The energy in the room was palpable as over 60 Yeshiva Ketana mothers, grandmothers and friends came together for the first ever Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles Kosher Chopped competition. Hosted by world-renowned chef and cookbook author Naomi Nachman, five teams came together for a fun and “healthy competition”, as a sold-out audience looked on. Each cooking station was equipped with burners, pans, water, oil and a surprise bowl with ingredients the teams were required to use including; mandarin oranges, quinoa, popcorn and salmon. The teams also had access to a make-shift pantry filled with fruits, veggies, sauces, spices and many basic household cooking ingredients. They had 30 minutes to create a dish that incorporated all of their secret ingredients. Each team came up with beautifully plated and unique dishes, which included salmon wontons, fried salmon and more. The winning team wowed the judges with a unique side-plated blackened salmon on a quinoa patty garnished with popcorn, veggie slaw, mandarin oranges and a radish. Congratulations to Yeshiva Ketana parents Mrs. Leah Freeman, Rachel Leah Keradnam, Mrs. Ahuva Kovitz, Mrs. Shira Levine and Mrs. Nechama Nafisi on winning the competition! A special thank you to Mrs. Naomi Nachman, Bubby Linda Rubenstein and Mrs. Elana Berman for all of their hard work preparing and executing this lovely event.