Lorraine Rose and Liz Lippoff (center) chat with Recipe for Success “Chef” Jemi Kostiner Mansfield about the glow-in-the-dark necklaces available for a donation of any size. Each donation also earned guests an entry in the evening’s raffle at Congregation Beth Israel's Taste of Temple.

DEBORAH MOON, Jewish Review

Hundreds get Taste of Temple and local chefs’ varied cuisines

By DEBORAH MOON

article created on: 2011-11-01T00:00:00

Free childcare and a plentiful variety of food, wine and beer drew an enthusiastic crowd of 300+ to savor a Taste of Temple Oct. 30.

Taste of Temple co-chairs Judah and Ali Garfinkle and David and Tiffany Goldwyn wanted to create an event that would attract other young families—“our friends”—to a multi-generational friend-raising and fund-raising event for Congregation Beth Israel.

To ensure other young families could participate, the chairs decided free babysitting was a must. More than 30 kids from 3 months to 10 years of age enjoyed their own special time with members of the staff of Northwest Nannies, playing games and munching on cheese, fruit and other treats.

Friend-raising was the noisier side of the evening, with few interruptions for formal activities. The auction was the silent type and the traditional mitzvah moment was replaced by Recipe for Success, where for a donation of any size people earned a glow-in-the-dark necklace—jokingly referred to by Rabbi Michael Cahana as a “very low halo.” Speeches were limited to a brief welcome by Judah Garfinkle and then the drawing for three raffle prizes (for which all “halo” wearers were entered).

“We were not comfortable with a mitzvah moment,” said Judah Garfinkle. “Yet it’s important to support our community, so we took the pressure part out of it and people can donate from their hearts.”

His wife Ali added that the chairs brainstormed about ways to let people give at whatever level they felt comfortable with no pressure. The resulting Recipe for Success let attendees “meet up with one of the cooks in brightly decorated chefs’ hats” and contribute an ingredient (donation) to support the multitude of programs and services Beth Israel offers throughout the year.

The program noted, “It takes lots of ingredients to make sure every interested person has the opportunity to be a member—no matter what.”

More than 30 local chefs, vintners and brewers provided something for every taste and plenty of opportunities to converse with friends and new acquaintances.

CBI Development Chair Linda Georges praised Taste participant Lovejoy Bakers, owned by Marc and Tracey Frankel, for going “above and beyond the call-of duty.”

“It was a nice way to get to know people,” said Tiffany Goldwyn. “I’d walk up to people I didn’t know and ask what kind of food do you like best?”

“Temple is a place where people get to know each other,” added Cahana. “And this was nice for restaurants.”

While the friend-raising clearly seemed to work, the fund-raising was also a success.

“While it is too early to have a dollar amount, it is looking like it was successful on many fronts,” said CBI Executive Director Sydney A. Baer.