CKCA Grad Avi Roth to Open Gotham Burger Co. in Teaneck, NJ

A graduate of the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts' first professional culinary arts certificate program, Avi Roth (Summer '08) is hard at work prepping for the opening of his first restaurant. Gotham Burger Co., a "kosher version of Shake Shack," will be opening in Teaneck, NJ within the next month. The restaurant will open on Teaneck's growing "restaurant row", at the bustling corner of Queen Anne Road and West Englewood Avenue, in the space that formerly housed Burgers Bar.

In addition to traditional restaurant design updates, Avi will be bringing the 21st century into his table service, which will feature iPad ordering with interactive games for kids at every table.

Avi reports that his vision for Gotham Burger Co. includes a concentration on flavor profiles, a higher quality of meats, at an affordable price with good service. "I want people to have a fine dining experience at a reasonable price," he said. In addition, the roadside burger joint menu will have lots of kid-friendly fare.

Avi is working with one partner and several investors to open the restaurant and is currently overseeing renovations and solidifying his kitchen staff. In the photo above, he shows CKCA Director Jesse Blonder around the restaurant. As CKCA is a close partner with this venture, Avi will be offering a 10% discount to all CKCA grads who visit Gotham once it opens. He also will be providing word of the day specials once he gets up and running, and he looks forward to seeing lots of CKCA grads past and present become repeat customers.

Recipe: Pappa al Pomodoro

Here's a fantastic recipe for a hearty tomato soup that we cooked last year in the Master Class in Italian Cuisine. We'll be doing the class again this year with a whole new menu of outstanding, authentic Italian specialties.

Master Class in Italian Cuisine

January 23 - 26

10 am - 2 pm

$475 for the whole week / $150 per day

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

PAPPA AL POMODORO (Tomato bread soup)

- 2 lb tomato puree, canned

- 1 lb stale crusty bread

- 1 sliced red onion

- 1 t crushed red chili pepper flakes

- 4 crushed cloves of garlic

- Fresh basil

- 4 T extra virgin olive oil

- 4 fresh tomatoes, diced

- Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the chili pepper and the garlic. Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Add the bread in small pieces, the fresh tomatoes, and some water or stock if it is too dry. Let cook till the bread is completely soft, about 20 minutes. Puree briefly with an immersion or regular blender. Tear the basil and add sprinkle on top. Remove from the heat and serve hot or warm with some basil oil (recipe below) on top

OLIO AL BASILICO (Basil flavored extra virgin olive oil)

- 16 fl oz. extra virgin olive oil - 50 leaves fresh basil, cleaned - 1 tsp course sea salt

In a blender, process the oil with the basil and the salt. Add more oil if necessary. Put through a sieve. Pour in a glas bottle or jar and preserve in the refrigerator.

Center for Kosher Culinary Arts Launches New and Improved Website!

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts is proud to unveil the newest version of its website, visible at http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com. The new, fully-searchable site includes all of CKCA's classic recipes, as well as updated class schedules, announcements, chef instructor bios and special descriptions of our most exciting master classes. Updates to our popular date nights and other recreational classes can be found there as well.

Check out the new site today!