Use food as a gateway to explore Jewish communities from around the world! Through family recipes, cultural traditions, and the history of the communities they come from each dish at this party tells a story. Residents will choose a Jewish cookbook and share the recipes with their community members to make and bring or residents will make the recipes themselves. Then at the event everyone who made a dish will present their dish in a fun, low-pressure way (think round-robin sharing or a playful PowerPoint) with some info on why it’s important to that Jewish community. Come ready to eat, learn, and discover how Jewish identity and culture show up on the plate!  

PRO TIPS:

• Repeat this program as many times as you’d like using different Jewish cookbooks—it’ll be different every time!  
  • Consider doing one focused on a Jewish community in another part of the world.  
  • Consider doing another that’s specific to a Jewish holiday.  
  • Or another that is focused on just desserts or baked goods!  
• Apply for the Jewish Culture and Holiday JIO to cover the cost of the cookbook. 

MATERIALS:

• Jewish Cookbook  
  • Jewish Book Council – Jewish Cookbooks 
  • Yiddish Book Center – Jewish Cookbooks  
    • A few cookbooks recs:
      • Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen by Leah Koenig 
      • Bene Appétit: The Cui­sine of Indi­an Jews by Esther David 
      • Kugels & Col­lards: Sto­ries of Food, Fam­i­ly, and Tra­di­tion in Jew­ish South Carolina 
• Ingredients for chosen recipes  
• Optional:
  • Drive folder and spreadsheet 
  • Scanner/camera to upload photos of recipes  
  • Laptop and projector for any PowerPoint presentations  
  • Tupperware for people to take home leftovers  
  • Index cards and pens to write down recipes or printed recipe cards  

OPTION #1 – Jewish Cookbook Party: POTLUCK EDITION

Pre Program Prep   

• Pick a Jewish Cookbook 
• Create an online drive folder  
• Scan several (or all) the recipes in the cookbook  
  • For this step you could either curate a menu and only upload the recipies you want participants to make or upload a bunch and let the menu unfold naturally based on what people choose.  
  • Also upload any learning materials in the cookbook like an introduction or historical background.  
• Create a sign up spreadsheet and add it to the drive folder 
  • This sign up sheet is where participants will indicate their name and which recipe listed in the drive they plan to make. That way no two people will show up having made the same recipe.  
  • NOTE: Be sure to indicate on the spreadsheet how many people they should make the recipe for. This event could benefit from a participant cap.  
• Instruct guests to prepare their recipe and ask each person to come prepared ready to teach the group a little bit about the recipe.  
  • Be sure to set clear instructions:  
    • How long each person should plan to speak.  
    • What modality they can/should plan to use.  
      • Will you be going around in a circle and having everyone share as part of the food tour? Perhaps giving a PowerPoint during the meal? Or having everyone go around at the table and talk about their dish?  
    • What kind of info you want them to share with the group.  
      • For example: where the recipe originated, any special ingredients and their history, when was this recipe made, its spiritual or ritual significance, how this recipe/food interacted or was shaped by the location/surrounding communities, etc… 

Dish Presentation

• Depending on the modality, the presentation about each of the dishes could happen before, during or after the meal.  
• Here are a few ways you could fold the presentation into the evening: 
  • Have everyone get food and then once seated, go around the table and have each person share with the full group about their dish.  
  • Set up a laptop and projector visible to all people at the table and then have guests get up from the table to present their slides on their dish during the meal. 
  • Have each guest make a printout with info on their dish to place by each of the dishes. Be sure to allow time in the night for people to take a gallery walk of the printouts, so they have time to read the info.  
  • Have everyone share a little about their dish during the food tour of the meal before people sit down to eat. Consider having appetizers or drinks for folks to nosh on while they listen.  
  • After the meal have everyone move to a comfy area of the house and have everyone share verbally or present PowerPoint slides about the foods they just ate. 

Delicious Meal

• Enjoy a delicious meal full of good food, good learning, and good company!  
• Be sure to have the hardcopy of the cookbook out for people to read/see while they eat or after the meal.  
• Optional: Offer guests the option to take leftovers home in Tupperware and/or offer guests the option to make or take recipe cards!  

OPTION #2 – Jewish Cookbook Party: HOUSE CHEF EDITION

Pre-Program Prep

• Pick a Jewish Cookbook 
• Curate a menu for the meal and (optionally) divide the cooking up amongst the residents in your MoHo.  
  • Also be sure to read any learning materials in the cookbook like an introduction or historical background. 
• Prepare the recipes and prepare to teach the group a little bit about the recipe. 
  • Things to keep in mind: 
    • How long will each person/you speak?  
    • What modality will you use?  
      • Talking to the group, PowerPoint, video, info cards/signs,  or combining a few of these options?  
    • What kind of info do you want the group to know?  
      • For example: where the recipe originated, any special ingredients and their history, when was this recipe made, its spiritual or ritual significance, how this recipe/food interacted or was shaped by the location/surrounding communities, etc… 

Dish Presentation

• Depending on the modality, the presentation about each of the dishes could happen before, during or after the meal.  
• Here are a few ways you could fold the presentation into the evening: 
  • Have everyone get food and then once seated, go around the table and have each person who cooked share with the group about their dish.  
  • Set up a laptop and projector visible to all people at the table and then have residents get up from the table to present their slides on their dish during the meal. 
  • Have each resident make a printout with info on their dish to place by each of the dishes. Be sure to allow time in the night for people to take a gallery walk of the printouts, so they have time to read the info.  
  • Have everyone share a little about their dish during the food tour of the meal before people sit down to eat. Consider having appetizers or drinks for folks to nosh on while they listen.  
  • After the meal have everyone move to a comfy area of the house and have residents share verbally or present PowerPoint slides about the foods they just ate. This could be a good time to serve dessert. 

Delicious Meal

• Enjoy a delicious meal full of good food, good learning, and good company!  
• Be sure to have the hardcopy of the cookbook out for people to read/see while they eat or after the meal.  
• Optional: Offer guests the option to take leftovers home in Tupperware and/or offer guests the option to make or take recipe cards!