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January 31, 2003/Shevat 28 5763, Vol. 55, No. 23
Taste 'n TellWomen's American ORT chapter holds food competition
LEISAH NAMM
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 Jeff Weckstein, Alice Wisel and Dale Shepp fulfill their duty as "Taste 'n Tell" judges as they sample dishes made by members of Women's American ORT, Desert Chapter. Photo by Leisah Namm |
At least they did at their recent event "Taste 'n Tell," held Jan. 21 at the Scottsdale Ranch Community Center.
Members prepared dishes in four categories - appetizers, main entr‚es, side dishes and desserts - and three judges sampled each dish and chose a favorite in each category.
Judges were Dale Shepp, manager of Don & Charlie's; Jeff Weckstein, director of food and beverage and catering at Ancala Country Club; and Alice Wisel, former editor-in-chief of Mobil Travel Guide and ORT member.
Judges rated each dish on creativity, presentation and flavor.
Winners in each category were: Appetizers: Sausage and Grapes by Arnie Brenner (a member's husband); Entr‚e: Stuffed Cabbage with Cranberry Sauce by Gayle Simon; Side dish: Spinach Pie by Gloria Weisman; and Dessert: Poppy Seed Cake by Shirley Weiss.
Winners received a $25 gift certificate to Don & Charlie's.
After judges tasted all the entries, the 50 women in attendance then got to sample all the food. All recipes were compiled into cookbooks distributed to each participant.
Women's American ORT is a national Jewish organization for educational resources and technological training.
Its mission is to rehabilitate and train students all over the world so they can hold a technical job and earn a living, says Maxine Grossman, president of the Desert Chapter.
The organization was founded in 1927 by a group of women who gathered in a Brooklyn kitchen to raise funds to assist European Jews' survival after World War I, according to its Web site. Since then, it has expanded to about 500 chapters across the country, including three in the Valley, with about 50,000 members. The Desert chapter has about 120 members, ranging from ages 50-85, Grossman says.
Besides the Taste 'n Tell, chaired by Jewel Kaplan and Harriet Kaplan (no relation), other events the Desert chapter has hosted include luncheons, guest speakers and book reviews. Each event raises money to support worldwide vocational and technical schools, provide scholarships and assist in other ways.
To find out more about Women's American ORT, call Grossman at 480-483-6171.