With her popular Cooking Demos, Levana offers a uniquely entertaining and delicious program for groups of all ages and sizes: Dinner and a Show! At non-profit fundraisers, private parties like bridal showers or public demos, Levana gets rave reviews for her fun approach and her fantastic menus. Of course everyone gets to enjoy the lavish meal served after her cooking demo!  Levana has been called the “Jewish Julia Child!”   Read full testimonials here!

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Levana’s Cooking Demos are the perfect Portable Feast: Levana comes right to your neighborhood, in your own home, synagogue, classroom, party room or office, nationwide and abroad, and let you and your guests get ready for a delicious and exciting program.  Brunch, lunch, dinner…and a Show! The best part is, for the same flat price, make your group as large as you would like, up to 80 guests!

book levana gallery 5 What are you interested in learning about?  Holiday menus?  Fast and healthy dinners?  Entertaining?  Bridal basics?  Let’s work together to choose, develop and personalize the demo theme and menu for your special event.  There’s no end to the creative options!

Looking forward to cooking with you soon.

All the best
Lévana.

Here is all the information about Levana’s cooking demonstrations!

An Office Party – Looking for a Personal Chef for any occasion – A Fundraiser for your favorite cause or organization – Showcasing a line of products – A Sheva Brachot Party – A Bridal Shower Party – A Birthday Party – An Anniversary – A date with friends who enjoy cooking as much as you do: we can format this as a workshop or a seminar, where all guests participate, for groups of 10 and under. – A group of older friends or colleagues looking to simplify and streamline the preparation of their meals along healthy guidelines, even if it means cooking only for one! – A group of high school pre- or post-graduate children looking to get primed for cooking on their own. – Young brides setting up house along wholesome and sensible guidelines – Empty nesters looking to streamline their meals, nutritiously and with no fuss. – Young busy moms feeding their families in a jiffy, in good health and in style.

I charge a flat fee for my presentation, plus transportation costs. The flat fee starts at $1500.00 and may increase based upon number of guests, location and type of venue. The balance must be paid on the day of the cooking demo. In order to secure the reserved date, I request a 50% deposit on all cooking demos. As soon as the date is secured, I get to work: We compose a menu together, then I work on the recipes, send you shopping ingredient list, utensil list, room layout etc.

Please scroll down to the demo archives for menu ideas!

In case of a Cooking Demo Tour (2 or more consecutive cooking demos in the same out-of-town location), host organizations share transportation costs. In cases when the demo venue is long distance and involves flights, I recommend same-city host organizations coördinate between two or even three events on three consecutive days. In this case the presentation fee remains $1500.00 each. In case the organization invites me for just one event at long-distance venues, the single presentation fee will start at $2000.00 for shorter distances (Montreal, Chicago, Florida etc.) and $2500.00 for longer distances (Israel, California, Europe etc.)

Holiday/Event Meals

Mother’s Day
Tuna casserole
Blueberry scones
Pancakes with assorted toppings
Mixed salad greens
Ice cream cake

Chocolate for Dinner
Beef stew in black currant chocolate sauce with rice
Cocoa and chili-roasted butternut squash
Lavender-scented zuppa inglese
Sea salt caramel chocolate truffles
Zucchini pumpkin chocolate bread

Israeli Independence Day
Yogurt strawberry rhubarb soup
Shakshuka on baked beans
Tilapia in tehina sauce
Spinach feta cheese borekas
Semolina almond cake with lemon syrup

Glorious Asian Flavors. Gluten-Free
Edamame, seaweed and sprout salad with toasted nori dressing
Peanut butter pumpkin soup
Chicken and beef pad thai
Lychee kanten
Coconut bubble tea


Tu Bishvat: Cooking with Fruit
Moroccan chicken dried fruit tajine with jasmine rice
Curried parsnip apple soup
Mixed greens with mango dressing
Tropical fruit cake
Mixed fruit salad

A La Francaise
Cream of asparagus
Boeuf Bourguignon
Herb-roasted potatoes
Bibb lettuce and shallot salad
Coffee macarons with chocolate filling

Chocolate Fantasies
Chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce
Chocolate coconut tart
Flourless chocolate hazelnut cake
Chocolate espresso biscotti
Chocolate cherry clafoutis

Latkas International
Potato latkas
Curried sweet potato latkas
Giant spinach latka
Millet fritters
Blueberry yogurt pancakes
Fruit sauce
Salad

Rosh Hashanah Dinner
Plan and cook for the new year with healthy Levana secrets.
Fish and corn chowder; Lamb shanks with rosemary wine sauce and tiny potatoes; zucchini & brussels sprouts with tomato sauce; arugula, fennel and avocado salad; cranberry apricot bread pudding with caramel sauce.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Simple, healthy and delicious.
Corn tomato chowder; Maple-roasted turkey with apples and parsnips; baby greens with avocado, daikon sprouts and golden beets; saffron jade rice; frozen coconut crunch chocolate cake.

Chanukah: Latkas International
Learn to fry safely, efficiently and creatively. Latkas even for dessert!
Potato latkas; curried sweet potato latkas; giant spinach latka; millet fritters; blueberry yogurt pancakes. Served with homemade apple sauce and salad.

Passover Banquet (Gluten-Free)
One of  Levana’s trademark lessons.  So good.
Poached salmon in tomato basil sauce; Roasted garlic artichoke soup; Brisket in coffee brandy sauce; herb-roasted vegetables; quinoa with chestnuts and onions; chocolate-dipped coconut meringues; strawberry rhubarb molds.

Shavuot Feast
Here’s a cheesy dairy splurge for the holiday. Once in a while, everything is allowed!
Cream of watercress; mushroom-stuffed tilapia rolls; Polenta casserole au gratin; Endive, walnut & apple salad; Tiramisu.

Tu BiShvat: Cooking with Fruit
Fruits pack lots of flavor and nutrition, and are fun to cook with.
Moroccan chicken dried fruit tajine with jasmine rice; curried parsnip apple soup; mixed greens with mango dressing; tropical fruit cake; mixed fruit salad.

Purim: Healthy Mishloach Manot
Make your gift basket the delicious and healthy way! Showcased with a whole meal.
Mango dressing (with salad), ginger liqueur, lemon oil, apple tomato chutney (with salmon), herb pecan pesto sauce (with pasta), caramel sauce (with sorbet), hot chocolate mix (served at dessert time).

Yom Haatzmaut Israeli Feast
Israeli Independence Day with an authentic and healthy menu.
Yemenite Halbah meat soup; zaatar-rubbed flat bread; Stuffed artichoke bottoms with lemon sauce; easy un-stuffed cabbage; Israeli salad with tehina; Mahlab.

All American July 4th Feast
Make it lean and healthy!
Burgers with all the toppings; coleslaw; corn salad; baked fish sticks with cocktail sauce; beer-baked beans; apple crumb pie.

Special Occasion Brunch
Don’t wait in line at a restaurant.  Surprise them with this fantastic home-made brunch.
Mimosa and Kyrrh Royale; cheddar dill scones; asparagus with mock hollandaise sauce; mushroom leek quiche; cold fruit soup; watermelon feta cheese salad; lemon cake.

International Cuisine & Flavors

From Morocco with Love
Levana’s Sephardic heritage shines in this classic presentation.
Eggplant pepper salad with preserved lemons; lemon olive chicken; roast salmon and vegetables; fava bean soup; Makroud (semolina pastries).

Vegetarian Indian Feast (Gluten-Free)
Flavorful, healthy and surprisingly easy to do yourself.
Corn hot & sour soup; aloo gobi; vegetable pancakes in ghee; jasmine rice; apricot chutney; yogurt raita; mango lassi; carrot nut pudding.

A Lean Latin Feast (Gluten-Free)
With this lineup of fabulous Latin flavors, lean food is really easy to enjoy in style.
Fish in green tomato sauce;  spicy pumpkin corn  soup; chicken breasts with chipotle sauce; cabbage, cucumber and jicama salad with “yogurt” cilantro sauce; café con leche pots de crème.

Asian Mini-Treats
Master the art of handling nori, summer or spring roll dough, wonton skins.
Vegetable sushi; mock crab summer rolls; cabbage mushroom spring rolls; chicken dumplings with dipping sauce; cold sesame noodles in martini cups; tofu Satay.

Baking

Secrets of Whole Grain Bread Baking (Served with salad and soup)
Levana’s whole grain of choice is spelt flour–higher protein, great flavor.
Water challah; egg challah; anise-scented Moroccan bread; pita; focaccia. Served with pea soup & salad.

Gluten-Free Baking (Served with salad and soup)
Use wholesome ingredients for delicious results in your own kitchen.
Bread rolls; challah rolls; pizza puttanesca; banana choc. chip muffins; lace cookies. Served with lentil soup & salad.

All menus are customized for your audience, your event, your timing.

assistants2
assistants1

We select assistants, the larger the group the more assistants. They are always taken from the guest list, and they are always delighted for the opportunity to work with a chef. We always get more assistants than we need at our cooking demos, always the best and most fun.

I arrive 2 full hours before the cooking demo is called for. All ingredients must be in the kitchen, assistants must arrive at the same time I do, and we start prepping for the demo.

The cooking demos last 2 hours and are followed by dinner. Every guest is handed a booklet of the recipes we are making.

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book signing 2

During (or right after) dinner, we take the time to inscribe my cookbooks for guests who wish to purchase them. Most often, when the authors are present, as in cooking demos, guests are delighted to buy their books. You can order the books directly from me at wholesale prices, and sell them to your guests at any price you would like, just as long as the final price doesn’t exceed the listed retail price.

Since your setting is most often a commercial, institutional, or upscale private kitchen, I trust you have all counter space, oven, stove, refrigeration, etc… The cooking demo takes place in the hall or room adjoining the kitchen, often even in the kitchen itself. The guests are seated in rows of chairs facing me. I stand from an “island” of 2 8-foot tables, set up with all the ingredients I need for the demo. As soon as the demo ends, we serve dinner, either from a buffet or directly to the guests at their tables.

Typically, we need the following items for any cooking demo (this list gets refined according to the menu we choose, but these items are constant): A clip-on mike is an absolute must; a solid-color black apron, food processor with all blades, cutting boards, cutting knives, peelers, oven mitts, 2 portable burners for the demo, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, disposables dishes, cutlery and platters for serving. Everything else: pots, pans, skillets, etc., we determine after we choose a menu.

In the event the demo turns into an all-out affair (and it often does), the format is as follows: According to the size group, I arrive a couple days in advance, work with a whole staff and get the whole meal ready, and on party day, the demo is just a dummy for small servings, which doesn’t get eaten. I have done a few events in this format (Chabad Atlanta, Chabad Caracas) which were a great success and where the headcount reached over 300! I will give you estimates for these events as the case may be.

Check out some of our previous class schedules for menu ideas: October 2011 – April 2012, May 2011 – September 2011, October 2010 through April 2011, April 2010 through August 2010, October 2009 through March 2010, May 2009 through September 2009, September 2008 through March 2009, May 2008 through September 2008, October 2007 through April 2008, April 2007 through September 2007, October 2006 through March 2007, March 2006 through September 2006, October 2005 through March 2006, May 2005 through September 2005

Here are just some of the venues where I have given a demo:

  • Angel Fund. New York City
  • Bloomingdales. Elizabeth, NJ
  • Cantors’ World. Princeton Convention Center, NJ
  • Chabad Chatsworth. Los Angeles, CA
  • Chabad of the Valley. Los Angeles, CA
  • Chabad Studio City. Los Angeles, CA
  • Chabad West Side. New York City
  • Chabad. Berkshires
  • Chabad. Boston, MA
  • Chabad. Branford, CT
  • Chabad. Caracas, Venezuela
  • Chabad. Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Chabad. Los Angeles
  • Chabad. Naples, FL
  • Chabad. Norfolk, VA
  • Chabad. Prospect Heights, NY
  • Chabad. Salt Lake City, UT
  • Chabad. Westmount, Canada
  • Chabad. Westport, CT
  • Chai Center. Birmingham, MI
  • Emek High School. Los Angeles, CA
  • Fairway Supermarket. New York City
  • Hachanasat Kallah. Monsey, NY
  • Javitz Center. New York City
  • Kimpatorin. Brooklyn, NY
  • Kings Supermarket. Short Hills, NJ
  • Machon Chana School. Brooklyn, NY
  • Nachalat Hatorah School. Monsey, NY
  • Park Avenue Synagogue. New York City
  • Private. Beverly Hills, CA
  • Private. Flatbush, NY
  • Private. New Rochelle, NY
  • Private. West Hampton, NY
  • SHARE. Chelsea Piers. New York City
  • UJA. Greenwhich, CT
  • UJA. Philadelphia, PA
  • UJA. Pittsburgh
  • UJC. Parsippany, NJ
  • Williams-Sonoma. Bergen County
  • Williams-Sonoma. Time Warner Bldg., New York City
  • Y Riverdale. New York City
  • Y Suffolk. Suffolk County, NY
  • Young Israel. Kendall, FL
  • Young Israel. New Rochelle, NY