Coming to London this summer: Gefiltefest, a one day extravaganza of Jewish culture and food, headed up by that doyenne of Jewish cooking, Claudia Roden.
According to Michael Leventhal, who founded the festival in 2010: “Food is at the heart of Jewish culture and Jewish chefs are internationally renowned as some of the best in the world. Gefiltefest is designed to celebrate this deep heritage and explore food as a tool for community building, innovation and pleasure.”
Gefiltefest is a Jewish food charity seeking to change the way people think about food and culture, and “Gefiltefest” is a pun on the Ashkenazi Jewish delicacy gefiltefish: a dumpling-sized fishball made traditionally out of ground carp or whitefish.
Cookery demonstrations – 75+ expert cooks and speakers
From the United States – the acclaimed writer and cook Joan Nathan will be flying in specially to demonstrate one of her iconic recipes – her most recent book, “Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France” was crowned one of the top cookbooks of the year.
Two rising stars of the Czech culinary world – Michal Hromas and Jana Burianova, will travel from Prague to present their modern take on Jewish traditions. And closer to home – you can see two of London’s favourite Israeli cooks, Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, the couple behind the much-loved Honey & Co.
Expect demonstrations from more than 75 other well-known cooks and speakers – including Elisabeth Luard, the Jewish Princesses, and the Guardian newspaper’s Perfect columnist Felicity Cloake will act as an expert judge.
Talks, tastings, cook-offs…
As well as cookery demos, there’ll be all kinds of talks, tastings, and a vibrant marketplace with stalls selling everything from cookies to falafel. You can find out the winners of Britain’s best bagels, best cheesecake and best Challah bread – and even taste some chocolate-covered Kosher insects, if you’re brave enough.
Find out the latest Jewish food trends and how Kosher food is finally getting a gourmet touch – and hear how the insanely popular street food phenomenon is actually based in Judaism. And there are the ultimate cook offs, as four top chefs go head to head in two Ashkenazi versus Sephardi challenges.
A full-day event, the Gefiltefest festival will take place on Sunday 15th June from 10am-6pm, at the London Jewish Cultural Centre in NW11.
Early-bird ticket prices are until 15 May: £20 for an adult, £12.50 for a child. Buy tickets from www.gefiltefest.org