Join The Gefilteria co-founders Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz and seasonal foods expert Amelia Saltsman, along with food writer Devra Ferst, for a lively talk and tasting about all the fats—from olive oil to schmaltz—that make Hanukkah food so special. Most of us know the symbolic meanings of Hanukkah and the miraculous oil, but how have time and place defined the holiday and its culinary traditions? Hint: The ancient olive harvest and Hanukkah occur on the same date in the Jewish calendar. Say what? This full-of-surprises evening will include a tasting of olio nuovo (the first bottling of the year’s first pressing) and different types of schmaltz, followed by a reception featuring Hanukkah dishes you may never have tried before.
Photo by Nomi Ellenson
LIZ ALPERN
Liz Alpern is co-author of The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods (Flatiron Books, 2016) and co-owner of The Gefilteria, a food venture that’s been reimagining Old World Jewish Foods since 2012. She is also the creator of Queer Soup Night, a global event series highlighting the talent of queer chefs and raising funds for locally-based social justice organizations.
Liz received her MBA from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and is on the faculty of the International Culinary Center's Entrepreneurship program. Her passion for food extends to the world of food systems, and she serves a consultant for national non-profit organization, Fair Food Network. Liz has been featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List and was selected for The Cherry Bombe 100 in 2018.
Photo by Josh Domont
DEVRA FERST
Devra Ferst is a New York-based food and travel writer. She served as the food editor at the Forward, and as an editor at Eater NY and Tasting Table. Her writing has appeared in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, TASTE, Vogue, NPR, The Cut, and many others. Follow her on Instagram @dferst.
AMELIA SALTSMAN
Photo by Patricia Williams
Amelia Saltsman explores food and culture through a seasonal lens. She is the award-winning author of The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen and The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook. As the Los Angeles-born daughter of a Romanian mother and Iraqi father who were raised in Israel, Amelia’s food reflects the bold, diverse flavors, and rich memories of her eclectic background. Amelia has been featured in and written for such publications as Better Homes & Gardens, Bon Appétit, Los Angeles Times, Jewish Journal, Food 52, and Cooking Light and is a familiar voice on KCRW’s Good Food. A longtime advocate for family farms and farmers' markets, Amelia uses her innovative “six seasons approach” to weave together food, culture, and agriculture into one seamless whole for today’s mindful cooks.
JEFFREY YOSKOWITZ
Photo by Nomi Ellenson
Jeffrey Yoskowitz is co-owner of The Gefilteria, a culinary venture that reimagines eastern European Jewish cooking, and co-author of The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods (Flatiron Books), named a National Jewish Book Awards finalist. A food entrepreneur and writer, Jeffrey travels the globe speaking, cooking and teaching. His writings on food and culture have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Tablet, among others. Jeffrey’s on the faculty at City College where he teaches on Jewish foodways and culinary anthropology. He has cooked as a guest chef at the esteemed James Beard House kitchen and was named to the Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 list for Food and Wine, as well as The Forward 50.