One thing all Jews have in common - no matter where they live or what they believe in – is the rich tradition of the food we eat. Norene Gilletz, who was a proud BBG alumna of Winnipeg, Canada, is keeping those traditions alive through the publication and success of various Kosher cookbooks.

Norene was dedicated to BBYO throughout her high school years, serving as the Jewish heritage chairwoman of her chapter and attending many chapter and regional events. “One of the main reasons I loved BBYO was the fact that so many of my friends were involved. It was a very accepting group of young Jewish girls who I have maintained close friendships with to this day,” Gilletz said. “[BBYO] really shaped who I am now as a philanthropist because of the Jewish values held so close to the mission of the organization.” 

Because Norene dedicated her position in BBG to promoting a love for Jewish heritage, it is no surprise she entered a career in food, a tradition of utmost importance to the Jewish people. Norene especially appreciated the leadership development BBYO had to offer, skills she now demonstrates through philanthropic work in various communities.

Norene also credits BBYO for jumpstarting her career, specifically as a cookbook author. After starting a family and moving to Montreal, Norene became an advisor for a local BBG chapter. Her chapter decided to create a cookbook titled Second Helpings Please, which directly influenced Norene’s first book and her career in the food industry.

In 2005, Norene showed a passion for philanthropy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Jewish Public Libraries contacted Norene to ask her to donate her cookbooks to help rebuild the lives of so many of the families affected by the disaster...

Even now, Norene’s involvement with BBYO is still growing. Most recently, she was featured at a fundraiser called Chocolate Rocks, where she held cooking demos with teens and had a chocolate pizza bake-off.

“My love for cooking and writing cookbooks comes from the old saying: Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime,” Norene said. “My cookbooks and cooking demos bring families and friends together, and that is a driving force behind why I do what I do. I love the philanthropic opportunities that this career has offered me, and I love to share what I create with as many people as possible.”

Norene has recently released her latest cookbook Norene’s Healthy Kitchen, the perfect book for every type of cook – or non-cook. It provides over 600 fast, flavorful and fun recipes that are great for Kosher kitchens and delightful for everyone. Visit Norene’s website at www.gourmania.com to learn more about her cookbooks and where to purchase them.

NOTE FROM NORENE

My staff and I collected cookbooks (mostly Jewish or Kosher, but not all) from friends and customers, plus some “hurt” copies of cookbooks that I’ve written. The books were sent to New Orleans recently to help replenish cookbooks lost in Hurricane Katrina.

A small group of Jewish teens from Toronto from BBYO (Bnai Brith Youth Organization) went down from Toronto to help with the clean-up and when I read that they were going, I contacted one of the chaperones. They were so excited and took the cookbooks with them in their luggage, where they presented them to Betty Lazarus, a librarian, who is in charge of collecting cookbooks for Jewish families in New Orleans.

The books were greatly appreciated and so was the wonderful emotional and physical support. The lives of these young teenagers were touched in a wonderful way.

As a result of connecting with BBYO through our little project, I did a fundraising cooking demonstration for them on Tuesday, November 13, in Toronto, so one good deed often leads to other good opportunities. Hopefully, this story will inspire others to help in some small way.

All the best,

Norene Gilletz, CCP

Look Who’s Cooking?
Norene’s recipes will soon be used in Paris (actually, Savigny-sur-Orge, but near enough!)
Gourmania's web mistress, Jean Morris, has moved from Bratislava, Slovakia, to Paris to teach English to adult speakers of others languages. She now has a kitchen-in-work (ie, it's getting cleaned and stocked) so she'll soon be cooking with Norene's Healthy Kitchen.

Gourmania Inc. is proud to be the distributor of GATHERINGS: Creative Kosher Cooking from Our Families to Yours. Gatherings contains over 300 recipes, wonderful Passover dishes, magnificent photos, lots of sidebars and tips. All the recipes were triple-tested. Read Norene's review and try a recipe.