Tzedek DC held its first community event – and the Kugel was delicious!
September 25, 2017
On Monday, September 25 over 300 people packed the new UDC Student Center for Tzedek DC’s inaugural Eat Well, Do Justice! Celebrity Chef Kugel Cook-off. Through the generosity of the community, Tzedek DC raised over $110,000 to help fund their work advocating for DC residents facing debt-related crises.
The night was successful in raising critical funding oxygen, but also was great fun for all who attended. We ate some great kugel from some of DC’s top culinary talents—thanks to Washington Post Deputy Food Editor Bonnie Benwick’s leadership in putting the roster of chefs together:
Mike Friedman of Red Hen and All Purpose
Alex Levin of the Schlow Restaurant Group
[Pati Jinich of “Pati’s Mexican Table” who was scheduled to attend needed to be with family in Mexico City dealing with the effects of the earthquakes and had to miss this year’s event]
Alex Levin’s entry - Savta’s kugel, beat out spirited and tasty entries from the other three chefs winning the popular vote and the hearts and stomachs of the judges. Check out the article about the winning kugel on the Washington Post website.
We also thank a terrific set of guest judges:
The witty (and very tall!) David Gregory ,
food writer extraordinaire Joan Nathan
DC Bar leader AnnaMaria Steward, who dove in to her first kugel experience with her trademark gusto and humor
wonderful legal and kugel maven Marna Tucker
The judges are pictured below with the competing chefs. A fuller set of event photos, courtesy of Jeffrey Baker Photography, can be found here.
Eat Well Do Justice! co-chairs Courtney Weiner, June Kress and Laura Kumin were instrumental in making the night a success from check in to check out. They did a masterful job turning Courtney’s inspired idea into a wonderful gathering for the community and a chance to share how special this first year of work has been for Tzedek DC. Their work was supported by a strong Host Committee and 58 event sponsors including members of the legal, civic, Jewish and corporate communities. Thank you to all our attendees, sponsors, supporters and volunteers who made the evening memorable.
Here are some links to stories about the night:
DC Bar: Kugels for a Good Cause
Jewish Food Experience Talks Kugels with Eat Well chefs
Jewish Food Experience Recap of the Event
UDC David A. Clarke School of Law: School News
DC Bar's write up of the event
Watch out for news in the coming months about the 2018 Eat Well, Do Justice!
