Over the weekend, on the first night of Hanukkah, my friend and I visited our synagogue’s annual celebration of the festival of lights. Teams of congregants competed to see who could make the tastiest and most innovative latkes. The rowdiest children bounced outside in an inflatable castle, while craft tables with a smattering of wax, wick, and wood provided kids with the materials to create their own menorahs, which were situated at the back of the dining hall.
The holiday highlights the perseverance of the Jewish people, honoring the victory of light over darkness—with food, fun, and candles that burn for those eight crazy nights.
Last year, our age group’s team lost the latke competition to middle schoolers and their s’mores concoction. But this year, our friends’ chili oil-topped scallion pancakes took home the gelt.
My friend went to one craft table to make candles while I went to another to build a menorah.
When we came back together, the candles wouldn’t fit. Instead of shrugging his shoulders, he tried everything, even lighting matches to shape the base of the candles into something that would stick.
His unorthodox methods earned us a few raised eyebrows. But who cares? They worked.
Still in the holiday spirit, I urged my coworkers to try some latkes themselves.
On Wednesday, we went down to Spring Garden Street to try 913 Whiskey Bar and Southern Kitchen’s latkes.
We ordered a plate of classic ones with applesauce and sour cream on the side, as well as the kitchen’s latest creation: A brisket and goat cheese-infused latke.
I’ve had a lot of latkes over the years, from my mom’s to the sometimes sad store-bought attempts. But these carbohydrate-laden pillows of potato, crunchy yet soft, were some of the best.
Before polishing off my leftovers on Thursday, I hopped on a phone call with the kitchen’s owners, Alyssa and Dan Gatto.
For years, the pair held annual get-togethers at their home with the local Jewish young professionals group.
“We just became known for having really, really good latkes,” Alyssa said.
And a couple of years ago, they decided to start making them for the community at the restaurant.
“Just having made them my whole life,” Allysa said. “I know they’re not everyone’s favorite thing to make because they’re very messy in your kitchen. People don’t always look forward to that element of Hanukkah.”
Last year, Dan and his team hand-made more than 1,300 latkes. They broke that record this week with 1,800.
“It’s a lot of latkes,” Alyssa said.
“Me and the kids stopped by [the restaurant] on Sunday, knowing it was a long day for him,” Alyssa said. Dan and the team fried latkes for seven hours straight.
“[Our son] was following the tray of latkes around like Toucan Sam with his nose in the air,” she said. “He wanted them all.”
Me too, kiddo.
And once the candles burn out on Sunday, so does the opportunity to snag a latke from the Gattos’ kitchen.
I find it beautiful that this year, the eighth and brightest night of Hanukkah will fall on December 21, the winter solstice and darkest day of the year.
When my friend and I tried to light our menorah last Sunday evening, the first candle wouldn’t burn. Undeterred, we tried the next one, and then the next, until one finally caught flame. Burning brightly, that candle’s perseverance—and ours—warmed both the house and our hearts.