That was the only way I was going to be able to do it, because a lot of their recipes had never been written down and will disappear with this last generation of Jews with ties to Iraq and Iran.

I followed Alex’s mother and aunt around their kitchen with measuring cups and a pad. As an Iraqi Jew with family raised in Iran, he was brought up with a different repast repertoire made up of fragrant stews, spiced rices, and sweets brimming with rosewater and cardamom.” How did you learn to put an Iraqi or Persian spin on your recipes? You wrote that your husband, Alex, “didn’t grow up with brisket or babka. After graduating high school, I went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Seeing how cooking for others worked as a community builder, I decided to pursue a career in food. In high school, I started throwing dinner parties for friends. When did you realize that you wanted to make food your career path? Usually, they’re terrible.” Still, there was something beautiful about having this fixed menu that truly couldn’t be shifted or people would lose their minds. People were always complaining, saying things like “This year the matzah balls are delicious.

My aunt made the same brisket every year for every holiday, and for Passover she prepared her apricot-matzah-farfel stuffed chicken, gefilte fish, and matzah ball soup. Were you served traditional Ashkenazi dishes at these family gatherings? We didn’t sit down for family dinners during the week or on Shabbat, so my connection to Jewish observance was largely influenced by these holiday celebrations, especially through the lens of food. My strongest memories of sharing Jewish meals were at Passover and the High Holy Days. What of some of your early memories of sharing Jewish meals? Jake is a former food staffer at Saveur, food editor of Tasting Table and Time Out New York, and most recently the editorial and test kitchen director of FeedFeed ( I caught up with Jake to talk about his passion for food as a gateway to Jewish rituals, celebrations, and learning. Jake Cohen’s debut cookbook, J ew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch (HMH), is a New York Times bestseller.

Jewish cookbook jake cohen