On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling chats with Jessica Fishenfeld, actor, singer, and host of “Bagels and Banter.” “I wanted my own show where I can talk to people and talk about bagels,” says Fishenfeld. “And this [is the] organic creation that came about.”

After moving from New York to Los Angeles, Fishenfeld's quest for a good local bagel led her to create this fun, foodie series, available on YouTube. She reviews bagels, and brings friends along to enjoy the experience with her.

It all started when Fishenfeld and her husband decided to check out The Bagel Factory in Redondo Beach for Valentine’s Day 2024. Fishenfeld filmed the experience

“He thinks it was his idea, I think it was my idea,” she says. Fishenfeld created a video review. It’s what got the ball … er bagel … rolling. .

As a fan of Seinfeld's “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” - and a people-person who loves hosting - Fishenfeld found a great topic, “Bagels and Banter,” on the perfect stage!

“Life is like an everything bagel,” she says. “Roll that dough into everything … you pick up little things from here and there … some things will fall off and the things that are meant to be will stick to that dough, just like the things that are meant to be will stick with your life.”

She adds, “There's little flavors from all different places, and the mixing together of them creates not only a great bagel, but a great life.”

Jessica Fishenfeld talks about her journey from bagel lover to show host, her bagel rating system, the ultimate bagel reheating hack, and bagel facts. She also shares food memories and her mom’s award-winning banana bread recipe, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more at JessicaFishenfeld.com, subscribe to @bagelsandbanter on YouTube and follow @jecafish and @bagelqueenjess on Instagram.

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Deb recently won best Anchor/Host, Audio, at the LA Press Club's SoCal Journalism Awards for Taste Buds: https://jewishjournal.com/community/382367/jewish-journal-wins-nine-la-press-club-socal-journalism-awards-from-18-total-nominations/ For more, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Byron Lazaroff Puck, president of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. This legacy chef, the second son of chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck and designer Barbara Lazaroff, grew up in a flurry of cooking, art and hospitality.

“There’s a Picasso quote that I love, which is, “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist,’ and that always spoke to me,” Puck says. “To me that means honoring and respecting tradition, the rules, the things that people have worked so hard on to create in the past, and … then also being bold and creative and trying to innovate on top of that.”

Puck loved art as a kid and wanted to be a painter, but quickly realized that was not meant to be. When his father put him to work at age 12, washing dishes at Spago Beverly Hills, he was amazed, seeing the plates come together and go out on the line.

“I quickly realized, ‘If I'm clearly terrible at painting on canvas, maybe I can paint on plates;’” he shares.

Once that love of food and hospitality was ignited, Puck never looked back.

“It's not just about serving great food [and] beverages with detail oriented service, it's about crafting a memory for a person that they can always look back on, whether it’s a 25th or 30th or 50th birthday, an anniversary, a college graduation or a promotion at a job [or] just a regular Tuesday night,” he says. “Every single person that is gracious enough to adorn one of our dining rooms, we want to treat with the utmost respect and integrity.”

Byron Lazaroff Puck shares his cooking journey and food memories, creative cooking and plating tips, the value of hospitality, and thoughts on the future of food. He also talks about his grandmother’s latkes and his recipe for Passover short ribs, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Follow @ByronPuck’s food adventures on Instagram and check out WolfgangPuck.com.

For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Amy Bebchick, Chief Program Officer of OneTable aka the AirBNB of Shabbat. OneTable is an online platform that connects hosts with guests - and vice versa - and also offers Shabbat support and resources.

OneTable, aimed at adults 21 to 39, launched in 2014; two years ago, they expanded their offerings with OneTable Together, for people aged 50 and up. People in both demographics - and in all levels of faith - are interested in starting, rebooting or re-envisioning their Shabbat practices.

“One of our taglines at OneTable is Find Your Friday,” says Bebchick. “There's not [just] one way to bring Shabbat into your life.”

Shabbat, she explains, is all about marking the moment and making that moment sacred.

Some use this end-of-the-week gathering as an oasis with the people closest to them. Others invite their neighbors or open their home for an additional guest or two in order to build community connections. People Shabbat through OneTable in more than 700 communities all over the US and in Toronto.

“We’re in the business of peer-to-peer Shabbat,” Bebchick explains. “Now more than ever, we are all really hungry for a way to escape from what is going on outside and to really find that place that feels like a warm blanket on a winter day.”

Bebchick, who has been practicing Shabbat her entire life, starts planning her Friday night menu as soon as she is done with Shabbat the Saturday before. Sometimes Shabbat is enjoyed around the dinner table, other times it’s part of a picnic or a hike.

“I start thinking about what the weather is going to be, what do I want to be cooking, who else might be coming to the table,” she says. “[I like] the idea of really carving [out] that space every Friday.”

Amy Bebchick talks about the evolution of OneTable, the value of a Shabbat practice, and more. She also shares her recipe for gazpacho soup on-the-go, one of her favorite portable Shabbat dishes, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more at OneTable.org and follow @OneTableShabbat on Instagram. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.