Lotsa Matzo Memories

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By Paula Gottlieb Herman

What does The Mama Doni Band, matzo warm from the oven, chocolate layered marble halvah, and a pressed chicken sandwich all have in common? They were some of the amazing treats I experienced on the Lower East Side last Sunday.

The Lower East Side has always held a special place in my heart since my Dad was born there, my Bubbe taught me to make chicken soup there; we could buy pickles from a barrel, delicious knishes of every flavor, bialys with just the right amount of onion, and the most delicate flavored smoked fish.  As a little girl, after my first subway ride from our apartment in Brooklyn to Manhattan, I was hooked!

Chef Paula with Mama Doni

Chef Paula with Mama Doni at the Streit’s Mazo Factory

On Sunday, March 10th, I reconnected with these roots by first attending Passover Palooza, the musical performance of Mama Doni and her band at the Streit’s Matzo Factory on Rivington Street, and then leading a walking tour to a few of Dad’s old haunts.

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Goin’ Back With Al Roker

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By Paula Gottlieb Herman

Would he remember me? Would I get the chance to tell him that I, too, made a pledge to honor my Dad’s memory? Would he get to hear about my cooking parties? Would he recognize the silver pin I wore on my suit, a staff Christmas gift he bought me many moons ago? Those were the questions dancing around in my head on Tuesday, January 8th at 7:00 PM. That evening, Al Roker was scheduled to do a book signing at Book Revue in Huntington. His newest book, Never Goin’ Back chronicles his battle with weight, and his promise to his dying father, that he would get serious about losing it.

Al and I worked together at NBC News on a variety of shows, Sunday Today, Weekend Today, and Today. I began my career at the Peacock Network in August 1986, and left my beloved NBC in October 1993, when my position as a Production Coordinator was eliminated, during a division-wide lay-off, and coincidentally, the same time my Dad was diagnosed with kidney disease. Rather than working 80 hours a week at 30 Rock finding the right “talking head” or making travel arrangements for guests, I was able to research treatments and specialists to help Dad preserve his remaining renal function.

It had been at least two decades since I produced segments with Al. My favorites included “Fugu & Wagyu,” (Japanese Blowflish and Hand-Massaged Kobe Beef), “Cirque du Soleil Nouvelle Experience,” “Stuttering,” and a bunch of live segments featuring cooking gadgets and outdoor cooking.  Al was smart, funny, and wrote a great script.  He was a pleasure to work with, except when there was a weather emergency, hurricane, or earthquake. Those years, he was doing the local WNBC-TV weather at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00, as well as our network weekend or weekday Todayshows. So, I had to pray for sunny skies, in order for him to be available to do the interviews I set up.
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2nd Annual Harry Potter Halloween Workshop

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Harry Potter Soars Again

By Paula Gottlieb Herman

Wizard wands, potions, spell duels, and cupcake cauldrons magically delighted families at the 2nd Annual Harry Potter Halloween Workshop with LilChefs.com on Sunday, October 21st.  Families from Manhattan, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk were greeted by me, Chef Paula, owner of LilChefs.com Special Events, dressed in a purple wizard robe and hat, instead of my trademark chef coat and chef hat. I was accompanied by an assortment of wizards representing Dumbledore’s Army Clubs from LIU Post and Five Towns College.  The first 30 minutes of the each workshop included visiting the live Animals Exhibit at the Center for Science Teaching & Learning in Rockville Centre.  Barred owls, snakes, lizards, turtles and more were on display to get the new Hogwarts in the right spell-binding mood along with a Harry Potter trivia contest.

The families then entered the Great Hall by uttering a secret password. Once inside, they could visit multiple stations including the Wand Making station where the li’l wizards could add magical ingredients to give their wand special powers such as Unicorn Hair, Dragon Heartstring, Phoenix Tail Feather, and Thestral Tail Hair.  Or the Transfiguration Booth where they could try on articles of clothing and props such as wands, neckties, scarves, glasses, snitches, marauder’s map and pose for family photos in front of the mural painted by the LIU Post Dumbledore’s Army Club. The mural, created last year for the 1st Annual Harry Potter Halloween Workshop, displayed the castle up on a bluff, an elder’s wand, owl carrying a message, and Harry Potter logo. For extra authenticity, two face painters could also transfigure any wizard into an animal or other character with the stroke of their paint brushes. And for those more daring, a Potions Table was set up to tempt the wizards with canisters of delectable tasting items but with disgusting names such as Blood Worms (red string licorice), Blind Cat Eyes (mini marshmallows), Hollow Stump Soil (chocolate cookie crumbs),  and Gillyweed (green Gatorade with shreds of coconut floating on top).

Harry Potter themed music played in the background as the families gathered for the Sorting Hat Ceremony. A stool with the Hogwarts crest was positioned by the mural and I placed the brown all-knowing sorting hat on each child’s head. The wizards-in-training were given their house assignment by the talking hat in a big, booming voice. Once sorted, the new Hogwarts took their places at the long table representing their house.  Each of the four tables could be located by the handmade centerpiece created just for them by two LIU Post students.  All of the centerpieces had a wooden painted letter attached to a base and a mason jar with color coded glass beads and feathery plumes poking out. I especially loved the Gryffindor’s centerpiece with the red “G” and red glass beads.  Each table also displayed their house’s formal crest. Above each table, candles were magically floating, just like in the original Great Hall from the Harry Potter movies. Hand-painted banners with all the house crests proudly hung in the room, too.

Since food is always such a big part of any LilChefs.com event, this one was no exception. I set up a lavish buffet for the guests to enjoy a glass of creamy Butterbeer (skillfully mixed by a Five Towns College wizard with cream soda, butterscotch topping, and whipped cream), Herbology Bites (sliced baguette with vegetable cream cheese and English cucumber topper), Pumpkin Pasties (pumpkin and gingerbread mini cakes), Rock Cakes (chocolate brownie bites), vegetable crudités, cheese platter, cauldron of assorted crackers, and Elixir of Life (bottled water).

Once the wizards and their families were fed, I called up each house, one at a time, to start working with me to craft the Harry Potter snacks. First, Wizard Wands were conjured up with either a pretzel rod or licorice stick dipped in melted chocolate. Then the wands could be decorated with Halloween-colored sprinkles, coconut, or chocolate crumbs. Next, Crunchy Cockroaches were created with a dollop of chocolate encrusted with raisins and broken pretzel bits.  Acid Pop Lollipops are always a crowd pleaser among the kids and the parents who wax nostalgically about their first experience with Pop Rocks. Packets of Blue Razz Pop Rocks were given out along with a 3 oz. cup of water, and a choice of Blow Pop Lollipops. The kids were instructed to unwrap the lollipop, to slightly dampen the pop with water (or they could lick it a few times), then dip the pop in Pop Rocks. The crackles and the smiles were both great to see and hear! The last craft was Cupcake Cauldrons. Devils food or yellow sponge cupcakes were displayed on 3-tier Halloween pedestals alongside chocolate and vanilla puddings, gummy frogs, gummy brains, gummy worms, and black licorice. The goal was to hollow out a small well in the middle of the cupcake, pour in some pudding, then lace the cauldron with some creepy crawly critters and to attach a black licorice handle. Who knew creepy things could taste so yummy?

The last half hour of the event was designed to showcase the college students from the Dumbledore’s Army Clubs. Since all the wizards-in-training had their wands, now they needed to know what those wands were capable of. Two adult wizards demonstrated various spells during a spell duel, and then individual li’l wizards were coached to come up and cast a spell to combat an adult wizard. Some of our littlest wizards packed quite a wallop as the adult wizard opponent had his legs become wobbly by the Jelly-Legs Jinx or rendered unconscious by hearing the Stupefy Stunning Spell.

The finale of the 2nd Annual Harry Potter Halloween Workshop With LilChefs.com was the musical performance of “Going Back To Hogwarts” from “A Very Potter Musical.”  Harry, Ron, and Hermione were flanked by a wizardly chorus of singers. The routine was amazing, animated, and showed the true spirit and talent of these college students we had the privilege to work with for the last month. We attended their Wednesday club hours at LIU Post as they created paper wands for all of our wizards, painted banners, constructed centerpieces, rehearsed the musical number, and came up with trivia questions. We were blessed to have so many interested students collaborating with us for way more than the community service credits they received from LIU Post and Five Towns College, and an inspiring club advisor (LIU Post), who breathed even more life into the event we created.

After the entertaining finale, our way to end the event was to give out special awards for the best costumes. We handed out Hershey Bars dressed up in “Most Original Costume,” Best Costume,” and “Scariest Costume” wrappers. All wizards left with a specially designed goody bag that we made up with a “Harry Potter Halloween With LilChefs.com” label, broomstick pen engraved with LilChefs.com, Harry Potter geek glasses, rubber bracelet, Halloween pencil, recipe book with all of the Harry Potter snacks we made, and a personalized diploma.

It was our pleasure to host four children from Ronald McDonald House of Long Island and two children from Make A Wish Foundation of Long Island. These children, who are being treated for a variety of medical conditions at local hospitals, had a chance to just be kids or wizards, if only for a few hours.  We were also happy to offer complimentary tickets to winners from the Treat of the Day Contest by NYMetroParents.com and our own internal LilChefs.com ticket contest.

The energy in the Great Hall was magnetic for these two sessions. Children, adults, wizards, and a chef all witnessed something magical. One of our littlest wizards who attended our morning workshop, age 4.5 came dressed in his Harry Potter outfit, and was completely wowed by the workshop. In an email I received the next day, his mom said, “The Harry Potter Workshop was amazing and such a wonderful experience!  My son had the best time and has been talking about it since the event. It was so much fun and entertaining, and one of the best family events we have ever participated in! Thank you so much for preparing and hosting such an amazing event for children! I would also like to express a special thank you to the Dumbledore’s Army and CSTL group. Oh my gosh, they were so great and made the event even more special. I can’t rave enough about them and LilChef’s!

Thank you to all who made this event such a spooktacular one!! We are hard at work preparing for next year’s seasonal events.  We hope to see you all in 2013!

 

 

http://HarryPotterEvents.com

Kids & Rigs Sailing Adventure

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Event Title: Kids & Rigs Sailing Adventure

  • Date: Friday, August 10 & Sunday, August 12, 2012
  • Hours: 11am-1:00pm
  • Ages: Children ages 3-14 and Adults
  • Price: August 10: $40 for Children 3+, $30 for Adults; August 12: $45 for Children 3+, $35 for Adults.
  • Address: Schooner Soundwaters, Port Jefferson Village Center at Harborfront Park, 101-A East Broadway, Port Jefferson, NY 11777
  • Phone: 516-338-0552
  • Website: KidsLearnToSail.com  (Starting with this page, for now.)
  • Description: Kids ages 3-14 and adult chaperones will set sail in style aboard an 80′ 3-masted schooner powered by the wind. This 2-hour educational sail will teach kids how to lower and raise the sails, touch marine wildlife including sea cucumbers, horseshoe crabs, clams, and oysters, and learn how to steer this majestic 32-ton vessel. Come help the crew haul in some new specimens to examine. The last activity on board will be a crafting workshop led by Chef Paula. Kids will create a message in a bottle necklace and decorate sea life cupcakes. Advanced payment and registration required. Space is limited.

at http://KidsLearnToSail.com

Or Call Chef Paula @ 516-338-0552 for more info and to secure your spot!

Fun on the Farm Day 2012

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Blueberries & Baby Goats… A Summer Remembered
By Paula Gottlieb Herman


Our 4th Annual Fun on the Farm Day was our biggest ever with 30 children, 29 adults, and 3 in staff (including me, Chef Paula). The participating children spanned ages 3 through 15. This year in addition to the girls, we had many older boys attending, and that always makes me happy. When I started LilChefs.com Special Events 7 years ago, I had a few dads who were not open to the idea of their sons wearing aprons in the kitchen for a cooking party. Boy, have times changed (pardon the pun)! Thank you Emeril, Bobby Flay, and Ratatouille for showing us that cooking is a life skill we all should have!

Every year, I seek out delicious blueberry treats to welcome our guests with, many of whom traveled 2 hours to be with us out in the North Fork. This year I hit the jackpot! My personal favorite was the individual blueberry cakes called YoGo. These delicate little cakes were made with Greek yogurt and are only 100 calories. My next favorite was Jessica’s Brick Oven Blueberry Lemon Bread. The pre-sliced loaf is dense and delicious, and since I add lemon zest to the blueberry jam we create, you know I love the pairing of blueberries with that little hint of citrus in the background. My third homerun was finding Snack Pack pudding appropriately titled, Blueberry Muffin. Wow, what a winner with our guests during the dessert making part of our day. More about that later…

I take great pride in creating such a beautiful event where we feature a fruit farm, a goat farm, and LilChefs. Wickham’s Fruit Farm located in Cutchogue is a bicentennial 300-acre farm owned by the family since 1661. Tom Wickham, the present owner, is the 13th generation to work this land. Catapano Dairy Farm, located in Peconic started out as a 19-goat dairy a decade ago, and can now boast about their 96 happy goats in residence. This year they even added a half dozen sheep to the farm. So, in addition to their award-winning goat cheese, they are now making cheese from sheep’s milk. Read more »

Lend A Helping Hand Baking Workshops

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Date: Monday, February 20, 2012

  • Pick One of Two sessions:
  • 10 am – 12:00 pm or
  • 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Ages: Children ages 6-16
Price: $10 per child ingredients donation

Click HERE to REGISTER NOW

Event Address: The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, 267-07 76th Avenue, New Hyde Park, NY 11040
LilChefs.com Phone: 516-338-0552

Click HERE to REGISTER NOW.

Description: Come crack some eggs, sift some flour, and mix up some patriotic treats for the families staying at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. Volunteer bakers from ages 6-16 will feel proud to whip up some delicious desserts that will put a smile on the faces of children undergoing medical treatments. Workshops will start off with a tour of the house and then end with a 90-minute baking session.

February 20th is President’s Day, so let’s create some goodies fit for a President. How about some cherry bars in honor of George Washington? If you have a patriotic dessert recipe or a great idea for one, please email Chef Paula, and maybe we’ll feature it. Advance payment and registration required.  For more information call or email Chef Paula today. Space for this baking workshop is limited.

Click HERE to REGISTER NOW

Spooktacular Harry Potter Halloween Workshop

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When: Saturday, October 22nd

12:00 PM to 2:00 PM or 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Where: Center for Science Teaching and Learning

1 Tanglewood Rd., Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Owls and snakes and frogs, oh my! Children 5-14 and adults will be spellbound by a visit with some of the animals featured in the Harry Potter series at this nature preserve’s Amazing Animals Exhibit. Once they’ve worked up a hearty Hogwarts appetite, kids will conjure up mystical concoctions such as crunchy cockroaches, wizard wands, chocolate covered frogs, acid pops, and cauldron cupcakes. Prizes will be awarded to the best character lookalikes, so dress to impress a wizard!

Advance payment and registration required. For more information or to make your family’s reservation call 516-338-0552 or email Chef Paula today. Space for this magical workshop is limited.

With very special contributions and performances by the Dumbldore’s Army of CW Post and Dumbledore’s Army of Five Towns College.

Click HERE to REGISTER NOW.

As featured on:

Read the Full Story about how this magical event unfolded at Patch.com

Celebrate Motherhood 2011

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Celebrate Motherhood

Date: Saturday, April 30, 2011
First Session: Noon – 2:00 PM (or)
Second Session: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
For kids ages 3-14 with adult
Call Chef Paula at (516) 338-0552 to learn more.

Location:  Parent Resource Center,
Landmark on Main Street-Lower Level
232 Main St., Port Washington, NY 11050

Description: Join in the sweet fun as we Celebrate Motherhood! Come make hand dipped chocolate candies, floral-inspired cupcakes, and a  decoupage souvenir dessert plate.

Children ages 3-14 will also decorate a chef hat and apron and everybody will enjoy yummy refreshments. Afterwards, all li’l chefs and moms will pose for a commemorative photo of their finished masterpieces and receive a personalized certificate of accomplishment. Space is limited and pre-paid reservations are required.

Price: $40 per child; $10 per adult chaperone
$10 discount by joining our Rewards Program
Enter to win free tickets for Twitter & Facebook users*

To Register for this event:

Contest for Active Facebook & Twitter members:

You can Win Free Admission to this event!

How to enter in TWO STEPS:1. Update your Facebook or Twitter status to say:

Win free admission to “Celebrate Motherhood with LilChefs.com” April 30th – Craft with your Kids ages 3-14 – Click: http://bit.ly/ep0Nvh

2. Comment below this post to let us know you completed step #1 above.

Seven winners will receive tickets worth $140 in total!

  • 3rd place: Adult admission $10 value – Five winners
  • 2nd place: Child admission $40 value – One winner
  • 1st place: Parent and Child are free $50 value! – One winner

This Event is a “Weekend Pick” at NY Mom’s World!

Client Testimonial:  One family sent us this email…

From: Ruth W.  Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 10:24 AM
Subject: So Much Fun

Just posted something on my face book page about Saturday. I couldn’t help it, it was just such a great time. Anyone who can engage my fourteen year old at the same time as my 8 year old, and his two friends under 8, is a MAGICIAN in my book. Even my shy 13 year old had a such a good time.

ABSOLUTELY TRUE: When we woke up Sunday morning, and I went to wake up Jacob, my 8 year old to tell him to get dressed, he said “Mom, I want to wear something really comfortable for picking blueberries and making jelly. It was so hard to tell him that he had the date mixed up and we had to wait until July!

Thank you again, so much Paula… It truly was a treat!!!!
Ruthie

check out my face book page…

Chef Paula Dances with the Stars

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Ordinarily on a Tuesday evening you’ll find me glued to “Dancing with the Stars.” But this past Tuesday night, I was dancing with the stars at the Food Network’s red carpet premier party for “Have Cake, Will Travel” which will air on Tuesdays at 9PM. 

This new comedy docu-reality show stars Ashley Vicos, the Southern blonde bombshell dubbed “the reigning queen of the cake decorating world” and her motley team, as they create amazing 3-D cakes around the country in rented kitchens, not from the familiar confines of their own culinary space in Georgia. Dennis, the Too-Personal Assistant, Erin, the All-Purpose Intern, and Mary, the Salty Sugar Artist round out the cast.

The launch party hosted by Eric Vega of Prosinthecity.com was promoted as a 5-hour event held at Arena Ballroom on W. 41st in NYC. Guests of note included the cast and production crew, assorted 20-something girls, male and female Marines, and a John Travolta “Saturday Night Fever” lookalike. The invitation indicated that network execs, agents, and folks from fashion and film would also be attending.

When Michael and I arrived, the party was in full swing, and Ashley graciously posed for photos, gave out milk chocolate lip-shaped candies (lips are a prominent part of her logo design for Sweet Ashley’s, her cake studio), introduced 2 of her episodes  projected onto 2 jumbo screens, and danced the night away until her stiletto heels came off. The pilot episode showed Ashley and her team whipping up an amazing cake for the Harlem Globetrotter’s 85th Anniversary. The second episode highlighted a Mardi Gras design that brought Ashley back to her stomping grounds in New Orleans. Her three daughters and family members were there to greet this single mom for her homecoming.

Our early photos of the event show me “near” Ashley thanks to Michael’s photographic talents. Later photos actually show Ashley and I huddling together for pics taken by a myriad of photographers as well as dancing together. Check out photos (83 & 84) of me posing and dancing with Ashley.

I wished her good luck with the show, told her about my passion for teaching kids to cook, and gave her my business card that had 3 whimsical cupcakes on it. I mentioned that I really admire her decision to do her cake designs remotely. Since I travel every weekend to different towns, different kitchens or partner locations, I know first-hand how much organization and pre-planning is necessary to pull off events. Ashley was taken by what I had to say, and told me that she began cooking at the age of 5, and got her start in making cakes by using her Easy-Bake Oven.

After our few special moments together, Ashley announced that it wouldn’t be a party without cake. While it wasn’t one of her masterpieces, our bounty consisted of assorted pastries from a local bakery placed on the bar. Some of the standout items for me included a giant cannoli with delicious cannoli filling and individual mini cannoli shells for scooping out the cream. That cannoli and the tender pignoli cookies that melted in your mouth took the cake for me. Michael was partial to the rainbow cookies and chocolate mousse pastry.

After sampling the yummy desserts, we hung out on the dance floor, and checked out the rest of the club. The décor included clusters of red balloons with a mini mirror ball attached as a weight a la the mirror ball trophy from “Dancing with the Stars.” So, now my evening’s entertainment came full circle. Me, a dance floor, a mirror ball, and some stars to mingle with. Next Tuesday, it’s back to sweats and watching a Viennese waltz. After this experience, I’d love to be savoring some Viennese pastries, too. Oh well, a girl can dream, can’t she?