JCI CHEF

2012-01-22T14:08:00.001+02:00

New Professional Program Begins on 29, January, 2012

The JCI is proud to announce the opening of our next Professional Program beginning on 29 January, 2012. This is a six month program that teaches the foundation skills of kosher cooking to set you on your way for an exciting job in the kosher food industry. At the end of the program, qualified students are sent on an internship in a local establishment. Please see our web site at www.jcichef.com or call us at 972 2 992 3128 for more detail.

2012-01-04T11:45:00.001+02:00

The students in the Culinary program recently enjoyed a trip to Shuk Machne Yehuda to learn how to select the freshest fish and then it was back to the JCI to learn how to prepare and cook their purchases. The students learned how to bone and fillet whole fish and then they tried out their culinary skills turning out many delicious new dishes.

2011-12-19T14:46:00.005+02:00

Cooking Lesson with Chef Yochanan

2011-12-19T11:39:00.002+02:00

Chef Yochanan Lambiase on the "Goldstein on Gelt" Radio Show - Jerusalem

Exciting New Workshops for January 2012!

2011-12-18T15:15:00.002+02:00

Fish 101, 12 Jan, 9:30-11:30

· Maple Glazed Salmon
· Crispy Baked Cod with Lemon
· Bulgur Pilaf

Creative Quiches and Savory Pies, 12 Jan, 9:30-11:30

Learn the basics of working with a savory dough to enable you to make a variety of quiches and pies at home

Traditional Moroccan Salad Plate, 12 Jan, 13:00-15:00

· Rice and Tuna with Chopped Vegetables
· Green Bean and Roasted Red Peppers
· New Potatoes with Fresh Herb Dressing
· Moroccan Spicy Carrot Salad
· Cold Beet Salad with Cumin and Cilantro

The Kosher Italian Kitchen-Fish, 19 Jan, 9:30-11:30

· Pesce in Saor-Marinated Fried Fish
· Patate al Pomidoro—Potatoes in Fresh Tomato Sauce

Decorating Birthday Cakes, 19 Jan, 9:30-11:30

Learn how to decorate special birthday cakes for someone special in your life with rolled fondant and then covered with cartoon characters for children or flowers for a special lady.

Sushi 101, 19 Jan, 13:00-15:00
The basics of sushi making including the preparation of the rice and rice vinaigrette. Learn how to properly cut vegetables for sushi and finally, learn how to make a vegetarian California roll.

Classic Lemon Meringue Pies, 26 Jan, 9:30-11:30

Learn how to work with a variety of meringues, pies and tarts based on the classic lemon meringue pie.

A Trip to the Shuk with Chef Jeff Lewis, 26 Jan, 10:00-13:00

Please join us for a visit to the Machne Yehuda Shuk with Chef Jeff Lewis visiting a range of the best shops. Learn how and where to buy. At the end of the tour, enjoy a light lunch with the group. Special Price: 175 NIS

Tuition is 150 NIS for a two hour workshop.
Special price for teens 13-16 is 100 NIS. Special price for children under 12 is 75 NIS. This price cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.
All AACI and OU Center members receive a 10% discount for adult tuitions. This price cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.
Please email (info@jcichef.com) or call Jerusalem Culinary Institute at (02 992 3128) to reserve a space.
Payment may be made by check, cash or credit card and must be paid in full at least three days before the class.
We are Kosher Mehadrin Agudath Israel under the supervision of Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
JCI reserves the right to cancel a class if there are less than 8 participants. If JCI cancels a class, tuition will be refunded.
Students canceling a class less than three days before a class may not receive a refund.

Come Join Us in November for Our Exciting Workshops!

2011-10-30T13:21:00.000+02:00

Cake Decorating – Beginners Date: Thu 3 Nov 9:30-11:30

Learn the basics of cake decorating including how to frost a cake, make simple flowers and basic writing skills

Cake Decorating - Intermediate Date: Thu 3 Nov 12:30-14:30

Once you have mastered the basics, learn more advanced skills including how to make cartoon characters, advanced

decorations and a variety of writing skills. Special price for students taking both the Beginners and Intermediate class – 250 NIS

Cooking with Julia Date: Thu 3 Nov 9:30-11:30

One of the best of Julia Child’s French chicken dishes made kosher

Coq au Vin – Chicken in Wine

Cook Once, Eat Twice Date: Thu 3 Nov 13:00-15:00

Spaghetti Bolognese
Frittata

Fresh from the Shuk – Mediterranean Fish Date: Thu 10 Nov 9:30-11:30

Sea Bream (Denise) with Almonds and Orange
Sea Bass (Levrak) in Salsa Verde

Baking with Autumn Fruits Date: Thu 10 Nov 9:30-11:30

Pear and Apple Crisp
Persimmon Pudding Cake

Crazy for Cupcakes Date:Thu 10 Nov 12:30-14:30

Join the cupcake craze and learn how to bake and decorate cupcakes using a variety of styles including flowers and

cartoon characters

Healthy and Easy One Pot Meals Date: Thu 10 Nov 13:00 – 15:00

Mediterranean Vegetable Stew with Chickpeas
Chicken Chasseur – a French bistro classic with chicken in red wine

Indian Vegetarian Lunch Date: Thu 17 Nov 9:30-11:30

Masaledar Basmati – Spiced Basmati Rice
Bund gobi aur matar – Cabbage with Peas
Shorvedar Chukander – Beets with Onions

Pies for Beginners Date: Thu 17 Nov 9:30-11:30

Learn the basics of pie making and make two of the favorite pies of Autumn – apple and pecan

Pies – Intermediate Date: Thu 17 Nov 12:30-14:30

Two more favorite pies – lemon meringue and chocolate cream. Special price for students taking both the Beginners and

Intermediate class – 250 NIS

Autumn Soups Date: Thu 17 Nov 13:00-15:00

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup with Cumin and Coriander
Italian Minestrone with Meatballs

Sharpening Your Knife Skills Date: Thu 24 Nov 9:30-11:30

Learn the most important skill in the kitchen – how to properly use a knife. In this class, you will learn how to select, maintain

and use your knives. Learn proper knife handling and safety and all of the basic knife cuts.

Challah with a Twist Date: Thu 24 Nov 9:30-14:30

Learn the basics of challah baking as well as something new – tri-color challah with a variety of toppings. This is a double

class to allow for rising and baking. The cost for this special class is 300 NIS.

Learn a New Skill – Stir Fry Date: Thu 24 Nov 13:00-15:00

Chicken Cashew Stir Fry
Vegetable Stir Fried Rice

Payment Information

The tuition is 150 NIS for a two hour workshop.
Special price for teens 13-16 is 100 NIS. Special price for children under 12 is 75 NIS. This price cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.
All AACI and OU Center members receive a 10% discount for adult tuitions. This price cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.
Please email (info@jcichef.com) or call Jerusalem Culinary Institute at (02 992 3128) to reserve a space.
Payment may be made by check, cash or credit card and must be paid in full at least three days before the class.
We are Kosher Mehadrin Agudath Israel under the supervision of Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
JCI reserves the right to cancel a class if there are less than 8 participants. If JCI cancels a class, tuition will be refunded.
Students canceling a class less than three days before a class may not receive a refund.

Learn a New Skill for Rosh Hashanah at our September Workshops

2011-08-24T13:47:00.000+03:00

Fun for Two - Moroccan Lunch 1/9/11 9:30 - 11:00 Come with a friend and learn how to make a special Moroccan lunch - Vegetarian Tagine - with the freshest ingredients from Machne Yehuda. Special price - 250 NIS for two people. Regular workshops prices are 150 NIS each.

Sharpening Your Knife Skills 1/9/11 13:00 - 14:30 Learn the most important skill in the kitchen - how to properly use a knife. In this class, you will learn how to select, maintain and use all of your knives. Learn proper knife handling and safety and all of the basic knife cuts.

Rosh Hashanah Salads - Ashkenazi Favorites 8/9/11 9:30 - 11:00

Rosh Hashanah Salads - Sephardi Favorites 8/9/11 13:00 - 14:30

Rosh Hashanah Side Dishes - Ashkenazi 15/9/11 9:30 - 11:00

Rosh Hashanah Side Dishes - Sephardi 15/9/11 13:00 - 14:30

Workshops are 150NIS each. Please email us at info@jcichef.com or call us at (02) 992 3128 to register for a class.

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

2011-07-31T10:37:00.000+03:00

The Graduating Class of July 2011 display some of their amazing wedding cakes after only a few days of lessons. Well done, students!

Women's Patisserie and Boulangerie Class

2011-07-31T09:55:00.000+03:00

With the new semester in full swing, the Patisserie students are making amazing breads. Check out these samples from the Women's class with Chefs Peninah, Bella, Amy and Katy!

Come Join Us in August for Our Wonderful Workshops

2011-07-28T14:12:00.000+03:00

We are continuing our schedule of Thursday workshops throughout the month of August. Please join us for 90 minutes of new skills, new recipes and new friends.

Children's Workshop – Make Your Own Pasta/Thu 4 Aug/9:30-11:00

Suitable for children over 6 years of age

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Ravioli stuffed with Sweet Potatoes

Sharpening Your Knife Skills/Thu 4 Aug/13:00-14:30

Learn the most important skill in the kitchen – how to properly use a knife. In this class, you will learn how to select, maintain and use all of your knives. Learn proper knife handling and safety and all of the basic knife cuts.

Asian Ethnic Cuisine-Healthy and Unfired/Thu 4 Aug/13:00-14:30

Vegetable Pasta, Asian Style

Tangy Tahina Sauce

Lemon and Garlic Sauce

Pasta created from vegetables – no gluten of any sort. Chef Chana will demonstrate how delicious gluten free can be and she will provide some great complimentary sauces.

Flavors of the Middle East - Chicken/Thu 11 Aug/9:30-11:00

Chicken stuffed with pistachios and garlic

Bulgur with roasted root vegetables and caramelized onions

Vegetarian Dishes for the Family/Thu 11 Aug/13:00-14:30

Quinoa and Red Rice Salad

Tomato, Semolina and Coriander Soup

Pasta Pizzazz! (Gluten and Dairy Free)/Thu 11 Au/13:00-14:30

Gluten Free Pasta

Non-Dairy Alfredo Sauce

Taste of India/Thu 18 Aug/9:30-11:00

Chicken Biryani with cardamom scented basmati rice

Fried Onion Paratha

Children’s Workshop – Chicken Fingers/Thu 18 Aug/13:00-14:30

Learn how to make healthy chicken fingers that you bake in the oven. The children will also make a salad and a quick bread. This is suitable for children over 6 years of age.

South of the Border (No Meat/Pareve)/Thu 18 Aug/13:00-14:30

Spicy Tacos with “Meat” – a vegetarian version spiced with a Mexican mix of seasonings

Fajita Vegetables – colorfully marinated Mexican vegetables

Risotto/Thu 25 Aug/9:30-11:00

Mixed Mushrooms

Lemon, Leek and Thyme

Fresh Pasta/Thu 25 Aug/13:00-14:30

Fresh pasta

Basil fettuccine with sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts

Healthy Unfired Soups (Dairy Free/Pareve)/Thu 25 Aug/13:00-14:30

Creamy Avocado and Cucumber Soup

Fiery Carrot Soup

Payment Information

The tuition is 150 NIS for a 90 minute workshop for teens over 17 and adults.

Special price for teens 13-16 is 100 NIS. Special price for children under 12 is 75 NIS. This price cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.

All AACI and OU Center members receive a 10% discount for adult tuitions. This price cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.

Please email (info@jcichef.com) or call Jerusalem Culinary Institute at (02 992 3128) to reserve a space.
Payment may be made by check, cash or credit card and must be paid in full at least three days before the class.

We are Kosher Mehadrin Agudath Israel under the supervision of Rabbi Binyomin Adler.

JCI reserves the right to cancel a class if there are less than 8 participants. If JCI cancels a class, tuition will be refunded.

Students canceling a class less than three days before a class may not receive a refund.

Chef Yochanan Lambiase Featured Monthly in Mishpacha Magazine

2011-07-28T10:51:00.000+03:00

We are very proud to announce that Chef Yochanan Lambiase, the founder of the Jerusalem Culinary Institute, is now being featured every month in the Hebrew version of Mishpacha magazine. This wonderful magazine reaches many homes all over Israel. Chef Yochi provides recipes for each issue and demonstrates the procedures. The stories are entirely filmed at the JCI and the JCI students often help do the prep work for the photo shoots.

These articles have included partnerships with well known Israeli companies like Binyamina Wines and Elite Chocolate and covered a wide range of subjects from healthy cooking, meat and chicken dishes to easy summer recipes. Check out some of Chef Yochi's dishes!

New 8 Week Programs for Hebrew Speakers - Culinary and Patisserie

2011-07-28T10:34:00.000+03:00

We are very excited about our new programs for Hebrew speakers which started in May. The first set of programs included an 8 Week Program for men and a separate class for women in Culinary Arts. Both programs were two evenings a week from 18:00 - 21:00 for 8 weeks. These programs just finished and we have now added an 8 Week Program for women in Patisserie.

Please contact JCI at 054 4247334 for more information about the programs or email us at info@jcichef.com. We would welcome a visit to the school to see classes in process and meet the students and teachers.

New Professional Program for English Speakers Starts in July

2011-07-28T10:16:00.000+03:00

One class has just graduated and another Professional Program for English speakers started on 17 July, 2011. The six month program runs from Sunday to Wednesday, 9:00 - 17:00 and includes a half day in the Culinary kitchen and a half day in the Patisserie kitchen. At the end of the program, qualified students are sent on internships for one month to restaurants, caterers and hotels to continue their education. Most students pursue their internships in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

Our next Professional Program begins on 29 January, 2012. We are accepting applications now and we invite students to visit the school to see a class in process and meet the Chefs and students. Please call (02) 992 3128 or email: info@jcichef.com for an appointment.

Revolutionary New Culinary Program Starting Dec 2010

2010-10-10T13:45:00.000+02:00

Jerusalem Culinary Institute

Announces a Revolutionary New Program in Culinary Arts

Take 8 Weeks Out of Your Life To Create a New Career or Be a Pro in Your Own Kitchen

The Kosher food industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world which has created more job opportunities than ever before

If you are passionate about cooking, you belong at The Jerusalem Culinary Institute
We can help you prepare for a career or help you advance your home skills

In just 8 weeks of evening classes, 3 times a week, you will have learned good solid foundation skills
You will then be on your way to an internship in top kosher restaurants in Israel and throughout the world

And that’s not all!

JCI alumni can return at any time to participate in our Workshops where you can hone your skills in the latest trends in the food industry all at a reduced rate

First class begins in December 2010 in our new location in Talpiot with new programs starting every 8 weeks

If you are ready for the heat, come into our kitchen!

Book now - Space is limited Affordable Price Easy Payments Classes are in English

Jerusalem Culinary Institute, 6 Yad Harutzim, Talpiot
Tel (02) 992 3128 Fax (02) 591 6655 Email info@jcichef.com http://www.jcichef.com/
Kosher Mehadrin Agudath Israel under the supervision of Rabbi Binyomin Adler

JCI New Premises in Jerusalem December 2010

2010-10-10T13:36:00.000+02:00

As Sweet as Sugar

2010-06-07T13:59:00.004+03:00

Chef Guy showed the students of the pastry program the art of making sugar roses and blown sugar birds and fruit this Monday.

The sugar syrup was heated to a high temperature to the level of “Hard Crack” and then poured onto a silicon pad and worked by hand until cool.

The sugar was then ready to pull into roses and blown into swans.

AMAZING!!!!!

L'Chaim

2010-06-07T13:58:00.001+03:00

This past Sunday the JCI was privileged to be visited by Wine Connoisseur/Journalist and Lecturer David Rhoades an Oleh from Worcester,MA who is fast making his mark on the Wine Industry here in Israel.

David spoke about the importance of understanding and appreciation of wines and of the tremendous new opportunities in this ever expanding wine industry.

The Students sampled 6 wines and paired them with different dishes to understand the aromas and tastes.

All the students had a great time.

Restaurant Night at The JCI

2010-06-03T13:43:00.001+03:00

After 8 months of study the 30 students of the JCI where let loose on the general public here at the JCI restaurant.
The evening was an amazing success and the students were totally engrossed in making sure that the dishes and the service would put an established restaurant to shame.
The JCI restaurant is a wonderful showcase for the JCI students and we were completely booked.
Many thanks to our culinary lecturers Chef Jeff Lewis and Guy Frenkel for leading the team.
Well done to the students who worked very hard but enjoyed every second of the pressure .

Next Stop final Exams and 4 weeks of work experience at Restaurants here in Israel and abroad
Stay tuned.........................................

The Cast:

Head Chef : Chef Jeff Lewis
Sous Chef: Amrom Pitterman
Appetizers: Eli Sillins,Malka Gerasymova
Main Course: Fish - Ariel Fisch,Sholem Hager
                      Meat - Brian Koenigson
                      Pasta- Adam Lamport
Desserts:   Shira Jacobson
                 Ilana Zucker
                 Reuven Sackett

The Waiters:

Maitre d'Hotel : Moshe Bakst
Hostess: Tzippy Orenstein
Waitress: Renana Rabinovitch
Waiter: Okki Heller,Shmuel Apel
Runners: Yaakov Bogoff, Tzvi Vatenmacher

Cheerleader: Levi Schryber who unfortunatley cut his finger in the course of action

Many thanks to the rest of the students who worked in the morning
ENJOY THE PICTURES BELOW

Come and join us next week on June 9th

The Menu

The Lecturers and Students / Chef Yochanan Lambiase ( Founder of JCI)

The stage is set

Okki Heller making the final touches

Shmuel Apel and Zvi Vatenmacher before service

"The speeed of service"

"The concentration" Shira Jacobson

Sauteed Grey Mullet Fillet Encrusted with Herb Pesto on a Bed of Warm Aubergine and Roast Tomato Salad

Braised Beef with Shallot Gravy on a bed of Creamy Mustard Infused Mashed Potato and Steamed Garden Vegetables

Ravioli of Braised Chicken with Mushroom,Spinach and Basil Broth

Pineapple Carpaccio with Pear and Almond Kadif Tart

Deep Fried Chocolate Truffles with Wild Cherries in Warm Chocolate Cognac Sauce

Avraham and Hinda Schryber with our student Levi

Mrs Louise Hager London Uk with her son Sholem

Rabbi and Mrs Cohen (Chabad Lubavitch Hebron)

The Beauty of Creation

2010-05-27T15:01:00.000+03:00

JCI Fish Catch

2010-05-17T12:27:00.001+03:00

This week the students of the JCI were busy learning the intricacies of making a good fish Cooking fish because of its high level of protein takes only a few minutes to cook and if it's done right it will be sweet and flavoursome.If you don't keep your eye on it, you can be put off having fish for the rest of your life.

Come and enjoy the pictures of their work

Poached Grey Mullet Fillet with Saffron Risotto and Red Pepper Coulis

Ingredients:

1 fillet grey mullet

3 cups fish stock

1 red pepper

100 gr round rice

Pinch saffron

Olive oil

300 ml fish stock ready for the risotto

Splash white wine

S&P

1 cup slanted green onion strips

Method:
1/Make red pepper coulis

2/Make 100 gr risotto with hint of saffron

3/Cut green onions

4/Finish by gently poaching the fillet in the stock

Plate by putting the risotto in a ring in the center of the plate and drizzle coulis around plate. Place fish on top of the rice and arrange green onions on the fish.

CHINESE JEWS EATING GEFILTE FISH ???!!!??!!***

2010-03-17T17:30:00.001+02:00

Did you just pinch yourself???

Well you’re not dreaming; Chinese people are interested in Jewish culture and food.

The JCI was privileged to be visited by a TV Hong Kong Channel who is traveling around Israel for their new series.
The program is called "One Life One Earth"

The Host of the show Tony Hung was quite amazed about kosher food and just loved the Traditional Gefilte Fish.

He even took some back to the hotel with him

“Awh tha Goood …….Sow Taistii”

Anyway they were a great bunch all be it a little strange with their humor.

Thanks Guys and come again.

Petit Fours

2010-03-14T13:37:00.000+02:00

This past week at the JCI the students were learning the art of making Petit Fours .
Enjoy the Pics!

JCI Trip To Moshav Modiin Farm

2010-03-14T13:26:00.002+02:00

What a great day we had last Thursday at the farm in Mevo Modi’in! We arrived in high spirits and were first given a tour of the farm. We all learned how to milk a goat after which we collected the milk and made a quick white Russian style goat cheese called Chirkese. We then made a Laban. Our tour guide came with a selection of her own cheeses and a spice box with which the students made their own flavoured cheese balls. After that, we were taught by another American woman how to weave the goats’ wool.

We collected flowers and feathers from the garden and the students ironed them between two peaces of grease proof paper to create a piece of art to take home. Her husband took us on a guide of the ancient olive press and wine press. It was HOT!! We were taken to our second to last stop to the house of Dina Solomon who gave a demo on making raw food cookies from seeds and nuts. She was very charming and she had all 18 of us in her cozy kitchen. We went to the house of another great American lady, a New Yorker who showed us her organic vegetable garden – all great fun.

Finally, we went to the shul to hear some live music - a spiritual mix of mystical Jewish music. After that, we went back to the farm and had herb tea and more cheese. It was a very special day for the class and everyone on the moshav treated us with great generosity and made us so very welcome in all their homes.

Steak Anyone ???????

2010-02-11T14:49:00.002+02:00

This past Wednesday the budding chefs learned how to cook a great entrecote steak and of course practiced how to turn potatoes and carrots.
They practiced the technique of how to cook a perfect steak and to judge its doneness.
They are taking all the skills to a higher level and are now putting together this gastronomic puzzle

Pan Grilled Entrecote Steak with Red Wine Gravy
Turned Roasted Potatoes
Glazed Carrots
Shallots with Amaretto and Rosemary
“That will be $150 please sir.”

It's 3 o'clock and everyone stops for tea

2010-02-11T14:34:00.004+02:00

Yes, it's been another amazing week in the JCI Bakery kitchen.
The students put another notch in their apron strings and came out with more amazing results.
They learned how to work with gelatine to produce these magnificent cakes.

Student Trip to The Temple Mount Sifting Project

2010-02-11T14:14:00.007+02:00

This past Thursday, the students of the JCI made a trip 2,000 years back in time to find artefacts from the 1st and 2nd Temple.
The Temple Mount sifting project is found at Har Tzorim on the Mount of Olives.
Firstly, the students learned all about the history of the Temple Mount and the treasures that have been hidden all these years.
We also saw an interesting exhibit of pottery, coins, spears, signet rings all dating back to the Temple period.
I wonder if they ever found any 2000 year old Cholent!

Jared Shulman and David Babani Hold JCI Banner High In San Francisco

2010-02-05T10:07:00.005+02:00

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Eighteen months ago, a small group of Jewish men in the East Bay, all active in the community and most with kids at Oakland Hebrew Day School, began tossing around the idea of opening a restaurant.

When the men got serious and started planning, they had all kinds of ideas. They wanted to have a cuisine that was Middle Eastern, kosher and vegetarian. They wanted to have the best hummus in the Bay Area. They wanted it to be in the perfect location.

But, perhaps most importantly, they wanted the restaurant to accomplish something that other Bay Area Jewish institutions have been hard-pressed to pull off: community building.

Amba, a 6-week-old establishment in Oakland’s Montclair district, seems to be doing just that.

“Every time you go there, you meet someone you know, or people you don’t know, and that’s an important part of any Jewish community,” said Rabbi Yaakov Kagan of Chabad of Contra Costa County. “That’s something which is sorely missed in the Bay Area — access to creating a social community. I think Amba goes a long way toward building that.

“Oh, and of course the food is great, too.”

The 45-seat eatery is proving what an Orthodox rabbi once told one of the co-owners: that restaurants are the second most important thing (behind synagogues) in Jewish community building.

Amba is located in the Oakland district of Montclair. photos/cathleen maclearieSince opening in late December, Amba has had good crowds. Chabad rabbis are scheduling get-togethers at the restaurant. Reform Congregation Temple Sinai is holding a staff meeting there. Orthodox Beth Jacob Congregation is going to have its teen club meet there for learning programs and game nights.
As for daily customers, the owners said they are seeing some of the same faces two or three or even four times a week, and that no one is bashful about keeping their kippah on.

“We’re not trying to pretend we’re something we’re not,” said Jonathan Wornick, one of the owners. “We’re not hiding our Jewishness or our pride. We are proud of who we are.”

Wornick, of Berkeley, is one of four investors in Amba, along with Reuven Kahane of Piedmont and Dustin Eber and Clive Gavshon of Oakland.

The latter three all have children attending Oakland Hebrew Day School (a Modern Orthodox K-8 school in the Oakland hills) and are members at nearby Beth Jacob. Wornick is a member at Reform Temple Isaiah, just on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel in Lafayette, and serves as vice president and campaign chairman for the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay.

The investors decided early on to feature kosher food. “There’s a need to serve that community, and we’re filling that niche,” Wornick said.

But it has to be more than that.

“The key is to make it work for all clientele,” observed Beth Jacob’s Rabbi Judah Dardik, whose already had dined at Amba five times (his synagogue is only two miles away). “Most people are just there for the restaurant and couldn’t care less that it’s kosher.”

Dardik said his early favorites are the tostim (a grilled cheese pita) and the pita chips. Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham, a Conservative synagogue in Oakland about four miles from Amba, said his early favorites are the falafel sandwich and the cauliflower soup.

Amba has a small menu of Middle Eastern fare, and it is the type of establishment described as “fast casual,” meaning that patrons order at the counter and get their food cooked to order in a few minutes.

The menu includes four types of hummus plates, four types of Middle Eastern sandwiches and five kinds of soups and salads. No item is more than $8. There are also side orders, snacks and crispy french fries, as well as “seasonal” offerings that change daily, based on whatever fresh ingredients are available.

Amba (which rhymes with samba) is a tangy pickled mango sauce that’s very popular in Israel. The restaurant has it in ketchup-like squeeze bottles.

Another thing Amba has is a seal of approval from Vaad HaKashrus, the kosher certification board of Northern California. It is closed on Shabbat, and will also be closed during Passover.

“We knew we wanted to have a kosher place, and we knew we wanted it to be moderately priced,” Kahane said. “So Middle Eastern food was the way to go. Most vegetarian restaurants feature alfalfa sprouts or soy meat products. But we didn’t want that.”

Middle Eastern food was the perfect choice, Wornick added, because “it’s not taking a cuisine and making it vegetarian. It is what it is.”

While the kosher and vegetarian factors are nice selling points for Bay Area diners, the price factor cannot be overlooked in helping Amba achieve its goal of becoming a community hangout spot.

“We really worked hard on price, keeping it cheap,” Wornick said.

In part because of that, “it’s a great gathering place,” Dardik said. “It’s one thing to have people over to your house, but it’s another to be able to go out with friends. It provides a place to go that’s not too expensive at all. You can be with friends, and it has a peppy, upbeat feel.”

The walls are awash in a warm orange glow, which plays perfectly off the butcher-block tables (including one community table) and the faux hardwood floors.

There is an open kitchen, and some of the Israeli salads and other foods are colorfully displayed in heaping bowls near the counter, rather than buried in industrial-style metal trays.

“We wanted to make this place feel comfortable and clean,” Kahane said.

Two other big things the owners wanted: a safe, central location and ownership of the building.

Both fell into their laps when a tenant vacated a spot in a building owned by Kahane, a non-practicing rabbi and former lawyer from New York who now deals in real estate.

The location in Montclair is just what the owners were looking for: Though not near a BART station, it’s just off Highway 13 in a picturesque commercial district in the Oakland hills, convenient to residents of Berkeley, Oakland and Contra Costa County.

Owning the building gave the investors the hands-on control they were looking for, allowing them to renovate the 2,100-square-foot spot to suit their own needs and desires.

All of Amba’s owners brought different elements to the table. Eber has long been an executive in the fashion industry; Gavshon is an executive with a restaurant company; and Kahane has real estate, restaurant and legal experience (he helped launch Jerusalem’s first chain of bagel shops in the 1990s).

Wornick was an art director in the film industry for 10 years, and now runs an architect and landscape design business. He oversaw the design and the look of the restaurant, striving for something “with clean lines … that looked more modern than I had ever seen before.”

“It’s nice to have somewhere to come that’s five-star, that makes kosher look like it should — something to be proud of, a really classy environment,” said Kagan of Contra Costa County Chabad, who ate at Amba three times in its first two weeks of business.

The menu and food were developed by chefs Jared Schulman and David Babani, who hail from Philadelphia and Seattle, respectively. Both trained at the Jerusalem Culinary Institute, where Kahane found them last year on a “recruiting trip.” The general manager is Brian Walden, who has 17 years experience in the restaurant business.

Amba opened with a bang, hosting a Chabad-Lubavitch event for more than 100 people the second night it was open. The restaurant has been doing a lot of catering, as well. And by the time spring arrives, the plan is to have al fresco dining, with 30 or so seats on an outdoor patio.

While all of the owners are happy with the restaurant’s early success, Wornick is perhaps most excited. A participant a few years ago in the prestigious Wexner Fellowship program for emerging Jewish leaders, he is heavily involved with the East Bay federation, AIPAC and several other Jewish institutions.

“When I was in the Wexner program, the focus was always on the big question: How do we bring Jews into the community?” Wornick said. “By accident, I’ve fallen into a way to make community. Maybe this restaurant will be the solution.”

Amba is located at 6464 Moraga Ave., Oakland. Information: (510) 339-8000 or http://www.ambafalafel.com.

“Let Them Eat Cake” – Marie Antoinette

2010-02-03T18:16:00.003+02:00

This week in the Patisserie Program, we moved onto a new chapter in their repertoire. Cakes, Cakes and well you guessed it, even more cakes. Over the past few weeks, the students learned different preparations such as Vanilla Pastry Cream, Meringues, and biscuits. Now by using the techniques that they learned, the students assembled these most wonderful cakes. Chef Guy showed the students how to assemble and decorate. This is only the beginning! Please call me when its time for tea!

“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as Vintage Wine.”- Unknown

2010-02-03T17:56:00.013+02:00

In my opinion, for whatever it’s worth, is if you can’t cook a simple vegetable then you may as well forget being a chef.
This week at the JCI, the students were learning the “Art” of cooking vegetables. A well cooked vegetable must be bursting with color and taste and naturally sweet. When you bite into it, “aahh” that notable soft crack in your mouth rather than biting into a grey ball of mush. Beautifully cooked vegetables enhance the flavors and appearance of every dish whether it be an antipasti, main course accompaniment or a simple dish, just by itself. There are so many interesting varieties to choose from, not just carrots and peas. We worked with Asparagus, Jerusalem Artichokes, and French Beans. We made Pepper Coulis and Basil Pesto to give that perfect match. The students learned to blanch and refresh vegetables to stop the cooking process.

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it. ~Julia Child

New Program: Healthy Cooking For Professional Chefs Starting May 2010

2010-02-03T14:42:00.004+02:00

Dr Rani Polak

NEWS EVENT

Jerusalem, 01 February, 2010

For Immediate Release:

Jerusalem Culinary Institute Teams with Hadassah Hospital to Offer New Program in Healthy Cooking for Professional Chefs

The Jerusalem Culinary Institute is proud to announce a joint program with Hadassah Hospital to provide instruction to professional chefs in nutrition and healthy cooking. This program is designed to give chefs the knowledge and cooking skills to meet the increased need to serve healthy and flavorful meals and to address the varied special dietary requirements of their customers who suffer from obesity, diabetes and other nutritional related illnesses. Graduates of the program will have the ability to further their career as culinary health consultants. The heart of the program is the Mediterranean diet and the Jerusalem Culinary Institute is located in the heart of the Mediterranean.

The program, scheduled to begin in May, includes 400 hours of kitchen and classroom instruction, taught over six months, at the Jerusalem Culinary Institute. The curriculum is designed by Hadassah Hospital under the direction of Dr. Rani Polak, the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Cooking at “Hadassah Optimal”, a subsidiary of Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. The Center is the first and only of its kind. Dr. Polak is a physician and Cordon Bleu-educated chef and the author of “Delicious Diabetic Recipes: The Gourmet Cookbook for a Healthy Diet”. In addition, Dr. Polak received the 2005 Hebrew University Kaye Innovation Award for the healthy cooking workshops that he designed for people with special dietary needs. Dr. Polak is a member of the Board of Directors of the Israeli Forums for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and he is currently a lecturer at the Hebrew University’s School of Nutritional Sciences and at the School of Culinary Arts, Hadassah College.

About the Jerusalem Culinary Institute
The growth in the kosher food industry requires specialized and trained industry personnel. JCI offers programs and courses to meet those needs. JCI was founded in 2003 and is the first and only Mehadrin kosher cooking school in the world. Located 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem in a beautiful Tuscan style building, the school includes 3 professional kitchens, a lecture hall and a restaurant. As the school expands with new programs in health and nutrition and with its new high level French patisserie, boulangerie and chocolaterie program, JCI is moving well beyond the initial kosher culinary program.
Our most popular 7 month courses are the Culinary and Wine program and the Patisserie program, offered in a practical setting, taught with a “hands on approach”. Offered within these programs are a kashrut course, a practical understanding of business within the industry and a wine appreciation program. Upon completing the 6 month intensive program at JCI, students are given the opportunity to be placed in a 1 month apprenticeship internationally.
Graduating with diploma in hand, students can gain employment as sous-chefs, caterers, small business proprietors or a host of other industry related positions. JCI offers short term courses throughout the year for culinary enthusiasts based on diverse and popular culinary topics from ethnic cuisines to specific patisserie techniques. Our facilities are also available for events of up to 50 people in the JCI restaurant or for up to 100 people in the garden.

The Art of Light Puff Pastry

2010-01-26T12:06:00.008+02:00

Learning the art of fine pastry is not an easy thing to accomplish.
It takes concentration, patience and a little luck. The students of the Pastry program conducted by Chef Guy Frenkel have been making amazing tarts this week.

The making of pastry cream, caramelizing apples and decoration was all the rage.
The students produced Opera Tart, Napoleons and MMmmmm Apple Tart Tatin.

Chef Guy Frenkel is a certified Executive Pastry Chef (American Culinary Federation) who brings skill, creativity and a vast knowledge in all aspects of French patisserie. Having learned from masters in some of the best patisseries of Paris and graduating from the prestigious Ecole Lênotre in 1991, Chef Guy worked in many different sectors in the industry on three continents including some of the finest restaurants and hotels in Florida. He has taught at the Swiss Chalet Culinary Center in Miami and was co-owner of three patisseries in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. In addition, Chef Guy was pastry chef advisor to some of Israel's top restaurants and he has won prestigious competitions.

He is a Chef with unbelievable patience and a wealth of teaching experience guiding the students through many pastry techniques. It is well worth joining the new program starting this July 2010.

"Keep Your Cool" for The Grand Soup Exam

2010-01-26T12:02:00.011+02:00

The Recipe

The Relief

The Final Touch

The Critic

The Tension

The Presentation

1st French Pastry Students Graduate with Flying Colours

2010-01-24T13:09:00.006+02:00

The students of the 1st French speaking patisserie program have just completed their studies .
After returning from London, all I can say is that the work they produced was of a world class standard.
The patisserie course was run 2 days a week over a period of 6 months.
All of the students had a limited knowledge of pastry but under the guidance of Chef Claude Bensimon they achieved a lot.
The pictures speak for themselves .

Checking Out The London Food Scene

2010-01-24T12:12:00.007+02:00

Well here I am just back from London.

As you can see from the photos I was very much into catching up on the foodie scene and on the trail to see whats cooking over there .
Enjoy the pics.

Bread and Pastry Exam

2010-01-13T14:06:00.001+02:00

The smell of fresh bread and pasta dishes laced with exotic and classic sauces have been wafting through the kitchens of the JCI over the past two weeks.
In the Culinary class, the students learned the rudiments of making fresh pasta, ravioli and gnocchi, to name but a few. The Pastry program students have made no less than 30 varieties of bread ranging from French Baguettes, Foccacia and Challot to Sour Bread infused with walnuts and pistachios. And what about that amazing Russian Black bread or that Chocolate infused Dutch Bread!

I’m starting to get a little dizzy !!

Today, the students had a major pasta and bread exam. The Culinary class was tested on Spaghetti Napolitano garnished with fried basil and Light Ravioli stuffed with sweet potato and red onion laced with a lemon olive oil dressing. The Pastry Class were given a task to create their own breads using the techniques that they had gained but adding a little touch of their own. The results speak for themselves

The budding chefs are rocking !!!

Where Glatt Kosher Restaurants Come in Many Flavors -New York Times

2010-01-05T11:35:00.001+02:00

December 13, 2009
New Jersey Dining | Teaneck
Where Glatt Kosher Restaurants Come in Many Flavors
By DAVID CORCORAN
ONE restaurant is quiet and soothingly lighted, with a high-priced menu offering sweetbreads and beef-cheek gnocchi and oat-and-dill-crusted branzino. Another is straight-ahead Indian, with first-rate pakoras and rousing kebabs. A third has longhorns in its logo and serves its secret-spice-rubbed brisket only after a 14-hour sauna in a Southern Pride smoker.

Quick: What do they have in common?

Well, all three are in Teaneck. But their essential feature is one that may not occur to you until you notice that most of the male diners are wearing skullcaps.

The three — Etc. Steakhouse, Shalom Bombay and Smokey Joe’s — are all kosher restaurants. And not just kosher, glatt kosher — which technically has to do with lesions on the lungs of the animals used for meat, but is often used by restaurants to indicate extra-strictness.

Every week or so they — and Teaneck’s two dozen other kosher eating places — get an unannounced visit from inspectors with the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County. “We typically check products, new shipments and deliveries, monitor the proficiency of the mashgiach,” Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, the council’s president, wrote in an e-mail message.

Mashgiach? That would be the person who must be in the restaurant at all times to make sure that the laws are being followed — that dairy products be strictly separated from meat, that no stray insects turn up in the salad greens.

Then there are the hours: Nobody may do any work on the Sabbath. “When God created the world, he was very unkind to kosher restaurateurs,” said Joe Kessler-Godin, 41, a Columbia graduate who owns Smokey Joe’s. “We lose Friday and half of Saturday.”

What they gain, though, is a sophisticated and devoted clientele: observant Jews who have moved by the thousands to this vibrantly heterogeneous Bergen County township in search of a comfortable suburban life “with all the amenities, and that includes restaurants,” as Mayor Michael Kevie Feit, an Orthodox Jew himself, said in a telephone interview.

The three discussed here stand out from the broader whole — which includes Persian, Israeli, Chinese, seafood, pizza and even a coffeehouse called the Lazy Bean — in their effort to push the kosher envelope, to present food that works on its own terms, no matter the rules and regulations. “You would never know it’s kosher,” said Mr. Feit, “and that’s meant as a compliment.”

All three are open Saturday (night) through Thursday; Smokey Joe’s also serves lunch Friday. All are accessible to wheelchairs. And all allow you to bring your own wine as long as it is labeled mevushal, meaning pasteurized according to kosher law.

Etc. Steakhouse

“Sorry I couldn’t talk to you the other day,” Seth Warshaw, the chef and owner of this unassuming but exhilarating restaurant, told me the day after Thanksgiving. “I was knee-deep in turkey London broils.”

You know, turkey London broil — well, maybe you don’t. The recipe (boned turkey breast, butterflied and stuffed with butternut squash and turkey chili) is the inventive, intuitive Mr. Warshaw’s. A Brooklyn native who grew up in a kosher household in West Orange, he said he always knew he wanted to cook; even when he was working as a mortgage broker, “Escoffier was always next to my bed.” When this 30-seat space came up for rent, Mr. Warshaw, 29, grabbed it, opening last February.

His meat entrees call for the sturdiest mevushal red you can find. Hanger steak was tender and gorgeously juicy, with lively sides of sweet-potato mash and caramelized onions and leeks, and a pomegranate reduction of carefully modulated sweetness. Veal osso buco came with a terrific, autumnal apple-cranberry compote.

Appetizers were even more eye-catching: Arctic char, seared and crisp outside, rare and moist within, its oiliness offset by scallions and grapefruit sections; and crunchy, nutty-tasting sweetbreads with stewed apples and a lima bean purée. At dessert, even ice cream does not defeat Mr. Warshaw: Using a soy-milk substitute, he somehow manages to channel Ben & Jerry. It’s a tour de force, like this young and rising restaurant.

1409 Palisade Avenue; (201) 357-5677; etcsteakhouse.com. Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, starting about an hour and 45 minutes after sundown. Entrees, $23 to $39.

Shalom Bombay

The name of this tidy 50-seat restaurant at once recalls the beloved 1988 movie “Salaam Bombay!” and the enduring Jewish tradition of the city now called Mumbai.

Glatt kosher though it certainly is, there is nothing particularly Jewish about the cooking here — though as Joan Nathan, the author of “Jewish Cooking in America” (Knopf, 1998), points out, Mumbai is a favorite destination of vacationing Israelis. “Indian food is like Israeli food,” she told me. “They do a lot with eggplant, chickpeas and potatoes. It’s exotic, with all these sauces and spices.”

These flavors come through vividly in the cooking of the veteran chef, Paul Singh, a native of Delhi. Appetizers like papri chaat and pakoras are crisp and grease-free; Indian breads are fresh, warm and properly blistered; and the two entrees we tried, reshmi kebab (boned chicken marinated with cashew paste) and lamb stewed with spinach, were precisely cooked and vigorously spiced.

Who comes to a place called Shalom Bombay? “Muslims, Jews, non-Jews,” said Alan Cohnen, one of two partners who opened the restaurant in October 2008. “We see a lot of couples out on dates. The ethnic food is such an icebreaker — it gives them something to talk about.”

166 Cedar Lane; (201) 357-8505; shalombombay.com. Lunch: Monday to Thursday, noon to 3 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Dinner: Sunday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, starting about 90 minutes after sundown. Entrees, $11 to $23.

Smokey Joe’s

This big, bright downtown storefront opened in March 2007 but is still a work in progress. Some dishes are as smoky and succulent as that long-cooked brisket; others are as ill conceived and careless as chicken mole with half-melted chocolate chips.

Smokey Joe’s deserves a lot of credit for trying, though. Mr. Kessler-Godin, the owner and part-time chef, is constantly coming up with new ways to attract diners to what his Web site calls the “first authentic, wood-fired, slow-cooked, pit-smoked glatt kosher BBQ restaurant in the U.S. of A.” He has initiated a live-music series on Saturday nights; this coming week’s attraction is a renowned klezmer band.

Its name is fitting: Hot Pstromi.

494 Cedar Lane; (201) 836-RIBS (7427); smokeyjoesbbq.com. Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday, starting about an hour after sundown. Entrees, $10.99 to $37.99.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: December 20, 2009
A article in some editions last Sunday about Etc. Steakhouse, Shalom Bombay and Smokey Joe’s — three glatt kosher restaurants in Teaneck, N.J. — misspelled the surname of one of the partners of Shalom Bombay. He is Alan Cohnen, not Gohnen.

Thursday Theory Program Pasta

2010-01-04T11:21:00.009+02:00

Fresh Pasta

250g Flour
Pinch of salt
3-4 Eggs
30 ml Olive oil

Method:
1. Place the Flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Add the eggs and oil and mix gently with your hands until a dough starts to form.
3. Flour the table and work the dough for approximately 5-7 minutes to form a soft silky texture. If the dough is a little sticky, just add a little more flour.
4. Rest the dough for at least half an hour.
5. Cut the dough into 4.
6. Pass the dough through a pasta machine through the following settings 1, 2,4,6,7

Cut as desired.

You can colour your dough as required:
Purple: 1 tbsp beetroot puree added along with the eggs and oil to the well.
Green: 1 tbsp spinach puree
Yellow: 1/3 cup hot water and saffron
Red: 3 tbsp red pepper puree

Ravioli Chicken Filling

200g fresh ground chicken breast
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 sage leaves, finely chopped
50g chopped mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan.
2. Add the salt and pepper.
3. Sauté the onions, garlic and sage until soft.
4. Add the chopped mushrooms. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
5. Set to one side to cool.
6. Once the mix is cold, add the ground chicken and mix.

Potato Gnocchi

5kg baked potatoes
4 egg yolks
1 cup flour
Salt/Pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Method:
1. Remove the flesh from the baked potatoes.
2. Pass the flesh through a potato mouli onto a floured surface and cool.
3. Add the egg yolks, seasonings and flour and work lightly to form soft dough.
Add more flour as needed.
4. Roll the dough into a cylinder and cut into walnut size pieces.
5. Roll the dough into balls and and place onto a floured fork.
6 Using your finger make a slight indentation in the dough and then roll across the length of the fork.
7. Place onto a floured board.
8. Heat a pot of water until boiling and then turn down to a simmer.
9. Add a tbsp of salt and a little olive oil to the water. Gently place the gnocchi into the water and cook for 5 minutes or until they rise to the surface..
10. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.

To reheat the gnocchi, place into boiling water for approx 30 seconds and then add the sauce.

Parve Béchamel sauce350ml coconut milk
600ml water
1 onion, studded with a clove and bay leaf
Bring to boil and then turn off heat.

50g Margarine
50g Flour

Method:

1. Melt the margarine in a saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to form a roux..
3. Slowly add the milk mixture incorporating the roux.
4. Continue until a sauce consistency.
5. Turn down the heat to a low flame and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Strain through a conical strainer.

Rustic Tomato and Light Cream Sauce2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 whole tomato roughly chopped
4 Sun dried tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 whole basil leaves
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp sugar
Salt
Pepper
4 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil
2. Add the salt and pepper.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomato puree, wine, basil, sugar and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Add 1 small ladle of béchamel and mix into the sauce.

Oven Roasted Garlic

1 whole head of garlic
Aluminium foil

Method:

1. Cut the garlic bulb in half and wrap in the foil.
2. Cook in a preheated oven at 200F for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from foil and cool
4. Squeeze out the garlic flesh

Parve Alfredo Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp mashed oven roasted garlic
50g sliced white mushrooms
3 sun dried tomatoes
Dash of dry white wine
1 cup of béchamel sauce

1. Heat the oil and seasoning in a frying pan.
2. Sauté the garlic and mushrooms for 4 minutes.
3. Add the sun dried tomatoes.
4. Add the white wine.
5. Add the béchamel sauce and heat to a simmer.

French Patisserie Exam at JCI

2009-12-29T20:29:00.003+02:00

If you closed your eyes this past Wednesday you would have thought you were in a French pastry kitchen in Paris with the sound of French voices and the irresistible smell of baking . Upon opening your eyes you would have to pinch yourself because you really think that you are in Paris.
Well I’m sorry to have woken you from your dream to tell you that unfortunately you weren’t in Paris, but the next best thing.
You had just experienced the final exam of the French pastry program that started just over 5 months ago.
Chef Claude Bensimon our very talented French pastry chef who trained at some of the best pastry outlets in Paris such as Laduree and world renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme .Claude joined the JCI to open the world’s first Kosher Patisserie program in French.
Here are a few snippets of what his students achieved in such a short period.

Last Year's Students open Amba Restaurant in San Francisco

2009-12-28T13:23:00.005+02:00

Well done David Babani and Jared Shulman Chef Graduates for opening a great new restaurant in San Francisco.
After many months of work, they finally did it.
I hope to visit it some day
Check the place out at http://www.ambafalafel.com/

Doughnuts and Jam, Doughnuts and Pastry Cream, Doughnuts and Enough Already!!!!

2009-12-10T15:17:00.001+02:00

Well it’s been six great weeks at the JCI and there’s been a whole lot of cooking happening here. Chanukah is upon us again but I hope this year not the calories.
But Chanukah wouldn’t be Chanukah if you couldn’t indulge so why not, it’s only once a year we get to line our arteries with oil and sugar LOL

Chef Guys Pastry class got into full swing this week and made us these treats.
Enjoy these recipes and of course, the pictures.

“The Turkey that swallowed a Duck that swallowed a Chicken !”

2009-12-10T14:42:00.002+02:00

“What is turducken”? I hear you say. Well, it is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is then stuffed inside a turkey. The term turducken comes from the combination of tur (key), duck, and (chick)en. It's fast becoming a popular recipe for Thanksgiving. Each slice contains portions of chicken, duck, and turkey with stuffing in between the layers. Plan on adequate preparation time. Turducken is not difficult to make, but it is a little time-consuming. The end result is a worthy show-stopper.

The JCI was lucky enough to be commissioned to make a turdunken so I thought I would like to share the recipe with you.

Turducken with Rice and Vegetable Stuffing

Preparation Time: 1 ½ Hrs
Cooking Time: 3 hrs
Serves 25

Ingredients:
• 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey, deboned
• 1 (4 to 5-pound) duck, deboned
• 1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, deboned
Rice Stuffing:
2kg Long Grain Rice
4 ltrs Chicken Stock or water
250g carrots diced
2 onions diced
2 leeks diced
Fresh thyme
Salt/Pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
Rice Stuffing Preparation:
• Heat the olive oil on a deep saucepan and add the vegetables and thyme and sauté over a medium heat until the vegetables slightly soften.
• Add the rice and cook for approx 5 minutes until the rice becomes slightly opaque .
• Add all of the boiling chicken stock and cover with a lid.
• Lower the heat and cook for a further 20 minutes
• Turn off the flame and let stand with lid on for a further 5 minutes
• Remove from the pan and place into a large open pan and cool until completely cold.

Preparation of Turdunken:
Have the turkey, duck, and chicken already deboned (save the bones for stock) before you begin to assemble the turducken. Keep all of the poultry refrigerated until you are ready to use it. Do not assemble turducken until you are ready to bake it in order to avoid food borne illness from contaminated stuffing.

Flip the turkey over so it is open and skin-side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Spread the rice stuffing evenly over turkey cavity. Place duck on top of rice stuffing, skin-side down.
Spread over the rice stuffing.

Top with chicken, skin-side down.

Spread the final rice stuffing on top of open chicken cavity. Skewer the back of the chicken closed. Bring up the sides of the duck to cover the chicken. Skewer the back of the duck closed. Repeat process with the turkey. Carefully turn the turducken over, so it is seam-side down and breast-side up. Remove all skewers except the last one holding the turkey together.

Place turducken in a heavy roaster. Roast for 3 hours, until meat thermometer inserted in the very center of the chicken stuffing reaches 165 F. Baste once per hour with pan juices. If turducken begins to get too brown, tent loosely with heavy-duty aluminum foil that has been coated with vegetable spray.

Let turducken rest 30 minutes before carving. To serve, slice turducken across the breast to show off each layer.

Only One Month In and Ready To Go !!

2009-11-22T13:26:00.002+02:00

Congratulations to the team who prepared and served the dinner to the tour group on November 19. Our guests, ladies from the US and Canada, were very happy with the dinner, the service and the school. They were amazed with the quality of the food and the level of service from students who had only been in cooking school for one month. The team consisted of:

Zvi Vatenmacher
Ilana Zucker
Tamar Zango
Moishe Bakst
Maryna Gerasymova
Okky Heller
Gabriel Cousins

The Menu:

Brushetta of Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Crispy Basil
Fresh Tomato and Vegetable soup with Pesto
Lightly Sautéed Chicken Breast with Mushroom Stuffing
Freshly made Tagliatelli with Red Pepper Couli
Courgette and Mushroom Medley

Hot Chocolate cake with Wild Berry/Passion fruit sorbet served with sesame tuile and chocolate ganache

Many, many thanks to Chef Yochanan, Chef Jeff and Chef Guy for their leadership and support.

Getting Dirty in the JCI Herb Garden

2009-11-17T12:18:00.001+02:00

It’s well known that great food needs fresh ingredients full of aroma and zing. I think that Eretz Yisrael’s produce is next to none in both flavor and color.

JCI has its own herb/vegetable garden with over 30 assorted herbs ranging from fresh lemon basil, thyme, parsley, baby tomatoes, eggplants and much more.

On an overcast Thursday morning, the students were busy clearing away the old crop, turning the earth and getting the soil ready to plant this seasons new harvest.

What a great mitzvah to be part of planting the land!

L'Chaim

2009-11-17T11:58:00.000+02:00

This past Thursday, the students of JCI were off to the Katz Winery in Moshav Mesilat Zion to get real hands on experience in wine making.

Mr. Yossi Katz, originally a biochemist professor and now owner of the boutique Katz winery, gave an interesting class in the science of wine making and the rudiments of its production.

The students then had hands on lesson on making wine. The students crushed 100 kilos of red grapes and filled a barrel which was then mixed with yeast and sugar to start the fermentation process. The barrels will now be stirred for the next 7 days and will then be left to sit for the next 10 months and finally, to be bottled.

READY STEADY COOK !!

2009-10-26T09:41:00.003+02:00

One of the great things about the courses at JCI is that the students are in the heat of the kitchen from the first day. The culinary students got right into the rudiments of cutting techniques and how to arrange their stations in order to work in a methodical way.
In French culinary terms, this is called Mise en Place (Everything in its place)
The students learned how to use their knives and how to flow with the knife to obtain that perfect cut and shape. You may wonder where all those vegetables went. We don’t waste anything at JCI so they went into a soup, of course.
The Patisserie students got off to a flying start by learning how to make a sweet pastry dough “Paté Sucre”. From this, they learned how to properly line pastry tarts and bake them blind. Next, they learned how to make a lemon cream filling and of course how to make those finishing touches.

Watch your weight guys!

Heigh Ho Heigh Ho It’s Off to the Shuk We Go…..

2009-10-26T09:18:00.004+02:00

After an exciting first week at JCI, the students were off on their first trip of the year.
As you well know by now, JCI is all about food, food and more food, so what better place to visit than the Machne Yehuda market in Jerusalem.
The sights, sounds and of course the smells are enough to lift a new chef student into a culinary wonderland.
The class met at 10:00 am on Thursday morning and were guided by Chef Yochanan Lambiase through the busy maze of vendors.

First stop, was the famous Cheese and Wine shop owned by the Basher brothers, Eli and DuDu. This shop boasts kosher cheese and wines from all over the world of which many of the products where Kosher Mehadrin.The students were offered a wide variety of cheeses to taste and they learned how they can be incorporated into dishes.

Next stop was the fish stall of Dovid Dagim. Dovid Dahan is well known for his fish and is frequented by some of the best restaurants in the city. Chef Yochanan presented a number of fish showing the students how to test for freshness and how to cook them.
The students were also taken to several spice, meat and fresh produce vendors throughout the shuk.

The most memorable event was the “Esrog Man “Moshe with his natural healthy juices and remedies from Yemen. The students sampled Gat and Esrog juice, Pomegranate and Lime and some even had a meditation session with Moshe.

Another New Year Begins at JCI

2009-10-20T10:58:00.005+02:00

Well here we go again with another exciting new year at the JCI
The 30 new wanabee chefs and parents arrived today to meet each other and to get acquainted with the staff of JCI.
This year the students are coming from all over the globe USA, Canada, UK, France, Israel and Russia.
Everyone was greeted by Greta Ostrovitz the principal of the school and the students were invited to a light brunch in the garden.
Thank you to Chef Jeff Lewis and Chef Guy Frenkel for providing a delicious array of food
The students are eager to start their 10 month programs in culinary arts/ wine and patissere.

So lets get into those chef whites and get cooking already!!!

Planet Food TV Films at JCI

2009-10-20T10:14:00.004+02:00

JCI felt like a movie set with the Food Channel here to film Chef Yochanan Lambiase. From 9:00 am, the school was bustling with excitement as props, lighting, camera men, directors and TV presenters from the show Planet Food filmed for their new Middle East Tour food series.

The object of this program was to show how Jews keep kosher, the festival of Sukkot and of course, our wonderful Israeli food.
First, it was down to the kitchen to explain how a kosher kitchen works with the separation of meat and milk. We spoke about how kosher food does not have to be old fashioned, but is trendy and upbeat with the times.
Thanks to four of our students Gabriella Cousins, Mark Kolman, Esti Kaufman and Eli Sillins for helping Chef Lewis with the food preparation.

Chef Guy Frenkel, our pastry chef demonstrated how to make Yemenite flat bread on a fire that we set up in the garden. Chef Yochanan then demonstrated to the TV presenter, Angela, how to create Stuffed Eggplant, Sephardic Style served with Persian rice.

The show will be aired in approximately 3 months. Check out the Planet Food website at www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/planet_food/

Here’s the recipe:
Stuffed Eggplant Sephardic Style
Ingredients
1 Large Eggplant
3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound Ground Lamb or Beef
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 Onions small diced
1 Red Pepper small diced
3 cloves Garlic minced
3 teaspoons of Yemenite Spice “hawaiage”
3 teaspoons Sweet paprika
1/2 cups fresh parsley chopped
½ cup fresh coriander chopped
1 Tbsp Tomato Puree
1 cups Bread crumbs
2 Eggs
½ cup Flour
½ cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
4 ripe tomatoes chopped
1 bay leaf

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the eggplant in thick slices (width-wise) and then cut through the center almost to the end to form a sandwich in which to hold the meat mixture.
In a mixing bowl combine the ground meat with the finely diced onions, parsley, egg, and 1 cup of breadcrumbs and salt and pepper.
Shape onto a small ball about the size of a large walnut and stuff it between the eggplant sandwiches
Pass the eggplant through Flour, Egg and Breadcrumbs and shallow fry until golden on both sides and the transfer into a casserole dish.
To prepare the sauce heat up the olive oil in a skillet, add the Yemenite spice, sweet paprika salt and pepper.
Sauté the onion, fresh garlic and red pepper until lightly golden and then add the chopped tomatoes and reduce.
Add 1 cup of water and cook down to a rich sauce.
Add the chopped coriander, parsley and bay leaf.
Pour over the eggplants and place in the oven for 1 hour until done.
Serve over a bed of Persian White Rice.

Spreading the kosher word

2009-10-18T13:43:00.001+02:00

News Release
For Immediate Release
Spreading the kosher word
Sep. 4, 2009Barry Davis, THE JERUSALEM POST

If Chef Yochanan Lambiase had to place his culinary philosophy in a verbal nutshell, it probably would run something like: "Kosher doesn't have to boring." London, UK-born, of southern Italian descent, Lambiase is founder of the Jerusalem Culinary Institute (JCI) located at Moshav Messilat Zion near Beit Shemesh. Established in 2003, the JCI runs 10-month programs for 18-24-year-olds from all over the world with classes on a wide range of culinary and patisserie topics.
The 25 students who registered for the upcoming program, which starts in October, will get a handle on the theory behind the gastronomic process but will mostly gain valuable hands-on experience in the kitchen, out in the herb garden and in the institute's restaurant. They will also learn a thing or two about running a business in the real world.
"The JCI is the world's only fully kosher lamehadrin cooking school that offers a full-year program in the culinary arts, pastry, wine making and wine tasting," Lambiase explains. "We basically prepare our students to become chefs but also teach them about running a restaurant and a kitchen. There's a lot to learn."
And it looks like next year's students will be in good hands. Lambiase trained at Westminster Hotel School of Cooking in London and has plenty of genetic collateral to offer, too.
"I come from four generations of chefs, and we originate from southern Italy," says the chef patron. "You could say the Italians know a thing or two about food. Don't forget that Marco Polo brought pasta to Europe from China."
The JCI's street cred is augmented by Principal Greta Ostrovitz. Prior to entering the food trade, Ostrovitz spent 25 years as an IT executive in various New York corporate law firms and had a stint as a stockbroker. Jerusalemites may remember her as proprietor of the late lamented downtown eatery Chez Gita. She has also chalked up considerable mileage in the catering business.
Lambiase happily notes that Jewish cooking is currently very much in vogue outside the fold as well. "I think the JCI is helping to bring kosher into the 21st century. The kosher food industry has really boomed in the past 10 to 15 years. It's very hip to eat kosher these days - you have celebrities like Madonna and Paris Hilton eating kosher."
It seems there are also more practical reasons behind the shift toward kosher food. "I think the big thing is that kosher has come to be perceived as very health-oriented. In the eyes of the non-Jewish public, kosher is seen to be healthy." Lambiase continues. "I think that is because there have been one or two food scares recently, especially in North America. Kosher food has been checked all the way through until it gets onto the dinner table, and the non-Jewish public knows that. If you go to some food emporium in Manhattan these days, you'll see a huge amount of food with a kosher stamp on it."
Extra-sectoral interest, apparently, stretches beyond pure consumerism.
"We've had non-Jews taking courses here," says Lambiase. "Although we really just cater to the Jewish public, we're really open to everyone for them to understand what kosher means and what kosher education in cooking is."
The latter, says the chef patron, also involves enlightening the general public about the possibilities offered by kosher cuisine. "The stigma is that kosher cooking is just gefilte fish, cholent and whatever, and it is just very much Hungarian peasant food. Now there is this kosher revolution happening when you can get amazing things in the market, and you can even produce dishes that were not previously possible. You now have milk substitutes you can use with meat - like brewer's yeast that is almost identical in flavor to Parmesan cheese. We had a food critic here a while ago who ate that dish and said she could not detect anything different from what she'd expect from Parmesan. I would say our mission statement is to show and to train people to become kosher chefs without having to compromise."
While the institute offers enlightening culinary training to its students, Ostrovitz feels the JCI also needs to spread the word to a wider hinterland.
"We need to educate the public in Israel about food," she says. "For most Israelis, big and cheap is good regardless of the quality of the food they're eating. But quality and aesthetics are very important too."
To that end, both Ostrovitz and Lambiase hope that the JCI patisserie, breads and chocolate course run by French-born chef Claude Bensimon sets off some positive shock waves outside the school.
"That is a great course," says Lambiase. "You should see - and taste - the cakes they produce. They are real works of art. These people really care about what they produce."
According to Ostrovitz, the JCI is about more than just dispensing cooking, baking and business know-how. There are some valuable therapeutic benefits to be gained as well.
"We've had some difficult students here, with some special needs of their own," she says, "including kids with learning disabilities whose parents wanted their children to learn something. There was one young man from New York whose mother sent him here in the hope that we could help him with his behavioral problems. I must admit I didn't think it would work out - he was very disruptive for the other students. But Yochanan said I should persevere, and he gradually improved. He never became a top chef, but he and his mother were very proud of what he'd achieved and he left here in a much better state than when he got here. "
There are also some social breeding-related landmines to be navigated during the course. "We have a herb garden here," explains Ostrovitz. "The students plant the herbs and tend to them as they grow, and they get very excited when they see the fruits of their labors. But we get some who don't want to get their hands dirty, but they all eventually get involved and get into the physical outdoor work, too. It's very satisfying for them to see that what they plant eventually becomes something they can use to prepare a dish with."
The JCI courses and workshops cover a wide range of culinary areas. "It's based on the French classic culinary art," says Ostrovitz. "They learn knife skills, and then they go on to learn how to make stocks and sauces and basics, and then we go on to eggs and vegetables, and then come the meat and fish and chicken. We also go into other areas, like Asian and Mexican cooking, so they have the complete experience in all kinds of cuisine."
At the end of the day, Lambiase says, it is the really fired-up students who are going to achieve something out there, in the real world, after completing the JCI course. "It's a touchy business to be in, and it is the ones who are passionate about what they're doing who are going to succeed in the food industry. We offer them the opportunity to get as much hands-on experience as possible. They are in the kitchen from day one, and they also learn from their own mistakes. We encourage them to develop their own flavors and their own dishes but also to stick to the rules."
With the next batch of JCI students coming from all over the globe, including the US, Australia, South America and Russia, Lambiase is suitably upbeat about the prospects for spreading the joys of kosher cuisine. "The gastronomic kosher word is getting out there," he says.

Good Luck to Graduating Class 2009

2009-10-18T09:36:00.004+02:00

Five years have passed since the first class graduated from JCI and another exciting year is about to begin.

Please join us with the students of the Class of 2010 over the next 10 months as they come together from all over the world to learn Culinary Arts, Patisserie and Wine Tasting. We will be keeping you up to date on what’s happening at JCI.

The Class of 2009 has now left the school and they are starting their new careers in the industry.

Jared Schulman (Philadelphia) and David Babani (Seattle) will be managing a New Middle Eastern Restaurant “Amber” in San Francisco.

Yitzchak Soffer (NY) just finished working at a restaurant in Zurich Switzerland and is now working for a top caterer in NY.

Noam Feldman (Philadelphia) has been working as a Mashgiach in a restaurant in Philadelphia and he is planning to move to Maryland.

Gadi Braude (Toronto) has been doing private catering in Toronto.

Shulamit Revier (Holland/Israel) did her work internship at the beautiful restaurant, Gavna, in Bat Ayin and is now working there full time.

Moe Schlachter (NY) is now working in the NY area as a private chef.

Avram Pachter (Chicago) is furthering his education at the Kendall Culinary School in Chicago.

Gavi Nestlebaum (NY) is making Aliyah and will be going into the Army in November. We are very proud of you, Gavi.

Bruce Brocky (Brazil) plans to open a restaurant in San Paolo.

Mazel Tov to Aviva Brodie (NY) on the birth of a baby girl, Tamara.

We welcome back Gabriella Cousins, Esti Kaufman, and Reuven Sackett for a 2nd year to participate in the Patisserie program.

We are looking forward to hearing what the rest of you are up to.

This year the JCI welcomes 3 new chef lecturers:

Chef Claude Bensimon, Chef Patissier, studied and worked in France in the great maisons de Patisserie and with the great chefs of the profession: Pierre Hermé, Christopher Michalak, Phillipe Andrieux, Jean Michel Perruchon (M.O.F.), Chez Laduree, Chez Pierre Hermé, Au Taillevent and the celebrated chocolatier, Valrhona. The French Patisserie, Boulangerie and Chocolaterie program is taught in French and is specially adapted for the many French speakers in Israel.
Chef Jeff Lewis has over twenty-two years in the food industry. Trained at Tonbridge Chef School in England, he has worked as a chef in England, Holland, Switzerland and Israel. Chef Lewis has a vast knowledge of ethnic, organic and vegetarian cooking. He has been a Chef at the Intercontinental Hotels restaurants, two major catering companies and many restaurants as well as owning his own food brand, JeffChef.
Chef Guy Frenkel, studied at the famous Lenôtre school in France and went on to work at the Swiss Chalet in Miami Florida. He continued his education C.E.P.C and operated a successful bakery in Fort Lauderdale. He is a master baker, chocolatier and has won competitions in sugar work