Aged Depend On Hot Shots

Seven years ago Isak Barayev, a singer and actor in his native Uzbekistan brought his wife and two children to Kew Gardens to lead a new life in America. He had been told by relatives in Queens that the family would prosper there.
Barayev decided to offer residents of Queens the exotic foods native to the Asian republic, oncea member of the Soviet Union. From the day five years ago when he opened Uzbekistan Tandoori Bread at 120-35 83 Avenue in the heart of Kew Gardens the restaurant attracted diners from the five boroughs.
"We sell as many as 1,000 loaves of our bread daily," he said. "Its baked in our special Tandoori oven imported from Uzbekistan."
Two Moslem bakers dressed in their white native garb prime the oven and bake the round, plump breads, seeded with black with black and yellow sesame and delicate spices.
Barayev, his daughter Angela and son Mark, serve the tasty meals. The varied menu includes a delicious lagman suop made of vegetablesss and handmade noodles. Another soup, shurpa, is a fragrant meat soup made wth lamb, beef, potato and big chunks of carrots. Delectable lamb kebabs and triangular,. beef-filled samosa is also available.
The program covers not only shut-ins, but provides daily hot lunches to more than 70 seniors who live in the area.
Citymeals-On-Wheels is a founder of the Young Israel program. It was founded by Gael Greene and James Beard in 1981.
"My wife and I come here three times a week for the sociability," said Monte Rubin, 70, of Forest Hills. "We have made many friends here," he said, as he dug into his roast chicken dinner.
His wife, Evelyn, also 70, concurred.
"Yes the meals are nice, but the social aspects are more important."
Like many others in the senior center dining room, the Rubins are concerned about the shrinking value of the dollar.
"We worry about our retirement funds as prices escalate around here," Rubin said.
Susan Rabinowicz, the program director, guided seniors through activities at the center on a recent Wednesday.
"I love this job," she said. "Ive had it now for 13 years."
Rabinowicz said the program budget is approximately $500,000 a year and that much of the work is done by volunteers.
Appetizing meals are the main attraction in the program. The tasty dishes include corned beef and cabbage, poached salmon, baked chicken with kasha varnishkes, roast turkey and chicken cutlets.
While the quality of the meals draws the majority of the seniors, there is a variety of cultural and entertainment events scheduled at Young Israel of Forest Hills.
They range from field trips around the metropolitan area to classes, films and lectures.
Events coming up this month include a sing along and a cultural Judaism lecture on Monday mornings, low impact exercise, movies and news talk.
For further information, call (718) 520-2305.