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February 21, 2006

Malka and Elimelech Kugelov present the results

TORONTO—This Saturday afternoon, over thirty-five Shmoozers shpatsired over to a little house on Church Street, 1023 to be exact, to warm up, but more importantly, to participate in the first, hopefully-annual, Malka and Elimelech Kugelov Kugel-off. Kugel recipes, anecdotes, and stories abounded. Shmoozing dominated. And all enjoyed.

On an afternoon where the biting wind and unseasonable cold made all the participants shiver in their coats, the atmosphere inside the house and the abundance of kugel reversed these effects creating a feeling of warmth, an aroma of the familiar, and a satisfied grin on all of their punim.

Kugel entries ranged from the standard potatoes and egg noodles to the more exotic and creative squash, lasagna, and matzah. Amidst the thirty-something judges, a wide discrepancy of palate sensitivities, salt-tolerances, sweet-tooths, and kugeling savvy existed as well.

After much debate by the Kugel Officiating Committee (KOC for future reference), a standardized system of toothpicks was decided upon for ranking purposes. Each participant was given three toothpicks to place in the kugel(s) of their liking. After the judges sampled the delectables, the KOC counted the toothpicks and released their results:

  1. Ian's Bundt Noodle Kugel Part 1*
  2. Jacobson Girls' "The Crumbler"
  3. Orly's "Min's Noodle Kugel"
  4. Sandra's "Piping Hot Potato Kugel"
  5. In four-way tie for fifth place:
    • David & Aaron's "Seven Layer Kugel"
    • Ruby's "Jerusalem Kugel"
    • Daphna's "Squash Kugel"
    • Fallon & Shira's "Alice's Kugel"
  6. Avery's "Fruity Israeli Kugel"
  7. Ruby's Kosher for Passover "Apple & Matza Kugel"

"The competition was fierce, the abdominal space was limited, but I feel that we all won, even though the Jacobson's (and Ian) took home that joy that only my Bubbe experiences on the holidays when we all come over for dinner," said Zack Weiss.

*The French judge is under investigation for unfair toothpick practices. We will notify you of any changes to the official results once they become available.