Joan Nathan

Last updated
Joan Nathan
Joan nathan 5200800.jpg
Born Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
OccupationJournalist
LanguageEnglish
Alma mater University of Michigan
GenreCookbooks
Notable worksQuiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France
Website
joannathan.com

Joan Nathan (born 1943) [1] is an American cookbook author and newspaper journalist. She has produced TV documentaries on the subject of Jewish cuisine. She was a co-founder of New York's Ninth Avenue Food Festival under then-Mayor Abraham Beame. The Jerusalem Post has called her the "matriarch of Jewish cooking". [2] [3]

Contents

Education

Joan Nathan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Jewish parents Pearl (Gluck) Nathan and Ernest Nathan. After receiving a master's degree in French literature from the University of Michigan, she earned another master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. [4] As a newspaper food journalist she has visited, among other places, France [5] and Brazil, [6] uncovering new dishes or researching Jewish cuisine.

Career

Television

She was executive producer and host of Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, a PBS series based on her cookbook, Jewish Cooking in America. [4] The series follows Nathan as she travels across the United States, visiting the kitchens of celebrities, chefs, and other notable Jewish cooks as she explores Jewish culture and history throughout the nation. [7] The success of the series helped Nathan earn the distinction of being called the "Jewish Julia Child" in the media. [8] In 2000, the series was nominated for best national television food show at the James Beard Awards. [9]

Cookbooks

Nathan has written ten cookbooks, winning numerous awards for them. Six are about Jewish cuisine and two on Israeli cuisine. Her goal is to preserve Jewish traditions by interviewing cooks and documenting their recipes and stories for posterity. [10]

In 1985, An American Folklife Cookbook won the R.T. French Tastemaker Award (now the James Beard Award). The New American Cooking won the James Beard and IACP Awards for Food of the Americas and Best American Cookbook. She was guest curator of Food Culture USA at the 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which was based on the research for her book. [4]

Two decades later, in 2005, Jewish Cooking in America won the Julia Child Award for Best Cookbook of the Year, and the James Beard Award (again) for Food of the Americas. [11] In 2017, the IACP: International Association of Culinary Professionals honored Jewish Cooking in America as a Culinary Classic.

Personal life

Israel

She lived in Israel for three years working for Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. [12]

Marriage

Nathan was married to the late Allan Gerson, an attorney; the couple has three children and two grandchildren. [13] Nathan divides her time between Washington, D.C., and Martha's Vineyard. [4]

Awards

Guest appearances

Other

In January 2009, she began choking on a piece of chicken at the Art.Food.Hope dinner in Washington, D.C., but was saved by chef Tom Colicchio, who performed the Heimlich maneuver. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Jewish communities around the world

Jewish cuisine refers to the worldwide cooking traditions of the Jewish people. During its evolution over the course of many centuries, it has been shaped by Jewish dietary laws (kashrut), Jewish festivals and holidays, and traditions centred around Shabbat. Jewish cuisine is influenced by the economics, agriculture, and culinary traditions of the many countries where Jewish communities have settled and varies widely throughout the entire world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farfel</span> Small pellet-shaped or flake-shaped pasta

Farfel is small pellet- or flake-shaped pasta used in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It is made from a Jewish egg noodle dough and is frequently toasted before being cooked. It can be served in soups or as a side dish. In the United States, it can also be found pre-packaged as egg barley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matzah ball</span> Soup dumpling in Jewish cuisine

Matzah balls or matzo balls are Ashkenazi Jewish soup morsels made from a mixture of matzah meal, beaten eggs, water, and a fat, such as oil, margarine, or chicken fat. Known as knaidel in Yiddish, they resemble a matzah meal version of knödel, bread dumplings popular throughout Central European and East European cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugelach</span> Pastry

Rugelach is a filled baked confection originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is also a popular treat among Jews in the diaspora.

Anne Willan is the founder of the École de Cuisine La Varenne, which operated in Paris and Burgundy France, from 1975 until 2007. La Varenne classes continued in Santa Monica, California, through 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kichel</span>

Kichel is a slightly sweet cracker or cookie in Jewish cuisine. Made from eggs, flour, and sugar, the dough is rolled out flat and cut into bow-tie shapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Israel

Israeli cuisine primarily comprises dishes brought from the Jewish diaspora, and has more recently been defined by the development of a notable fusion cuisine characterized by the mixing of Jewish cuisine and Arab cuisine. It also blends together the culinary traditions of the various diaspora groups, namely those of Middle Eastern Jews with roots in Southwest Asia and North Africa, Sephardi Jews from Iberia, and Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe.

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo was a chef. She authored eleven cookbooks on Chinese cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irena Chalmers</span>

Irena Chalmers-Taylor was an author and food commentator/essayist, teacher and culinary mentor. Named "the culinary oracle of 100 cookbooks" by noted American restaurant critic and journalist, Gael Greene, Chalmers was recognized as the pioneer of the single subject cookbook. Her life story revealed an unlikely journey to becoming a James Beard Foundation "Who's Who" of Food and Beverage in America 1988 Award Recipient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Jones</span> American book editor (1924–2017)

Judith Jones was an American writer and editor, best known for having rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile. Jones also championed Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She retired as senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf in 2011 and fully retired in 2013 after more than 60 years at the company.

Gilbert Stanley Marks was an American food writer and historian noted for his reference and cookbooks on the subject of Jewish food. He was the founding editor of Kosher Gourmet magazine. He moved to Israel and became a citizen in 2012 and died of lung cancer on December 5, 2014, at the hospice at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

Susan Beth Fishbein is an American Orthodox Jewish kosher cookbook author, cooking teacher, and culinary tour leader. Her Kosher By Design series of cookbooks was a runaway best-seller for ArtScroll, with over 500,000 copies sold. In 2008 she was included on the Forward 50 as one of the 50 most influential Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Wolfert</span> American food author specialised in Mediterranean, and in particular Moroccan, cuisine

Paula Wolfert is an American author of nine books on cooking and the winner of numerous cookbook awards including what is arguably the top honor given in the food world: The James Beard Foundation Medal For Lifetime Achievement. A specialist in Mediterranean food, she has written extensively on Moroccan cuisine including two books, one of them a 2012 James Beard Award winner. She also wrote The Cooking of South-West France, and books about the cuisine of the Eastern Mediterranean, slow Mediterranean cooking and Mediterranean clay pot cooking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethel G. Hofman</span>

Ethel Greenwald Hofman is a widely syndicated Jewish American food and travel columnist, author and culinary consultant. She is a recognized authority on international Jewish foods and culture, with special emphasis on Israel and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Solomonov</span> Israeli chef and restaurateur (born 1978)

Michael Solomonov is an Israeli chef known for his restaurants in Center City, Philadelphia. His first restaurant Zahav, founded in 2008, has received national recognition including the James Beard Foundation "Outstanding Restaurant" in 2019. Solomonov was also awarded Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2011, Cookbook of the Year in 2016, and Outstanding Chef in 2017 from the James Beard Foundation. In 2021, The New York Times named his restaurant Laser Wolf as one of "the 50 places in America we're most excited about right now."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pati Jinich</span> Mexican chef and author (born 1972)

Patricia Jinich is a Mexican chef, TV personality, cookbook author, educator, and food writer. She is best known for her James Beard Award-winning and Emmy-nominated public television series Pati's Mexican Table. Her first cookbook, also titled Pati's Mexican Table, was published in March 2013, her second cookbook, Mexican Today, was published in April 2016, and her third cookbook, Treasures of the Mexican Table, was published in November 2021.

Melissa Clark is an American food writer, cookbook author and New York Times columnist. She is the author of over 40 cookbooks and has received multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and IACP for her work. Clark is a regular guest on television series such as Today show, Rachael Ray and Iron Chef America and on radio programmes such as The Splendid Table on NPR and The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisket (Jewish dish)</span> Ashkenazi Jewish dish

Brisket is a popular Ashkenazi Jewish dish of braised beef brisket, served hot and traditionally accompanied by potato or other non-dairy kugel, latkes, and often preceded by matzo ball soup. It is commonly served for Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Shabbat. It is commonly found in Jewish communities worldwide, though it is most commonly associated with Jews in the United States, where it has been considered the most important and iconic Jewish main course since the early 20th century.

Kosher.com is a food and lifestyle media company featuring kosher recipes, videos, and articles on their website and social media accounts. Launched in December 2016, Kosher.com has grown to over 11,000 recipes and over 1,000 videos as of 2023. The website is a platform for a collection of recipes that are reprinted from cookbooks, kosher food magazine archives, and original recipes from direct contributors, making it the most diverse collection of kosher-only recipes. The site is especially known for its Jewish holiday recipe collections, especially its robust section of Passover recipes which meet the halachic criteria of kosher for Passover food, and includes other holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah as well.

Pain petri is a braided bread of Moroccan Jewish origin, that is traditionally baked for Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, as well as Rosh Hashanah and other Holidays, and is popular among the Moroccan Jewish community of Morocco, France, and Israel.

References

  1. Carman, Tim (2023-05-24). "Who connects Jewish cooking the world over? The whirlwind named Joan Nathan". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  2. "Taste Israeli food with Joan Nathan". The Jerusalem Post. November 16, 2020.
  3. The New Yorker has described her similarly as the grande dame of Jewish cooking. See: "In the Kitchen with the Grande Dame of Jewish Cooking". The New Yorker. April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Joan Nathan". Random House. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  5. Nathan, Joan (17 December 2008). "In Successful Paris Restaurant, Jewish Roots". The New York Times.
  6. Nathan, Joan (20 April 2005). "In Brazil, Passover Holdovers". The New York Times.
  7. "Jewish Cooking in America | Cooking Shows". PBS Food. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  8. "Jewish Julia Child' discovers the right mix". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  9. Lerner, Michele (2014-02-06). "For cookbook author Joan Nathan, a home that 'loves people'". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  10. "Cooking with chutzpah", Book Section, Haaretz
  11. Joan Nathan profile, New York Times, March 28, 2007.
  12. "Israeli Hanukkah". myrecipes.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  13. "About – Joan Nathan" . Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  14. "YIVO 10th Annual Heritage Dinner" (PDF). YIVO. Retrieved May 31, 2011.[ dead link ]
  15. 1 2 "Joan Nathan: Book Fest 07". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  16. Denchak, Melissa. "Interview with TV Chef Joan Nathan". Food and Wine. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  17. "Hannukah with Joan Nathan". Episode CL9422. Food Network. Archived from the original on 2009-10-10. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  18. "Joan Nathan: An Exotic Holiday Feast". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  19. Colicchio Uses Heimlich Maneuver to Save Cookbook Author Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Slash Food, January 19, 2009.