
Jamie Geller, author of Quick and Kosher, Recipes from the Bride Who Knew
Nothing, and more recently Quick and Kosher: Meals in Minutes, and
Seth Warshaw, executive chef/owner of ETC Steakhouse in Teaneck, NJ, who is a graduate of the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE).
About OUR FINALISTS:
Batsheva Goldstein, from Brooklyn, NY, currently works as a registered nurse and is a mother of two. She views cooking as an adventure and dreams of opening a catering company or cafe in several years, and hopes to even be able to juggle chefwork with her current nursing career. She sees the reward of cooking as being able to provide satisfaction and pleasure to other people, and she enjoys the challenge of adapting kosher ingredients to non-kosher recipes. She also works hard to introduce new flavors and ingredients to non-adventurous palates. Batsheva has a strong interest in learning about molecular gastronomy, and her favorite things to cook are sweet and sour corned beef and chocolate polka dot cheesecake. Watch Batsheva's
application video on YouTube.
Josh Pashman, from New York City, currently works as a senior strategist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He holds a master's degree in global health from Yale University and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa. He has also worked in Ethiopia and traveled extensively in Latin America. At the age of six, Josh ran "Josh's Pizza and Pasta House," a restaurant in his own house, with his older brother as the primary restaurant patron. Considering that his mother didn't let him use the stovetop or any kitchenware, the restaurant was a runaway success. Josh hopes to do an apprenticeship in a restaurant and eventually gain enough experience and capital to open his second restaurant. (This time, for real!) He envisions someday owning a bed and breakfast hotel combined with a dairy restaurant with an emphasis on healthy cooking and global cuisine. His favorite things to cook are breakfast foods and fish. Watch Josh's
application video on YouTube!
Jasmine Einalhori, from Los Angeles, California, currently works as a nanny. She holds degrees from Bar-Ilan University and NYU, and has wanted to be a chef since she was six years old. Jasmine finds cooking soothing and one of her favorite things is to satify even the pickiest of eaters. Jasmine's goal is to open a small catering business or restaurant in Israel. Her favorite things to cook are what she calls "Savta" or grandmother's food, because saftas "cook from the heart and with three hands." With her family's roots in Iran and Israel, she most often cooks middle eastern comfort foods, such as shabbat meals that include every middle eastern salad imaginable. Watch Jasmine's
application video on YouTube.
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