5th Annual Man-O-Manischewitz Contest

Jamie Geller was one of the judges at the 5th Annual Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-off at which Stuart Davis, 45, from Cherry Hill, NJ with his Chicken and Egg Donburi (recipe can be found on the Manischewitz website) was crowned King of Kosher on Thursday March 31 2011. Davis received a grand prize worth $25,000 which includes: state of the art kitchen appliances, cash, over night stay in NYC, crystal trophy, and Manischewitz product.

Stuart was selected as a finalist through the “Online Voting” component that allowed consumers to have a say in the finalist selection process. The other four contestants were selected from thousands of entries.

Stuart is a father of three girls and one boy. Although cooking is his passion, this is the first contest he has ever entered! Stuart was a mortgage banker for 10 years and now teaches a class called “Digesting Hebrew” at Temple Beth Shalom in his hometown. Previously, he taught English in Japan (the inspiration for this dish) and speaks the language fluently. Entries were judged on appearance, taste, ease of preparation and originality & creativity.

The five contestants competed live in NYC at The JCC In Manhattan, in front of hundreds of guests and a prestigious panel of judges including Epicurious.com, FoodNetwork.com, Weight Watchers, Kosher Cookbook author Jamie Geller, the Culinary Arts Director at The JCC In Manhattan, spearheaded by legendary Chef Jacques Pepin.

The five finalists, selected from over thousands of entries, were challenged to prepare family-friendly recipes incorporating one of the Manischewitz All-Natural broth flavors including the new Vegetable Broth which joins the existing line of Beef, Chicken and Reduced-Sodium Chicken flavors. In addition, Mayor Bloomberg has proclaimed the date as “Man-O-Manischewitz” Cook-Off day!

“What a thrill and honor to be named the Manischewitz Cook-Off Champion.” said Stuart Davis, Grand Prize Winner. “I have loved Manischewitz products all my life and to think they have made me a “cooking champion” is a dream come true.”

Scroll to continue

The dishes prepared by the other contestants were: Moroccan Chicken Bowl by Naylet LaRochelle of Miami FL; Shallot Smothered Chicken by Dina Burcat, Baltimore MD; Simple Fisherman’s Stew by Suzanne Banfield, Basking Ridge NJ; and Golden Sweet Potato Tagine by Jeanette Nelson, Sophia WV.

To see more photos from the event, please go to our Facebook album.