Teaneck Tween Chef Eitan Bernath to Compete on Chopped

Such a pleasure to interview young foodies!

Teaneck–For the last year or so, the Bernath family of Teaneck has been keeping a huge secret. A custom-made Choppedchef’s jacket was hanging in oldest son Eitan’s closet. The 12-year-old Yavneh student would soon be on national television, as part of the first-ever kids episode of Food Network’sChopped. But finally, the secret is out. His episode will air on Tuesday, September 30 at 10 p.m.

“It was actually a very stressful 6th-grade year for us, because we were constantly in training and we couldn’t tell anyone,” said Sabrina Bernath, Eitan’s mother. Eitan beat out close to a thousand other 5th and 6th graders to win the right to compete, and had six months to prepare for the challenge. The show filmed last April; Eitan is now in 7th grade and preparing for his bar mitzvah.

Read the rest of the article here: 

http://jewishlinkbc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5026:teaneck-tween-chef-eitan-bernath-to-compete-on-food-networks-chopped&catid=150:news&Itemid=562

Crowdfunding a Kosher Vermont Cheddar

Really enjoyed interviewing Mark Bodzin and writing this piece about a new cheddar cheese coming out very soon!

Even visionaries need to have a day job. Mark Bodzin

, who works six days a week at the kosher deli counter at ShopRite in Livingston, is on a quest for delicious cheese. His idea: make an award-winning, aged farmstead cheddar, without animal rennet, certified kosher by the Vaad Harabonim of Massachusetts.

Bodzin, who lives in Highland Park, was born in Detroit and grew up in a kosher home in Rochester. He has also lived in Florida, Texas, Illinois, NYC and Israel. The food style he was exposed to growing up was “classic American”: lots of fish sticks, mashed potatoes and peas, with tuna noodle casserole often making an appearance on the dinner table. It wasn’t until he went traveling to Europe in 1991 that he tasted good kosher cheese.

“I walked into a shop in Paris in the 14th district, and there were racks upon racks of kosher wine, and so much kosher cheese to choose from,” he told JLBC.

Read the rest of the article at:
http://jewishlinkbc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4178:crowdfunding-a-kosher-vermont-cheddar&catid=160:business-spotlight&Itemid=572