Last week you met Leora’s Babu, a real-life Bubbe and our first celebrity judge. Today meet our other two judges for our First Annual TC Jewfolk Recipe Contest! Some talented chefs will be cooking for our judges THIS SUNDAY! It’s too late to enter yourself, but we’ll have pictures, video, and maybe even smell-o-vision–because, hey, it’s 2015, people!
Robyn Frank:
Robyn Frank is a lover of the Arts and of Food and one could say The Art of Making Food. Robyn grew up in Minnetonka, MN. After moving to New York and studying acting for many years, she started baking her mom’s traditional cookies called “Thumbs” in her off time. One thing led to another and before she knew it, she was selling these family cookies all around New York and Brooklyn. Robyn has recently returned home to MN reintroduce her varied flavors of Thumbs Cookies and is happy to be getting her family’s support in the process. She is currently working on several new flavors. More on Robyn in this coming Monday’s Who the Folk?!
Cantor Mitch:
Who says the kitchen is just for cooking? Cantor Mitch brings kosher cooking to a new generation and away from the stove. Cantor Mitch believes in living life to the fullest! He is passionate about his faith in God, music, entertainment, and food.
Cantor Mitch grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was active in the community’s city music festivals. As early as high school, he played in musical theatre productions; He was Lil’ Abner in “Lil’ Abner” and Lun Tha in “The King and I.” As an 18 year old, he sang “Laporello’s Catalogue Aria” from “Don Giovanni” with the Jacksonville Symphony. While attending the Conservatory of Cincinnati as an opera and composition major, Mitch acted in scenes in “The Marriage of Figaro,” “The Magic Flute,” and “Don Giovanni.” Later, he traveled to the Big Apple, where he performed in several off Broadway productions. Between shows, Mitch worked in restaurants as a vegetable cutter, boiler man, prep chef, and sous chef. He trained and practiced his skills at more than a dozen restaurants over a ten year period. His Jewish faith eventually led him to become a Cantor for 25 years. He served two congregations: Beth Israel in Hammond, Indiana, and Temple of Aaron in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Now, Cantor Mitch is returning to entertainment and fulfilling a long-time dream by writing a cookbook entitled Kosher Cuisine for a New Generation. The book features song pairings with delicious kosher dishes, holiday music, and original downloadable compositions. In addition, Cantor Mitch has created a company called Kosher Cuisine, where he orchestrates intimate dinner parties for up to 12 guests in private homes where the hosts choose starters, entrees, desserts, and songs. Cantor Mitch has several innovative additions to his company website, www.CantorMitch.com, to include some cooking shorts. He is currently working on additional webisodes for Kosher Cuisine and hopes to have his own show titled “Kosher Cuisine: Cantor Mitch the Singing Chef!” This would be the first kosher and entertainment show on television. His website also features his own performance songs from “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The King and I,” and several other Richard Rogers compositions. Sit back and listen to any of the 30 songs available!
The recipe contest and our sponsorship support of KosherFest is possible thanks to support from Natan/NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation and the Oren and Sharron Steinfeldt Foundation.
