How to make 700 Hanukkah latkes

• Hecker, the president of the synagogue's brotherhood group, which raises money for Jewish youth programs, has lived in Austin since 1976 and is retired from the audio-visual business.

By the numbers: He and his crew will plow through 108 pounds of frozen shredded potatoes and 40 pounds of onions, among other ingredients.

Between the lines: Eating latkes is one way Jewish people commemorate the Hanukkah story about a one-day oil supply that miraculously lasted eight days.

Here's our condensed convo.

To accompany your latkes, are you more of a sour cream or apple sauce person?

"Sour cream and a little jam on it, because I have a sweet tooth. But latkes are kind of like grits — is that a breakfast food or a vegetable?"

Tell me a latke-making secret.

"Make latke balls. Squeeze the juice out of them to make them nice and dry before putting them in the refrigerator, each smaller than a tennis ball. When we fry them, once we get oil the hot, we put the latke balls in there and just leave them until the bottom browns — then you start flattening them with a spatula. Many people have the problem that they push them down too quickly, and then they break apart."

Is this your favorite event of the year?

"It's very gratifying, seeing all these families sitting there and loving the food. But my favorite event is probably our poker tournaments."