Challah and other baked goods are baked fresh at The Challah Factory in the East Valley JCC’s kosher kitchen.

Each week, Chef Melinda creates delicious baked goods, including challah, challah twists, Monkey Bread (pull-apart cinnamon bread) and chocolate chip cookies. Weekly and monthly specials are listed below. Challah, challah twists and Monkey Bread are pareve; all other products are dairy unless noted otherwise.

All orders must be placed online by 5 p.m. Monday for that Friday’s order. (See below for holiday orders.) Orders are available for curbside pick-up on Fridays (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) Call 480-897-0588 when you arrive and a staff member will bring it to your car.

 The EVJCC kitchen is under the kosher supervision of Rabbi Michael Beyo.

October weekly & monthly specials

Available all month

Pumpkin Bread (pareve) – $5

Pumpkin Bread with chocolate chips (pareve) – $5

Snickerdoodles (dairy) – $6 for 8 cookies

Featured treats

Oct. 1: Fruit Bars (dairy) – $8 for 6 bars

Oct. 8: Rugelach (dairy) (raspberry, chocolate or cinnamon-raisin) – $6 for 6 cookies

Oct. 15: Coffee cake (dairy) – $7.50

Oct. 22: Chocolate Babka (dairy) – $8

Oct. 29: Black and White Cookies (dairy) – $4 for 3 cookies

Chef Melinda McNeil shares some of her popular recipes on the East Valley JCC’s Food page.  See recipes here. 

About Chef Melinda

Chef Melinda McNeil honed her skills as a chef and baker at the Scottsdale Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School and has worked at the Phoenician Resort, Simply Bread bakery and the Olive & Ivy restaurant. She has baked challah and other baked goods at the East Valley JCC’s Challah Factory since fall 2016.

She also teaches two virtual cooking demonstrations at the EVJCC, In the Kitchen with Chef Melinda and Little Chefs.