'Aunt Bess'
At 93, this gracious hostess and friend readies for the holidays
as she always has with ease.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
B
ess Zechman may be turning 93 in November, yet weeks before
Rosh Hashanah the gracious hostess had already prepared more
food for continual visitors to her kosher Huntington Woods
home than many people a third her age.
And she cooks and entertains for every holiday, say her many friends.
"One Rosh Hashanah she made 180 kreplach — all from scratch, by
hand," said Zechman's friend, Julie Sherizen of Huntington Woods.
"This year:' admitted Zechman, "I only made 90 or 100:'
With precise planning, each dish — be it noodle kugel, chicken soup
or baked goods — is homemade in its own time slot and prepared for
drop-in guests and holiday dinners with her son, Neil, of Birmingham,
her nephew and some friends. The brisket waits to be cooked until the
day before it's served; that's also the time she allots for making her signa-
ture gefilte fish.
"Bess makes her fish from scratch:' Sherizen said. "She uses no food
processors and she forms the fish by hand — and they are perfect. Each
one is exactly the same shape and size. She says, 'Julie, darling, I just use
this spoon — that's ally"
When friend Sheryl Korelitz of Huntington Woods questioned the pro-
cess, Bess showed her the answer. "She brought out the gefilte album her
son made showing Bess making her fish step by step:' Korelitz said.
"Presentation is very important:' Zechman said. "After making the fish,
which is real white, I place it on cobalt blue plates, along with a piece of
carrot, and then I put a square of homemade horseradish beet mold on
top."
Even with choice cookbooks at hand, she sometimes adds her own
twist to favorite recipes.
"I make the kreplach recipe from the Temple Israel cookbook, The
Fruit of Her Hands, but instead of the meat it calls for, I roast and grind
beef brisket," Zechman said.
Some recipes don't come from a cookbook at all.
"My fish recipe is my mother's:' she said. "She was not only the best
cook, but the best mother.
"When I got married I didn't know how to cook at all. I went from high
school to college, and I didn't learn to cook until after I got married. My
poor husband."
Bess Zechman in her dining roam
B2
September 25 • 2008
my
Getting Ready
Between the early and last-minute holiday preparations, Zechman, who
is a member at Congregation Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County, does
non-cooking tasks like driving to the supermarket, a feat that amazes her
friends.
"I also set the table about four days ahead;' she said. And that, accord-
ing to Sherizen, is an art in itself.
"Bess has linens that her mother made that she uses with beautiful
dishes and silver;' Sherizen said. "She is truly gifted at creating a beautiful
yom tov [holiday] mood. I have never seen a more beautiful table set in
my life."
Neighbor and friend Michelle Sider of Huntington Woods said, "Her
home and garden are exquisite and decorated with such beauty and grace
that I marvel every time I visit."
Zechman puts her organizational skills and energy into everything she
touches, even working as a dental hygienist until she was 87.