FOOD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 would never write another cookbook because of all the work involved, that call in 2019 from Clarkson Potter made her rethink her decision. Apfelbaum’s global recipes – such as “Nachos Bassar,” nachos with hummus, Israeli salad and pickles – and how she “bounces off of trends that are happening in social media, in restaurants,” as Pelzel describes her, are what drew the mainstream publisher to Apfelbaum

“From the first time I met Chanie, I understood why she was the obvious choice to make kosher cool,” Apfelbaum’s mentor and fellow cookbook author Adeena Sussman told the New York Jewish Week via text. “She’s wildly passionate about her food and her Judaism, and makes no apologies for either.”

“Add to that her natural warmth, sense of humor and willingness to share the ups and downs of life with her followers, and you’ve truly got a recipe for success,” Sussman added.

And there have been plenty of ups and downs: After signing her book contract in 2019, Apfelbaum became a single mom due to divorce. She was also hospitalized with COVID-19 (as was one of her kids) and lost her sense of smell and taste, at a time when nobody knew that this was a side effect of the virus.

Fortunately, Apfelbaum has since regained her sense of taste and smell, and she remains very busy in Brooklyn – and elsewhere. In July, she is leading a food tour in Italy where her group will make gelato, hunt for truffles and taste olive oil. She hopes to continue culinary travel in the future. She has just come out with a line of her own spices called TK (as in “Totally Kosher”) Spices; her first two products are the Yemenite spice mix, hawaijj – one for savory foods and one for coffee, which has a sweet profile. With “Totally Kosher” now in its third printing, she is looking to (finally) hire an assistant and find work space outside of her home.

“There were many times I said I don’t have the emotional bandwidth and strength to do this book – I wanted to give up,” Apfelbaum said. “My friends believed in me and pushed me and made it happen. When I look at this book, I see so much more than recipes. It was really a journey for me.”

Respect every Jewish journey

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 although we can’t advocate for them since we are one part of a nonprofit organization. And we try to uphold journalistic standards and ethics, which I have dedicated myself to throughout my long career as a journalist.

We have a very small, dedicated and diverse group of people who contribute to this paper, and I am grateful to them every day. We keep at it because we feel we are contributing to Rhode Island’s Jewish community in an important and unique way.

Everyone has their own Jewish journey. And Jew- ish journalism can help us navigate that journey by contributing information in a way that no other media – mainstream or social – can.

However you come to this paper – or any other Jewish information source – please do it with an open mind and some of what all Jews owe one another: respect.

Fran Ostendorf, Editor