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NOSH ON THIS • SHARING READER RECIPES NOSH ON THIS SHARING READER RECIPES

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE Rabbi Shira Rosenblum, Jacksonville Jewish Center

For as long as I can remember, my family’s Shabbat and Yom Tov meals always included our favorite dessert, Triple Chocolate Cake. Originally a Passover recipe that was shared with my family when I was a baby, my mom ultimately decided it was silly to only enjoy this treat one week out of every year and she adjusted it for all year-round. Throughout college and rabbinical school, whenever I was invited to a potluck meal I would sign up to bring dessert just so I could make this cake for my friends.

Since moving to Jacksonville, it is still one of the desserts I make most often when hosting Shabbat dinner. I can’t wait until we can get together again in person so I can enjoy this cake with all of you!

INGREDIENTS Cooking spray and a bit of flour (for preparing the bundt pan) 1 box pareve chocolate cake mix (preferably Duncan Hines) 1 package pareve chocolate pudding mix 1 / 3 cup canola oil (or unsweetened applesauce) 1 to 1 1 / 4 cup water (if using applesauce, use 3 / 4 to 1 cup water) 3 large eggs 1 bag pareve chocolate chips Powdered sugar (optional) PREPARATION 1.Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and lightly flour a bundt pan and set aside. 2.In a large mixing bowl, combine chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, oil (or applesauce), water and eggs. 3.Add chocolate chips once the batter is fully combined. 4.Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is set. 5.Cool cake completely. Go around all of the outer and inner edges of the cake with a plastic knife after the cake is cool. Place a plate on top of the bundt pan and flip both the pan and the plate over so the cake is left on the plate after you remove the pan. 6.Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar or simply slice and enjoy it plain! 45

RIVER GARDEN, from pg. 19 when he came to apply for his first job at River Garden.”

River Garden has been the stage for many highlight events over the years. Sheldon Gendzier, past President, recalls a Jack Benny performance on River Garden’s 25th Anniversary. Plus, there have been two weddings—first, the union of two residents, and later the marriage of a resident’s granddaughter. In a 2018 interview, Board Member Michael Paul said, “You can’t resist feeling the love at River Garden. Coming to Anniversary Day has always been fun. River Garden has just become a part of my life.”

“I have a lot of great memories of River Garden,” current Board Member Marsha Pollock said. “I will always remember Belle Gendzier at the receptionist desk, and the Auxiliary ‘dairy’ lunches that were held in the upstairs room. Back in those days, young volunteers were called ‘Gardenettes’ and dressed like candy-stripers. And for those of us who really know River Garden, you will remember the resident skits, like the Washboard Band.”

By the 1970s, many of the Jewish families had relocated to San Marco, San Jose and other points on the south side of the river. Beauclerc Country Club was a social center. Each synagogue had moved, and River Garden was soon to join the migration south. The Home relocated in December 1989 to its present location on what is now a beautifully landscaped 40-acre campus in Jacksonville’s Mandarin area, where it currently serves 180 residents. In 1995 The Coves at River Garden opened with 58 independent living apartments, which in 1998 expanded to 80 apartment homes.

At the 30-year celebration of the move, Janet Goldstein shared, “My grandfather, Ira Stein was River Garden’s first President, my dad William (Billy) Goldstein a former President also and on the Board for his lifetime. Dad was very involved with Marty and Elliott Palevsky as this new [Mandarin] property was secured. I remember how exciting it was when the

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Mandarin campus opened. I am so happy to be involved and watch River Garden prosper!”

“River Garden has been the foundation of security for our aging families and friends,” Jeanine Rogozinski said at the River Garden celebration in December. And, in words quoted from beloved Lille Rae Levy, “River Garden encompasses the most positive aspects of Tikkun Olam and tradition by bringing together people not only from our synagogues, but also by including those of us who are not particularly observant and those of other faiths. When I think of River Garden, I think of family, of traditions and of community.”

Now in 2020, River Garden is state and nationally-recognized care center, with top-ratings from health agencies and consumers, alike. The Home is a nine-time recipient of Florida’s prestigious “Governor’s Gold Seal Award for Excellence in Long-Term Care,” fully accredited by JCAHO (The Joint Commission) and is 5-Star rated by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Thank you to all who are a part of our history. River Garden will always be an arena of Jewish communal life—your place —a place where multiple generations will always share tradition, values and sweet memories.