Just travel past the Chick-fil-A in front of the Melrose Kroger, and it’s evident that drive-thru fried chicken is still immensely popular. But Nashville, you can do better. On Sunday, Nov. 8, you’ll be able to make a trip out west to the Gordon Jewish Community Center at 801 Percy Warner Blvd. and pick up some of the most inventive fried chicken you’ll ever enjoy — specifically, kosher hot chicken.
Yep, it’s the sixth annual edition of the Kosher Hot Chicken Festival, where professional and amateur cooks playfully compete to see who can create the finest version of the fiery flapper while maintaining kosher cooking traditions. This means that instead of lard, the cooks use vegetable oil to fry up their fowl, and GJCC officials provide all the ingredients and tools to keep the process kosher, right down to lighting the fires on the burners. The event will take place under the watchful eye of the Nashville Kosher Commission and will also follow CDC and local regulations for social distancing and safety.
Instead of the normal competition, this year will be more of a straight-ahead drive-thru opportunity, featuring two excellent hot chicken purveyors. Last year’s Kosher Hot Chicken Festival champions Holy Flock led by Michael Woolf will be serving up its winning recipe along with non-spicy and hot-tofu options for those looking for something a little different. Chef Eric “Red” White of the popular food truck turned brick-and-mortar Red’s 615 Kitchen has worked for years to develop his Nashville hot chicken recipe, and his legions of fans are evidence that it was time well spent. He’ll be bringing a kosher-conversion version of his hot chicken to be a part of the event.
To keep things safe and efficient, you’ll be able to preorder your meal and sign up for a specific pickup time in advance. The goal is to provide 10 orders every 15 minutes so that you’ll be able to pick up your chicken or tofu plus optional fries and pareve desserts (made with inherently kosher non-dairy ingredients so they can be eaten with meat) while everything is still hot and then carry it home with you. In fact, if you sign up for one of the earlier spots, you could conceivably make it home in time to enjoy it as lunch while you watch the Titans take on Da Bears on television at noon. There will also be some live entertainment as a diversion while you wait in the pickup line.
Pickups will be scheduled from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., so get on the stick and sign up for your preferred spot today! You can go ahead and preorder your food, drink and a T-shirt at the official Kosher Hot Chicken Festival website starting today.
