gift guide 2018
The Great Latke Cook Off
Author Lauren Muskovitz Ranalli
tells the story behind the story.
LAUREN MUSKOVITZ RANALLI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
B
Marvin & Betty Danto
Health Care Center
6800 West Maple Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
248.788.5300
IChoseHeartland.com
52
November 22 • 2018
jn
ack in December 2011, my
husband and I welcomed our
first child into the world. As
an interfaith couple, our December
quickly became a birthday-Chanu-
kah-Christmas extravaganza. Shortly
after our son was born, he received
lovely Christmas books from friends
and family. On one of my early
outings with him, I went on a search
for Chanukah books to add a little
balance to our bookshelf.
The stories I initially found
seemed to all fall on opposing ends
of a spectrum. On one side there
were stories such as Elmo Celebrates
Chanukah and on the other side was
The History of Chanukah and the
Maccabees. Neither of these really
resonated with me (no offense to
Elmo or the Maccabees). I wanted to
find a book that was a better reflec-
tion of my own family traditions and
cultural experience. So, I decided to
write it myself.
The story of the The Great Latke
Cook Off came to me on the drive
to work one morning — basically
downloading in my brain as a single,
complete thought. I typed it up in
one sitting and sent it to myself as an
email. But I was a new mom with a
full-time job, and I had absolutely no
idea where to even look to get a book
published. I tucked it away, always
keeping the story in back of my mind.
Last year, after my two children
had both completed preschool at the
Jewish Community Center of Ann
Arbor, I was looking for addition-
al ways to stay connected with our
Jewish traditions. I pulled up that old
email, did a lot of googling, found
an incredible local illustrator named
Emily Siwek and embarked on a six-
month sprint to turn The Great Latke
Cook Off into a real book.
Now that the book has been pub-
lished, I have started hearing from
families — of all backgrounds — from
across the country. Some of my favor-
ite feedback I have received is that
this story has inspired families to start
their own cooking contests, carving
out time and space for new traditions
during a busy time of year. ■
details
Lauren Muskovitz Ranalli will
appear for a reading at Temple
Israel in West Bloomfield at 10 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 30, and at Temple Beth
El in Bloomfield Township at 1 p.m.
the same day. Books will be avail-
able for purchase or can be ordered
at laurenranalli.com.