On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Chef Jeff Strauss, the creative force behind Oy Bar and Jeff's Table, about his journey from Hollywood comedy writer to LA food innovator.

"I have cooked with joy and passion and love for most of my life," he says.

For more than 30 years, Strauss worked as a writer and producer on shows like Friends, Dream On, and Reba, all while quietly nurturing a lifelong love of cooking and bringing people together through food. Encouraged by his wife, who was also in the biz, he finally took the leap , opening Jeff's Table in 2019 and Oy Bar in 2022.

Jeff Strauss talks about his Jewish and food-lover roots and chef origin story. He also dives into his deep appreciation of global flavors - and how they inform his cuisine, his love of Los Angeles' multicultural food scene, and his philosophy that "food is a way that cultures speak to each other, even when sometimes the cultures themselves won't talk." The chef also shares his recipe for Emergency Jewish Deli Dill Pickles, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more at OyBarLA.com and JeffsTableLA.com, and follow @OyBarLA and @Jeffs___Table on Instagram. 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 matchmaker, dating coach, and TV writer Jaydi Samuels Kuba, author of "Your Last First Date: Secrets from a Hollywood Matchmaker."

Food, dating, and Jewish tradition are all connected. They compliment each other. There's a right and wrong way to choose venues and food for first dates; like finding someone's perfect match, there's an art and craft to it.

For Kuba, matchmaking was a natural progression for her personality; it leaned into her love for connecting people to what - or who - they need.

"I always would help people find new friends, find new jobs, find a roommate, whatever people were searching for in their life," she explains. "As I started getting older, and there was more of a need around me, whether it was friends … co coworkers or colleagues looking for love, I just … started matching people in that way."

Kuba was working as a TV writer for "Family Guy" when she started her matchmaking side hustle, which turned into a full-blown business and passion. It's also how she met her husband, who she matched five times before they started dating. Her book, which she began working on during the writers strike, started as a "how to" before her publisher suggested she changed to a narrative style. In it, she gives dating advice to the characters in the book; info anyone reading can learn from.

Jaydi Samuels Kuba shares her matchmaking journey, what she hopes readers will get out of "Your Last First Date," and lots of dating advice, especially as it relates to restaurants and food recs. She also talks about her bubbe's beloved Jewmaican beef patties recipe, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more about Jaydi Samuels Kuba at LJMatchmaking.com, follow @MatchMadeinHollywood on Instagram and TikTok, listen to the My podcast: Match Made in Hollywood podcast, and get a copy of "Your Last First Date" at your favorite place to buy books.

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 Hilary Sheinbaum, a journalist and the founder of GoingDry.co, a non-alcoholic (N.A.) events and menu curation company. She is also the author of "Going Dry: A Workbook: A Practical Guide to Drinking Less and Living More" and "The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month."

Ten years ago, Sheinbaum participated in Dry January for the first time. She had no idea it would change her life!

"I made a very spontaneous, silly bet with one of my guy friends on New Year's Eve," Sheinbaum, who was working as a red carpet entertainment journalist at the time - and also wrote articles on beer, wine and spirits, explains.

The first one to take a sip of alcohol in January lost. Her friend lasted around three weeks, Sheinbaum made it through the entire month.

"That was New Year's Eve 2016, and here we are 10 years later, 10 dry Januarys later," she says. "I won a very expensive dinner at a Michelin star restaurant, but honestly the impact that it has had on my life for the past 10 years is worth so much more."

Hilary Sheinbaum talks about going dry: the reason, the trend, and the community aspects. She also talks about her origin story, sober curiosity, and her favorite non-alcoholic margarita recipe, which you can get at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

"There is dry January, there is sober October; you can really go dry at any point in the year or for more than a month if you like," she says. "It's not about putting pressure on yourself to be [perfect], it's really about seeing how reducing alcohol in your life can make it better on a day-to-day basis."

Learn more at HilarySheinbaum.com and GoingDry.co. Follow @hilarywritesny and @goingdry.co on Instagram.

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