By Stephanie Smartschan
JFLV Director of Community Development & Operations

Five teams will once again face off on Dec. 19 for the third annual Latke-Vodka Hanukkah Cook-Off at the JCC. 

This time, however, instead of serving their pre-prepared pairings to guests seated at tables, teams will be cooking and presenting in real time.

Guests will have the opportunity to visit each of five stations to sample each unique latke and vodka-based drink. They will then have the opportunity to vote for their favorite.

In addition, an esteemed panel of judges will visit each station and hear from each team about the dish they have created. Those judges will rank the teams based on taste, originality, presentation and pairing, and a winner will be selected based on their combined scores.

The event is presented by the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s Young Adult Division and sponsored by 100.7 WLEV, Country Meadows Retirement Communities, Faber Vodka and Whole Foods.

“This event has been so much fun, but we wanted to change things up a bit for year three,” said Aaron Gorodzinsky, director of campaign and security planning for the Federation. “We’ve got to keep those teams on their toes!”
Returning champions Latkey Balboa will take on four new teams.

“We are looking forward to another fun match-up that brings our community together in celebration of the holiday,” said Beth Zaleon, development coordinator for the JCC. “Get your taste buds ready!”

Early bird tickets are available for $20 until Dec. 1. Tickets purchased after Dec. 1 will be $25. Limited to the first 100 participants. To purchase tickets, visit the JCC Welcome Desk, call 610-435-3571 or visit www.lvjcc.org/latkevodka.