The new Chabad Young Professional Rabbi, Levik Gourarie, wants to fully integrate into his new community. His thought process is that, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; and for Cincinnati, that means Skyline, a Cincinnati-style chili. A Cincinnati 3-way (noodles with chili, covered in cheese) is about as kosher as a shrimp BLT; Gourarie had his own spin: a Cincinnati-chili-flavored cholent.
“We’re new to Cincinnati, and we’re looking around, like, what’s a Cincinnati staple that we bring some Judaism to?”Gourarie said. “So if I can make a cholent out of it and make a Shabbat celebration with Skyline Chili, then that’s exciting.”
3-Way (courtesy Skyline Chili)
Cholent is a slow-cooked Shabbat stew, traditionally made with meat, potatoes, and beans, left on the heat from Friday through Saturday lunch. Cincinnati-style chili is less a chili and more a meat sauce, made by simmering ground beef in spices such as clove, allspice, cocoa, and cinnamon. Getting the two to work together has taken some trial and error.
Gourarie is now three attempts in. The first try was promising, but it had a problem.
“The first one, I think, was relatively good,” he said. “The pasta and potatoes didn’t match because both are kind of redundant.”
The second attempt stuck too close to a traditional cholent recipe and, by his own admission, did not go well.
“Cholent cooks all night, and I eyeballed the seasonings, so the second week I gotta admit wasn’t awesome,” Gourarie said.
Cholent on a plate (Wikimedia)
The third attempt showed the most promise. He dropped the potatoes, added more beans, and leaned harder into the tomato base, pushing the dish in a more chili-like direction.
“I feel like that one was a bit of a bigger hit,” he said. “It still needs some work.”
One of the things driving Levik on his quest is his desire for the chili cholent to be more than a curiosity.
“I want this to be a staple,” he said. “For that to work, it can’t just be okay. People have to want to just be salivating over it for a week, waiting for it to happen.”
So far, the experimental Cholent has been a hit. For Rabbi Levik Gourarie, the best part is that people are not just enjoying the concept, but also enjoy the progress.
“People found it really cute,” he said. “They liked the cross between the classic cholent and the Cincinnati staple.”
The next Skyline Cholent Shabbat is scheduled for June 20. Gourarie said the event is part of a broader philosophy about Jewish life, one that does not confine Judaism to the synagogue.
“Judaism is not meant to be relegated to the synagogue,” he said. “It’s meant to be something that engages and evolves all of our lives.”
He acknowledged that the cholent is still a work in progress. He plans to keep refining it.
“It still needs some work,” he said. “But that last one worked better.”