Taste Buds With Deb

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Lenny Rosenberg and Adaeze Nwanonyiri Rosenberg, owners of New York Bagel Deli and Bakery - aka NYBD and Bakery. The husband-and-wife team also own Bea's Bakery in the Valley, as well as star in "It's a Sweet World" on JLTV and have a cookbook by the same name. NYBD and Bakery combines Lenny's Jewish, baking and restaurant roots with Adaeze's Nigerian culture and design (interior, exterior, presentation) expertise. "It's a really classic bakery that's based with Jewish products, but also is multicultural," Lenny explains. "We wanted to merge cultures; that's what we're all about." He adds, "We realized, going through all the bakery products that I've made over the years, they're all multicultural: rainbow cookies are Italian, Danish are from the Danish … almost every single recipe is from another culture." These foods all have a story behind them, along with cultural significance. For instance, the kola nut in their red velvet cupcakes are from Adaeze's Nigerian background, and it is as significant in their rituals as breaking bread (challah) is in the Jewish culture. Whether you are embracing different cultures or getting ready to bake, it's important to be open-minded, curious and always willing to learn. "Our brand is It's a Sweet World," Adaeze says. "Always think positive … live, laugh and eat." Lenny and Adaeze Rosenberg share the NYBD and Bakery backstory, as well as some of their favorite multi-cultural treats and tips for baking success. They also share their recipe for Italian rainbow cookies, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. Learn more at ItsASweetWorld.com and JLTV.com, get It's A Sweet World at your favorite book store and follow @Its_a_sweetworld and @nybdbakery on social media. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Melanie Lutz, author of "Everything is Soup: Sicilian Wisdom, Nourishment and Recipes for a Delicious Life." In the book, Lutz combines her Sicilian and Jewish roots, along with her love of storytelling. "Soup is life," author Melanie Lutz believes. "When we make a delicious soup that we can serve, we're sharing what we love and we're showing that we care." With more than 18 seasonal soup recipes, handwritten notes, and ancestral sayings, the mixture of food memories and wisdom is as filling as it is fulfilling. While there is clearly a huge Sicilian component to the book, Lutz also included a nod to her Jewish roots in honor of Stuart Norman Levy, a member on her Jewish side, who passed away while she was writing the book. "His recipe … Stu's stew is a hodgepodge of everything that you love," Lutz says. "[It] supports you and is there for you … he served it up and made it just magic for anyone who sat down and, and shared a bowl with him." Get the recipe at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. Melanie Lutz talks about the origin story behind "Everything is Soup" and why she loves soup so much. She also shares the meanings behind "stirring the pot," tips for becoming more at one with soup, and more. "The vortex of a bowl of soup and the fact that we're largely made up of water … when you stir the pot, you create this alchemical experience of opening the heart," she explains. "Any soup that you put together becomes … this way that we connect through generations of the earth's elements." Learn more at MelsLoveLand.com and grab a copy of "Everything is Soup." For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Matthew Jonas and David Foerstner, co-founders of Good Karma Chocolate. Good Karma offers small batch bean-to-bar chocolate, drinking cacao, cacao blend-ins, and plenty of positive vibes. "Dave and I share a passion for all things dark chocolate," Jonas explains. "Most of the [bean-to-bar and cacao] brands out there are very serious, and we thought, when you get a chance to taste really good chocolate in your life, that is a moment of joy." Jonas said that while they are serious about how they make it - and are ethical in its production - they also want people to feel good when they eat it, to really enjoy the experience. Jonas had been seeking an alternative to drinking coffee, when, two years ago, he discovered drinking cacao. He didn't like the products that were commercially available, so Jonas bought some beans and began experimenting. Then, he reached out to Foerstner, a food scientist and founder of Food Forward Consulting, to see if he wanted to partner on making a cacao drinking product. "I think your exact words were, 'You need to talk me out of doing this chocolate,'" Foerstner recalls. His reply, "I'm the wrong guy to talk you out of things. … I'm the guy that makes you do things or helps you do things." Foerstner said he'd do it on one condition: "I've always wanted to make chocolate." Matthew Jonas and David Foerstner talk about Good Karma Chocolate's origin story, their mission, and their recipe for making - and customizing - ceremonial drinking cacao, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcast. Jonas also shares the parallels he has found between the chocolate and the Jewish communities. "This idea of … trying to make a better impact on the world, leave it better than I found it, I take that from my experience of … choosing to become active in my Judaism," he says. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Jamie Milne, founder of Everything Delish. When Milne launched 12 years ago, she had no idea she would become a viral food sensation! Her Instagram has 820,000 followers, Pinterest has 255,00+ and TikTok has 2.5 million. You get the idea. Whether she's demonstrating quick recipes, sharing tips or partnering with brands, Milne is all about making cooking delish, accessible and fun. "From a really young age [I knew] that food and cooking are really at the heart of the table, and they bring so many people together," she says. Everything Delish began as a creative outlet for Milne, who was substitute teaching in Jewish schools in Toronto at the time. She was the person everyone turned to for recommendations, and instead of answering everyone personally, she started an Instagram page, called Everything Delish. Everything Delish has changed over the years; Milne is constantly pivoting and reinventing herself as certain life events happen. And it has grown beyond anything she could have imagined. " I constantly tell my audience, when you do what you love, you'll succeed; I wholeheartedly believe in that," Milne says. "My passion has turned into my career, and I believe that if I can do it, anyone can, and it's never too late to start." Jamie Milne talks about the origin of her love of food, the evolution of Everything Delish, and being authentic on social media. She also shared her brisket recipe - a twist on the traditional, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. Learn more about Jamie Milne - and get recipes - at Everything-Delish.com. Follow @Everything_Delish on social media, including Instagram and TikTok, and subscribe to the Everything Delish Substack. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Alan Silberberg, an award-winning author, cartoonist and children's TV creator, whose latest book is "The Bagel Who Wanted Everything." This funny, heart-warming story of a plain bagel's quest to see what else is out there in the world is the latest in his series of silly kids' books about Jewish food; other titles include "P is for Pastrami" and "Meet the Latkes." When asked what it's like to be in his head, Silberberg says, ""It's like going up a really beautiful hill that sometimes you trip and then fall very fast into a big, splashy pool of chicken soup. I'm up, down, making things up … coming up with characters; it's a fun life." Silberberg loves drawing food; it's the gateway to every kid, every family. "It's like a muscle memory for your tummy," Silberberg says. "There aren't enough good funny stories about food, especially Jewish food; I have the Jewish funny food niche." Silberberg shares his journey from loving to doodle, to working in kids TV, to author. He also talks about his favorite Jewish foods, bagel preferences, fun with food characters, and how to live an everything bagel kind of life. "My books allow kids to enter the story and not identify as the kid, but go, 'Oh, I'm kind of like that bagel,'" Silberberg says. "There's something safe about … being able to connect [and identify] with a food." To learn more about Alan Silberberg go to silberbooks.com and follow @alan_silberberg on Instagram. Read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Babette Pepaj, founder of BakeSpace.com and BakeBot.ai. The free AI-powered cooking assistant generates recipes, digitizes family favorites and suggests ingredient swaps. "It helps you do everything from thinking about what foods you're going to buy to seeing what's in the fridge [and figuring] out what you can make with what you already have on hand," Pepaj says. "AI … isn't just about making a new recipe, this is about actually helping someone at the most important moment of cooking." As the High Holidays approach, people start pulling out old recipe books - passed down through generations - or binders with cutouts of recipes. However, many of these recipes have faded or are missing ingredients or instructions. If you are the person who has been making that recipe for years, it's not a problem. But what about everyone else? The magic of AI is it can look at a recipe, see if something's missing and then be able to modify it. It's also great for adapting it for a different number of servings and substitutions. "For example, you might have a recipe that's [been] in your family and all of a sudden your sister-in-law is gluten free [or] maybe you became vegan; you want to keep it within the same style, you want to make sure it has the same flavors," she explains. "When [you] are preparing … especially anything that's holiday related - anything that's truly memorable, anything that has history and tradition - you don't want to mess up." Babette Pepaj talks about BakeBot, ways to use AI for not just recipes, but confidence in the kitchen, and the evolution of recipe discovery. "Social media is like the cooking tool no one knew that they needed," she says. Pepaj also shares her BakeBot.ai created recipe for Rosh Hashanah cupcakes with apple butter cream, which you can get at JewishJournal.com/podcasts Try out at Bakebot.ai and explore Bakespace.com. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Jennifer Stempel, recipe developer, cooking instructor, and author of "With a Needle and Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba," a children's book that will be out in October. A classically trained storyteller and writer, Stempel frequently taps into her mixed Cuban and Jewish heritage to weave tales that engage, inspire, and enlighten. "With a Needle and Thread" is about a grandmother and granddaughter - and how a piece of clothing transforms through lifecycle events. It puts a lens on the small Jewish community - the island of Santiago de Cuba, where Stempel's family is from - and the unique ability they have to "MacGyver" life. "Whenever they are faced with a situation, where they don't have what they need to accomplish whatever goal, they figure it out" Stempel explains. "They use what they have, they are really resourceful [and] inventive." In Spanish, it's called "lo que sea." "This story showcases those qualities in a very Jewish way," Stempel says. This MacGyvering translates to the kitchen, as well as to other aspects of life. And while food is not a main focus, there is food in the book. "It would not be a book that I write if there isn't at least a little bit of food," she says. "Food is very much a passion of mine - it always has been - and I find that it is the great uniter." Stempel is also founder of The Cuban Reuben blog. "When I first started it, the emphasis on the posts really were showcasing how - not just in my. Identity, but also in the food that I eat - do these two cultures sort of meld as one?" she explains. "So the Cuban sandwich and a Ruben sandwich to me were like the Cuban side and the Jewish side coming together … my first post was the Cuban Reuben sandwich, which combined [both]." While the blog is not currently active, there are plenty of delicious recipes, including one for guava and cheese pastry, which you can find at JewishJournal.com. Jennifer Stempel talks about lo que sea and "With a Needle and Thread," her love of food, and how she embraces her Jewish and Cuban heritage. She also shares some of her favorite recipes and how she MacGyvers in the kitchen to make meals from what she has on hand. Learn more about Jennifer Stempel at JenniferStempel.com, get more recipes at thecubanreuben.com, and follow @TheCubanReuben on Instagram. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Natalie Kalmar, the creator behind FitnessFoodieSTL, a resource that empowers women and families to live well without the pressure of perfection. " There are so many ways that you can move your body, whether it's dance fitness, playing a sport, [or] walking your dog," she explains. "All of that counts; all of that is movement." Through her blog, social media, and local collaborations, Natalie shares approachable ways to stay active, enjoy great food, and make the most of life. While she is based in St. Louis, there are plenty of practical tips and delicious recipes that everyone can learn from and enjoy. "Food is something that you should enjoy," she says. "Always remember that you do deserve it." Natalie Kalmar shares how she became Fitness Foodie STL, why group exercise is so valuable, and her personal food connections, including some Jewish food memories. She also shares her recipe for Gooey Butter Cake, which you can find below. Learn more about Natalie at fitnessfoodiestl.com. And follow @fitnessfoodiestl on Instagram and Facebook. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media. Go to JewishJournal.com/podcasts to read the articles and get recipes.