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 that 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 were married for over 60 years before he passed late last
year. They had three children by the time Laurie was twenty-seven and nine grandchildren who bring her tremendous joy.

Laurie returned to part-time work when her youngest was in the second grade, ultimately becoming Executive Vice
President for the Jewish Federation of Portland. She always loved to cook and fondly recalls 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.
She followed 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 followed in her mother’s footsteps and has always loved inviting people to her home. She would host big family
dinners and paid 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.