Photo courtesy of the LJCC.
People attend the Jewish Food and Culture Fest at the Levite Jewish Community Center in May 2022.
Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center Birmingham is bringing back an annual event this month.
The Jewish Food and Culture Fest returns on Sunday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests can visit the Levite Field at the “J” and enjoy recipes that have been passed down for generations including brisket, falafel, corned beef, matzah ball soup and mandelbrot.
A crowd of around 2,000 people were on hand for last year’s event. The food fest plated up 382 pounds of brisket, 129 pounds of corned beef, 100 pounds of ground beef, 75 pounds of smoked whitefish, 200 hot dogs, 90 heads of cabbage and four cases of pickling cucumbers.
"Last year's Food Fest was the best one-day event the Jewish community has ever put on in Birmingham," said LJCC Board member Terry Bernstein.
As part of the celebration, a new addition to this year’s event will be a recreation of an open-air Israeli shuk, or market. A celebration of the 75th Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) will also be held during this year’s event.
"I just love how the food festival brings together some 2,000 or our neighbors — Jewish and non-Jewish — to savor the results of all these wonderful recipes that have been passed down for generations," said LJCC Executive Director Brooke Bowles. "This event takes so much effort, and it's one of the most satisfying things we do all year."
Admission to the festival is free, but food and beverages will be available for purchase.
For more information, visit bhamjcc.org/jewish-food-fest.
