Taste Buds With Deb

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with chef, entertainer, and cookbook author Eitan Bernath. Bernath, 22, has been working in food entertainment for about ten years.    “I didn't really fit in, when I was younger, with the little league or sports, but I really loved food,” Bernath says. “My mom encouraged me [to] try cooking … and I really just fell in love with being in the kitchen.” When he was 11, Bernath randomly auditioned for an episode of the Food Network’s “Chopped;” the episode aired when he was 12. The rest is social media history,   In his new digital series, “Eitan Explores: Mexico City,” Bernath dives into the culinary joys, along with the history from the Jewish kitchens of Mexico City. The seven two-minute episodes, which just premiered in May, explore a melting pot of culture and people deeply connected to the spirit of their country as well as their ancestral roots.   Bernath talks about journeys in food, cooking, and social media, as well as the new series. He also shares some cooking tips and his love of egg salad. Get Bernath’s egg salad recipe at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. To learn more about Eitan Bernath and to check out “Eitan Explores: Mexico City,” go to EitanBernath.com and follow @Eitan on Instagram. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with celebrity chef Katie Chin, who is an award-winning cookbook author, caterer and playwright.    “There's incredible symbolism in Asian cuisine, but there's also incredible symbolism in Jewish cuisine,” Chin says. Her husband is Jewish and they are raising their 15-year-old twins Jewish; she loves to combine the cuisines.    Chin’s titles include “Katie Chin's Global Family Cookbook,” “300 Best Rice Cooker Recipes,” and “Everyday Thai Cooking,” as well as “Everyday Chinese Cooking,” which she wrote with her late mother, restaurateur Leann Chin. The duo, who had a catering business together, also co-hosted the national PBS cooking series, “Double Happiness.”   “[Food] is an expression of love,” Chin believes, “But it's also storytelling and legacy.”    Chin shares her backstory and how she combines cuisines, along with lots of tips for Chinese cooking - including ways to fold dumplings. She also talks about her recipe for Chocolate-Raspberry Wontons, which you can find, along with the highlights from the conversation, at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. To learn more about Katie Chin and her award-winning one woman show, "Holy Shitake!  A Wok Star is Born," go to ChefKatieChin.com and follow @ChefKatieChin on Instagram.  For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Chico Menashe, the CEO of Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel in Tel Aviv. Founded in 2021, Asif is a non-profit organization, dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture.    “It's an Israeli food culture, not specifically Jewish culture,” Menashe says. “We have influences from all over the world.”   Menashe talks about Israeli food and cooking with chutzpah. He also shares stories from Asif’s Open Kitchen Project, where Israeli locals open their homes to people who have been displaced by the war and need a place to cook. The Open Kitchen Project connects individuals, families and communities.    “The [recipes and stories] that we recognize that bring special cultural, traditional value we put on our website,” he adds. “It's an online treasure box of families’ unique recipes with their stories, with their traditions, with their heritage.”   Get the recipes for Sylvie Atias’s Stuffed Artichokes and Lizi Ezra’s Veal Sweetbread Stew, along with the highlights from the conversation, at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. To learn more about Asif’s initiatives and read more recipes and backstories, go to Asif.org. Asif is a partner organization of the Jewish Food Society. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Beth Lee, author of “The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook,” cooking teacher and OG food blogger at OMGYummy.com.   Lee worked in marketing and communications for high tech companies in Silicon Valley for many years before deciding in 2010 that she liked “pita chips better than memory chips.” She was delighted when she got the url OMGYummy.com. While initially Lee didn’t know what to do with it, she dug in, figured out blogging/social media, and never looked back.    Lee talks about her origin story, food from eclectic cultures, exciting flavors, and more. She also shares her love of preserved lemons. “They're an amazing ingredient,” she says. “I encourage everybody to take a lemon, put a slit in it, put some salt in it, stick it in a jar and wait for it to become a preserved lemon.”    Not only will preserved lemons change your life, Lee predicts they will become your new favorite condiment. Get the recipe at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.    To learn more about Beth Lee and get more recipes go to OMGYummy.com and follow @OMGYummy on Instagram.    For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Shani Seidman, Chief Marketing Officer for Kayco Kosher. Kayco’s brands include Gefen, Heaven & Earth and of course Manischewitz, which has been around since 1888.   “They call me Mrs. Manischewitz. ... It’s surreal working on a brand that we had at our table growing up,” Seidman says. “I have these memories of Manischewitz being at my Passover seder or making Manischewitz chicken soup with my grandmother.”    Seidman talks about her experience working for Kayco and Manischewitz’s recent rebrand, as well as Passover memories, food traditions, and Amy Kritzer Becker’s recipe for Asparagus Tomato Matzo Brei. Get Amy’s recipe and read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.  To connect with the company and get more recipes go to Manischewitz.com or follow @manischewitzco on social media.  For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with cookbook author Joan Nathan, who has made a career of discovering Jewish cuisine from around the world and sharing it with others.    The author of twelve books, Nathan’s titles include “Jewish Cooking in America” and “The New American Cooking,” both of which won James Beard Awards and IACP Awards,    Her latest - and she says her last - book is, “My Life in Recipes: Food, Family and Memories.” Nathan hopes her memoir is an inspiration for others to live a good life.    “I think it’s the most important thing I want to teach people,” she says.    With more than 100 recipes, along with the memories attached to them, “My Life in Recipes” includes updated versions of old favorites (matzoh ball soup to challah and brisket) and new ones too (salmon with preserved lemon and za’atar; Moroccan chicken with almonds, cinnamon and couscous). You do not want to read this book - or listen to this podcast - when you are hungry.    Nathan offers a sneak peek into her culinary adventures and discoveries. She talks about her love of food, creative cooking, and the different ways meals connect people. Nathan also shares her recipe for Passover Pecan Lemon Torte with Lemon Curd Filling. Note: The lemon curd is amazing and the recipe can - and should - be enjoyed year round.    Get the recipe and read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. To learn more about “My Life in Recipes” - and Joan Nathan’s upcoming events - go to JoanNathan.com.  For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.  

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Joel Haber, food lecturer and host of the 18 Jewish Foods” podcast. His website is TasteofJew.com.   “[Food] offers you a window into the Jewish culture,” he says.    Each episode of Haber’s new “18 Jewish Foods” podcast explores a food, food category or iconic dish. “Each episode will … also [offer] something to learn about the Jewish people,” Haber explains. “There's a short interview, as well of somebody contemporary who's connected with that food to show that these foods are still alive now and are taking on new faces all the time.”   Haber shares his backstory, how he defines Jewish foods, his love of Israel flavors, and more. He also shares his recipe for Hamin Kharshuf, also known as Chulent.    Get the recipe and read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.  

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Katie Workman, founder of The Mom 100 website, author of “The Mom 100 Cookbook” and “Dinner Solved,” and a food writer for the Associated Press.   Workman spent her childhood reading cookbooks the way others devour books. She created “The Mom 100 Cookbook” - 100 recipes every mom needs in her back pocket - as “an answer to the everyday cooking challenges, conundrums that parents face, day-in day-out when they're cooking for their families,” Workman says.   Workman talks about her origin story and food philanthropy work, as well as her love of comfort food and finding your food soul mates. “I love food that the first time that you eat it, you think, ‘Oh, where has this been all my life?’” she says.  Workman also shares her recipe for ground turkey tacos; her family’s favorite. Get the recipe and read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. Learn more about Katie Workman at TheMom100.com. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Jamie Pachino, a consulting producer on CBS’ “So Help Me Todd.” The show, starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skyler Astin, is about Todd, a “failure to launch-ish” son (Astin) who goes to work as an investigator at his mother Margaret’s (Harden’s) law firm.    Between family dinner and endless conversations about food - both on and off screen - food is a main character on the show. “We talk about it in the writer's room, it shows up in a lot of the scenes where people are eating or people are talking about eating,” Pachino says.   An award winning playwright, screenwriter and TV writer, Pachino started her career as an actor and morphed into playwriting, which led to writing for film and TV.  Pachino believes she has put food in almost everything she’s ever written.    “There's a long running joke … when I started out playwriting, there would either be bourbon or Chinese food in every play,” she explains. “Chinese food is a hundred percent from my Jewish upbringing.”    Pachino talks about food on tv, the origins of her love of food and cooking, and why her husband calls her the MacGyver of the kitchen. She also shares her mother’s recipe for chocolate chip cake. Get the recipe and read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. Watch “So Help Me Todd” Thursdays on CBS and on Paramount + and learn more about Jamie Pachino at JamiePachino.com. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Micah Siva, founder of Nosh with Micah and author of “Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine.”    “I see the word nosh as something that you just can't stop eating,” Siva says. “It's just so easy to eat and to snack on and there's always room in your stomach.”   As a vegetarian, Siva specializes in plant-based cooking. She is a chef, registered dietitian, recipe writer and food photographer. Siva also wrote the children’s book, “1, 2, 3 Nosh with Me” with her husband Joshua. “Everything I do is food related,” she says.    Siva shares her backstory, her favorite foods for noshing, and cooking tips, as well as her recipe for Halvah Granola.  Learn more and get more recipes at NoshwithMicah.com and follow @NoshwithMicha on Instagram. Get the recipe and read the highlights at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with father-daughter team Phil and Lily Rosenthal, authors of Just Try It! Phil Rosenthal is creator and host of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix, author of Somebody Feed Phil: the Book, and creator of Everybody Loves Raymond. Lily is an actor, writer, producer and now food lover!     Just Try It! is more than a kids’ book about food. It’s an illustration of their family philosophy to have an open mind. “It's all about broadening horizons, whatever that looks like,” Lily says. “For us, it's food.”   “I've never been a particularly brave person,” adds Phil. “But I felt like every time I took a baby step out of my comfort zone, and you see it in the show, that's where the magic happens.”    In this fun conversation, Phil and Lily Rosenthal share their favorite foods, food memories and adventures, and take on food pride in different cultures. They also talk about their workarounds, since neither of them cook! Learn more about “Let’s Try It!,” “Somebody Feed Phil” and their upcoming events at PhilRosenthalWorld.com. Read the highlights at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Amy Kritzer Becker, founder of What Jew Wanna Eat and Modern Tribe. She is also the author of “Sweet Noshings: New Twists on Traditional Jewish Desserts.” Becker shares her blog’s origin story, lots of food and cooking anecdotes, and her recipe for drunken honey pomegranate cake. She also offers tips for making cooking fun, your food colorful, and your experiences amazing.  Follow Amy Kritzer Becker on Instagram @WhatJewWannaEat and learn more at WhatJewWannaEat.com and ModernTribe.com. Get the recipe and read the highlights at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Sonya Sanford, author of  "Braids: Recipes From My Pacific Northwest Jewish Kitchen." The child of Ukrainian immigrants, Sanford grew up in Seattle and is the first born American in her family. She is a chef, writer, and podcast host, and has been studying cuisine in the diaspora for more than 15 years. “Jewish food differs in any region,” Sanford says. “That's because of what's available to people and what the cultural trends are.”  Sanford talks about her culinary journey, attributes of Pacific Northwest Jewish cuisine, and why her book is called, “Braids.” It is - and isn’t - what you think. She also shares her recipe for marionberry rugelach, as well as cooking tips and her cooking philosophy. “If there’s a part of you that wants to cook, that’s the most important ingredient,” Sanford says. Learn more at Sonyasanford.com, follow her on Instagram @sonyamichellesanford, and subscribe to Sonya Sanford on substack. Get the recipe and read the highlights at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with award-winning culinary historian, food writer and chef Michael W. Twitty. Twitty is the author of Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew, which received the 2023 National Jewish Book Award.  “I've grown up with …African diaspora foodways from the Caribbean, Latin America and foodways from African immigrants in the United States,” he says. “And I've lived an entire life with Jewish food from challah to kibbeh. Being able to translate across those cultural lines is really important for me.”  Twitty is also the author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South, which won the 2018 James Beard Award for best writing as well as book of the year, and “Rice,” a Savor the South cookbook from The University of North Carolina Press. In addition to sharing his food origin story (his food education started in his intergenerational family kitchen and with PBS food shows), Twitty talks about his love for exploring, elevating, and combining food cultures/foodways from around the world. He also explains the three parts to every food tradition, the value of mastering the trinities (the two or three or more ingredients that are the basics of every cuisine), and other cooking insights. Follow @TheCookingGene on Instagram and MichaelWTwitty on Facebook. Learn more at KoshersoulBook.com and JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with poet Jehanne Dubrow (JehanneDubrow.com), author of  “Taste: A Book of Small Bites.” Dubrow, professor of creative writing at the University of North Texas, has also written nine poetry collections and a non-fiction book, called “throughsmoke: an essay in notes,” about how she came to fall in love with the sense of smell.  “Taste and scent work together in particular to tap into the part of the brain where we access memory and emotion,” she says. “It's linked to feeling and to a sense of personal identity.” The book, “Taste,” is divided into five sections, focusing on the five known tastes, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Within each of those sections are tiny essays, just like small bites.  “We are so often shaped by the things we've eaten in our lives,” Dubrow said. “We've all had those Proustian experiences where we taste something and Instantly we're taken back to a moment that we've forgotten about up until that time.” Dubrow talks about her love of food and cooking, vivid food memories, and suggestions for exploring taste. She also shares her recipe for the Matzah Bromelette, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Amy Steinhaus Kirwin and Rebecca Edana, hosts of “Two Jews Making Food” on ChaiFlicks. Amy and Rebecca love to cook, eat and share their joy of cooking with others! During the half-hour episodes, the duo shares recipes for food and drink, based on their weekly theme; they also have a loved one Zoom in to share the Yiddish Lesson of the Day.  “We're not kosher, but we love food and we love stories and we love to learn,” Rebecca says. “The show was created in an effort to find out what is out there.”  Adds Amy, “It’s not just Jewish cuisine; that's why it's not ‘Two Jews Making Jewish Food.’ It’s food from our culture and sometimes it's somebody else's.  Amy and Rebecca talk about their - and the show’s - backstory, their different cooking styles, their opinion on viral cooking trends (note: most of them are awful), and more. They also share Amy’s recipe for vegetarian kishka. Get the recipe at JewishJournal.com/Podcasts. Follow @twojewsmakingfood on Instagram and learn more at TwoJewsMakingFood.com and ChaiFlicks.com. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.  

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Judy Elbaum, founder of Leave it to Bubbe.  A food columnist and author of ”Judy Elbaum's Seasonal Delights,” Elbaum shares her cooking origin story, along with other food memories and lots of cooking tips. She also talks about her mother’s amazing chicken soup and the recipe for Colombian “Penicillin” that is another family favorite.  Get the soup recipes at JewishJournal.com/Podcasts. Happy National Soup Month! Follow Judy Elbaum @baba_judy on Instagram and LeaveItToBubbe.com to watch her cooking tutorials and get more recipes. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.  

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Noah Bleich, founder and artistic director of The TeaBook. The company, founded in 2015, offers organic, kosher teas with punny names and custom art to go with it, as well as a literal “TeaBook” organizer.  Bleich shares his love of tea and the power of PositiviTEA, as well as what goes into these unique creations. He also talks about the benefits of tea, the fun of tea flavors, and some of the differences between tea versus coffee. Learn more about Noah Bleich and explore all things tea at TheTeabook.com.  For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Dianne Jacob, author of Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More, now in its fourth edition.  Jacob, who also co-authored two cookbooks: Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas and The United States of Pizza, teaches and coaches food writers.   “If you are trying to write recipes, you need to take ownership of that recipe, she says. “It's your recipe. It's the way you like it, and that's how you should present it.” Jacob talks about the origins of her love of food, how it relates to her identity, and her take on how cooking, eating and food writing have changed. She also shares cooking and recipe-writing tips, including how using salt relates to both.  Follow @DianneMJacob on Instagram, learn more about her at DianneJ.com, and subscribe to her newsletter on Substack. For more about Dianne Jacob, read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.  

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Michaele Weissman, author of The Rye Bread Marriage, as well as other books and hundreds of articles. Rye bread is a beloved foodstuff with a rich history. To author Michaele Weissman, it’s so much more.  “What do you do if you're a writer, married to a guy who was born in Latvia, is obsessed with Latvian rye bread and stays obsessed through [all] decades of your lives,” Weissman said. You write a book, called The Rye Bread Marriage. Weissman’s literary memoir intertwines the bread’s history along with their personal journeys.  Weissman talks about her - and her book’s - backstory, the power of connecting through food, and so much more. She also shares a recipe for Composed Beet Salad. This is her favorite first course, as it fits beautifully with her love of breaking bread. Follow @MichaeleWeissman on Instagram, learn more about her at MichaeleWeissmanwrites.com, and get the recipe on JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.