Eight unassuming gourmet latkes have become the latest controversy on Jewish Twitter. A recent holiday issue of Food & Wine magazine featured a piece titled “8 Ways to Make the Best Potato Latkes of Your Life.” The problem? Two of those luxe latkes featured decidedly non-kosher toppings. One latke calls for both shrimp and squid,…
Read More
Jewish Life
Hanukkah
3 Hanukkah gifts for the liturgy lover in your life
For some people on your holiday shopping list, a standard gift just won’t do it. I’m talking about the erudite, shul-going Jew with shelves of Judaica and…
Parenting
Why I don’t force my kids into a million extracurriculars
My 3-year-old son Harvey took a weekly soccer class this fall, and it was the cutest. He raced down the field after his ball, listened quietly and…
Organic Epicure
Comal chef spices up holiday ‘Oaxanukkah’ brisket with Mexican chiles
Matt Gandin, executive chef of Comal in Berkeley, had two major food influences growing up Jewish in Orange County. There were the holiday dinners with…
Hanukkah
Local pups nuzzle their way into Nice Jewish Dogs calendar
Rachel Einstein-Sim was hanging out at a San Francisco dog park with her labradoodle Elle when something caught her eye. It was an accessory on Dena…
Recipe
Schnitzel and omelets from 2 zesty Israeli cookbooks
Two cookbooks inspired by Israeli’s famed food markets have been released in time for Hanukkah gift giving and menu planning: “Shuk: From Market to Table,…
Torah
Refraining from public shaming can save a life, literally
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek. Vayetzei Genesis 28:10-32:3 The Rabbi of Chelm was watching TV and social…
Small Bites
'Bagel Black Friday' draws big crowds to Boichik Bagels in Berkeley
Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky. On what Emily Winston dubbed “Bagel Black Friday,” Berkeley’s Boichik…
Talking With ...
Q&A: A Yiddish-speaking gumshoe with a tapping toe
Gale Kissin, 67, wears several hats. She not only sings and plays guitar and percussion in Mama Loshn, the Yiddish revival band she co-founded, but she’s…