22 | DECEMBER 22 • 2022
OUR COMMUNITY
Y
oung Israel of Oak Park’s
(YIOP) 18th Annual Iron Blech
cholent-tasting competition
took place on Dec. 10, and I was lucky
to be one of the judges.
I have some recollection of eating
cholent, traditional
Shabbat stew, at least once
when I was younger —
but I would still consider
myself a cholent neophyte.
The other two judges —
Southfield Mayor Kenson
Siver and Oak Park Mayor
Marian McClellan — were
mostly newbies to cholent as well. It
made for a fun experience.
A room full of 150 YIOP community
members were in attendance tasting the
cholent along with the judges. The host
for the event was Gil Stebbins, who has
been running and organizing the event
for years. Rabbi Shaya Katz also spoke.
Judges were offered nine different
varieties of cholent. The basic
ingredients were the same, but each
entry had a different, unique twist.
The entries included “Ice Cream
Lovers Cholent” by Ruvi Singal, “Lamb
Stu” cholent by Evan Rice and Dovid
Kleid, “Yap-Shtick” cholent by Rochel
Leah and Atara Burstyn, “Cholent
Spiced with Marsala Wine & Chestnuts”
by Lemas Mitchell, “Spicy Potato
Cholent” by Daniel Kotsias, “Hero’s
Cholent” by Steven Katz and Becky
Rice, “Simply Cholent” by Ronnie
Katz and Shifra Zeiler, and “World
Cup Special, USA Is Out But We Are
Still In!” cholent by Robert Shaw and
Shalom Sufrin.
Another entry, “Gridiron Blech
Cholent” by Tzvi Ungar, had a fun,
football-filled description: “Spice
up your Shabbos with a WINNING
cholent. Formulated on the gridiron
football field of the Ungar home, this
cholent is sure to get you in the mood
to throw around the Ol’ pigskin (kosher,
of course). Headed by Hall of Fame
coach Don Shula-nt (OBM) and led by
featured players Jacoby Brisket, Saquan
Barley and Le’Kishke Shenault, Gridiron
Blech Cholent will be difficult to
beat. *Please note that no Washington
Redskin potatoes were used in the
making of this cholent in solidarity with
our Native American brethren.”
After an intense deliberation of
the tastiest stew, the judges reached a
conclusion, of which the results were
not contested: The winners for best
cholent were Robert Shaw and his
grandson Shalom Sufrin for “World
Cup Special.” They also won best table
display.
“While I have broken bread at many,
many Jewish homes over the years, I
don’t recall having cholent,” Mayor Siver
said. “I enjoyed the creative cooking
and was honored to be asked to judge.
What I enjoyed the most, however,
was the great spirit and warmth that I
experienced with the congregation of
Young Israel of Oak Park.”
Mayor McClellan, who is Jewish,
added: “It’s a delight to bring the
community together for something just
so much fun. People get playful in how
they present their dish, all ages are there
having a lovely time, and it’s a delightful
way to gather and be a community for
something positive and fun. All the
cholents were delicious in their own
special way, and it was difficult to pick
a favorite.”
Young Israel of Oak
Park’s 18th Annual
Iron Blech Cholent-
Tasting Competition
Danny
Schwartz
Staff Writer
LEFT TO RIGHT: The Shaws winning
table display. Robert Shaw and his
grandson Shalom Sufrin with their
trophies.
Southfield Mayor
Kenson Siver, Oak
Park Mayor Marian
McClellan and
Danny Schwartz.