It’s the onions
Jackie Fine Dahan of Oakland, who beat out six competitors in Beth Jacob Congregation’s “chulent” cookoff, believes that sautéing the onions before adding them to the mix is the secret to her prize-winning dish. “That’s the kick,” she says. Dahan used a classic recipe that’s been around for a long time. “No bells, no whistles,” she explains. Her prize? The pot she made her dish in and the “Golden Apron” (actually, bright yellow fabric emblazoned with a cute picture of a slow cooker and “2012 Chulent Champ”). “And the glory — that’s huge!” she adds.
P.S. About the chulent vs. cholent controversy, the Oakland congregation’s Michael Gerber explains: “Call it East Coast bias, but ‘chulent’ is obviously the correct spelling (at least if you’re coming from a Yiddish background) — it’s way more haimish … and that’s how my Bubbe would spell it.”
Israel’s (not political) ‘Voice’
Alon Altman of Oakland, whose email address begins with “noo shoin,” which he says is Yiddish for “oh, well,” writes that his brother Gadi Altman, of Kibbutz Magal (about 15 miles from Netanya), reached the quarterfinals in “The Voice Israel.” All four judges turned their chairs around — that’s how they vote their approval — when he sang his opening number, “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins, Alon proudly reported. (If you’re not a “Voice” fan, this is very good — it takes only one judge turn-around to continue on the show.) You can see and hear Gadi’s performance on YouTube.
Remembering Annette
Working at the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, I had many, many conversations with our warm and caring community leader Annette Dobbs, who died last month. She told me she learned to color her red hair herself so she could increase her gift to the then–Women’s Division with the money she saved. At the shiva service, her son Stephen Dobbs shed even more light on his mom’s hair color and the compassionate person she was. Annette was never a natural redhead, he said, but began coloring her hair in solidarity with his brother Rusty, who as a young child was quite unhappy about being the only redhead in a family of brunettes. Annette remained a redhead, even after Rusty died tragically in a car accident in Spain.
Short shorts
A former San Francisco Hillel president, the late Irwin Bear, will be remembered at the group’s inaugural poker tournament Saturday, April 21. Visit www.sfhillel.org to make a gift in his memory … Rose Barlow of San Rafael writes that Chabad of Marin will celebrate 10 years of being part of Marin’s Jewish life under the leadership of Rabbi Hillel Scop and his wife, Chana, on Sunday, April 22 at the Mill Valley Community Center. Comic Elon Gold will entertain … Lafayette’s Temple Isaiah honored Karen Gourdin on March 30 for 23 years of tutoring more than 1,000 b’nai mitzvah students and helping them feel “confident and comfortable chanting prayers on the bimah.” Gourdin is retiring in June.
Lena Strauss, whose late husband, Bernard Strauss, founded the Mount Zion Medical Library, was honored at a reception on March 21. Mrs. Strauss funded a remodeled reference room that recently was completed and named in memory of her husband … Michael Dellar of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group and Dennis Berkowitz of Max’s Restaurants are part of a Napa food truck venture. Pastranomy, at Main and Clinton streets, will feature deli sandwiches, cheesecake and Dr. Brown’s sodas.
This columnist can be reached at [email protected].