Calling for all things “Jewish food-ish”!

Chosen Food is an exhibition in which everyone can participate!

We want your photos—recent or generations old: family at holiday dinners, cooking in the kitchen, food sizzling away on the stove, platters ready for the table, eating in restaurants, the dessert table or shmorg at your wedding, and more. The humblest food moment is of interest: have you ever taken a picture of someone in your family checking out at the supermarket or unpacking the groceries at home? We’d love to see it!

Or take some photos for us: we’d especially love to see the inside of your refrigerator (check out our Flickr group and post some of your own! ), and if you keep kosher, send us a photo of your dairy dishes and one of your meat dishes (Passover dishes also welcome). And everyone sets up their kitchen differently—show us what yours looks like!

We want your home movies and videos, especially of simcha receptions. Jewish (and other) holiday celebrations also welcome.

We want your cookware: special implements you use to prepare some Jewish dish or family recipe, cooking items brought to this country by the immigrants in your family, unusual things passed down the generations, etc.

We want your food memorabilia: do you have kosher food packages, particularly of traditional favorites saved from years gone by? Jewish organization cookbooks from anywhere in the United States? Recipes handed down from generation to generation? Instructions from your Weight Watchers program, back before they went corporate in 1978? The caterer’s menu from your wedding reception?

Have something cool but don’t see it on this list? Call Karen Falk at 410-732-6400, ext. 227.

“Hava” Cow at Hava NaGrilla by Rachel Ellis and Brittney Baltimore

Photos by Brittney Baltimore and Rachel Ellis

What do you get when you put two rabbis, a cow, a fire, and lots of enthusiasm together in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania? Summer interns Rachel Ellis and Brittney Baltimore set out on a road trip Sunday, June 6^th to find out.

The Second Annual “Hava NaGrilla, Kosher BBQ Contest and Family Fun Day” brings together 500 barbecuers and barbecue fans from Philadelphia and beyond.

But if it’s barbecue, where’s the pig? Traditional barbecue from the South is all about pork, so Jewish barbecue enthusiasts need to be inventive. With no pig in sight, Jews barbecue other foods: chicken, ribs, and by far the most popular meat of the day … brisket.

Throughout the day some 15 teams competed to produce the best barbecue. Each team designed their own decorations based on a theme. Some highlights include: teams “Chag Wild,” “Fleishig Flashback,” “Glatt Meat?” and “BBQ 911 – Where’s the Fire?”

Clever names and amusing tent decorations made the day fun and family-friendly. But a kosher barbecue is not a kosher barbecue without a true love affair with meat. Just ask the “Hebrew Nationals,” who took home the most prized trophy of the day for Best Brisket. Their golden calf statue will surely hold a special place in their homes and hearts.

Two rabbis oversaw the event to ensure kashrut, to verify that all ingredients are certified kosher.

This way, the event was appropriate for Jews of all levels of religious observance. When asked her thoughts on a kosher BBQ, Adeona Rosin of Cherry Hill, NJ stated “I think it’s very important to have things in the Jewish community that everyone can partake in.” And of course, after contestants submit their food for judging, event attendees can taste their masterpieces.

Live music, a TastyKake eating contest*, and other carnival activities rounded out the day of enjoyment. Hava NaGrilla is a truly great place to be Jewish. The kosher culinary delight of barbecue brings the community together through friendly competition and family activities. According to Eric Wischnia of Elkins Park, PA, food has always been a part of Jewish culture and traditions. Eric summed it up well: “We have traditions that are built around the food that we make. …In addition to all of the other things that we’ve passed along, food is really, really important.” So get out your grill and get fired up for Hava NaGrilla 3 next summer!

Hava NaGrilla benefits Golden Slipper Club & Charities. Golden Slipper is a charitable organization that raises money to fund a children’s camp, a college scholarship fund, a center for senior citizens, as well as many other initiatives.

*Tastykakes became kosher (with much fanfare!) in 2004.