Illustration by Lea Kron

The Team

Yosef and Shlomo Helfgott,
12 and 10
Yeshiva Darchei Torah
8 family members
Lawrence, NY

We’ve always been putter-in-the-kitchen kind of kids. Whenever our mother has something doing in the kitchen, we’re involved. So when we saw the Man with a Pan column, we thought, Hey! How cool would it be if we actually cooked Shabbos for Mommy? And that’s how this all started…

It was hard to find the best week to take on this huge task because we were in sleepaway camp and then school started right after, and then it was Yom Tov season. Once Yom Tov was over , we started to tackle the project.

Our mother mentioned that menu planning came first. Who knew that?! So on Sunday night we sat down to decide what we’d be cooking and which dish we’d each make. Considering we’re in school, we had to figure out which day of the week we should prepare each dish. Let’s just say, that night was a long one…. We compared notes, confirmed recipes and methods (is this what Mommy does every week?!), and then the fun began!

Our mother told us when she could take us to the grocery store, and we each had to write up our own grocery lists.

Yosef’s View

I’m in seventh grade in Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and one of my hobbies is cooking. I enjoy the steps along the way, and my favorite part is making the food look nice before I serve it. I’m also kinda, I guess you’d say, very focused when I take on a task!!

Monday we had a half day of school, so it was a perfect time to get some ingredients in the house. Luckily it was nice weather and I was able to walk to Seasons and take care of the chicken. I prepared and even fried the chicken and froze it. Since I had extra batter, I added onions and made fried onions too (those were a surprise). It felt really good to start cooking and knowing I had some food already prepared. Most of my other dishes had to be prepared fresh, except for the chocolate cake, which I baked on Wednesday.

By Thursday night, my sleeves were rolled up, and I peeled all the potatoes, chopped onions (ouch, my eyes!) for the cholent, and seasoned the salmon. While I was prepping, Shlomo was too! We were able to run our questions by each other. Our goal was to give our mother a full break. Our grandmother stopped by Thursday night to provide some moral support. She told us that everything was looking just right… and since most of Mommy’s recipes come from Bobby, that was reassuring! It was exciting, and should I say maybe a little overwhelming too?!

Friday morning, I woke up earlier than usual to put up the cholent before yeshivah. I did ask my mother to give it a mix while I was in yeshivah. (Thanks, Ma!) When I came home, I made the kugel and decided I’m making it every week because it’s so easy! I pulled out the foods I’d prepared and set them out on the counter and quickly broiled the salmon. And then exhaustion hit me, and I decided this is never happening again! No wonder this is a job for mothers!

But then Bobby stopped by to taste and gave me a thumbs-up for a job well done. Yay!!

Now I feel accomplished and excited to serve the food in just a few hours. Shlomo, we got this!