Hillel chefs make a lotta latkes

6:30 p.m.

Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh

hilleljuc.org

Ready. Set…. 6:30 p.m.

Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh

hilleljuc.org

Ready. Set. Latke!

As anticipation grows for this year’s Hanukkah party hosted by The Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center (Hillel JUC), potato pancakes seem to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

This year’s festivities include a candle lighting ceremony in celebration of the holiday, live music from the David Landes Jazz Band and Jewish a cappella group, the Vokols, tons of traditional food, dreidel spinning and more.

But this year, Hillel’s traditional holiday party will add a competitive edge to the holiday merry-making — Iron Chef style.

Hillel’s holiday contest is a spinoff of the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” a show that pits world-renowned chefs against one another in an epic battle to be crowned the best in the business. 

Hillel’s version, titled “Iron Chef Latkes,” pits Pitt student against Pitt student in an epic battle to be crowned King or Queen of the Latkes.

Before the oil has even hit the pan, the competition is heating up.

“It will be unreal,” Marc Schutzbank, the public relations intern for Hillel JUC, said of the event. He is already declaring himself the winner of the latke-making competition.

He and seven other contestants split into four teams of two, will have 45 minutes to prepare their best latkes and must incorporate the “secret ingredient,” which will be revealed during the competition.

“Everyone should come out for my latkes because they’re going to be delicious,” he said.

When asked how concerned he was about his competition, Schutzbank confidently answered, “With my cooking talent, obviously I don’t need to worry.”

Schutzbank is more than ready for the challenge.

“Basically, it’s just allowing me to get into my creative spirit and put my five years of college dorm room cooking to use,” he said.

Current Hillel JUC Jewish Life Chair Becca Tanen, whom Schutzbank declared the brains behind the Iron Chef Latkes operation, encouraged students of all faiths and ethnicities to come celebrate Hanukkah with Hillel JUC. She admitted that Iron Chef Latkes was something she’s been excited about for a long time.

“[Iron Chef Latkes] is a way for students to get excited about a traditional part of Hanukkah, the latke making, while adding a modern twist so that they could have fun with it,” she said.

“The party itself is a great opportunity,” Schutzbank said. “I used to celebrate Hanukkah with my parents every year, and now Hillel is like a family that people can celebrate Hanukkah with and have a great time.”

Hanukkah is a festival of light honoring the rededication of the Holy Temple more than 21 centuries ago by Judah Maccabee and his brothers. The miracle of Hanukkah stems from the account that the brothers had enough oil to light the menorah for eight days.

Making latkes — grated potato with various ingredients fried in oil to a golden flapjack — is a Jewish tradition associated with the holiday. Along with latkes, sufganiyots (doughnuts) are also eaten.

“Basically, you eat lots of fried things because the oil lasted for a long time,” Schutzbank said.