a four questions Platinum chats with Paul Kohn. With seven children and 13 grandchildren, I WHAT BOOK, CD OR OTHER MEDIA ARE YOU LONGING TO SHARE? There's a relatively new book out by Robert L. Wolke about the science of cooking called What Einstein Told His Cook. There have been other books about the chemistry and dynamics of cooking, but Wolke takes it to a whole new level. He talks to people considered "science geeks" and also to those whose last science class was in high school. The book has some interesting recipes included, with many of the concepts discussed. At Quality Kosher Catering, we're also developing an artisan bread series as a result of having just gotten a new bread-baking oven, and a definitive book on the subject is Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. Great breads and an easy read! caterer PAUL KOHN is used to feeding a small army. As Kohn and his wife, Leah, raised their kids — Ely, 35, Ricki, 33, Saraliza, 32, Dovid, 30, Devorah, 29, Daniel, 22, and Avi, 18 — in their Southfield home, he also nurtured Quality Kosher Catering, his business for more than three decades. Kohn started the company in 1978 with his late mother, Elizabeth (known as Etta), a renowned kosher caterer in her own right. The business' home base is now Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. "My mother was an outstanding teacher," Kohn recalls. "The one thing she always said was, 'You've got to start with quality.' She made every effort to seek out the best food and freshest ingredients." At first, Kohn readily admits, he was more comfortable in the classroom than in the kitchen. A graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, he had a successful career as a chemistry and biology teacher. But IF YOU COULD HAVE BRUNCH WITH his catering business has flourished and now includes 15 full-time 44 ONE BIBLICAL OR HISTORICAL staff members (and at times, as many as 100 part-time staffers) JEWISH FIGURE, WHO WOULD IT BE? Adam and Eve — they were originals! They had to be open-minded, with no "box" to encumber their think- ing, and everything they had to do was creative and unique. Living in a garden was a good choice; having the Creator as your mentor is a great choice. I would who can comfortably serve 1,600 people in one sitting for wed- dings, b'nai mitzvah, holidays and other celebrations and events. "This is the one business where everyone's an expert," Kohn says. "They've been eating all of their lives, so they know." Here, we ask Paul Kohn our version of the Four Questions. — Robin Schwartz like to hear from them about how they saw the world and what their hopes and dreams were for the future. They probably had a perfect marriage (no in-laws); the whole world was theirs to enjoy. 2 WHAT IS YOUR FAVO EWISH FOOD? 01 never really looked at food as being "Jewish" or traditional, but we do have one very rustic fish recipe that's a Kohn family tradition. I was born in Hungary, and every Friday night we had a fish dish made with Danube carp. It's much different from American carp, and it's cooked soupier with nuts, onions, carrots and celery. It was the sauce everyone liked — more than the fish. My wife knows how to make it, and she made it for me once when she was nine months pregnant with our seventh child. Right after Kiddush, she went into labor. We spent the night at the hospital, and the children forgot to put the fish in the refrigerator. I still remember being disappointed that I didn't get to eat it! A WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? That I'm a bit of a thrill seeker. I've been skydiving, scuba diving — and this year I've scheduled a dive with great white sharks! ANIAL1A CARRARA WWW.MARL1SBRIDALCOM 248-652-6610 PROCEEDS FROM OPENING NIGHT BENEFIT GILDA'S CLUB METRO DETROIT iept 10•- Oct 5 Wed/Thurs: 8 p.m. - $15 a Fri: 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. - $20 Sat: 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. - $20 , Sun: 8 p.m. - $15 rh.: LON , • 4a4clek‘d q42705 Grand River Ave., I Novi;IN11 -48. 375. 0-248:34fZ4448, wwycsecondcity.conr„ -, harii3O041/160214‘:st: B 3 0 • SEPTEMBER 2008 • YIN platinum