Episodes

Guest: Nina Glick On this special episode we pay tribute to Canada's Jewish Julia Child, Norene Gilletz who passed away last month. She leaves us with an amazing Jewish food legacy. She published 12 cookbooks, has a huge following on Nornene's Kitchen (her facebook...

Guest: Alana Newhouse Photo Credit: MIchelle Ishay I love the book, and I think you will too. It's full of history, stories and of course, recipes! Imagine deciding to compile a book of the 100 Most Jewish Foods! Where would you start? How would you decide what foods...

Guest: Chef Laura Frankel​ I couldn't think of a better way to begin 2020 on The Big Schmear than with the topic of Marijuana and Jewish food. So many states have now legalized recreational pot that it seemed a timely topic.  I went to my go-to expert on all things...

Guests: Eugenia Moliner & Denis Azabagic I took a bit of a jaunt off topic to introduce you to the musicians of Cavatina Duo- the theme music for The Big Schmear. i think you'll enjoy meeting them and hearing about their story behind the music. I hope you enjoy...

Guest: Naomi Nachman There is this iconic cafe in Skokie, IL. It's called Emma's and it's a favorite place for those wanting a great selection of Kosher food from bagels and lox to wraps and soups. And this is where I caught up with Naomi Nachman. Just off the plane...

Guest: Dr. Aaron S. Gross I couldn't resist searching out more information on this new book Feasting and Fasting! I hope you'll find my conversation with Dr. Aaron S. Gross, co-editor as intriguing as I did. The book delves into Jewish food as a key component to...

Guest: Maxim D. Shrayer Are you thinking about seasonal menus for fall? Don't forget to include mushrooms on your search. After listening to my conversation with Maxim D. Shrayer you'll find yourself hunting in your favorite grocery store for some not so common...

Guest: Chef Laura Frankel Chef Laura Frankel and I talk about holiday food prep and planning for Yom Kippur. She shares some great ideas that will be helpful for menu selection through break-the-fast. We even get a chance to talk about Chef's favorite holiday, Sukkot.

Guest: Zenash and her granddaughter Nebbe I'm at Ras Dashen, a wonderful cozy Ethiopian restaurant in my own neighborhood in Chicago. I'm talking with owner and chef Zenash and her granddaughter Nebbe. She tells an amazing story of how she comes to Chicago and starts...

Guest: Rabbi Yisroel Finman While on a dream vacation in Greece I got a call about a Kosher food company focused on bringing kosher food from the Balkans to the US and Israel and around the world. What a crazy coincidence. Once back home I decided to follow up on that...

Guest: Moran Birman, Consul for Public Diplomacy, Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest On this episode you'll meet Moran Birman, Consul for Public Diplomacy with the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. I met Moran a little over a year ago when he...

Guest: Marc & Maureen Schulman I've heard about Eli's Cheesecake for years, and not because I live in Chicago. When I knew Shavout was coming up I thought it would be the perfect time to see if I could get an interview with Marc Schulman, President of Eli's...

Guest: Alon Munzer, Co-Owner of Mamaleh's Delicatessen & Restaurant Whenever I'm in the Boston area to visit with family one of my new favorite restaurant stops is Mamaleh's Deli in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I made a promise to myself after my visit in December...

Guest: Sarah Klegman of Challah Hub I had a great time talking with Sarah Klegman, co-founder of Challah Hub. This is another virtual challah story taking place in Los Angeles. Sarah and I talked a lot about challah and about Sarah's life outside of baking. At the...

Guest: Chef Zachary Engel Chef Zach joins me in Part 2 to talk about his new restaurant endeavor in Chicago - building Galit, his first restaurant from the bottom up. The goal: to bring fine dining, as in Israeli Cuisine to Chicago.   

Guest: Chef Zachary Engel What's it like to be a young Chef with a dream to open your own restaurant? I thought it would be interesting to get inside the process and to hear first hand about what it takes to find yourself in a new city about to open your own place. I...