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OUR COMMUNITY

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n Dec. 16, Young Israel of Oak
Park once again battled out
one of Judaism’s most asked
questions: What is the best cholent?
In the shul’s 19th traditional “Iron
Blech,” teams of married couples and
friends competed for the championship
cup.
A delicious Shabbat lunch was pre-
sented for the 160 guests by Gil Stebbins,
the heart and brains behind the event.
Then came the shining moment: Twelve
crockpot inserts were carried into the
dining hall, smelling heavenly. The chefs
ladled their cholents into sample-sized
bowls. Each team had a creative name,
decorated their table, dressed in costume
and, in a bid to win extra votes, even gave
out themed freebies to the guests, who
strolled the perimeter of the room col-
lecting cholent samples.
According to the program, com-
petitors were Avi and Alaina Snider’s
“Cryptocholent,” Isaac Wiess’ “Classic
Homestyle Cholent,” Jeremy and Hilary
DuBois’ “The Fall Harvest,” Dovid Kleid
and Evan Rice’s “Dynamic Duo Cholent,”
Abby Wolfson and Corey Rosen’s “
Abby’s
Wolf Pack Stew,” Gershon Leib Mitchell’s
“Southern Cuisine Inspired Cholent,”
Sarita Fox and Rochel Mondroe’s
“Cholent Sababa,” Ted and Miriam
Rodgers’
“Spiced Just Right Glutton-Free
Cholent,”’ Leah and Sara Ungar’s “The
Matriarch Cholent,” and Jessica and Yossi
Naiman’s “Classic Sweet Meat Cholent.”
The youngest competitors were Zahava
Burstyn and Amalia Kresch, both 8,
whose “Delicious Dalmation Dessert”
entry broke the cholent stereotype —
they’d prepared brownie mix in their
crockpot and served it with vanilla ice
cream, cookies and chocolate chips!
A last-minute surprise entry — by
Young Israel’s Rabbi Shaya Katz and
his Dafi Yomi shiur participants — was
revealed at the event. According to Rabbi
Katz, the number 12 perfectly fit that
week’s parshah — Parshat Miketz —

which talked about the 12 tribes reuniting
in Egypt. Rabbi Katz laughingly encour-
aged those sampling his cholent to “Vote
for Torah!”
Guests thoroughly enjoyed sampling
the different flavors, which varied from
spicy to classic to vegetarian and every-
thing in between.
Judges were Jordan Stebbins, 22, pre-
vious champion of the Iron Blech, and
his fiancé, Yaffa Shekhter, also 22, who is,
according to the event program, a “future
champion.” Guests also voted for their
favorites.
At last, the votes were in: Best display

was won by Jessica and Yossi Naiman,
who had shiny colorful sparkles lining
their table. The popular vote was won by
Abby Wolfson and Cory Rosen. (“When
I tried Abby’s Wolf Pack cholent, I said
Dayenu,” Franci Feld of Southfield said
reverently. “It just checked every box for
me.”)
First place for this year’s best cholent,
as picked by the judges, were moth-
er-and-daughter team Leah and Sara
Ungar with their Matriarch Cholent,
named because both share a name with
a biblical matriarch. It was the first time
they had entered the contest. When the
winners were announced, Sara literally
jumped for joy!
“Our cholent was a little of this and a
little of that,” Leah explained. “My son-
in-law and granddaughters are the biggest
fans of my standard cholent, which I take
as a huge compliment … But we thought
for the Iron Blech we would try to bring it
up a few notches. So, we asked family and
friends for advice.”
Suggestions included frozen garlic
cubes and Trader Joe’s Veri Veri Teriyaki.
They threw it all in.
“Diced onions. Premium meat, flanken
with bones. Extra barley. A bunch of
little yellow potatoes, cubed. Ketchup,
salt, pepper, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, onion
soup mix, a sprinkling of kishka, loosely
wrapped in foil on top of the cholent,”
added Leah. “
And, voila, we had a
winner!”

Young Israel holds 19th annual Iron Blech cholent contest.
A Traditional Taste Fest

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Young Israel of Oak Park
kitchen on Friday, with a sampling
of simmering crock pots.

This year’s Grand Prize winners of the Iron
Blech, Leah and Sara Ungar of Oak Park,
hold their trophy.