Our Jewish ancestors who came from poor regions of Eastern Europe and Russia always had to be creative to feed their families. For Shabbat, when it was important to Hiddur Mitzvah, to elevate the food and the table to make it special for the Sabbath, it was doubly important to make the most of the food since the ingredients were often more expensive ingredients than those used during the rest of the week. A great example of this is the use of chicken on Shabbat. Every part of the chicken needed to be used to provide nutrition for the family. As a matter of fact, the classic Shabbat meal was a result of our ancestors’ resourcefulness. From one chicken you got the soup, the fat from the soup which was spread on the challah, the skin of the chicken which was stuffed (a dish called Helzel), and the liver which, of course, was chopped. And let's not forget the chicken, which was eaten!

When immigrants came to this country they still made chicken soup for Shabbat and holidays but they often had a beef or veal dish as the main course. Then, in 1905 Richard Hellmann, an immigrant from Germany, opened a deli on the upper west side of New York City. His wife Nina created a special mayonnaise sauce that he used in salads and on sandwiches. This sauce became so popular that Hellman began selling it as Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon Best mayonnaise. The rest is history and New York Style Delis all over the country wouldn’t think of using anything but Hellmann’s in their cooking; especially in chicken salad! And THE BEST chicken salad is made from the chicken cooked in the soup!