Laurie Rogoway

Laurie Rogoway was born in a small town (population 3,000) in the center of Canada in 1944.  While her father was Canadian, most of her other family members had emigrated from Russia.  Her childhood home was always filled with guests and people coming to eat her mother’s cooking.  Due to their remote location, her mother made everything from scratch and loved doing it.  There was always a crowd around the family table, particularly on Friday nights.

Laurie was a quick learner – she skipped two grades and was then sent to school in Winnipeg, so she could be more intellectually challenged.   She began college when she was only sixteen, and when she finished, she came to Portland to visit some relatives.  Two weeks later she was engaged to Bert, and they are still married after 39 years.  They had three children by the time Laurie was twenty-seven, and now have 4 grandchildren who bring her terrific joy.

Laurie went back to part-time work when her youngest was in the second grade, and is currently an Executive Vice President for the Jewish Federation of Portland.  She loves to cook and fondly remembers when her grandfather showed her how to make gefilte fish.  The hardest part of it all was trying to figure out how much a handful and a pinch equaled, following him around so she could empty the contents of his hands and pinched fingers into measuring devices so she’d have an actual recipe by the time the lesson was through.

Laurie has definitely followed in her mother’s footsteps and loves to have people to her home.  She regularly has big family dinners and pays attention to every last detail – from the food to the flowers.  Her greatest joy is feeding people, which she gets to do for all of you this month through the dishes we are offering.