Noted chef Tina Wasserman visiting Lake Charles, Birmingham

Temple Sinai in Lake Charles will host a Small Congregation Scholar-in-Residence featuring Union of Reform Judaism culinary writer Tina Wasserman, Nov. 1 and 2. She will also be in Birmingham on Nov. 3.

The Lake Charles weekend will include services and Torah study with Rabbi David Fine, Rabbinic Director for the URJ Small Congregation Network.

Wasserman is the author of “Entrée to Judaism – A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora” and the forthcoming “Entree to Judaism for Families: Kitchen Conversations between Adults and Children.” Her presentation will include samples of her recipes.

Wasserman’s Shabbat evening presentation on Nov. 1 is “Beyond Brisket and Bagels — A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora after 1492.” Her Nov. 2 presentation is titled “Was Willy Wonka Jewish? The 16th Century Immigration of Jewish-Portuguese to Brazil and the Effect on the Chocolate and Vanilla Trade.”

The cost for the Nov. 1 event is $9 for Temple Sinai members and $18 for guests. Admission is $5 for children under the age of 13. The cost for the Nov. 2 program is $18.

Pre-registration is required by Oct. 25 and Wasserman’s books will be available for purchase and signing.

In Birmingham, she will have a private cooking class at the Levite Jewish Community Center on Nov. 3 at 9:30 a.m., including carrot and sweet potato latkes, and Moroccan Couscous. The class is limited to 15 on a first-come, first-served basis and is $25. To reserve, contact Samantha Dubrinsky at the Birmingham Jewish Federation.

At 4 p.m. on Nov. 3, she will have a family cookbook demonstration that is open to the community. There is no charge for the program, where she will demonstrate ways to involve children in the kitchen.

A Dallas resident, Wasserman’s election in 1994 to Les Dames d’Escoffier, an International Culinary Society that honors women in the food and beverage industry, recognized her accomplishments as one of a handful of outstanding women in the country specializing in Jewish historical cuisine.

For over 10 years she was the food columnist for Reform Judaism Magazine and now is the culinary contributor to ReformJudaism.org, Ten Minutes of Torah, educational materials for synagogues and the Reform Movement’s Pinterest page.