LATKE FESTIVAL Sets Records and Event Winners Announced

Great Performances' annual Latke Festival broke records on Monday, Dec. 16, racking up the most attendees and participants in its 11-year history. The event presented annually by the acclaimed catering and events company raises funds to support The Sylvia Center, a nonprofit dedicated to nutrition and healthy cooking education for children in underserved neighborhoods throughout New York City and in Columbia Co., NY. As was the case last year, Veselka tied for the People's Choice Best Latke with. Chef Dima Martseniuk's Veggie (or Smoked Ham) Rueben Latke with homemade sauerkraut, homemade Russian dressing and Swiss cheese. It was a savory contrast to the other People's Choice winner, the Sweet Potato Latke with marshmallow brulee from Vanay Coffey, the chef of The Bankers Club at 120 Broadway.

There was another tie for the judges' determination of Best Creative Latke - Chef Bao Bao of Baoburg's Okonomiyaki Latke, Japanese style octopus potato pancake topped with sweet soy sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes and Jewish Food Society's, Russian Latke, smoked white fish and potato latke with horseradish sour cream and caviar. The judges' nod for Best Overall Latke went to Hanoi House for Albert Nguyen's Banh Tom, sweet potato and shrimp fritter. And the judges named the veggie version of Veselka's the Best Traditional Latke.

Two new categories were introduced this year, Best Vegetarian and Best Newcomer, logging another record number. The Classic Potato Latke, braised apples, horseradish creme fraiche, chives, by Sarah Flynn from Yellow Magnolia at Brooklyn Botanic Garden was anointed with the first. David Burke Tavern's Horseradish & Caraway Latke, with pastrami smoked salmon claimed the second. However, the veteran celebrity chef behind the eponymous restaurant was not the only Latke Festival virgin to take home top honors. All of the winners this year, except Veselka and Yellow Magnolia Café, were newbies, also a record.

As the ultimate celebration of the mouthwatering versatility, the event showcased latke creations, from the classic to the decadently imaginative, by chefs from such establishments as: Benchmark; Chela. Duet bakery & Restaurant; Dizzy's Club; Graffiti Earth; The Norm; and Shelsky's of Brooklyn.

"The extraordinary range of the latke interpretations never ceases to fascinate me," said Liz Neumark, the founder and CEO of Great Performances, which created the Latke Festival as a benefit for The Sylvia Center. "This year that range encompassed the most vegetarian latkes we've ever seen at the event, which is right on trend with what's happening in the food world. It must have resonated with the attendees too, because we raised a record amount for The Sylvia Center, partly due to on-site text-to-donations, which increased fivefold over the previous year."

The latkes were judged by a prestigious panel of influencers and food experts, including: Bloomberg News' food editor Kate Krader; chef and award-winning cookbook author Rozanne Gold; Lee Schrager, director of the South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals; Food Tank editor Emily Payne; Adam Kaye, co-founder and chief culinary officer of Spare Food Co. Sheryl Haft, author of Goodnight Bubbala; Fern Mallis, the founder of New York Fashion Week and president of Fern Mallis LLC; and Anne Pasternack, the Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Musuem. full list of all 14 judges can be found at https://www.latkefestival.com/judges.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Latke Festival 2019