Leah Koenig

Leah Koenig is a writer and cookbook author whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Saveur, Gastronomica, Modern Farmer, Food Arts, CHOW, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Tablet, and The Jewish Daily Forward. Leah lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Yoshie Fruchter, and leads cooking demonstrations around the country. Visit her website here.

MODERN JEWISH COOKING (2015)

From a leading voice of the new generation of young Jewish Americans who are reworking the food of their forebears, this take on Jewish-American cuisine pays homage to tradition while reflecting the values of the modern-day food movement. In this cookbook, author Leah Koenig shares 175 recipes showcasing fresh, handmade, seasonal, vegetable-forward dishes. Classics of Jewish culinary culture—such as latkes, matzoh balls, challah, and hamantaschen—are updated with smart techniques, vibrant spices, and beautiful vegetables. Thoroughly approachable recipes for everything from soups to sweets go beyond the traditional, incorporating regional influences from North Africa to Central Europe. Featuring a chapter of holiday menus and rich color photography throughout, this stunning collection is at once a guide to establishing traditions and a celebration of the way we eat now.

“I was a fan of Leah’s work long before I became a fan of her personally. She is an engaging storyteller, a diligent, serious researcher (which all but a very few young food writers are not), and a recipe developer grounded in tradition but always with an eye toward making the food accessible for a contemporary audience. I’ve even eaten in her kitchen – delicious. And I’ve cooked her written recipes – they are as good as they sound.” –Arthur Schwartz, author of numerous cookbooks including Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited

“Leah Koenig is one of the rising stars in a new generation of Jewish food writers. I had the honor of getting to know Leah when I invited her to take part in a gastronomic trip to Israel I organized for culinary journalists. She is smart, lovely and modest [and her cooking is] simple, delicious, good for us, and attuned to our times.” –Joan Nathan, James Beard award-winning author of ten cookbooks including Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Food in France

“Amid the boom crop of young food writers flooding the world with recipes and anecdotes over the past decade, Leah Koenig stands out as a breed apart. Moving back and forth between delicious recipes and beautiful stories without a blip, Koenig continues to cement her role as America’s brightest future authority on Jewish food culture.” –David Sax, author of the James Beard award winning book, Save the Deli

“Leah is a young food writer with the soul and culinary instincts of someone who has been cooking for generations.” –Adeena Sussman, co-author with Lee Schrager, of Fried & True: More than 50 Recipes for America’s Best Fried Chicken

Rights: Chronicle, World