The Memphis-Shoham Partnership team is gearing up for another fun and culturally fascinating cooking webinar featuring Ashkenazic and Sephardic Shavuot desserts from both cities. The live webinar will take place on Sunday, May 22 at 11:00 AM via Zoom.
With Jews customarily eating dairy foods on Shavuot, Memphis and Shoham webinar participants will have the opportunity to create mouthwatering dairy delights. Memphis gourmet chef and multi-disciplinary artist Marisa Baggett takes the traditional Ashkenazic cheesecake to a new level with her tasty fruit-swirled cheesecake bars and Shoham Israeli Air Force veteran Lt. Col. Yuval Gelles will guide attendees in making the popular Middle Eastern dessert Malabi – a creamy, milk-based pudding.
Well-known Memphian Marisa Baggett combines contemporary sensibilities with beloved Jewish traditions via kosher food, paintings, and writing. In her free time, she enjoys bird watching and reading about ancient civilizations. Last year, Marisa graciously co-led a Partnership cooking webinar guiding us in making her famous Bourbon-laced sweet potato pie.
“When I think of my favorite foods to serve for Shavuot, I gravitate towards small, bite-sized things similar to what you might have at a tea party,” notes Marisa. “A small plate filled with dainty dairy delights that one can enjoy in the garden, surrounded by nature, are my favorites.”
Yuval Gelles served 26 years as a helicopter pilot in many combat operations. He has also taken part in several hi-tech startups over the years. Currently, he is volunteering at the local police force in Shoham and is planning to fulfill a lifelong dream and venture on an RV road trip across the continental USA.
Malabi is one of his most beloved Shavuot dishes. “My mother was a great cook, and the first time I started cooking was when I spent many days on alert as a helicopter pilot in the IAF in different locations where we also had the opportunity to cook for ourselves,” said Yuval. “I used to call her and get the instructions on how to prepare the dishes I liked, and my colleagues never complained. Since then, I have gotten a reputation for being a good cook among my family and friends. Malabi is a creamy, milk-based pudding that is easy to make and people love it, which is why I am excited to share it with webinar attendees. It is important to hold community events like this because around food we are always calm, relaxed, and smiling.”
Open to community members of all ages, this webinar is the final one in the three-part Memphis-Shoham Partnership Spring Virtual Series and will be facilitated by Memphis Partnership Chair Keri Unowsky and Shoham Partnership Chair Arela Koter.
Visit jcpmemphis.org/memphis-shoham-partnership to register for the webinar and view the presenters’ full recipes and needed ingredients.