11th Annual Latke Festival
On Monday the 16th of December the 11th Annual Latke Festival took place at the Brooklyn Museum.
26-plus participants competed against each other for top latke honors in six different categories, including two new ones: Best Vegetarian and Best New Participant Latke.
A “civilian” (home cooked) competitor was also new this year, the winner of a latke recipe contest conducted by the Jewish Food Society. The winning recipe was made by Great Performances, New York City’s premier catering and events company that presents the Latke Festival every year as a benefit for The Sylvia Center, a nonprofit dedicated to nutrition and healthy cooking education for children in underserved neighborhoods.
The category Best New Participant was contributed to the larger number of new competitors, including Ha Noi House, Manhattan’s Graffiti Earth and Brooklyn’s Baoburg and more.
They had to compete against yearly returning participants like Veselka, Dizzy’s Club, Mama O’s and The Norm.
Jewsish Food Society's Russian Latkes
Besides the jury of influencers and food experts, such as Kate Krader, Bloomberg food editor and chef Rozanne Gold, the visitors also had the chance to vote for their favorite Latke and therefore determined the winner for the category People’s Choice Best Latke.
The winner in the category Best Overall was the first-time participant Hanoi House with a sweet potato and shrimp fritter latke.
Veselka and The Bankers Club at 120 Broadway shared the first place in the category People’s Choice.
A huge variety of Latke’s, from classic to decadent, were presented to the visitors and ready for them to try. With one being even more tasty than the other, it was very hard to come up with a personal decision.
Besides the numerous Latke options there were also other food offerings, including Pearl River Caviar, a pickle buffet from Jacob’s Pickles and a jelly donut and bread spread by Orrwasher’s.
Baoburg's Latke
Drinks were provided by Grey Goose Vodka, Angel’s Envy Bourbon specialty cocktails, Schmaltz Beer, City Winery Wines, GuS’s Soda and Brooklyn Roasting Company’s coffee.
The 11th Annual Latke Festival was a great night with delicious food, tasty drinks, good music and a unique atmosphere at the Brooklyn Museum that made a great start of the Holiday Season.
Photos by Great Performances
