Watching television in his home in Hollywood, Calif.—a fan of “Chopped!” and “Beat Bobby Flay”—Sruly Meyer dreamed of being on the Food Network.
With word that a new show called “100 Cooks” was being cast, producers contacted him, saying they were impressed with his Instagram posts. The gist is that 100 home chefs in America enter an arena, where they are randomly selected to compete against each other to win $100,000.
While he didn’t know who the host or guest chefs would be, this was something he said he was waiting for.
Meyer, 48, an Orthodox Jew who considers himself part of the Chabad movement, had to check with different rabbis to see if it was permissible to compete. It goes without saying that he would not eat anything that wasn’t kosher or cook meat with milk.
But what if he made items in ovens or with equipment certified as kosher? He was told by rabbis that he could do this—though not taste any of the food himself—and to make sure the show mentions that fact.
The idea behind it relates to the concept of marit ayin, in Hebrew, “appearance to the eye.” For example, if someone were to see a man with a yarmulke in a restaurant, even if he wasn’t eating there, a Jewish person might construe that the restaurant was kosher.
Meyer also explained that he avoids physical contact with women other than his wife, even shaking hands. The practice is known as shomer negiah (Hebrew for “observant of touching”). This alerted staff ahead of time so as to dodge a potentially awkward situation if, for example, celebrity chef and Food Network personality Alex Guarnaschelli were to greet him with an outstretched arm, where it might look rude if he didn’t respond accordingly.
And, of course, in this day and age of overt antisemitism, he wanted to evade the hot seat.
“I hoped I wouldn’t be called antisemitic or a baby-killer,” Meyer told JNS, adding that, in the end, he actually got along very well with other contestants on the show.
There was a Lebanese chef he befriended; after all, they are familiar with certain Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients. “Cooking is about cooking,” said Meyer; there is no need for politics to enter the kitchen.
In fact, the gastronome and father of four noted that he wanted his appearance to be a Kiddush Hashem, a “sanctification of God’s name,” whether he advanced to the next round or not.
He said some contestants asked him why he was nervous, adding that it shouldn’t matter what viewers think of him. He replied that a large following of Jewish clientele expected him to make a good showing.
‘Your authentic self’
Meyer, contestant No. 54, was tasked with making a pasta dish in 30 minutes. That ruled out making it from scratch. He said a meat dish wouldn’t make sense because other contestants might add butter to it—something the judges were used to (and he was not).
In the end, he incorporated fish into the pasta, deciding to mix it rather than adding full pieces placed on top.
Meyer said he was happy with his Salmon Penne Vodka, receiving praise from the judges. While he didn’t come away with a prize, he noted that it was a great experience, and he hoped to return to the channel soon.
Hosted by American actor, television host and former professional football player Terry Crews, the show airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. with a grand prize of $250,000.
Meyer, who currently has 24,000 Instagram followers, is involved in kosher-food marketing and branding, advising kosher restaurants across the country. He said he hopes to appear on other cooking shows in the future.
Acknowledging that he was a bit nervous during the taping (the show aired on June 7), he also revealed that he was inspired by other contestants who afterwards mentioned that he seemed calm, with some even asking questions about his faith.
As for accoutrements, it’s well known that some Orthodox Jewish men tend to cover their kippah with a baseball cap at certain places. Not Meyer: He picked out a few different yarmulkes for the show as soon as he heard back in January that he’d be filming in Los Angeles.
“I’ve found that people respect you the most when you’re your authentic self,” he said.
Elon Kornblum, president of Great Kosher Restaurants Media Group, with a kosher Facebook Group of more than 133,000 members, said he wasn’t surprised that Meyer was chosen for the show.
“I’ve known Sruly for a long time, and I’m really happy for him,” Kornblum told JNS. “He’s worked very hard in his kitchen for many years, honing his skills. I think his biggest motivation for being on the show was not to win, but to bring positive light on the Jewish people.”
