Veronica Gold, assistant professor of education at Assumption College, is one of five national finalists in a chicken-soup recipe contest
sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach Program.

Assumption College Professor Selected as Finalist in National Chicken Soup Challenge

February, 2004—Professor Veronica Gold has been selected by the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP) as one of five finalists in the Shabbat Across America’s Chicken Soup Challenge. The finals, which will decide who has the most original and unique chicken soup recipe, will be held on “Soup-er Tuesday,” February 24, 2004, at Abigael’s restaurant in New York City. The finalists will arrive in New York City on Monday evening, and will begin preparing their creations at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Judging will begin at approximately 1:15 p.m.

The contest is being sponsored in conjunction with the NJOP’s 8th annual Shabbat Across America event, which will be held on March 12, 2004. Amateur cooks age 18 and over were invited to submit their original recipes for a chance to win a two-week trip for two to Israel. The five finalists were selected under the direction of renowned chef Jeff Nathan, the executive chef of Abigael’s, one of the premier kosher restaurants in the United States. The recipe contest is a natural complement to Shabbat Across America, since “Jewish” food is an element that links Jews of all backgrounds.

Gold, age 50, grew up in Bronx, New York and is an assistant professor of education at Assumption College. “I sent it on a whim,” she said about her recipe. “I’m very excited to have been chosen.”

Although Gold has no formal training in culinary preparation, she has always enjoyed cooking, entertaining and making recipes. Her formal education includes a doctorate degree in education from Clark University and advanced degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is also a graduate of Lehman College of the City University of New York and the Bronx High School of Science. Extremely active, Veronica enjoys tap dancing, power walking, kickboxing, aerobics, and fencing. She is also the mother of three children: Jack, 26, who works in finance in New York City; Rivkah Leah, 20, a nutrition major at NYU; and Goldie Yehudis, 15, a high school student. Veronica is a member of an Orthodox synagogue and is very active in her local Jewish community.

Founded in 1987 by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald to address the critical issues of assimilation and lack of Jewish knowledge, NJOP is now one of the largest and most successful Jewish outreach organizations in the world. To date, more than 730,000 people have benefited from NJOP’s innovative, free programs which have been held in 3,620 locations—including synagogues, community centers, military bases, and college campuses—in all 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, and 30 countries around the world.

For more information on the Chicken Soup Challenge, visit http://www.njop.org/html/chickensoup.html