The Big Schmear is a new podcast about Jewish food. Each podcast will feature an interview with a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author or folks who love to cook and talk about Jewish food. We'll be talking with guests about the history and culture of Jewish food, holiday foods, Israeli food, Jewish food trends, nutrition, farming, and the politics of food. Each episode runs approximately 20 minutes and is distributed on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month. Upcoming guests include: world renowned cookbook writer, Joan Nathan, on her new cookbook, King Solomon’s Table, Stephanie Goldfarb of Seven Species in Chicago, and Tanya Rosen of Nutrition by Tanya in NYC.
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The Big Schmear is a new podcast about Jewish food. Each podcast will feature an interview with a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author or folks who love to cook and talk about Jewish food. We'll be talking with guests about the history and culture of Jewish food, holiday foods, Israeli food, Jewish food trends, nutrition, farming, and the politics of food. Each episode runs approximately 20 minutes and is distributed on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month. Upcoming guests include: world renowned cookbook writer, Joan Nathan, on her new cookbook, King Solomon’s Table, Stephanie Goldfarb of Seven Species in Chicago, and Tanya Rosen of Nutrition by Tanya in NYC.
Thanks for looking in on The Big Schmear. Our episode this month is with award-winning author, Elizabeth Graver. We will be talking about her most recent book, entitled Kantika. And, although we do spend some time talking about the story of Kantika - which I found incredibly engaging for a number of reasons: I loved the time and place of the story, I fell in love with the main character and along the way I learned about the life of a Jewish family from Turkey and her life's journey that brought her to the US. It was not a simple travel story.
If I were to characterize the focus of our conversation, I would say we talked a great deal about the story behind the book; the story of how Elizabeth came to write this book, a novel, based on her grandmother's life. I hope you'll dip into the conversation so you can get a better sense of the author behind this beautiful book. And if you haven't read it yet - it's a great time to find a copy at your library or favorite local book shop. And if you have read this book, look up a few of Elizabeth Gravers' past works. She's a wonderful writer.
Happy Listening, Everyone.
I'm so glad to have you along for this episode of The Big Schmear. My guest today, Jeanne Golan, is not only a special friend but also a wonderful pianist. And it's because of her playing that I have invited her to be my guest. This episode is in commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I knew that Jeanne's project, Recovered Voices, would be exactly the right focus. We talk quite a bit about her project; how it came to be, where it's taken her musically, and how she has been able to bring these compositions to life for all of us to hear when most certainly if not for her work these composers and their work would have been lost. We will focus on 3 specific composers from Recovered Voices, a bit about their personal story and their music. I decided to change the format a bit so you would have the opportunity to listen to three short works by each of the composers without interruption. I hope you enjoy the story of Recovered Voices, Jeanne's wonderful playing and of course, the music!
Make a cup of tea or reach for a glass of your favorite wine and ...
Happy Listening, Everyone.
Happy Chanukah, Everyone! I'm happy to have you join me for this December's episode. You'll be meeting my guest, recent cookbook author, Silvia Nacamulli. Silvia begins our conversation by providing us with a window into the Jewish Culinary history of Italy. She also shares a good deal about her own family history while pointing out some of her favorite Italian Jewish foods, complete with mouthwatering descriptions. And if you write to me at beth@thebigschmear.com I'll send you a copy of her Chanukah recipe called Precipizi-Struffoli that she talks about during our conversation.
And there's more! Silvia is available to come to the US via Zoom or in person to teach a cooking class or provide a talk and prepare a meal with your group.
BTW, you may want to have some of your favorite Italian food choices nearby when you have a listen. I think you're gonna be hungry. ?
Happy Listening, Everyone.
It’s still fall! New England is in that in-between time; beautiful sunny days with temps going back and forth between unseasonably warm and yikes, it really will be winter soon.It’s on the ‘gonna get colder’ days that I think about my recent times at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and how this is the perfect time to share with you my conversation with their curator, Simona Di Nepi. She will be talking about her unique position at the MFA and the new Judaica gallery.As you’ll soon find out, she is an extraordinary guide. Along with her expertise and passion about her work she manages to share a contagious enthusiasm for each and every piece in their collection. Before you know it, you'll be adding Boston and the MFA to the top of your 'where to visit next' list.BTW, you are also able to experience some of what the MFA has to offer right from your very own electronic devise. Be sure to catch the end of the podcast when Simona will share this information with you.
Happy Listening, Everyone.
I hope your New Year celebration was meaningful and joyous.
I'm looking forward to all the audio adventures we will be on together in 5785. I already have great guests on-board with stories to share that I know you'll enjoy. This brings me to our first episode of this New Year. We'll be talking about the road to the rabbinate for my guest, Rabbi Vanessa M. Harper, who found that her love of baking challah and studying Torah could bring new insight into her own Jewish experiences as a student and then as a rabbi. In our conversation she'll give you a taste of what you can find in her book, entitled, 'Loaves of Torah: Exploring the Jewish Year Through Challah' and what you can experience for yourself while baking that most celebrated of all breads.
What better way to start the New Year. Happy Listening, Everyone.
The Big Schmear is back and I'm happy to have you all here!
I've had some time to think about the relevance of The Big Schmear while on a break and it's pretty clear to me that Jewish food continues to be a great connector for us all. And I plan to continue conversations about Jewish food, but, at the same time I couldn't help but wonder, why limit how we define Jewish culture? Why not expand our experience and explore additional topics like Jewish music, Jewish literature, Jewish dance, and everything in between?
So with that in mind, I invite you to list to our first Big Schmear 2.0 episode. I'm in conversation with good friend and colleague Cindy Stern, the Executive Director of the Chicago Israeli Film Festival. I will be talking with her about her festival, specifically touching on Israeli film & TV. Cindy will give us a taste of what goes into festival planning and how she finds those amazing films! Who's ready for some popcorn?
I'm on the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Through my conversation with Lisa Newman and Seth Rogovoy you'll learn about the Yiddish Book Center and Yidstock, The Festival of New Yiddish Music. I hope you enjoy this taste of Yiddish culture and contemplate a trip to The Book Center. It's a beauitiful spot anytime of year but it's spectacular in the fall!
Guest: Chef Laura Frankel
Need to spice up your meals? Here's an easy fix that can be used as your new basic 'everything spice' to change up, well everything: fish, chicken, french toast...it's limitless and so easy. And we have some recipes to share too.
Let's close out 2020 in the best way possible by continuing to share meals and the experience of cooking together in as many ways that we can - in person and via the internet. What matters is staying close.
Thank you for listening. Happy Eating and Best Wishes for a healthy and fun filled 2021
Guest: Cheryl Rich Heisler
If you are in the mood for fun this Hanukkah then you have to give this episode a listen. Helpful note: you may want to have your own cocktail at the ready. I've invited back mixologist Cheryl Rich Heisler to talk about cocktail ideas for Hanukkah and she did not disappoint! We've got lots of ideas for you from the 'so simple' to getting out your shaker for a bit of chocolate and whipped cream to touch off that special drink.
I wish you all a very Happy Hanukkah and may you have all the fried foods you desire.
Happy Eating!
Guest: Dr. Beth S. Wenger
I decided to push the envelope a bit on this Thanksgiving holiday episode. I knew everyone would be stressed with holiday plans, menus and figuring out ways to celebrate the holiday despite all the compromises to put in place to be safe. I assumed the last thing you needed were more recipes to think about so...why not think about how Jewish America is connected to this holiday. I invited Professor Beth S. Wenger, an expert in the field of Jewish American history to talk with me about just that. I hope you find our conversation interesting.
I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Eating!
Guest: Chef Laura Frankel
Talking about kitchen safety isn't the sexiest of topics but I thought it would be a great review for all of us as we embark on holiday cooking - whatever that's going to look like this year. I always have fun chatting with Chef Laura who knows her way around the kitchen-- so I thought it would be a good way to talk about the subject without getting too bogged down on boring details. Hope you find our conversation fun and helpful.
As always, wishing you Happy Eating!
Guest: Aliza Kline, CEO OneTable
This episode is all about Shabbat. OneTable is an amazing organization that provides resources for everything it takes to prepare your meal. Their website includes so much valuable information; recipes, ideas for meal themes, cool ways to present your meal and everything in between. And there are videos too - and new programs being developed as I write this post. OneTable is here to help us all navigate Jewish food and the meaning it can bring to each of us during this stressful time. To find out more about OneTable go to: onetable.org.
Happy Eating!
Guest: Whitney Fisch
We are in the midst of fall and Jewish holidays; my favorite time of year. I loved having a conversation with Whitney Fisch - she's all about Jewish food and family. Whitney has a great instagram account that you can follow, it always has lots of wonderful photos of her family and of course, lots of food pics. We talked about the holidays coming up and those just passed. She even provided me with a cheesy dinner recipe to share with all of you, called Skillet Pasta. Perfect for serving in the sukkah or anytime this fall. Total comfort food! You can find it on my site.
Wishing all of you a healthy and happy beginning to the New Year. And most of all, Happy Eating!
Guest: Ted Dennard
Founder, president and head beekeeper of Savannah Bee Company
I love learning about bees. I think bees are amazing and I find their life's work nothing short of fascinating. With Rosh Hashanah coming up I finally had the perfect reason to get int touch with bee keeper, Ted Dennard from Savannah Bee Company. I had so much fun talking with Ted. He was so generous to share his bee expertise and so enthusiastic about every aspect of bees and honey that we touched on in our conversation. I hope you'll have a chance to try some honey from Savannah Bee Company. Please do check out their website: https://savannahbee.com/rosh-hashanah/. I don't have to tell you that honey goes well with challah, apples AND your favorite cup of tea. You might say we are going a bit overboard to experience a sweet New Year at my house this year. We decided to have a honey tasting and serve honey cake, baked and decorated by my daughter, Sara Robinson, at our Rosh Hashanah dinner. Bee sure to check out Sara's honey cake on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEPFL4-nx0_/.
Happy New Year!
Guest: Leah Koenig
It was a treat to spend time with cookbook author Leah Koenig to talk about Rosh Hashanah meals and prep for this very different Rosh Hashana. Leah will even share a great roast chicken recipe with us. You can find out more about Leah @leahkoenig and Leahkoenig.com. Wishing all of you a very Healthy and Happy New Year.
Happy Eating!
It turns out August is National Deli month so ...find your favorite local deli and treat yourself to a bagel and SCHMEAR while supporting a very important cultural institution. No deli nearby? Many delis now ship overnight to just about anywhere in the country. If all else fails you can make yourself a kugel to enjoy with a cup of tea. My guest for this episode is Dr. Lara Rabinovitch. You'll learn lots about the history of Jewish delis in North American because we focus our conversation on the food and the cultural impact of Jewish delis. And last but not least, it turns out that some of the most celebrated delis in North America are located outside of New York City so be sure to check out delis in Montreal, Canada, Ann Arbor, Michigan and even Houston, Texas! Yum.
Guest: Lisa Colton, Co-Executive Producer
The Great Big Jewish Food Fest
It's March, the start of the pandemic in the U.S. with lock-downs in most all major cities. Food and preparing meals for yourself, your family and those in your bubble become a monumental activity. You are nurturing your body and your soul. What could be better? Here's an idea - you could join with Jews from all over the world to cook together and talk about Jewish food! A small team of people lead by Lisa Colton and her good friend and Co-Executive Producer Jeffrey Yoskowitz put together an amazing on-line event in record time. Even if you were unable to attend when it was live, you can learn about it here and then check out the content for yourself.
Guest: Cheryl Rich Heisler
What better way to spend an interview than talking about cocktails? It was total fun talking with Cheryl about her path to becoming a mixologist and starting her company called Mixed metaPours. It turns out you can have your own personalized cocktail developed - now that sounds like a fun summer activity! All that said, Cheryl is pretty serious about her life as a mixologist and how she discovered her passion. You have to listen to our conversation to learn more of her story but in addition to becoming a mixologist she also helps others find their passion too. A remarkable lady and one we'll hear more from as time goes on. You can find more about Cheryl here:
Guest: Boris Fishman
Novelist, Memoirist, and Hard-working Home Cook
Photo Credit: Stephanie Kaltsas
Boris Fishman is a wonderful writer providing a unique immigrant perspective to his work. My new favorite book by Boris is: Three Generations, Two Continents, and a Dinner Table SAVAGE FEAST, A Memoir with Recipes. Even from the prologue you are drawn into the book by the character profiles and of course, the food. He was so generous with his time for our interview that we talk about lots in addition to food. Our conversation moves from his early life in the USSR to his youth in NY with a lot of insight into his family and his grandfather's home aid -- the inspiration for Boris's cooking life and for SAVAGE FEAST. I hope you enjoy listening in. BTW, the recipes in his book are mouthwatering for sure. Don't be surprised if you find yourself in need of cooking up some Russian cuisine while reading this book.
Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn, Executive Director
Caitlin Arens, Food Education Support Manager
I had a great time talking with Alexandra and Caitlin of Pilot Light in Chicago. It's an amazing food education organization founded by a team of chefs in Chicago. They share many food resources for families and teachers that we can use anytime but especially now. Please do check out their website and find out more at: pilotlightchefs.org.
The Big Schmear is a new podcast about Jewish food. Each podcast will feature an interview with a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author or folks who love to cook and talk about Jewish food. We'll be talking with guests about the history and culture of Jewish food, holiday foods, Israeli food, Jewish food trends, nutrition, farming, and the politics of food. Each episode runs approximately 20 minutes and is distributed on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month. Upcoming guests include: world renowned cookbook writer, Joan Nathan, on her new cookbook, King Solomon’s Table, Stephanie Goldfarb of Seven Species in Chicago, and Tanya Rosen of Nutrition by Tanya in NYC.
