At 59th Jewish Deli Day, Wichita can feast and say farewell to longtime rabbi
.JPG "Wichita will have a chance to say farewell to Rabbi Michael Davis at this year’s Jewish Deli Day. He’s been with the local Jewish congregation for 30 years but has retired and will leave at the end of December.")
The once-a-year chance to feast on authentic Jewish deli fare like matzah ball soup, challah bread and corned beef sandwiches is usually enough to draw more than 1,000 Wichitans to the annual Jewish Deli Day at the Wichita Jewish Community Center.
This year’s dinner, which happens from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday at the center, 1850 N. Woodlawn, offers yet another reason attend: a chance to say farewell to the congregation’s rabbi of 30 years, Michael Davis, who will be attending his last deli day as rabbi. Davis, also known for his community activism, technically retired in July but came back to lead the congregation while it searched for a replacement. He will leave the congregation at the end of December, but he’ll be helping out at the annual dinner on Sunday.
Tammy Wagner, the longtime organizer of the dinner, said that the 59th annual event will be set up as it always has been: Those who attend will each get a full meal of Jewish deli specialties and will have a choice between beef brisket with challah bread or a corned beef sandwich on rye. Meals also include a potato side dish, a cup of matzah ball soup, tomato cucumber salad and choice of apple strudel or brownie for dessert.
Attendees can either dine in or take their meals to go. Tickets are for sale at WichitaDeliDay.com and are $22 if purchased by Friday, Nov. 7. After that or at the door, they’ll be $25.
While at Deli Day, people also can visit “Uncle Manny’s,” which is an on-site bakery and market that offers more than a dozen food items to go, including things like rugelach, matzah ball soup, potato knishes, cheese blintzes and apple strudel. This year, Uncle Manny’s will also be selling a much-requested coffee cake that members of the congregation have always loved. The last time it was offered was nine years ago, at the 50th annual dinner.
Each year, around 80 congregation members work for weeks to prepare the food served at Deli Day, and this year, that included baking 100 loaves of apple strudel, cooking 422 pounds of brisket and slicing 250 pounds of corned beef.
Among the volunteers are two well-known restaurateurs: Scott Redler, one of the founders of the Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers chain, and Les Padzensky, a longtime Wichita restaurant guy who now is the director of the Redler Institute of Culinary Arts at Butler Community College.
In fact, Wagner said, the recipe used to prepare the brisket for the dinner was passed down by Redler’s mother.
Deli Day is the congregation’s biggest fundraiser of the year. For more information, visit www.wichitadeliday.com
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