June 27, 2023
Audiences will have to wait a bit longer to find out if the special, “Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Antisemitism,” will win a 2023 Daytime Emmy; due to the writers strike, the annual awards event has been postponed.
YouTube and LeBron James’ The SpringHill Company premiered the special last year, with hosts Ilana Glazer, Moshe Kasher and Idina Menzel partnering with renowned chefs Nancy Silverton, Einat Admony, and culinary historian Michael Twitty to host a plethora of celebrity dinner guests including Skylar Astin, Michael Ian Black, Hannah Einbinder, Michael Zegen, Alex Edelman, Jordan Firstman, Bryan Greenberg, Hari Nef, Josh Peck, Zac Posen and Tommy Dorfman.
Raising Awareness
Consulting producer/Jewish educator Todd Shotz was thrilled to be a part of the experience, which celebrated Jewish identity while discussing hate crimes with Jewish luminaries like ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, Ruth Reichl, Rachel Sumekh and Lori Gottlieb.
“As we wanted to celebrate the culture, history and religious practice and talk about the challenges the community faces in this time of rising antisemitism around the globe, we thought there is no setting in Jewish life as fundamental as the Shabbat dinner table to have a conversation as crucial as this one,” explained Shotz.
The format was very unique and varied; with three Shabbat dinner intercut conversations, taking place in New York and Los Angeles. “Food is always a conversation starter and often what brings us together.”
In the development of this special, the producers wanted the conversations around the food that would be served to feel authentic and organic.
“One of the many highlights was Twitty, who brought his unique experience as an African-American Jewish man from the south, with his black-eyed pea hummus and matzah ball soup gumbo with ginger and cayenne pepper,” said Shotz. “And it was great to have former ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast member, Rachel Dratch ask people on the street about gefilte fish!”
To celebrate the Emmy nomination, the production team gathered together for Shabbat dinner and after lighting the candles, Shotz encouraged them to share reflections on having been involved in such an important show and what it meant to be together again as a team.
“Many of us had not met in-person before this, as we filmed the show during the pandemic and had only met online in production meetings. We had the best time and we are planning to do another Shabbat dinner together once the Emmys actually happen,” Shotz enthused.
He added: “Of course, while we wanted to share this weekly communal moment that is key to our way of life with such a broad audience, the actual dinners were not filmed on Shabbat out of respect for the observance of many of our featured guests.”
Shotz felt very connected to the special, remembering his own childhood. “Growing up for me, the Shabbat dinner table was the time when my family came together to conclude the busy week, to reflect and to spend time with one another, where we would have those important conversations as a family. After we would light the candles each Friday night, my mom would have each of us say what we were thankful for -- I still do this every Shabbat dinner now in my adult life.”
Servicing The Guests
Each chef chose signature dishes of their own that would open up the conversation about the diversity of the Jewish people throughout the world.
“Providing the voice of an Israeli Jew, I brought a slightly different perspective than the rest, which felt important,” acknowledged Admony, chef and cookbook author.
“I've worked to share the values of the Balaboosta and the food of my people's diaspora throughout my career and it is gratifying to reach a wide audience,” said Admony.
During the scenes with her shabbat table in New York, she tells guests that she is Mizrahi and has created food from her heritage like Yemenite lachuch, sabich and falafel.
“Showing the diversity of Jewish culture and working to foster representation over the table is a crucial part of the conversation,” Admony asserted.
Like Shotz, Admony loved being a part of the event. “Jews have a great sense of humor, so even while talking about subjects that are sensitive and emotional, we were able to keep things light and have an enjoyable, fulfilling conversation.”
During the special, Chef Silverton explained how for her, a Jewish meal is made complete with the Ashkenazi favorite— brisket.
“Sitting around a table with great food, smart people, such a rich topic of conversation and flattering evening lighting-- what is more fun than that? I left that dinner table in awe of all that I learned from each person's experience and relationship to their identity. Clearing the dishes that night, I thought about how food and conversation go hand in hand and have for centuries. Or probably millennia, more likely.”
Silverton, who is a chef and restaurateur in Los Angeles, served a Little Gem Salad with Labneh Toast, Brisket al Forno, Baked Fish with Tahini and Tomato Marmalade, Roasted Carrots, and a Chocolate Tahini Tart. Recipes for the dishes are in her cookbook, “Chi Spacca: A New Approach to American Cooking.”
"I created this menu as a celebration of the flavors I had explored on my recent trip to Israel right before filming this series as well as the flavors of my childhood," she said.
Silverton enjoyed the spirited discussion at her shabbat table. “We talked a lot about how there isn't one Jewish culture or one set of Jewish traditions. The Jewish diaspora reaches across races, nationalities, continents, and languages. That was reflected in the food and in our conversations about our own experiences. Unlike many people at the table, I didn't grow up in a religious household. But my parents were very Jewish in their identity and in their politics… their Judaism certainly informed their sense of justice.”
The veteran celebrity chef, who has a new book coming out this fall, “The Cookie That Changed My Life: And More Than 100 Other Classic Cakes, Cookies, Muffins and Pies That Will Change Yours,” thought about her mother, who she noted, would have loved this menu.
“She was the brisket queen,” Silverton quipped. "Being able to share special dishes, such as the Brisket al Forno in honor of my mother, was such a special touch. I was and still am honored to have been a part of that experience."
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