Judging oodles and oodles of delicious noodle kugels

I went from having maybe one noodle kugel my entire life to eating 12 different ones within an hour at a first-of-its-kind Noodle Kugel Bake-Off at B’nai Jacob Synagogue on Charleston’s East End this past weekend.

A dozen different noodle kugel samples is ready for judging

Joined by fellow celebrity judges Paul Smith, James Beard-winning chef from 1010 Bridge Restaurant in South Hills, and Judy Grigoraci, former food columnist for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, I was invited to help taste a dozen homemade kugels to pick our favorites during a fun competition and lunch on Sunday afternoon.

A table full of noodle kugels awaits guests

Usually served on the Jewish sabbath and Jewish holidays, this traditional Eastern European dish features noodles mixed with a variety of sweet or savory ingredients and baked in a casserole dish until firm on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside and occasionally with a streusel or crunchy crumb coating on top.

While it’s most often made as a slightly sweet dish spiked with cinnamon, sugar, raisins, fruits and sometimes cream cheese or sour cream, you’ll find savory versions today flavored almost every which way.

Many Jewish families seem to have their own favorite recipe and several of them were on display for judges and dozens of guests to sample during Sunday’s event.

Although they didn’t walk away winners, I enjoyed a tangy pineapple raisin kugel made by Nancy Morton and Nancy Boulliane, a delicious sweet and tart apple “upside down” kugel from Jessica Labes and a oh-so-subtly flavored traditional kugel from Sharon Rubin. We also sampled entries featuring chocolate, along with a “Cinnabon” version interestingly topped with cream cheese icing.

Sheba's Savory Kugel

In an unusual turn of events after two separate blind tastings were complete, both the public and judges had chosen the same two kugels as their winners.

Paul, Judy and I selected Shelley Kanner’s pineapple-apricot entry as our favorite traditional kugel and Janet Victorson’s spicy Thai peanut version as our most creative kugel. That same Thai interpretation won first place in People’s Choice voting, with the same pineapple-apricot kugel tying with Art Rubin’s classic noodle kugel for second place.

In addition to praising all of those good eats, I also have to commend organizers Janet Victorson and Gail Bellamy for one of the most organized food contests I’ve ever had the pleasure of judging. I’ve sometimes arrived at a scoring table only to find there were no scoresheets to use or pens to write with or categories to consider or even directions to guide us.

That was certainly not the case here, so great job B’nai Jacob!

Green Chili Shoot-Out returns to Capitol Market

The annual Green Chili Shoot-Out returns this Saturday, featuring a fun day of chili sampling, beer sipping, entertainment, wrestling and more at Capitol Market at 800 Smith St. in Charleston.

The judges finalize their top picks

A few dozen professional and amateur chili cooks will be competing for prizes, with the winner in the professional category moving on to represent Capitol Market at the World Championship Chili Cook-Off Oct. 16-19 in Indianapolis.

The cookoff runs from noon to 4 p.m. that day, with Regatta Pro Wrestling taking the stage immediately following.

Tickets for unlimited chili samples are $10 if purchased in advance or $15 at the door, plus beer will be available for purchase. Admission for the wrestling event is free. For more information or to purchase tasting tickets, visit www.CapitolMarket.net.

Bullock releasing St. Patrick’s Reserve bourbon

Feeling lucky – and thirsty?

The winning Spicy Thai Peanut Kugel

In honor of next week’s big Irish holiday, The Bullock Distillery is releasing a special “St. Patrick’s Reserve” eight-year, single-barrel bourbon proofed with sweet West Virginia karst water from Bullock’s Farm in Greenbrier County.

The new spirit will be released during an event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday featuring live music, a food truck and West Virginia artisans at the distillery at 121 Washington St. W. You can enjoy a signature cocktail or six small whiskey samples for $10 that day, or three small samples for $5. (Drink purchases algo include a tour of the distillery.)

Each $65 St. Patrick’s Reserve bottle purchased comes with a free shamrock ornament as well. Inside the bottle you’ll find a bold tawny bourbon featuring a nose of butterscotch, maple, rye and rose, with notes of chocolate, caramel and cedar on the palate, backed by a vanilla finish.

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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.