I recently went to my first challah bake. Yes, like ever. I talk about them, watch them, sometimes help plan them, but have never been to one, until this past week.

As a Kosher.com Editor, I attended in a staff role. I checked everyone in, was on standby, etc. When the event started, Goldy Guttman ensured all staff took a seat with a place setting too. I didn’t need to participate but was so thrilled that I did!

Before I continue, I must say I’m a pretty spiritual person and I love making challah and take it very seriously. It’s my moment in the kitchen when I speak to Hashem, and I love it wholeheartedly.

Okay, let’s keep going.

Next, Mushky Yiftach began to speak. If you don’t know Mushky, you can watch her on her Kosher.com show, Kosher Kids Canvas. She is incredible: warm, inviting, and so incredibly talented. She’s a complete joy to watch and listen to all on her own. Love you, Mushky! You’re a true inspiration.

Then she introduced Charlene.

For those of you who have seen Charlene speak on her Kosher.com show, Shabbat Shmooze with Charlene, you know that she is something special. Her beauty is completely captivating, but then you hear the words that come out of her mouth and realize she is just as incredibly stunning on the inside.

From the moment she walked on stage, she grabbed everyone’s attention. She spoke about all the challenges she’s faced in her lifetime, from a family member’s cancer diagnosis and the loss of a best friend, to her own cancer diagnosis last year. Her message of faith and resilience was magnetic. The audience felt her captivating message of overcoming every mountain Hashem puts in front of us. Everyone has mountains, and Charlene gave us the words and strength we needed to hear to overcome them.

Charlene told us a story of a man who sold gold. This man would schlep the gold in his wagon. One day, he stopped on the side of the road with his wagon filled with gold to take a nap. When he woke up, he started on his journey again. When he got to his destination, he thought, “Wow, that was such an easy ride! So smooth and light feeling!” Quickly realizing something felt off, he checked his wagon and saw that his gold was missing. All he was carrying was straw.

Charlene connected this story to our everyday lives. Sometimes, life feels heavy and hard to move forward, but that weight often means we’re carrying something precious. Pulling heavy gold is so much more worth it than having a light load and pulling straw.

We’ve already received so many emails and messages from attendees of the challah bake telling us how meaningful this event was to them (some of whom traveled as far as Canada) and how they’ve already told this story multiple times, myself included!

For those of you who were at the event, you know what I mean, and for those who didn’t get to attend, we hope to post the full video soon.

Now onto the challah portion of the event.

I thought I knew how to make challah. Um, I didn’t.

Charlene told us what to think at each stage of the challah-making process:

-“As you pour in the oil, think about your spouse—that he should rise to his highest potential and have success in everything he does.”

-“While you add in each of the four eggs, think about someone you know who is trying to conceive, that she should conceive a healthy baby soon. For someone who is pregnant, that she should have an easy and healthy pregnancy and delivery.”

-“From the time you start making the challah dough to the time it goes into the oven, you shouldn’t say anything in bad taste. No lashon hara, as it will result in horrible-tasting challah.”

-“As you’re kneading your dough, daven. Speak to Hashem and pour your heart into it.”

Over 100 women separated challah and made a bracha over the microphone (yes, each person spoke), as Charlene insisted we say Amen to every single bracha.

It was so inspiring. Everyone opened up, everyone felt impacted, and I truly believe everyone walked away feeling stronger, motivated, and more connected to Hashem.

Okay, onto the decor of the event—because hey, that ties it all in! When I graduated college, I was actually pursuing a career in event planning, so all those little details immediately caught my eye. The event design was absolutely magnificent, and Charlene joked that it was the Bat Mitzvah she never had!

Everything was perfectly color-coordinated in the most beautiful and tasteful blush hues. From the suede tablecloths to the monogrammed cookies to the aprons.

The big bowls for making challah had every ingredient perfectly and beautifully labeled, accompanied by a recipe card, keepsake bracha card, and Tuscanini’s new high-gluten flour (which got rave reviews).

After we made our challot, we enjoyed a beautiful spread of pastries, sandwiches, pasta, soup, sushi, you name it. Let’s just say “diet” was not part of the vocabulary that day!

Everyone walked home with a swag bag, of course, and an experience they’ll never forget.

To everyone who put in so much hard work to make this event come to life—thank you! And to all the women who attended, it was so nice to meet you! Enjoy those challot this Shabbos.

Until next time, and Shabbat Shalom!

TAKE A LOOK AT THE EVENT HERE!