Follies Estere - PURIM NYC @newshul - Drag Queens, Hamantashen, Falafel and FUN

What do you get when you mix
....NYC Drag Queens, 
.... Delicious Food and Beverage
.... and a fun New York City Community - the New Shul

a fantastic fun evening filled with food,  friends, costumes, music, dance and MORE....  

Purim NYC with the New Shul and CuisinEtc, Entertainment by Miss Candy Samples and Friends

The New Shul held their spirited annual Persian Purim Play, at VCS,  decorating the room in rich golds and reds for that vibrant and over the top middle eastern "Palace" look and CuisinEtc Catering and Special Events provided the food. It was a Purim NYC celebration like no other - fun, food and LOVE..

Caterer Lisa Teiger wearing a 1940's feathered pillbox hat and picasso-esq jacket with the Rebbetzin

The infamous
Blake Golding
feeling
GROOVY...

just had
him some
mac n cheese

Amy is CANDY GIRL !!!

check out those sweet-tarts

Mordechai - oy vey

 Everyone was encouraged to come in costume.  To enhance the theme, CuisinEtc Catering and Special Events set up a  fun + vivacious Purim NYC Food display utilizing hot pink + neon orange feathers, Purim + Mardi Gras masks, multiple colorful props + the CuisinEtc infamous trojan horse table from which Chef Andrew Alexander-Crossan, dressed in a dragon chef's jacket, produced hot, fresh and  crispy falafel "lollipops".

Falafel "lollipops" skewered with 

Organic Israeli Colored Cherry Tomatoes

can you see the delicious herbs peeking thru?

Falafel is a traditional middle eastern treat, beloved to people of the Mediterranean.  It's a nutritious, yet delicious blend of chickpeas, onions, herbs + spices, and Chef Andrew Alexander-Crossan, of CuisinEtc Catering and Special Events in NYC, has mastered the art and science of these yummy little balls of deliciousness. 

A few of the secrets Chef Andrew will reveal is that he uses dried (not canned) chickpeas, toasts his spices such as cumin and cardomom before blending into the falafel mixture, and to achieve that super crispy exterior, Chef Andrew rolls the falafel balls in Japanese Panko before frying.

The crispy spandex black tablecloths popped the bright carnival colors of various masks, neon pink and neon orange roaring twenties feathers and the vibrant food displays.

When you think of Purim, what comes to mind

is a traditional staple of Purim

HAMANTASHEN

(also spelled hamentasch, homentash, homentasch, humentash).

Delicious three cornered butter based cookies with jewel tone fruit preserve fillings, and this celebration of the story of Queen Esther was no exception.

Lisa and Andrew handmade over 200 raspberry, apricot and cherry filled hamantashen, and not a single one was left at the end of the evening.

Special touches like mini Jewish stars 

dusted with purple, green + yellow sugar,

triangular shaped bowls of chips, jewel tone hamantashen, 

colorful hatbox risers, and turkish tiles,  fanciful glass spires, brightly colored mini manequins, various colored feathers, mardi gras + purim masks all richly enhanced the Purim carnival look.

The Purim Menu was a take off on the popular CuisinEtc Catering International Breads and Spreads Offerings.

apostrophe bowls of 

Feta and Red Pepper Lemon Scented Dolmatis

and

Italian Jardienere Marinated Veggies

*********

Housemade Roasted Garlic Hummous Sunflower

with Whole Wheat Pita and Carved Carrot "Petals"

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Piquant Golden Triangle Samosas

with Triangle Dip Bowl of Sweet Chili Jam 

perched atop a hand hammered Moroccan riser

*********

Dreamy Eggplant Mousse 

atop Hand Carved Cucumber Crowns

Bejeweled Apricots

Mediterannian Sundried Apricots

Piped with Cheesecake

and Studded with Dried Cherries

*********

Housemade Rondele & Sundried Tomato Pesto Cheese Torta 

surrounded by Housemade Crostinis

*********

 Colorful Terra Chips

*********

Housemade Hamantashen 

and 

Bejeweled Jewish Star Cookies

and 

 Dreamy Creamy Chezee

CuisinEtc Mac and Cheese

 served in purple and pink triangle cups

with petit cocktail forks

(in an ongoing effort by CuisinEtc Catering 

to make events more environmentally green)

mac and cheese station in chaferless chafer

hiding behind the masked man.

New Shul member + volunteer, Judy Levine

graciously served the popular mac and cheese

allowing me to take the above photos.

Thank you Judy !!!

Toda Raba New Shul for a fantastic evening !!!