NYC Bar Mitzvah Party celebrating 13 years of amazing community with The New Shul

Thirteen years ago a new temple emerged in downtown NYC, started by a small group of families who wanted a place that reflected their values and families.   The New Shul is a warm vibrant community and spiritual congregation that is progressive, inclusive, independent and egalitarian and as they put it is " life affirming and spirit moving".

Amazing 13 Shaped Challah by New Shul Member Laurie Wessely

On  a Saturday night earlier this month, everyone was moving and dancing in celebration of New Shul's Bar Mitzvah 13th Year Celebration on Cinco de Mayo.

Ring Toss Game was FUN Photo Credit: Barry Adler

Photo Credit: Barry Adler

photo credit: Barry Adler

and everyone knows what's a Bar Mitzvah without the HORA, FOOD and DRINKS.
The Energetic DJ from Summit Soundz Entertainment had the crowd up doing the Hora, playing games and dancing the afternoon away to tunes that appealed to all ages.-  There were face painters, photo boothes, and a contest featuring The New Shul mixologists that ranged in age from 7 - 70 competing in a Signature Drinks Contest.  The adult boozy and family soft drink mixologists poured samples of their whisically named concoctions for all to try and vote on with their dollars.   Every vote counted and by stuffing dollar bills and check into your favorite mixologists boxes the winner was determined by popular choice and the New Shul raised a bit more gelt over the ticket price.

Fun drink competitors for the Adult New Shul signature drink included
A Mazel Tov Cocktail, The New Mule (an obvious play on the New Shul),
A Cilantro Rum Infused Torah-tini, the Cucumber and Basil Cooler, and a Gimlet 613

Andy Cohen - the Mazel Mixologist

Stephen Fried mixed it
up deliciously
with a refreshing
basil cucumber cooler

the  New Shul Signature Drink Winner
Martha Spector

New Shul Mixology Contestants

The Mock-Tail Winners
photo: Barry Adler

CuisinEtc has been catering for New Shul events for the past three years and we were excited to be asked to coordinated all the food and as well as provide more delicious food to round out the celebration - we know this  crowd who have eclectic tastes and ALWAYS appreciate great food and fantastic displays!!

The CuisinEtc culinary team brainstormed and consulted with their peers over on caterbuzz and slowly a plan started hatching.   Notice of course the signature Trojan horse table but this time used a mirror as the table top, creating a second tier using a beautiful jagged shaped piece of wood, raised up above the mirror.
The design for the evening was  Elegant Vintage
offering comfort food and shabby chic decor that's kid friendly to kidz of all ages from 2-90.

Torahtini - Martha Spector (winner) Gimlet 613 - Mark Philips Mazel Tov Cocktail - Andy Cohen Cucumber Basil Vodka Cooler - Stephen Fried The New Mule - Karen Loew Rockin Rozberry Shul-y Temple - Jeremy, Bellamy and Molly Richardson (winner) Oreo Classico - Sher Family Triskaiderkaphilipa -Max Shatan

Check out this amazing vintage drawer display - as the guests entered through the 1960's Carnaby Street Silver Curtains - the first set of vintage drawers held a wonderful variety of chef made salsas at a station aptly named "Micah's Build a Better Chip Bar"  - in ode to Cinco de Mayo.

Come on in and experiece  the retro chic bar mitzvah menu for this uber hip afternoon NYC Bar Mitzvah celebration:

Micah's Salsa Bar

a selections of chips ranging from traditional corn tortilla chips, blue corn chips, whole wheat chips to lime corn chips allowing everyone to customize their own selections.





Chef Micah Fredman's
Fabulous Salsas included:

• avocado crema
• pico de gallo
• roasted tomato avocado salsa
• grape, pear + scallion salsa
• pineapple caramelized onion salsa
• black beans with jalapeño + cilantro
• crumbles queso fresco 
• house pickled radishes + jalapenos

Micah's Recipes for some of the Salsa Bar Selections

Pickled Radishes

The radishes are sliced thin on a mandoline and covered 

with pickling liquid that has been brought to a boil. 

The liquid is 

9 parts white vinegar, 

3 parts sugar, 

3 parts water and 

1 part salt. 

Avocado Crema

 a bottle of cream blended with an avocado and seasoned with salt and lime. 

Roasted avocado tomato Salsa

is made by broiling or grilling vegetable oiled 

and salted tomatoes for a while - until they 

have colored fairly deeply (some would say burned). 

Cool slightly and smash or blend in a mortar or blender 

(not too smooth). To that you add finely diced white onion garlic and jalapeño, 

and small chunks of avocado and season with salt pepper and lime. 

As for the Pico di Gallo, it's really simple as well and 

it's hard to give a recipe, because most of us all  already realize, 

what's in it - the same five ingredients - 

that is in most Mexican food in America

 - tomato, garlic, onion, jalapeño and lime. 

Dice everything fairly finely and add salt and lime juice to taste. 

You can seed the jalapeños to allow for the full flavor 

without all the heat and spice. And go heavy on the FRESH lime juice.

That folks is a typical chef's recipe - more a methodology than exact quanitites

since they have the experience to know the taste and such- but follow  

your instincts as well to create fresh delicious accompaniments to chips - 

not just opening a jar but making a delicious and healthy snack for yourself, 

friends and family.  Thank you Micah for generously sharing your knowledge.

and let me make a plug for my friends at Tortilleria Nixtamal in Corona who not only make the only fresh commercially available masa in NYC but also produce fresh corn tortillas - which we have often used to make our own freshly fried corn tortilla chips - a whole 'nother experience from opening a bag of frito lays...  They run a small restaurant at that location and have a kiosk in downtown Manhattan,  but warm tortillas hot off the presses or freshly made chips with any of the salsas that Micah made would be like taking a mini stay-cation for me and my family.

Grape Nut Bytes surrounding pebble potatoes with salmon caviar + creme fraiche

One of the cuisinEtc Hostess with the Mostest... Miss Joni

Edible Spoons by Jack 
creative displays and toppings by CuisinEtc 

Which came first?
the chicken or the egg??
Edibles by Jack Sesame Spoon
topped with Deconstructed Devil Egg

Our Pretty in Pink Salad featured fresh mango + blackberries 

with FLOTUS raspberry poppy seed vinaigrette 

you can find the recipe for this delicious dressing in the link above.

FLOTUS SHAKE IT UP !!  

Salad Bar Displayed in Vintage Drawers

EGG-zactly what was offered at this Bar Mitzah Celebration you ask? 

CLICK on the TV below to enlarge some the menu offerings.

carnivale mac n cheese balls
and fried onion rings
check the cute kid in the background

salmon caviar pebble potato with creme fraiche

deconstructed silky lemon egg salad
on edible sesame spoons

lemony scented dill deviled eggs and feta basil and sun dried tomato deviled eggs

Kidz... of all ages
... just want to have fun!

come on in and toast
some marshmallows
and 
enjoy a 
salted caramel
s'more on us!

Salted Caramel S'Mores Station

Event Credits:

New Shul Bar Mitzvah Producer 

+ Executive Director:        Amy Eisenwald-Golding

Event Committee Chair:    Marissa Cohen

DJ and Photobooth:           Summitsoundz Entertainment LLC
Facepainting                      Debby Lee Cohen (member)

Linens and Decor:              Dusty Berke
The Magician                     The Great Lerdini's Magic Show

Catering + Food Decor:     CuisinEtc Catering + Events NYC
Edible Spoons:                   Edibles by Jack

Food Stylist:                       Lisa Teiger

Executive Chef:                  Chef Andrew Alexander-Crossan

thanks for visiting y'all - see you in cyberspace and be sure to leave a comment below.

life is a journey

let us help you 

make it a delicious one.

Lisa Teiger

Culinary Fashionista