Hi. I'm a food entrepreneur, a pioneer in the Jewish food revival, and a thought leader in the world of food and culture. I draw upon my experience in food and hospitality to create cutting edge content, products, and strategies.
As a Gefilteria founder, I've transformed the perception of Eastern European Jewish foods and inspired tens of thousands to embrace their heritage in new ways, usually by getting in the kitchen. I produce culinary events, consult with major brands, and teach about heritage food traditions. I've traveled the world and partnered with chefs and restaurants. I co-authored the The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods, named a National Jewish Book Award finalist, which was a distillation of many of the ideas that went into the Gefilteria, and then became a platform for reaching a wide audience.
As a Papaya founder and Chief Culinary Officer, I'm building a decentralized platform for plant-forward dining to make it more accessible and exciting for diners to reduce meat consumption, and to get restaurants in on it, too. The restaurant delivery space is in dire need of innovation, and Papaya seeks to add a sense of curation to the experience, as well as consideration for both restaurants and the planet.
I got started in food creating a line of pickles and jams for Adamah Farm, where I trained as an organic farmer and pickler (back before it became trendy, I swear). Then I built a consortium of sustainably-minded farmers and artisan producers in Israel's Negev Desert and launched Negev Nectars, a US-based brand that sold direct-to-consumer subscription boxes, and supplied leading restaurants like Zahav in Philly with olive oil and tahini.
As a thought leader and expert, I present often about food, the business of food, and culinary history to groups, organizations, and top universities around the world. I've developed full courses for Brandeis and City College. My writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, among other publications. I created and led a culinary tour of Eastern Europe, produced and hosted the celebrated online Jewish food course, A Seat at the Table, and in 2020 produced The Great Big Jewish Food Festival which brought leading food experts together, raised over $150,000 for COVID relief efforts over 10 days, and built a community of 25,000 strong.
Sometimes I play chef on TV, whether on the Cooking Channel, PBS, or, most recently, Hulu's Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. For the past three years, I've chaired the National Jewish Book Awards food writing category. It was an honor to be named to both the Forbes 30 Under 30 in food & wine and to the Forward's list of 50 most influential Jews, and to serve as a guest chef at the esteemed James Beard Foundation on numerous occasions.
As a Gefilteria founder, I've transformed the perception of Eastern European Jewish foods and inspired tens of thousands to embrace their heritage in new ways, usually by getting in the kitchen. I produce culinary events, consult with major brands, and teach about heritage food traditions. I've traveled the world and partnered with chefs and restaurants. I co-authored the The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods, named a National Jewish Book Award finalist, which was a distillation of many of the ideas that went into the Gefilteria, and then became a platform for reaching a wide audience.
As a Papaya founder and Chief Culinary Officer, I'm building a decentralized platform for plant-forward dining to make it more accessible and exciting for diners to reduce meat consumption, and to get restaurants in on it, too. The restaurant delivery space is in dire need of innovation, and Papaya seeks to add a sense of curation to the experience, as well as consideration for both restaurants and the planet.
I got started in food creating a line of pickles and jams for Adamah Farm, where I trained as an organic farmer and pickler (back before it became trendy, I swear). Then I built a consortium of sustainably-minded farmers and artisan producers in Israel's Negev Desert and launched Negev Nectars, a US-based brand that sold direct-to-consumer subscription boxes, and supplied leading restaurants like Zahav in Philly with olive oil and tahini.
As a thought leader and expert, I present often about food, the business of food, and culinary history to groups, organizations, and top universities around the world. I've developed full courses for Brandeis and City College. My writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, among other publications. I created and led a culinary tour of Eastern Europe, produced and hosted the celebrated online Jewish food course, A Seat at the Table, and in 2020 produced The Great Big Jewish Food Festival which brought leading food experts together, raised over $150,000 for COVID relief efforts over 10 days, and built a community of 25,000 strong.
Sometimes I play chef on TV, whether on the Cooking Channel, PBS, or, most recently, Hulu's Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. For the past three years, I've chaired the National Jewish Book Awards food writing category. It was an honor to be named to both the Forbes 30 Under 30 in food & wine and to the Forward's list of 50 most influential Jews, and to serve as a guest chef at the esteemed James Beard Foundation on numerous occasions.