11th Annual LATKE FESTIVAL at Brooklyn Museum on Monday December 16

The annual Latke Festival, the ultimate celebration of the mouthwatering versatility of the potato pancake that attracts more than 700 latke loving attendees, will return to the Brooklyn Museum on Monday, Dec. 16 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with a record number-nearly 30-of fired (and fried!) up participants. They will compete for top latke honors in six categories, including two new ones: Best Vegetarian Latke and Best New Participant Latke. Also new for 2019 will be a home cook participant, the winner of a latke recipe contest conducted by the Jewish Food Society. The winning recipe will be made by Great Performances, New York City's premier catering and events company that presents the festival every year as a benefit for The Sylvia Center, and will be served at the society's booth at the event.

The Best New Participant Latke category is a nod to the relatively large number of Latke Festival newcomers this year, including Manhattan's Graffiti Earth and Ha Noi House and Brooklyn's Baoburg, Duet, Gumbo Bros and Lighthouse. Their latkes will face off with those of festival veterans such as Benchmark, Dizzy's Club, Kulushkat, Mama O's, The Norm, Shelsky's of Brooklyn, Cabot Creamery and Veselka for the judges' determination of Best Overall, Best Traditional, Best Vegetarian, Best New Participant and Most Creative Latkes and for the People's Choice Best Latke.

Latkes - from the traditional, such as two iterations of Classic Potato Latkes, one garnished with whisky braised apples, horseradish crème fraiche and chives, the other topped with cabbage and duck confit, to the decadently imaginative like the Blackened Cajun Treif Nightshade Latke, a fried green tomato and andouille stuffed blackened potato latke with remoulade - are the main draw; however, there will be other palate-pleasing offerings. They include a caviar station by Pearl Street Caviar, a pickle buffet from Jacob's Pickles and a jelly donut and bread spread by Orwasher's.

Latkes and otherwise, the evening's food will be complemented by the open bar service of Grey Goose Vodka and Angel's Envy Bourbon specialty cocktails; Schmaltz beer; City Winery wines; GuS's Soda; and Brooklyn Roasting Company's coffee. The festive vibe will be further fueled by the masterful spinning of a DJ.

All the food and fun involved are not entirely frivolous since the proceeds of the Latke Festival support The Sylvia Center's important work teaching nutrition and healthy cooking to children and their families living in underserved neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City and in Columbia County, NY.

The 11th Annual Latke Festival will light up the holiday season at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY on Monday, Dec. 16 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 which includes unlimited latkes and beverages. A $120 ticket grants exclusive access to the chic VIP Lounge, boasting another open bar and a (non-latke laden!) buffet.

Tickets can be purchased online via Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/2D72oim For more information about the festival, visit www.latkefestival.com. For more information about The Sylvia Center, go to www.sylviacenter.org.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Great Performances and The Latke Festival

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