Archive for September, 2015
Kosher Food & Wine Festival: Blockbuster Event Marks 30 Years of Chabad of Georgia
An avante-garde feast for the senses featuring aerial acrobatics, electronic music and a dazzling array of gourmet cuisine comprised the first annual Kosher Food & Wine Atlanta festival on Thursday, a celebration of the richness and range of kosher food available for local consumers. Royal Wine, one of the largest wine importers in the U.S. supplied more than hundred varieties of international wines for the inaugural event.
Presented by Chabad of Georgia as it marks 30 years of Jewish outreach in the area, the cocktail and dinner party was held at the Historic Georgia Railroad Freight Depot, which was transformed by Track Seven Events into an edgy, trendy atmosphere, presenting multiple floors of food, an elevated D.J. spinning electronic beats and a Cirque-du-Soleil style performance of aerialists twirling through the air.
“This landmark program really shows how far Atlanta’s Jewish community has come,” said Rabbi Yossi New, the Australian-born director of Chabad of Georgia who moved here in 1984 to found the local organization. “We feel a sense of pride and privilege in serving this historic community that’s experiencing unprecedented growth, and one of the keys to providing spiritual nourishment is, happily, through our culture and traditions around food.”
Some 600 people attended Kosher Food & Wine Atlanta, which featured 30 caterers, restauranteurs and grocery chains to beckon tasters into the sensory feast. In addition, the festival honored Chef Sandra Bank, whose catering business has served Atlantans the promise and power of exquisite kosher dining for nearly 20 years. Bank was feted with a hand-blown glass award signaling her creativity in elevating kosher cuisine and, as her slogan puts it, “making the ordinary extraordinary.”
Given the demand for her kosher catering services, Bank added to her Added Touch Catering company three years ago with a second company, A Kosher Touch Catering, focused exclusively on kosher events. Her firm catered the sponsor reception with four elaborate stations, entitled chopped, sliced, smoked and torched in the venue’s Blue Room.
“Today in Atlanta, a kosher lifestyle is not just possible, it’s extraordinary,” said festival director Rabbi Isser New. “We are fortunate to enjoy a vibrant array of palate-pleasing choices and this festival is about presenting and applauding such abundance.”
The first annual Kosher Food & Wine Atlanta was produced by Chabad of Georgia, an affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Jewish outreach group. Chabad of Georgia encompasses 11 Chabad community centers and 5 Campus organizations: University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Emory and Kennesaw State.
Chairpersons included Tessa Shaban, Bo Lefkoff, Erin Liss, Dassie New, Rabbis Yossi New, Isser New, Yael New and Levi Mentz. Proceeds from the event will go toward continued Jewish outreach and education.
Vendors include Aaron’s Best, Ali’s Cookies, Avenue K, Cellar Filler, Classic Pita, Coca-Cola, Costco, Cotton Cravings, Dolce Catering and Bakery, For All Occasions and more, Georgia Aquarium, Goodfriend Co., Gourmet Foods Intl, Goza Tequila, Herzog Wine Cellars, Intercontinental Buckhead Atlanta, Keurig, A Kosher Touch, Kosherology, Kroger, Lisan Catering, Pita Modern Tribe, Grille, Publix, The Spicy Peach, Sweetwater Brewing Company, The Kosher Gourmet, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Wolfgang Puck Catering.
For more information, please visit www.kfwatl.com and www.chabadga.com.
Sandra Bank with hosts Dassie New and Rabbi Yossi New.
Barbara Pomerance, president and CEO of Pomerance & Associates with Michael Leven, CEO of Georgia Aquarium and philanthropist of The Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality at Kennesaw State University.
Sandra Bank accepting her award.
Avante-garde aerial acrobatics.
An attendee is amazed by the live statue.
Kosher vendors shared a bounty of wares.
Salmon tartare from Hotel Intercontinental.
Kosher sushi from Kroger.
The Washington Auto Show® Announces Geoff Pohanka as New Chairman
Geoff Pohanka, President and CEO of Pohanka Automotive Group will chair the 2016 Washington Auto Show
WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 2, 2015 – The Washington Auto Show® (WAS), the automotive industry’s annual public policy show and the largest public show held in Washington, D.C., is pleased to announce that Geoff Pohanka, President and CEO of Pohanka Automotive Group, a long established company of automotive dealerships located throughout the greater Washington region, and member of the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association (WANADA), will chair the 2016 Washington Auto Show.
“Not only is Geoff Pohanka a successful business executive who is passionate about the future of the automotive industry and the Washington D.C. community, he is also an industry leader with the experience and vision to lead the Washington Auto Show into 2016 and beyond,” said John O’Donnell, CEO of WANADA.
As board chairman of WANADA in 1998, Pohanka put Washington on course to become a world premier auto show when he encouraged WANADA leaders to systematically interact with OEM exhibitors at their headquarter locations and at the tier-one industry auto shows in the U.S. and Europe.
“Washington is the only auto show venue in the world with the U.S. Congress down the street, which for better or worse, is the partner of the OEMs in automotive design,” Pohanka said. “Leveraging itself into the “public policy show” on the auto show circuit was as logical as it was natural for Washington, and that affords a thoroughly unique annual opportunity for OEM exhibitors everywhere,” he said.
Committed to public service, Pohanka has returned to the Board of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) representing Metropolitan Washington dealers. He previously served on the NADA Board for two terms from 2002-2008.
He is a recipient of the American International Automobile Dealers (AIADA) All-Star Dealer Award, the Time Magazine dealer of the year award, and the Community Foundation of Prince Georges County Vision Award. He currently serves on the board of the Prince Georges County Business Roundtable, as a Trustee of Saint James School in Hagerstown Maryland, Honorary Commander of Joint Base Andrews in Clinton MD and as a United States Air Force Air Mobility Command Civic Leader.
SHOW DATES:
Jan. 20: Public Policy Preview Day on Capitol Hill.
Jan. 21: Public Policy Preview Day at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center – daylong schedule of events for government, industry and media capped off by a Sneak Peek Reception
Jan. 22-Jan. 31: Consumer Days – Ten-day show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
About WANADA and the Washington Auto Show
The 2016 staging of the Washington Auto Show in Washington, DC will offer a showcase of more than 700 vehicles from over 42 domestic and import auto manufacturers and a special exhibit of the world’s most luxurious rides. In addition, the Washington Auto Show has been accredited by OICA, the industry credentialing organization for the top auto shows in the world, as one of the five top-tier auto shows in America. The 2016 Washington Auto Show’s Public Policy Preview Days will take place Wednesday, Jan. 20 on Capitol Hill and Thursday, Jan. 21 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center followed by the 10-day consumer show from Friday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, Jan. 31.
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