The Beth Shalom Synagogue held its sixth annual Bubbie’s Brisket and Bakery Jewish food extravaganza this Sunday, and in attendance were Jewish and Gentile food enthusiasts alike.
Robert Hodges’s wife Terri was the chairperson for this event, rendering him what he calls the “default volunteer person.” He explained the long-standing origins for the food festival as well as it’s more recent development.
“Bubbie is the Jewish word for grandmother,” he said. “We’ve been doing this for six years, and it has grown exponentially. It has been absolutely wonderful, this year is the biggest yet so far.”
As the festival continues to grow, more and more people, who would otherwise be rather disconnected from the Jewish culture, are finding Bubbie's extravaganza.
“I would estimate that probably 90 percent of the people that come are not from the Jewish community," Hodges said. "It’s a big event for the community as a whole, not necessarily the Jewish community."
Such a surge has caused some benign logistical challenges, as the foods continue to be familiarized and treasured by the community.
“I just heard that we have already run out of corned beef, and we’re two hours into the four hour event,” Hodges said. “That’s a blessing and a curse.”
Hodges insisted that with this festival, you are getting nothing less than the best home recipes.
“Rarely can you find a recipe that’s written down, unless you write it down yourself. It usually is passed on from generation to generation,” he said. “One of the great Jewish jokes is that, if one lady gives a recipe to a friend or someone who’s not family, they sometimes leave out an ingredient so that ‘theirs won’t be better than mine,’ and that sort of thing. Of course, that’s not the case here.”
His wife, Terri Hodges, is the President of Beth Shalom Synagogue and the chairperson for Bubbie’s. She's passionately involved in the extravaganza, herself a preparer of kosher pickles, mandel bread and the elusive corned beef.
“We kind of each have our own little schtick,” she said. “Some people bake the pastries, some people make the corned beef, some make other things. Everybody has brought in their grandmother’s — or Bubbie’s — recipes. The matzo ball chicken soup, the baba ganoush — it’s all family recipes, and it’s all wonderful.”
Bubbie’s extravaganza first started as a competition much like a bake-off. But in its growth, they have relied on a setting for those that love to cook.
This year’s event incorporated much more food than years past — Bubbie’s added a vegetarian platter to remain inclusive of all eaters in the community.
As Bubbie’s grows and expands its menu, those in charge have to be careful about organizing the space of the Synagogue and the placement of certain dishes.
“We have our delicious bake shop outside, but that is non-kosher,” Hodges said. “It’s not cooked in the synagogue. People have baked it in their homes and they can’t bring it in. Everything within the synagogue is all made on the premises, and it’s all kosher within the synagogue itself.”
Luke Hodges, a fourth-year English student, has no relation to Terri and Robert Hodges but knows them through their son Zach. Hodges isn't Jewish himself, but he grew up attending Beth Shalom services on occasion through the family connection.
Hodges saw the festival as a sort of microcosm for a much larger Jewish community than that of Columbia.
“It was such an interesting range of things because I think they have not just American Jewish people but also Russian Jews and Israeli people making cuisines from their home countries. It was a really diverse palate of things,” he said. “It seems it will be a big event like the Greek festival in the future.”
While appreciating the far-reaching diversity in this culture, Hodges brings it all back to the succulent center: Bubbie’s cuisine.
“Terri’s pickles are always the staple of any good meal. I just know she makes pickles obsessively,” Hodges said. “She’s a professional in every sense of the word.”