This month marks one year since the launch of the “Taste Buds with Deb” podcast. Every Wednesday, I release a new 20-ish minute episode, which is a bite-sized conversation about food, cooking and community. Most of my guests shared recipes too! What makes this milestone even more special is I just released my 54th – aka my triple chai – episode.
I have received food for thought from old friends and previous Jewish Journal interviewees; new friends and connections; chefs, restaurateurs, bloggers, authors and media personalities from around the world.
As a writer, I love being able to share the stories of others. I also love having engaging conversations. This podcast gives me the opportunity to do both. And nothing brings people together like their love of food and cooking.
Here are some of the things that stood out from each of my triple chai conversations:
Babka King chef Shimi Aaron: Food that looks beautiful makes you want to eat it more.
Swell App’s Deborah Pardes: Food is a medium for connection.
Samantha Ferraro: Little Ferraro Kitchen: You can tell a lot about a person based on what’s on their kitchen table.
Arthur Smith, “Hell’s Kitchen,” and author of “Reach:” Cooking is like sports.
Baking It’s Norma Zager: Chocolate is like a basic black dress: it goes everywhere and it goes with everything!
Author Robbie Samuels, “Croissants vs Bagels:” Food makes the perfect metaphor.
Judi Leib: Whisk in the Southern: You can simplify a fancy recipe or fancy up a simple one.
Rabbi Avi Finegold: A daiquiri is the simplest cocktail to make and the hardest one to master.
Seasoned Moments’ Michal Levison: Food is a bridge to connection.
Danny Corsun, Culinary Judaics Academy: Choose recipes that aren’t intimidating; know that it’s okay to mess up.
Faith Kramer, “52 Shabbats:” Even when your intention is to have a nice meal, you don’t necessarily need to make restaurant perfect food.
Spice king Lior Lev Sercarz: Seek out quality spices to incorporate into your cooking.
Brad Mahlof, The Great American Recipe: No one starts off as an amazing cook; it takes practice, so don’t get discouraged.
Nicky Pitman, Shemesh Farms: There’s nothing like it when something tickles your taste buds.
Abby J Leibman, CEO, MAZON: The preparation of food is itself a ritual that is both calming and uplifting.
Debbie Kornberg, Spice + Leaf: Cooking should be a joy!
Dr Alona Pulde and Dr Matthew Lederman, “Wellness to Wonderful:” To achieve optimal health, you need to keep things simple.
Dawn Lerman, author, “My Fat Dad:” Healthy cooking is easy; don’t shy away from it.
Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey, authors “Kugels & Collards:” Have conversations about food and its place in your family histories; don’t forget to write down the recipes.
Chef Doug Weinstein: Making fancy stuff, like chocolate and sweets, is fun but very involved; bread is simple and you can get lost in the process of making it.
Lisa Niver, “Brave-ish:” You don’t need to cross oceans to have new food experiences.
Sephardic Spic Girls Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff: There is power in food and food memories.
Jonathan Bernhard. JIFA: Once you develop the knowledge-base and skillset, plant-based cooking becomes second nature.
June Hersh, “Iconic Jewish Food:” The stories that are built around the foods that we eat have a wonderful provenance; that’s what makes them so especially satisfying.
Mandy Silverman, Mandylicious: The first step to making good challah is to have the right mindset.
Dana Shrager, Dana’s Table: Use new seasonings to give traditional flavors a modern twist.
Author Mitch Albom: When you incorporate a meal into a conversation, it becomes more human.
Annie Korzen, “The Book of Annie:” Say “Why Not?” to every opportunity that comes your way.
Chef Susan Feniger and filmmaker Liz Lachman, “Forked:” In any project, be passionate; love what you do!
Chef Alon Shaya: Recipes are a wonderful vehicle for conversations about difficult subjects.
Ilana Muhlstein, 2B Mindset: A few small swaps can make a huge impact on your confidence, energy and weight-loss results.
Sivan Kobi, Sivan’s Kitchen: Food is a love language.
CW Silverberg, “Schmoozing & Cruising:” One of the most basic, fundamental dishes is roast chicken.
Pam Stein, In Pam’s Kitchen: Baking with alcohol involves trial and error.
Illustrator Lisa Brown, “The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming:” Food is universal and cross-cultural.
Chaya and Yossi Segelman, Our Big Kitchen LA: Food volunteerism is a beautiful conduit to bring people together.
Michaele Weissman, “The Rye Bread Marriage:” Literally breaking bread is a pastime that endures.
Dianne Jacob: “Will Write for Food:” To make your food less boring, use more salt.
The TeaBook’s Noah Bleich: Drinking tea leads to PositiviTEA! There’s an innate happiness factor.
Judy Elbaum, Leave it to Bubbe: Colombian chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food.
Amy Steinhaus Kirwin and Rebecca Edana, “Two Jews Making Food:” When you share food, you share your heart with others.
Poet Jehanne Dubrow, “Taste:” Taste and scent work together to tap into the part of the brain where you access memory and emotion.
Michael W Twitty, “Koshersoul:” You can learn your way across the globe based on the smell of someone else’s kitchen.
Sonya Sanford, “Braids:” Jewish food differs in any region, based on what is available to people and the cultural trends are.”.
Amy Kritzer Becker, What Jew Wanna Eat: If you are hosting and people offer to bring dishes, let them!
Phil and Lily Rosenthal, “Just Try It:” When you step out of your comfort zone, that’s when the magic happens.
Micah Siva, Nosh with Micah: A nosh is something you can’t stop eating.
Jamie Pachino, consulting producer, “So Help Me Todd:” There’s something about family dinner that transcends cultures, even when portrayed on a television show.
Katie Workman, The Mom 100: Comfort foods inspire a visceral reaction, and there’s nothing like it.
Joel Haber, 18 Jewish Foods podcast: Food is a window into discussion of culture and history.
Joan Nathan, “My Life in Recipes:” Recipes can connect you with your past … and with future generations.
Shani Seidman, CMO, Manischewitz: We take a lot of pride in our traditions; we want to share goodness and joy over food with anyone who wants to sit down with us.
Beth Lee, OMG Yummy: Preserved lemons can change your life.
Chico Menashe, CEO, Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel: Israeli chutzpah – the combination of creativity, innovative thinking and daring – is a main ingredient in the kitchen.
New episodes of Taste Buds are released each week via Facebook, LinkedIn and @TheDEBMethod on YouTube. Subscribe to “Taste Buds with Deb” on your favorite podcast platform and share your love of cooking and food at Facebook.com/groups/TasteBudsWithDeb.
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