CYHSB Steak Dinner: An Unforgettable Experience

Avi Becker (’24)

To many, the Steak Dinner started at 7:30 on Saturday night January 19th. To the CYHSB, it started way earlier. I’m not talking about earlier as in a couple of days. Sure, that’s when preparation started, but the suspense around it began even before that. From the first moment I stepped inside the CYHSB in August of 2022, I heard about the Steak Dinner. Whether it be about the food, video, or musical performances, everybody had something to say about it, leaving me more than excited for the event.

Finally, after hours upon hours of work, at around 6:30 the first guests began to show up. Waiters were out and about serving hors

Video made by Ezra Wiener, Ezra Davidiovics, Reuven Marvin, and Jojo Ardestani began. After thirty minutes of non-stop laughter the honoree was announced and none other than Rabbi Safier was welcomed up to the stage to receive the award. This was a big moment for the school as Rabbi Safier has been a close rebbe to many students, and even though he couldn't have wanted to be honored less, to see him receive the honor was a special moment for many.

Less than a week before the event, we began to roll out the carpets and set up the tables. It took a lot of hard work, but with many students putting in the effort, the tables were ready to go in no time. However, the real work began on the Saturday night prior to the event. Starting at 7:00 PM the steaks were grilled and most of the food was made. The work was not finished until late into that night and wouldn’t start up again until the next morning.

The next morning, after a beautiful davening at the shul the preparations began again and the final touches were added, such as the brochures and place cards. Work was done in shifts with some people on an all day shift and others working for around an hour and a half at a time. At 3:00 the entire CYHSB was there and making final preparations in anticipation of the 300 people who were about to show up.

d'oeuvres to the influx of guests, while kitchen staff was preparing the rest of the food. I’ll avoid talking too much about what took place inside the room as many of you reading this article were there, rather I will focus on the behind the scenes work.

As soon as Ethan VanderWalde began on his beautiful rendition of Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy right after an incredible speech by Yitzchak Rubin, the kitchen staff began plating food. A baked potato, a load of green beans, and either a gorgeous steak, a humongous amount of chicken, a veggie steak, or salmon, was placed on each plate each for a waiter to take out to their table. After hard work by both the kitchen staff and the waiters to get all the food to their respective places, the incredible Steak Dinner

After the honoree, the plates were taken up, and the delicious sorbet from Ben and Jerry’s was given out. This was a nice time that allowed the students to have a short break and talk with their friends and family, while enjoying the sorbet. After the guests started to leave, cleanup began and lasted well into the night. After all the tables and chairs were put away, and the floor cleaned up, the students got to enjoy steaks of their own, and enjoyed spending time in each other's company.

Overall I would say this event more than lived up to the hype. As Yosef Vanderalde said, “The steak dinner is always a highlight of the year. It is also an amazing opportunity for students to rise up and be leaders.” It was a great opportunity for me to get to know my peers better and allowed me to do something special for a community. I seriously can’t wait for it next year.