A new year means new things happening
These days, you don’t often hear about religion or people’s religious backgrounds. Maybe people are afraid to talk about it, for fear of being ridiculed in some way. I’ve even heard about people being accused of adopting a religion that doesn’t line up with their race or ethnic background. Could it all be a product of today’s cancel culture? Maybe, but that’s a discussion to have at the dinner table, rather than on Facebook. To me, being Jewish is not something I bought on the high street, or decided to adopt after spending time with someone else who is Jewish. My heritage is Jewish, which makes me Jewish. That being said, I may not go to Synagogue or pray to the person above, but the one thing I truly love is the food. The food my mum and my bubbies made for us growing up that still brings back memories when I catch a whiff of a certain ingredient. It’s the one thing I miss from my life back in Canada.
Luckily, I am fortunate to be blessed with a working knowledge of a kitchen to be able to recreate the many sweet and savoury dishes that have been passed down to me. That’s one of the great things about Jewish food - it’s passed down from generation to generation, rather than written down in a cookbook. Though I’m sure there are some Jewish chefs that have sold a cookbook or two on Amazon, I can guarantee that it won’t taste the same as what your bubbe makes.
From the bagels that launched Bagel or Beigel, to delicious latkes, challahs and rugelach, there are so many Jewish foods that I remember from my childhood. However, I can only taste them again if I make them myself, or travel to a specialist Jewish foodstore. Besides bagels, many Jewish foods haven’t hit the mainstream and can’t be found in a supermarket, yet they’re so delicious that many more mouths should be tasting them!
In light of this, I want to share my amazing memories and heritage with you, and get your tastebuds trying some new foods. Therefore, I’m expanding into Jewish food masterclasses, which will give you the chance to learn about the food of my people, as well as create delicious goodies with your own hands to take home with you to your family (or scoff all by yourself - it’s up to you).
Each masterclass hosts up to six people and will take place over a half-day, providing me with enough time to teach the recipes themselves and offer some one-to-one advice and evaluation. This could be a great idea for a group of friends who want to try something different - rather than going to a restaurant to eat, you could learn to make the foods yourselves, then cook them at home! Cooking masterclasses also make great dates for couples (I can’t guarantee you won’t fight over who gets the last bagel), or as a gift for a birthday or anniversary.
Click here to book your masterclass. (I hope) slots will fill up fairly quickly, so you might want to roll up your sleeves and get ready for a keyboard race! The classes will take place at the Bagel or Beigel unit. Don’t worry, we’ll still be making and delivering bagels - we wouldn’t want you to miss out!
Please note: this is an archived post and the Jewish food masterclasses have now become Bagel and Challah Workshops, where you can bake with Avi and learn how to make your own bagels.