Like many of us, I have strong childhood memories relating to food. Although I chose my career in the food business at the tender age of eighteen, my appreciation for well prepared food began when I was much younger. For me, the rich history of our daily meals centered around my Mom and Grandmother, although it probably came from many generations of the women in my family. My Mom always had her favorite grocery stores. She never learned to drive a car, so early in the morning she would gather her coupons, get her walking shoes on, grab her shopping cart and walk a couple of miles each way as she visited her favorites stores, taking care to find the best quality and the best bargains. We laugh about it today, but I often thought she walked out of the grocery stores with more money than she walked in with!

Every spring, I looked forward to celebrating the Passover holiday at my Grandmother's house. My Grandmother would work tireless hours with great pride, preparing the meal days in advance to make sure every Passover was better than the last.

Passover lasts for eight days, but on the first two nights the Passover Seder, a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of Passover, is observed. The Seder is a time for family to gather and celebrate the Jewish people's escape from slavery in Egypt. At the family table, a Passover prayer book, or the Haggadah, is read and everyone participates.

There are certain foods that are prepared and consumed for Passover to commemorate the exodus. Probably the most well-known one being matzoh, the unleavened bread that signifies that the Jewish people left Egypt in such haste that they did not have time to allow the bread to rise.

A special Passover meal will be served at select Wildfire restaurant locations (Lincolnshire, Glenview, and Atlanta) on March 29 and March 30. Wildfire will prepare some of those old family recipes, as well as some new creations to celebrate Passover.

Here are some of the homemade items we will feature:

*      Matzoh Ball Soup

*      Gefilte Fish

*      Braised Brisket

*      Potato Kugel

*      Coconut Macaroons

 To see more information about Wildfire's Passover celebration or to view the menus, click here.  We'd love to have you be a part of our new tradition and celebrate Passover with Wildfire.

I've included a recipe for Gefilte Fish, and hope you enjoy making it as much as I do!

From the wood burning oven,