🎤︎︎ New Five Books Episode: Jake Cohen on the Magic of Gathering Around the Table

Ahead of Thanksgiving, we’re doing something a little different: we’re talking with Jake Cohen about the foods that impacted his identity. Jake Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of the cookbooks Jew-ish and I Could Nosh, and star of A&E’s Jake Makes It Easy. Jake’s latest cookbook, Dinner Party Animal, is a “self help cookbook” all about throwing a great dinner party and finding community.  In this episode, we’ll hear about how Jake reconnected with Judaism in his 20s and how learning to make kubbeh opened a door to the wide world of Jewish food. Of course he’ll have plenty of recommendations for making Thanksgiving dinner special (and pain-free!)

Jake and his recipes have been featured on Rachael Ray, The Drew Barrymore Show, Good Morning America, the Food Network and in The New York Times, among many others. When he’s not posting challah-braiding videos and recipes, he’s eating around New York City.

1. ⁠Passover at his Aunt Susi’s (featuring her take on Joan Nathan’s Apricot Chicken)

2. ⁠Kubbeh at Azura in Jerusalem

3. ⁠The Chocolate Coulant, created by Dominique Ansel at Daniel

4. ⁠Hani’s Bakery on the Lower East Side

5. ⁠Dinner Party Animal by Jake Cohen

Other Episodes Featuring Conversations about Jewish Food:

• Bonny Reichert on Food, Fear, and Finding Beauty

• Esther Levy Chehebar on Marriage, Sisterhood, and the Weight of Tradition

What Else We’re Reading (And Cooking!) Now:

Eat Jewish by Melinda Strauss

We hope you enjoy this week’s episode! Tell us what you think at [email protected] or by replying to this email!

The Five Books is a partner organization of Jewish Book Council, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. In celebration of 100 years of Jewish Book Month, JBC introduces Nu Reads—a bi-monthly subscription delivering the most compelling new Jewish books straight to your door. For more information on Nu Reads, visit NuReads.org. To stay up to date on ways to celebrate Jewish Book Month, visit www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/jewish-book-month-100.

The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.