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Philadelphia Inquirer
‘An Affair to Remember’
April 22, 2004

By Dianna Marder

A quick check on Amazon.com brings 2,699 hits for the words "bar mitzvah planning," of which only a handful may be relevant. So we're pleased that two local foodies, writer Jayne Cohen and caterer Lori Weinrott, put together The Ultimate Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebration Book.

Make no mistake, this is an arena in which challenges abound. A bar or bat mitzvah is as hard to organize as a wedding (and the date is predetermined by the child's birthday), because you're juggling a solemn ceremony with a party that can easily turn into a circus.

Cohen and Weinrott's book offers a history of the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, which is celebrated in the synagogue, plus ideas (simple to complex) for feasting with family afterward. Cohen, whose work has appeared in Bon Appetit and Gourmet, and Weinrott, cofounder of Peachtree & Ward Catering in Willow Grove, which has a kosher division, offer detailed blueprints with matching mitzvah projects, music, menus and motifs.

Cooks will savor the recipes (Chocolate Marshmallow Cake, Swiss Chard Fritada, French Lentil Salad). Planners will love the budgets and time-line charts. There are toasts for parents to give, sample wordings for invitations from divorced parents - it's all here, which is why it's the ultimate.