New York – VIDEO-PHOTO: Masbia Cholent Challenge Kicks Off In BP, Continuing Tonight With Public Tasting And Kumzitz

New York – The Great Cholent Challenge kicked off last night at Gourmet Glatt in Borough Park, with 20 teams converging in an effort to claim bragging rights as the best “cholent macher” in town while raising funds for Masbia Soup Kitchens.

Contestants roamed the aisles in Gourmet Glatt, which supplied ingredients for the Cholent Challenge. While some of the men went with flanken, short ribs and cheek meat for their cholents, one contestant from England chose London Broil as a method of paying homage to his former home.

The cholents, which will be tasted tonight at Gourmet Glatt, ranged from heimish to gourmet to a Texas smokehouse barbeque cholent. From sweet paprika to consommé, from chili powder to allspice, contestants imbued their cholents with their signature styles, with both pickle juice and Dr. Pepper touted as being the secret to a killer cholent.

Creativity abounded, with one group preparing their own kishka using cornflakes, bread and caramelized onions and another group, which did a practice run last Shabbos to perfect their recipe, wrapping Polish sausage first in kishka and then in brisket pastrami, before tying the entire concoction in string and placing it in their cholent.

One contestant, who was asked by Cholent Challenge host Avi Levy to explain why he was sauteeing peppers, explained it was part of his strategy.

“I think it is a method to trick people and scare them I have something up my sleeve,” remarked the bearded contestant.

While each of the twenty teams hopes to emerge victorious, the spirit of achdus permeated the room and it was evident to all that the real winner of the Cholent Challenge will be the people who count on Masbia for their meals.

“Everyone there, even the store staff was in a festive mood,” Alexander Rappaport, executive director of Masbia told VIN News. “It was almost like a sport and while cooking shows have an intense mood, this was the opposite. It was more like a block party, with everyone discussing cholent and getting more and more excited.”

The Great Cholent Challenge, which is sponsored by Gourmet Glatt and VIN News, continues tonight with cholent tasting, food sampling from Gourmett Glatt and a post-contest kumzitz with Tikun Chatzos.

The men’s only event is open to the public with a suggested donation of $36 to Masbia and donations can still be made to the Great Cholent Challenge online at www.crowdrise.com/cholent5775.

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