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.

