By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO– Men’s Club members assembled at 7 a.m. in the kosher kitchen of Tifereth Israel Synagogue and, to the theme of “batter up,” the team began preparing pancakes–some with blueberries and bananas; others with chocolate chips, and still more old fashioned and plain.
Mixing their batter thoroughly to eliminate any globs or bubbles, the men plopped the pancake mixture onto individual griddles in an effort to prepare at least 250 of them before the Conservative synagogue’s Torah school students arrived anytime after 8 a.m.with their parents.
The question rightfully asked was whether any of the men had the requisite experience to make this breakfast. Fingers immediately pointed to two men: Norm Katz, who organized the affair, and Bill Sperling. Turns out these two men were relying on East Coast methods.
Explained Katz: “I have been making pancakes for over 30 years. My father had a restaurant that was just open for breakfast and lunch. It was called Lou’s Luncheonette in downtown Philadelphia. I went to work for my dad when I was 12 years old and he didn’t pay me either. … I did everything, mopped the floors, made the sandwiches. I learned how to make eight different types of eggs: over easy, sunny side up, basted, poached, scrambled, omelets, eggs Benedict, and, er, ..” As he struggled to remember the eighth, there was one obvious suggestion for this tough but fair kitchen task master: “Hard-boiled.”
Sperling, a retired pulmonologist, took a deep breath and recited his credentials: “I worked my way through high school and college as a cook in a luncheonette in the Bronx, N.Y. I made pancakes, eggs, sandwiches, and to those of you who don’t know what an egg cream is –there is a special way to make an egg cream: you put the milk in first, then the soda water, and then the chocolate syrup comes in on the side and it is Ubet chocolate. It slides down so that you have a white foam on top and the chocolate below it”
The kitchen crew including Bill Friedel, Alan Goldenberg, Bob Holloway, Marty Marcus, Steve Mishek, and Bram Rubinstein all seemed pretty impressed, but the true test of the Men’s Club’s culinary skills was out there in the social hall where the hungry Torah School students and parents were assembling.
“They’re good,” opined student Max Matkovski.
“Pretty good,” suggested his brother Elan Matkovski.
And what was the verdict of the adults?
“Compared to the pancakes we take out of the freezer and pop into the microwave, they were pretty darn good,” said Amy Stanley, the synagogue’s pre-school director.
Any constructive suggestions?
“A warming tray,” said Stanley.
“Yes,” said Susan Levy, known for directing Tifereth Israel’s Purimshpiels. “Also, the blueberries should be warmer.”
Preschool parents Andy and Kelsey Smith and their cousin Erin Papa gave the pancakes fairly high marks. Andy suggested the option of crepes might be offered, and Erin thought strawberries would make a fine alternative topping.
It was the fifth occasion that the Men’s Club has served a pancake breakfast. In a previous year, the breakfast was in association with “World Wide Wrap” a day on which men around the world learn how to cover an arm and forehead with tefillin.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com