Chanukah Flavorites
A high profile chef adds some new twists to the classic potato latke.
Chef Keth Famie jazzes up the traditional latke.
STORY BY ROBIN SCHWARTZ
PHOTOS BY BILL HANSEN
Special to the Jewish News
1p
umpkin, cranberry, shitake
mushrooms, edamame? These
unusual ingredients are probably
not in your bubbie's latke recipe, but
they add a unique twist to the age-old
Chanukah tradition.
Celebrity chef Keith Famie, maybe
best known for his part on the reality
TV show Survivor II: The Australian
Outback, came up with several new
types of latkes for "A Survivor's Guide
to Chanukah," a Dec. 4 event spon-
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2004
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sored by the Young Adult Division of
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit.
About 50 couples watched Farnie put
on a cooking demonstration, then min-
gled and munched on latkes at the
Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield.
"I'm sure this is not how your grand-
mothers make it. But, you know what?
It works," said Famie as he grated sweet
potatoes, butternut squash and carrots
for one recipe.
Famie cooked up his latke ideas after
researching traditional potato pancakes.
"I spent an evening with potatoes and
vegetables and came up with all kinds
of recipes," he said.
All of his creations start with classic
latke ingredients: potatoes, onion, egg
and matzah meal, before the more
unusual items are added in. His latkes
are also topped with sour cream fla-
vored with things like balsamic vinegar,
horseradish or cinnamon.
Participants ate up the new ideas. "I
think it's great because the recipes in
most cookbooks are all the same. But
these are unique," said Karen Stryk of
Birmingham who took copies of the
recipes to try at home.
While he diced and mixed ingredi-
ents on stage, Famie sprinkled in
behind-the-scenes survivor stories. The
Farmington Hills native lasted 41 days
on the show in the Australian outback.
He currently travels the world for his
Keith Famie's Adventures on the Food
Network.
Famie gave four brave participants
their own taste of adventure by blind-
folding them and having them guess
what type of exotic foods they were eat-
ing.
Rachel Polakoff, one of the chairs of
the event, sat laughing with the crowd.
"He's a phenomenal entertainer. He's a
lot of fun," she said.