Hanukkah tradition with a twist: Jewish community comes together for Iron Chef-style competition
‘There's something about coming together as a community and celebrating this as a public holiday’
Some people cook latkes and light menorahs for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah — and then there are annual traditions like the cooking competition Iron Chef Chanukah.
The culinary event takes place each year at the Centre for Judaism of the Lower Fraser Valley and is gaining in popularity as the Jewish communities in Delta, Surrey and Langley grow.
"We have a lot of fun and try to stick with the rules as the [TV show] Iron Chef," said co-director Simi Schtroks.
That means teams, who range in age from five to 85, compete to create dishes with very specific instructions, such as following a theme or using particular types of ingredients.
Some cooks are already well-known and run restaurants, others are simply aspiring chefs, Schtroks said.
Previous years have had challenges such as dishes based all on cheese, a traditional Hanukkah food or incorporating unusual vegetables.
Coming together as a community
"Hanukkah is one of those holidays where, although we celebrate in our individual homes, there's also something about coming together as a community and celebrating this as a public holiday because there's definitely a public message," Schtroks said.
That message from Hanukkah, which is also known as the festival of lights, is all the more important after recent events like the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October.
"We have a message to make sure that we go out into this world and we really shine our lamp and I felt that this year specifically after the Pittsburgh massacre we had to do something different," Schtroks said.
The Centre for Judaism is also hosting other holiday events like a public menorah lighting at the Semiahmoo mall on Sunday, bringing together some of the oldest and youngest members of the community to hold and light candles.
"We have to make sure that we were adding a lot of extra light to the world," Schtroks said.
Iron Chef Chanukah takes place on Tuesday evening, Dec. 4 in Surrey.
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