Alyssa Peppmuller (33)

Houston, TX

Real-Time Power Trader for an energy company  

·      After years of searching for spirituality, she felt she had found her “spiritual home” in Judaism

·      Converted to Judaism 2 years ago. Her rabbi encouraged her to get connected with the community and the Jewish culture. She discovered that culture is food! She went to the Orthodox community center and learned how to make the best Challah in town! 

·      She loves that Jewish food is very "homey" and is comfort food. Her brisket is lovingly prepared with a salt, pepper, paprika and turmeric rub, then it is pan seared before being placed in a slow cooker for 8-10 hours. 

·      Has spent the last two years exploring Jewish cuisine by perfecting her recipes for Challah, Kugel and Latkes. She had a fortunate mishap with her food processor while making latkes last year and found it made the most perfect crispy yet creamy latkes!

·      Her family has embraced the new Hanukkah traditions into their own Christmas celebrations. They enjoy a spaghetti dinner together followed by a fiercely competitive game of Dreidel where they use Alyssa's Rugelach and Sufganiyot as their wagers! 

·      She hosted a Jewish friend at her housewarming last year and her friend told Alyssa that her food tasted "just like her Bubbe's" - it was the best compliment Alyssa has ever received! 

·      She is motivated to compete to showcase the hard work she has put in to learning and perfecting traditional Jewish dishes.