The Next Great Kosher Chef ©

The Next Great Kosher Chef Movie is Here!

2011-08-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts is proud to present the video movie of The Next Great Kosher Chef Contest, which took place a few months ago. We invite you to enjoy the video, and please visit our website for more information about CKCA and our programs. The Professional Culinary Arts and Professional Pastry Arts programs are now accepting applications for fall courses!

Click here for the Next Great Kosher Chef Movie Trailer

Click here for Part I

Click here for Part II

Movie Trailer Release: The Next Great Kosher Chef

2011-02-24T10:48:00.001-08:00

Visit YouTube to see the the long-awaited trailer for the Next Great Kosher Chef, the movie!

Next Great Kosher Chef Judge Jamie Geller's Take on The Next Great Kosher Chef

2011-02-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Cookbook author Jamie Geller, a judge on the Next Great Kosher Chef, describes her experience:

"In front of a TV crew, a crowd of reporters and select guests, and three well known judges, three contestants passed over many culinary hurdles in quest of the title of “Next Great Kosher Chef” and the $5,000 scholarship to the CKCA.

And what tough challenges they were."

Visit Jamie's blog to read more.

Next Great Kosher Chef Winner's Recipe: Mustard Grilled Chicken with Mango Mint Salsa

2011-02-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

Coordinated with the release of the trailer of The Next Great Kosher Chef movie, we are happy to share a recipe from the winner of the contest, Next Great Kosher Chef Jasmine Einalhori. She is now known all over the internet as a "Jewess with Attitude!"

By winning the contest Jasmine secured herself a spot in the Professional Culinary Arts Program at Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. She is currently a student here. Learn more about the program by visiting us here.

Mustard Grilled Chicken

4 large chicken breasts, scalloped or butterflied
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup dry sherry wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 large garlic clove, pressed
Olive oil
1 Tablespoon of dried thyme (oregano, basil, or dill can also be used)
Ground peppercorns and salt, to taste

Drizzle olive oil on chicken to lightly coat. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and marinate the chicken for one hour to overnight. The longer the chicken marinates, the better results you will get, though it can be grilled immediately. Use a grill pan or bbq and grill the chicken on a high heat. For a nice grill-marked chicken breast lay your chicken breasts on the grill and then after about 2 minutes without flipping the breast turn the chicken 90 degrees to the right for the classic cross-hatch look. Top with mango mint salsa and serve hot.

Mango Mint Salsa

2 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and diced
¼ cup chopped(1/4 inch) red onion
1 cup red, orange, and yellow baby peppers (regular bell peppers are also ok)
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 teaspoon finely minced jalapeño pepper, seeds removed (for spicier salsa leave seeds)
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Over your stove top or oven, roast the whole peppers, just enough to give it a grilled marks and a slight roasted flavor. Set aside to cool, then chop and add them to all the other ingredients.

Serve salsa either with the chicken or as a side dish with a nice bowl of tortilla chips.

The Next Great Kosher Chef Trailer Comes Out This Week!

2011-02-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

This coming Motzei Shabbos, the staff and chefs of the Center for Kosher Culinary are excited to be releasing the world premiere of the trailer for "The Next Great Kosher Chef," an advanced culinary competition that you have read about in The New York Times, The Forward, The Jewish Press and the The New York Jewish Week.

Stay tuned to this blog and our website, our facebook group and twitter http://www.twitter.com/@kosherculinary for easy access to the video.

NEW YORK TIMES Coverage of the NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF

2010-12-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

Here's the amazing article published on December 13th, 2010, in the New York Times:
At Kosher Chefs’ Cook-Off, Forget Foie Gras:

To promote its curriculum and the broader art of fine kosher cooking, the school solicited competitors to take part in an all-day kosher cook-off. The grand prize: a scholarship for a 152-hour training course, which Ms. Pinson said costs $5,000.

Professional chefs could not compete. Batsheva Goldstein, 32, a contestant from Brooklyn, cooks constantly at home and dreams of hosting a show on the Food Network, but she works as a nurse.

“It’s a job I can get a paycheck for,” she said, laughing.

As a hired film crew recorded the proceedings — the organizers are hoping to interest producers in the tape — the contestants went about a series of vaguely sadistic tasks. Step One: beat a dozen eggs to a puffy meringue, create a carrot julienne with a mandoline slicer, squeeze a few words in pastry buttercream and scale a fish, all in 15 minutes.

This came after a written exam in which the contestants were asked to weigh in on the New York City trans-fat ban and identify the kosher animal from the following: camel, giraffe, zebra and hare. (Answer: giraffe.)

Read the Full Article by clicking here!

The Forward's 'The Jew and the Carrot' Blog Covers Next Great Kosher Chef

2010-12-15T10:46:00.001-08:00

Here's the article (and a great photo!) by Itta Werdiger-Roth, published on Forward.com.

There is more to cooking than food, three home cooks and passionate foodies discovered on Sunday. The Next Great Kosher Chef competition, the first of its kind, was hosted by The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. With grueling written and physical parts of a eight-hour competition the heat was definitely on.

The prize: A scholarship to attend the school’s cooking program, valued at $5,000.

Want-to-be contestants first had to send in a short video and a personal essay. Of hundreds, ten were chosen for interviews. Three finalists took part in a televised elimination process. At 8 A.M. Sunday morning they began a written exam, with questions covering a variety of related topics such as “What temperature does water boil in Denver, Colorado? (answer; 203 F because of the different atmospheric pressure of a higher altitude.) A series of five surprise culinary challenges (julienne carrots, scale a fish and whip eggwhites to a stiff peak for example) followed. Then the competition culminated in a cook-off.

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/133955/#ixzz18CwYM0V2

Jewish Week's Description of Next Great Kosher Chef Challenges

2010-12-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

The Jewish Week published what is sure to be one of the best descriptions of the challenges our contestants endured as Next Great Kosher Chef finalists. We invite you to check out the article here. It's called, "Out of the Kosher Frying Pan, Into the Fire," by the great Amy Spiro.

Following the written test, the competitors — who were narrowed from a field of over 50 video applicants — faced a grueling, 15-minute, four-station challenge, to test their “endurance, speed, leadership and ability to multitask,” said Jesse Blonder, director of the three-year-old culinary school in Brooklyn.

The contestants raced through the course, separating 10 eggs — and checking for blood spots as per kosher specifications — then beating them to a stiff peak by hand, peeling and slicing a handful of carrots with a mandoline, filling a pastry bag with raspberry buttercream and piping out the same message six times, then finally gutting and de-scaling a black sea bass, under the watchful eye of chef Avram Wiseman and pastry chef Philippe Kaemmerle, both instructors at CKCA.

One of the competitors, Josh Pashman, 32, showed his cool under pressure; after slicing two of his fingers on the ultra-sharp mandoline, he opted to continue with the tournament, despite the blood loss, and the limited use of his hand.

Read the full article here!

Congratulations to all our Participants!!!

2010-12-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hearty congratulations and Yasher Koach to all the participants today's NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF competition. Special congrats to our NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF JASMINE EINALHORI!

We will report on the event as soon as we have all the details, but for now, we invite you to enjoy our coverage in today's NEW YORK TIMES! Click here for the article!

Enter the Raffle to See the Live Next Great Kosher Chef Competion!

2010-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts’ (CKCA) search for The NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF concludes with its final round on Sunday, December 12th. Three finalists will compete in a filmed competition at the Entrepreneur Space in Long Island City, NY, for a full scholarship to the CKCA Winter 2011 Professional Program in Culinary Arts (Cash value: $5,000). Besting the other competitors in the competition will also grant the winner the title of NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF.

The three finalists are Jasmine Einalhori, of Los Angeles, Calif., Batsheva Goldstein, of Brooklyn, NY, and Josh Pashman of Manhattan. These finalists faced stiff competition from many applicants and they have already survived a grueling application process, which indicated they possess strong kitchen skills and a passion for learning, while confirming their status as “amateur” chefs. Biographies about the finalists appears at the end of this release.

The December 12th finalist competition has three parts: a written exam, a series of surprise culinary challenges, and a final market basket challenge. Three judges will preside over the final market basket challenge, which is an "Iron Chef" style cooking competition in which the participants will create several dishes on a timed basis with the materials they are provided in a market basket. The event will be professionally filmed and will be made available to the public shortly.

The public can enter here to win two free tickets to the limited space live event.

Congrats to our Next Great Kosher Chef Finalists!!

2010-12-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Jasmine Einalhori, Batsheva Goldstein and Josh Pashman, our three finalists in the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts' Next Great Kosher Chef Competition! These finalists faced stiff competition from many applicants and we congratulate every one of our contest participants and thank everyone for their enthusiasm and involvement.

Our three finalists will compete on December 12th in Long Island City for a full scholarship to the CKCA Winter 2011 Professional Program in Culinary Arts, and of course, bragging rights to the title of NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF.

The December 12th competition has three parts: a written exam, a series of surprise culinary challenges, and a final market basket challenge. Three judges will preside over the final market basket challenge, which is an "Iron Chef" style competition. The event will be professionally filmed and will be made available to the public. Stay tuned next week for the opportunity to win one of two free tickets to the event!

The event will be judged by Elan Kornblum, editor and publisher of Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine, Jamie Geller, author of Quick and Kosher, Recipes from the Bride Who Knew
Nothing, and more recently Quick and Kosher: Meals in Minutes, and Seth Warshaw, executive chef/owner of ETC Steakhouse in Teaneck, NJ, who is a graduate of the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE).

About OUR FINALISTS:

Batsheva Goldstein, from Brooklyn, NY, currently works as a registered nurse and is a mother of two. She views cooking as an adventure and dreams of opening a catering company or cafe in several years, and hopes to even be able to juggle chefwork with her current nursing career. She sees the reward of cooking as being able to provide satisfaction and pleasure to other people, and she enjoys the challenge of adapting kosher ingredients to non-kosher recipes. She also works hard to introduce new flavors and ingredients to non-adventurous palates. Batsheva has a strong interest in learning about molecular gastronomy, and her favorite things to cook are sweet and sour corned beef and chocolate polka dot cheesecake. Watch Batsheva's application video on YouTube.

Josh Pashman, from New York City, currently works as a senior strategist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He holds a master's degree in global health from Yale University and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa. He has also worked in Ethiopia and traveled extensively in Latin America. At the age of six, Josh ran "Josh's Pizza and Pasta House," a restaurant in his own house, with his older brother as the primary restaurant patron. Considering that his mother didn't let him use the stovetop or any kitchenware, the restaurant was a runaway success. Josh hopes to do an apprenticeship in a restaurant and eventually gain enough experience and capital to open his second restaurant. (This time, for real!) He envisions someday owning a bed and breakfast hotel combined with a dairy restaurant with an emphasis on healthy cooking and global cuisine. His favorite things to cook are breakfast foods and fish. Watch Josh's application video on YouTube!

Jasmine Einalhori, from Los Angeles, California, currently works as a nanny. She holds degrees from Bar-Ilan University and NYU, and has wanted to be a chef since she was six years old. Jasmine finds cooking soothing and one of her favorite things is to satify even the pickiest of eaters. Jasmine's goal is to open a small catering business or restaurant in Israel. Her favorite things to cook are what she calls "Savta" or grandmother's food, because saftas "cook from the heart and with three hands." With her family's roots in Iran and Israel, she most often cooks middle eastern comfort foods, such as shabbat meals that include every middle eastern salad imaginable. Watch Jasmine's application video on YouTube.

Final Deadline: Next Great Kosher Chef Entry Deadline is November 1st

2010-10-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

For those interested in working only at the very last moment, the final deadline for the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts Scholarship Contest is officially November 1st, 2010. We apologize for any confusion on this, but we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get their application turned in.

We look forward to announcing our finalists within just a few weeks!

The official rules and the application to download are here at this link.

We will be announcing our amazing judging panel soon!

Please check back often for that info as well as other exciting announcements and also check out CKCA's other web presences: Kosher Baking and Pastry Blog and our Kosher Culinary Arts blog! And don't forget, check out our website for info on current master and recreational classes at http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com. You can also view current videos of prospective Next Great Kosher Chefs at this link.

Next Great Kosher Chef Contest Deadline Looms! Get Your App in by November 1st!

2010-10-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

The deadline for the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts Scholarship Contest is officially November 1st, 2010. We apologize for any confusion on this, but we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get their application turned in.

The official rules and the application to download are here at this link.

We are currently organizing our talented judges and look forward to announcing this amazing judging panel soon!

Please check back often for that info as well as other exciting announcements and also check out CKCA's other web presences: Kosher Baking and Pastry Blog and our Kosher Culinary Arts blog! And don't forget, check out our website for info on current master and recreational classes at http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com. You can also view current videos of prospective Next Great Kosher Chefs at this link.

First Next Great Kosher Chef Applicant Videos!

2010-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Meet our first set of Next Great Kosher Chef Applicants!

We invite you to enjoy the first of many Next Great Kosher Chef Applicant Videos. All the videos are available on Youtube at this link, and we encourage you to check back often as more and more are added.

We hope you enjoy the efforts of these great applicants!

Next Great Kosher Chef Contest Deadline Extended to Oct 1st!

2010-08-31T11:58:00.001-07:00

Due to overwhelming interest in our contest in recent days, the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts has agreed to extend the deadline for contest submissions until November 1, 2010.

This will hopefully give everyone who is interested the opportunity to fill out the application and make a video for submission.

We look forward to seeing applications from everyone who would like to become The Next Great Kosher Chef!

For the official rules and the NGKC application, please click here!

Don't Get Left Behind! Applications Are Rolling in for The Next Great Kosher Chef Competition!

2010-08-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Above: Contestant Danit Zerykier demonstrates how to make a two-egg omelette in her Next Great Kosher Chef entry video.

Here's the first screen shot, and soon we will begin to share videos and stories about the contestants entering The Next Great Kosher Chef competition, which will award a scholarship to the Winter 2011 Professional Program in Culinary Arts at CKCA. Apps are coming in from all over the country and the competition is growing as more and more people hear about the opportunity to go to kosher culinary school on a full scholarship.

Visit here for the official rules and entry requirements, and we look forward to seeing what you can do in the kitchen!

The Next Great Kosher Chef Scholarship Contest Official Rules

2010-07-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

DESCRIPTION

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts (CKCA) is looking for The Next Great Kosher Chef. Highly motivated, hard-working, responsible amateur cooks who are committed to building a career for themselves in the kosher food-service industry are encouraged to apply for one of three spots in an intensive culinary competition, to be held at CKCA in November and December of 2010.

The winner of this challenge will be awarded a full scholarship to the Winter 2011 professional training program in culinary arts (total value =$4,950) and the title of The Next Great Kosher Chef.

To enter, applicants must submit both a written application and a short video by mail or email. Specific details about the application are listed below.

Ten semi-finalists will be selected from the initial applicant pool to move on to a qualifying round of interviews based upon the potential for a successful career that they demonstrate via their written and video application entries. From this group, three finalists will will be chosen to participate in the final competition.

The competition will involve a written examination and a series of surprise culinary challenges. The finalist who achieves the highest scores will become The Next Great Kosher Chef.

ELIGIBILITY

The Next Great Kosher Chef competition is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 or older at time of entry. Applicants must have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Professional chefs, caterers or any other individuals involved in the preparation of food or recipes for more than one year are not eligible. Graduates and current students of any of CKCA's professional training programs are not eligible, nor are students or graduates of any other professional-level training program in culinary or pastry arts. In addition, employees, directors and officers, and their immediate families (spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses), and the respective household members, of the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, their parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, agents, advertising and promotion agencies, are not eligible to participate.

APPLICATION

The application for The Next Kosher Chef consists of two parts. Both are mandatory.

Written application

-- Every question on the form must be completed, per the instructions provided. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Video submission

-- Two to three minutes of video in which the applicant explains who they are, why they want to be a chef and why they should be chosen to compete.

-- Two minutes or less of the applicant cooking eggs, in the style of their choice, from start to finish.

-- The total allotted time for the video entry is five minutes.

-- Some portions of the video may be posted on the contest blog for promotion purposes.

Those who wish to apply, but are unable to produce video content may contact CKCA at 718.758.1339 to request an alternative application. There is no guarantee that an alternative application will be granted.

The complete application is available at this link (click here). Those without internet access or anyone unable to download the application may call CKCA at 718.758.1339 to request a hard copy or an emailed Word document.

Written applications may be mailed to:

CKCA

C/O: The Next Kosher Chef
1407 Coney Island Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11230

Applications may be emailed to:

Contest@kosherculinaryarts.com
Subject: The Next Kosher Chef, Your Name

Video submission instructions will be provided upon receipt of the written application.

FINAL COMPETITION

The final competition between the three finalists chosen by CKCA will take place at CKCA on Sunday December 12th. The competition will have two parts.

Written Examination:

The first part of the competition is a written examination. The exam will consist of a combination of multiple choice and short essay questions and test the competitors on basic math skills, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and writing ability.

Culinary Challenge:

The second part of the competition will comprise of a series of surprise culinary challenges designed to evaluate the contestants' on their speed, work ethic, physical stamina, creativity, leadership, ability to improvise, capacity to take on responsibility, organizational skills, and overall potential for success in a commercial kitchen.

TIMELINE

Round 1 (JULY 1 - NOVEMBER 1)
Initial application submission period

(NOVEMBER 1)
top 10 semifinalists announced

Round 2 (NOVEMBER - DECEMBER)
Qualifying round of interviews and three finalists announced

DEC 12
final competition

LEGAL NOTICE

Written and video content, once submitted, become property of CKCA and may be disseminated, reproduced, sold, edited in any way that CKCA sees fit.

CKCA Newest Scholarship Contest! The Next Great Kosher Chef

2010-06-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

CKCA's biggest and most exciting contest yet is set to roll out within the next week. We are offering an incredible opportunity -- a full scholarship to attend the Winter semester of the CKCA Kosher Professional Program in Culinary Arts. The cash value of the course is $4950, and we are simply thrilled to be able to provide this wonderful opportunity to a promising candidate.

We look forward to sharing details about this contest, as well as videos, photos and other multi-media, here on this site, and on our Facebook group as well. Potential students interested in learning about the Professional Program in Culinary Arts can visit http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com.

Stay tuned here this week for the official rules and submission information. We can't wait to meet The Next Great Kosher Chef!

Are You The Next Kosher Chef?

2010-04-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Do you have a sharp intellect, a yearning to go to culinary school, and eye for presentation and a passion to succeed in the classical gastronomic arts? If so, you may have what it takes to enter the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts new merit-based scholarship contest, the details of which will be announced in June.

The winner of the contest will be awarded a full scholarship to CKCA's Professional Training Program in Culinary Arts, to begin in the Fall of 2010. Remember to check back here in June for application information! We look forward to seeing what you're made of!

Stay Tuned for Details of Our Newest Scholarship Contest

2010-04-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts will launch its next scholarship contest this summer, with an exciting event called The Next Kosher Chef. Prospective students will enter a skill-based contest to win a full scholarship (worth $4,950) in the Culinary Arts Pro Program at CKCA.

Stay tuned here and at the CKCA website, http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com for more details! Visit CKCA's Pro Baking program at http://www.kosherbakingandpastry.com and CKCA's Pro Culinary Arts program at http://www.kosherculinaryarts.blogspot.com.