The Culinary Kaleidoscope of Jewish Food: Lifting Up Our Diverse Heritage

Join Senesh and Jewish Food Society for a conversation with Jewish food expert, author, and Bravo’s Top Chef star, Gail Simmons, and Naama Shefi, founder of Jewish Food Society, a non-profit organization that works to preserve, celebrate and revitalize Jewish culinary heritage from all around the world.  

Together, they’ll discuss how the varied flavors and traditions of Jewish cuisine reflect and celebrate the diversity and richness of our global Diasporic Jewish and Israeli communities. Attendees will enjoy a selection of small bites inspired by Naama's new cookbook The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long. 

Don’t overlook this celebration of the power of food to bring us together. By embracing and exchanging our diverse culinary traditions, we reinforce the bonds of our community and enrich our collective heritage.

GET YOUR SIGNED COPY OF THE JEWISH HOLIDAY TABLE 

**LESS THAN 20 COOKBOOKS REMAINING!**

$36 tickets include entry to the event and your very own copy of The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long signed by Naama Shefi.

Additional cookbooks will be available for sale on site at the event, while supplies last.

MEET OUR GUESTS

Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, food writer, and dynamic television personality. Since the show’s inception in 2006, she has lent her extensive expertise as permanent judge on Bravo’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef. Now entering its 21st successful season, Top Chef is rated the #1 food show on cable television. She was most recently co-host of The Good Dish, and was formerly host of Top Chef Amateurs, as well as Iron Chef Canada. From 2004 to 2019, Gail served as special projects director at FOOD & WINE. Gail’s first cookbook, Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating, was released by Grand Central Publishing in October 2017. Her first book, a memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, was published by Hyperion in February 2012. Gail is the co-founder of Bumble Pie Productions and sits on the board of several other nonprofit organizations including Children in Conflict, City Harvest and Hot Bread Kitchen.

Naama Shefi is a kibbutznik and New Yorker, whose work sits at the intersection of food, culture, community building, and art. In 2017, she founded the Jewish Food Society, a non-profit organization which preserves and celebrates Jewish culinary heritage through a digital recipe archive and dynamic events. In the summer of 2021, she launched Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel, a center in Tel Aviv dedicated to exploring the diverse and creative food culture of Israel.

RSVPs in advance are required, photo IDs checked at the door. Security will be on premises.

This event is co-presented by the Senesh Parent Diversity & Belonging Committee and a part of our Conversations@Senesh series which invites influential public figures to reflect on the Jewish values that shape their lives and drive their accomplishments. We hope the themes that emerge from these talks will inspire dialogue in our Senesh community and our thriving Brooklyn neighborhood.