How a Chance Meeting Started Olivaia Olive Oil | The Olive Oil Professor Tending the olive trees at Olivaia Olive Oil and producing such a healthy product, Giulio Zavolta and Rachelle Brossare are living closer to the earth, modeling to others how farm-to-table works as op...

Sometimes, just being in the right place at the right time leads to amazing things, like the creation of Olivaia Olive Oil. oliveoilprofessor.com/blog/olivaia...

Eli’s Deli brings Israeli flavors to reopened Marin JCC cafe space Dawn Dabuul was getting tired of her therapy practice — so now she’s bringing Israeli flavors to the cafe space at the Osher Marin JCC.

The Marin JCC has a new cafe with Israeli flavors: jweekly.com/2026/02/25/e...

Can it with the flatulence jokes! Berkeley’s No. 1 bean fan spreads legume gospel on happy stomach Madeline Schapiro's more than 70,000 combined TikTok and Instagram followers come to her for all the bean propaganda she can dish.

Had so much fun interviewing the delightfully quirky Madeline Schapiro, otherwise known as Bean Supporter. www.berkeleyside.org/2026/02/05/b...

ORGANIC EPICURE | Cookin’ is selling its last Jello-O molds Owner Judith Kaminsky tells her Jewish story and explains why she's closing her vintage cookware store after more than 40 years in S.F.

Thanks to Cookin' owner Judith Kaminsky for giving me the scoop on her impending closure; while it's about kitchenware; her anecdotes about SF in the sixties are priceless. jweekly.com/2025/12/12/c...

The ube king of Alameda bakes his claim to the throne Henry Awayan, owner of Whisk Cake Creations and author of the new "The Ube Baking Book," shares his ube whipcream recipe and passion for cooking with the purple yam.

Loved learning about how Alameda baker Henry Awayan became "The Ube King." www.berkeleyside.org/2025/12/11/u...

Sample the devil’s lettuce with new Grateful Dead cookbook A new cookbook from Gabi Moskowitz pairs vegetarian and vegan recipes with the stages of a Grateful Dead concert.

Why, of course, I was going to write about the new Grateful Dead cookbook. jweekly.com/2025/11/25/s...

Where Does One Go on a First Date With the Mayor?

My first full-length Vows in over a year; it was worth the wait: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/f...

Joan Bieder, 83, journalism pioneer and student mentor at Cal Joan Bieder, a pioneer in broadcast journalism and a mentor to many UC Berkeley graduate students, has died at the age of 83.

I loved learning about the life and career of Joan Bieder, a pioneer woman journalist: jweekly.com/2025/11/03/j...

How Roam cooked up a plan for sustainable, locally sourced burgers The co-owners of Roam Artisanal Burgers hatched their business plan after meeting at Congregation Emanu-El’s “Late Shabbat” over 15 years ago.

The Jewish backstory behind Roam Artisan Burgers: jweekly.com/2025/10/22/h...

Davis freshman finds quiet, and a few fellow Jews, on Pacific Crest Trail THE J. INTERVIEW: A Jewish Oakland teenager hiked 500 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail solo before starting college.

Full circle moment: my interview with a kid who was in utero at my wedding about their time on the Pacific Crest Trail this past summer: jweekly.com/2025/10/16/d...

Dietary restrictions made Dubai chocolate a no-no for this East Bay chocolatier. So he made his own Coracao Chocolate specializes in gluten-free, dairy-free and peanut-free treats made from scratch.

Imagine a Dubai bar that's lower in sugar and free of gluten and dairy. It's here: www.berkeleyside.org/2025/09/30/c...

‘I am probably 50% bagel,’ says local restaurateur “They're both very quirky places,” Paul Einbund says when asked what his two restaurants have in common besides their ownership.

I had so much fun interviewing the very entertaining Paul Einbund, owner of two beloved local restaurants: jweekly.com/2025/09/24/i...

Two Friendly Gamers Became Forever Teammates

My latest mini-vow is about two gamers who met and fell for each other before ever meeting in person. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/s...

Blow the shofar? Ha! This Oaklander plays music on it Nicky Silver, who got a shofar as a gift three decades ago, has since taught herself how to play actual songs on the ram’s horn.

The quirkiest Jewish story I've written in quite some time: jweekly.com/2025/09/15/w...

Israeli chef opens kosher-style shawarma joint in Santa Clara Ayuni's chicken and beef are marinated in spices and then carefully layered on a vertical rotisserie, slowly roasting on a rotating spit.

New Israeli shawarma place in Santa Clara: jweekly.com/2025/08/20/i...

Local Jewish clergy protest at Israel Consulate, calling for war's end Bay Area rabbis and cantors block the street outside the Israel Consulate in S.F., demanding an end to the war and a release of the hostages.

Jewish clergy called for an end to the war in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco yesterday; it felt historic for a number of reasons. jweekly.com/2025/08/11/b...

Oakland vigil commemorates slain Palestinian activist People gathered in Oakland to mourn Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian who was featured in an Oscar-winning documentary.

I am so tired of this war. jweekly.com/2025/08/08/o...

Bubbelah chef turns the traditional matzah ball on its head Bubbelah chef-owner David Nayfeld has gone all in on global Jewish food traditions, from Georgian savory pastry to a Moroccan spread.

Highly recommend Menlo Park's new Bubbelah, go! jweekly.com/2025/08/06/b...

San Jose chef’s mushroom cookbook guides foragers A new cookbook focused exclusively on fungi is threaded with the chef’s Jewish family anecdotes and memories.

My heart is breaking over too many things to write about here, so I'm just going to post my latest food column about a new cookbook by a Bay Area Jewish chef, whose star ingredient is mushrooms. jweekly.com/2025/07/28/t...

Letters capture a family’s generational discord over Israel Painful differences over Israel led a Bay Area mother and adult daughter to navigate their beliefs and feelings through a series of letters.

The generational divide over Israel has emerged as one of the most difficult topics for many in American Jewish life. Here, a mother and daughter try to bridge the gap, in @jewishsf.bsky.social jweekly.com/2025/07/23/b...

He Didn’t Know It Was an Audition. But He Got the Husband Role.

What fun writing about the love story of Aleksandra Shira Dubov & Daniyel Berchenko. This is the 3rd couple I've written about who met through @Wilderness Torah. If you know of anyone getting married soon with an interesting story, please send them my way! www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/s...

J. wins 10 Rockower Awards for journalistic excellence “Once again, J. dominated the awards for best Jewish news,” J. CEO Jo Ellen Green Kaiser said after collecting 10 awards for J.

Pleased to be included in the American Jewish Press Awards. I won 1st place in the food category about two business owners who have been in dialogue since shortly after October 7, and a 2nd in war-related personality profiles for my article about Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. jweekly.com/2025/06/24/j...

ORGANIC EPICURE | Goats star in kosher food event on a farm Kosher goat cheese was a highlight of an event about fermented foods, with a demo on spinning wool and pizza making on sourdough crust.

I recently attended a farm event for the kosher crowd. jweekly.com/2025/06/19/t...

Couldn't be more thrilled about this. www.thewrap.com/jewish-story...

In Oakland, a gay Orthodox rabbi is paving the way for Jews like him Rabbi Shua Brick of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland is the first openly gay rabbi hired at an Orthodox synagogue.

Happy that this story is out in the world, especially for pride month. jweekly.com/2025/06/11/i...

ORGANIC EPICURE | San Francisco's ‘Little Russia’ draws adventurous foodies All manner of Russian food can be found at specialty stores in S.F., where a recent “Post-Soviet Food Tour” traveled down a particular memory lane.

Last month, I took a tour of S.F.'s "Little Russia," through its grocery stores. It was fun as well as delicious. jweekly.com/2025/06/05/s...

Never Mind the Possible Food Poisoning, the Proposal Had to Go On

While these two couldn't be any cuter, I think Summer, their maltipoo steals the show, no? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/s...

With closure of Pomella, Oakland loses a valuable community gathering place The Piedmont Avenue restaurant run by Mica Talmor took its role as a “third space” seriously, hosting a variety of groups and events.

The food and the desserts will be missed, yes, but so will the community gathering spot. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/05/19/p...

Oakland restaurant's entire menu: Latkes, BBQ, cheesecake, sides Ben Block has been selling cheesecakes at farmers markets for years. He’s now gone brick-and-mortar and added pre-dessert items to the menu.

Bay Area latke lovers, check out this new spot! jweekly.com/2025/05/13/a...

New Jewish folktale gets 'crankie' with old-timey storytelling device The Magid Ensemble, coming to the Bay Area in May, uses live klezmer and a device called a crankie to bring an original story to audiences.

Excited to see this crankie box in person. jweekly.com/2025/05/07/n...