Discover more from The Jewish Table
Hey there! If you’ve found your way here but are not yet subscribed for the weekly newsletter, you can do that here. You will never miss a recipe or a story, and I’ll be eternally grateful for your support.
Hello The Jewish Table Readers!
Portico has been out in the world for over a month, but aside from my Brooklyn launch party and several virtual classes, I am only just now getting out on the road for real life book events. The idea of combining back-to-school madness (and all of the inevitable illnesses that would come with it) and the high holidays with a book tour just felt like too much. So I kept things mostly virtual until October.
It ended up being the right call, since the back-to-school vibes were indeed hectic, and our household ended up with Covid, strep, and a random viral fever all in the first couple weeks of September.
But the month of waiting and anticipation was HARD! I love touring with my books. I love meeting readers in person and seeing old friends. I love signing copies with my embarrassingly horrible lefty penmanship. I love the butterflies in my stomach just before the event begins. And I love the interstitial moments between events when I get to wander about in a different city or community. Book tours fill my creative well and also my heart.
In my experience, touring as a parent comes with a hefty dose of guilt. Max was 8 months old when Modern Jewish Cooking came out, and Bea was 6 months old when The Jewish Cookbook came out. Since they were still nursing, they often came to book events with me (Max to Canada and San Francisco and Bea all the way to Warsaw!). And then there was the time I flew in and out of Los Angeles *on the same day* so I could minimize my time away from tiny Bea. Oof. That was wild.
This time around, Portico is the only “baby” in the picture, so my tour comes with a greater sense of freedom. It is still hard being away from the kids. And coordinating childcare while I’m gone is a formidable challenge—particularly when Yoshie, who is a musician, ends up having gigs on the nights I am away for tour. But the truth is, the kids are older now, and more capable. This past week, Max (who is 9) helped put Bea (who is 4) to bed by reading her books and singing to her. Hearing about that from the babysitter made my heart explode.
So it’s hard. But also so, so worth it.
In celebration of *finally* going on the road with Portico, here are some of my favorite behind-the-scene photos from my first two gigs this week—plus, below, you’ll find a little write up about Lehrhaus—a new, Jewish restaurant/bar & house of learning in Boston that I am low-key obsessed with.
There are lots of Portico events still coming up in Philly, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Colorado, San Diego, San Francisco, and more. Check the schedule and hope to see you on the road!
Behind the Scenes, Pittsfield, MA
On Monday night, I had my first Portico event at a synagogue in Pittsfield, MA. I broke up the drive by stopping in Kingston, NY for lunch with Sarah Copeland—a food writer, editor, cookbook author, and fellow Substack newsletter writer I have admired for a long time, but haven’t had the chance to meet. We ate many stellar things at Hotel Kinsley, but the stand out were the homemade potato chips and perfectly creamy-herby dip.
While in Kingston, I also signed some copies of Portico at Rough Draft Bar & Books (and a few more copies for my friends Hannah and Charlie who live in Kingston). Before continuing on to Pittsfield, I also had a very satisfying glazed donut that mesmerized me with its shimmery, sparkle-dusted top.
The event itself was lovely—filled with lots of new faces and also a few familiar ones. I made the Chocolate Orange Cookies and Silky Marinated Zucchini (Concia) from Portico, and enjoyed all of the great questions from the audience.
Afterward, I stayed over at the stunningly beautiful Berkshire home of Darra Goldstein and her husband Dean Crawford. Darra is one of my food history/writing idols, and she also edited one of the earliest articles I ever professionally published. It was beyond a pleasure to spend time in her home, a treat to taste the honey-fermented charoset she developed for her forthcoming cookbook Preserved: Fruit, and dreamy to enjoy coffee and oatmeal with blueberries and cream at her serene kitchen table before setting off to Boston.
Behind the Scenes: Boston
On Tuesday evening, I had a demo and book signing and at the historic Vilna Shul in Boston. I have fewer photos from the journey there, but can attest that driving east on Route 2 during peak autumn leaf season is something special.
As soon as I arrived and walked into the prep kitchen, I fell in love with the Vilna Shul’s original, 100+ year old oven. It is no longer functional, but in remarkable condition, no?
At the event, I demoed the Concia from Portico again, and also the Artichoke Frittata and Chocolate Marzipan to an enthusiastic, *sold out* crowd. (Whee!) If you look to the right of the top of my head in the selfie photo, you’ll spot fellow food writer, Andrew Janjigian (big smile, yellow glasses) in the crowd. I am a huge fan of his bread and baking-focused newsletter, Wordloaf—and not just because he wrote a review of Portico today!
Afterward, I made the long drive back to Brooklyn and got home far too late. But I am grateful for the day home before I head back out for a collaboration dinner in Philly (also sold out!) on Thursday.
Lehrhaus: A Jewish Tavern & House of Study
While in Boston, I also stopped by Lehrhaus, which is a new restaurant/bar and house of study on the border of Cambridge and Somerville.
There are lots of restaurants out there these days making Jewishly-inspired food (which is great!). But Lehrhaus is doing it exceptionally well, and also with kosher certification. The menu is wildly creative, pulling from all corners of the Jewish diaspora. I was especially excited to see a drink on the bar menu called Roman Holiday, which combines housemade artichoke vermouth with bitters and olive oil-infused gin. Wow.
Lehrhaus also hosts a wide variety of classes on Jewish subjects—everything from the secret Jewish history of German beer to a class on the first woman rabbi, Regina Jonas. The space and the vibe are sophisticated and beautiful, and also explicitly and irreverently Jewish without feeling gimmicky. That’s really hard get right!
It’s no wonder Lehrhaus was named one of Eater Boston’s hottest new restaurants. If you live in or near Boston, or are passing through—go check it out. In the meantime, enjoy these photos I snapped there yesterday. (Why yes that is a photo of Hannah Arendt in the bathroom. And yes those are real Lactaid pills in the gum ball machine.)
You have me missing western Mass! (Darra edited the first bit of post-college food writing I'd ever published, too :) )
Mazel Tov Leah! What a thrill to hang with Sara and Darra -- two people I also adore. I'm looking forward to seeing you on the West Coast.