Yesterday's Mavens Today's Foodies

Yesterday's Maven's, Today's Foodies: Traditions in Northwest Jewish Kitchens
Historic Cookbook

Food constitutes a unifying and identifying force. Food simultaneously defines and reflects culture and is a primary factor in tradition’s preservation and continuation. For the Jews of Washington State, cuisine—and particularly the stories that the recipes tell—communicates ancient traditions, Eastern European and Ottoman history, Pacific Northwest acculturation, and the evolution of each successive generation’s values and taste buds. The Washington State Jewish Historical Society published a cookbook - Yesterday's Mavens, Today's Foodies: Traditions in Northwest Jewish Kitchens. The cookbook includes recipes and stories. Through the lens of your kitchen, your grandmother's kitchen, your children's kitchen, we see a slice of our unique history - a history that illuminates our Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions and combines them with the pioneer spirit of the Pacific Northwest, its bounty of food products, fresh produce and growing foodie culture. We thank both foodies and mavens for their tremendous support.

On November 6, 2011, Yesterday's Mavens, Today's Foodies: Traditions in the Northwest Jewish Kitchens launched.

As seen on King 5 Morning News and in the Seattle Times article Yesterday's Mavens, Today's Foodies: latkes, you'll eat!

Praise for Yesterday's Mavens, Today's Foodies

 

 

Nancy Leson, Seattle Times food and restaurant columnist says "If there’s anything that binds a community, it’s the foods we eat and the stories we tell as we share them...Now, with Yesterday’s Mavens, Today’s Foodies to broaden my palate and my repertoire, I feel an even greater sense of family: my Northwest family.”

Nancy Pearl, Author of Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason says, “ I’m too busy to cook, but I love history and the accompanying stories are worth the price of the book by itself.”

Michael Natkin, Author of Herbivoracious.com “ Jewish families in the Pacific Northwest keep food traditions alive with great pride and recipes that are delicious and an integral part of a vibrant culture. Yesterday’s Mavens offers a nearly definitive collection of these dishes together with delightful family stories from many of the cooks that contributed.”

Gil Marks, Author of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Jewish Food and Olive Trees and Honey, "One of America’s great contributions to cuisine is the cookbook consisting of collections of recipes from individuals of an organization or community, which provides a trove of not only contemporary dishes but also insight into a time and place. As someone who is always searching for rare and exotic recipes as well as interesting variations of more familiar ones, Yesterday’s Mavens, Today’s Foodies provides an incredible collection garnered from both Ashkenazic and Sephardic heritages. The book contains essential Sephardic “Bs”— borekas, boyos, burmuelos, and biscochos — as well as Ashkenazic — bagels, blintzes, borscht, and brisket. It will prove invaluable not only for the residents of Washington State, but anyone interested in Jewish and American dishes and a better understanding of the mosaic of cultures that make up the Jewish community.”

Dine Around the Town

We’d like to invite you to host a dinner. It could be in your home, on a boat, at a picnic spot. The dinners are designed to be fun and social, to spread the word about the work of the WSJHS and to support that work.

Here’s the way it works.
You develop an idea or theme and invite a few friends. The hosts provide the food and ask the guests to make a donation to support the work of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society. You’ll have fun creating an idea and entertaining your own friends. One host has invited a guest speaker, one of Seattle’s new young chefs, Another host is replicating an incredible meal from one of Seattle’s classic restaurants. There’s no end to the ideas.

If you would like to host a food event, please call Carol Starin for details and ideas. Carol can be reached at: 206–325–1631 or costarin@me.com. Dates for the parties: anytime between now and Rosh Hashanah. These dinners and the food and cooking programs will begin the countdown to the November 6th launch of the fabulous new cookbook.

Yesterday’s Mavens: Today’s Foodies is the perfect Hanukkah gift for you, your friends and family.