On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Amy Dell, founder of Sababa Foods, which produces authentic Middle Eastern foods with a modern-day flair.

Dell's first product, Saturday Sauce, is her take on matbucha. It is a slightly spicy tomato-based sauce, like the base of shakshuka. It’s like the Jewish version of Sunday sauce.

“Sunday sauce generally refers to [what] an Italian family’s grandma is making [on] Sunday,” Dell explains. “Tomato sauce, stewing for hours … [that] you use it in so many different ways and formats.”

Both are good, simple red sauces that go with just about everything. Dell uses it for Moroccan fish, sheet pan chicken, so many different things.

Dell grew up in the restaurant industry and is still deli-adjacent. Her father, who is from Israel, owned Mr. Broadway kosher restaurant in New York City. Her husband, Jake, is the third-generation owner of Katz’s Deli.

“The first date that I went on with my husband, I was like, ‘Oh, you smell like pastrami, that's a familiar smell,’” says Dell, who is “Team Pastrami” all the way.

“Pastrami just melts in your mouth,” she says. “But I will say my favorite thing at Katz’s, which might be controversial, is the turkey; the turkey is underrated and it's delightful.”

Amy Dell talks about growing up in a deli, marrying into one, and creating Sababa foods. She also shares some of her favorite ways to use Saturday Sauce, including her recipe for Tunisian tuna toast, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more about Amy Dell and Saturday Sauce at Sababa-foods.com and follow @Sababa_foods on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Saturday Sauce is now available in Erewhon stores.

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 Sarah Nathan, founder of NOOISH, a modern Jewish comfort food brand. Nathan has always been a huge fan of soup. Matzo ball soup in particular is well-known and beloved, so it’s no wonder instant matzo ball soup is NOOISH’s first product.

“[With soup] you get this melding of flavors and that warmth in your heart,” Nathan explains. “We call it a hug in a cup for a reason.”

NOOISH’s matzo ball soup, which uses clean, high-end ingredients, is similar in format to Instant Ramen. “Just add water and microwave for two and a half minutes, and you get a really delicious steaming fresh bowl of matzo ball soup,” she says.

And even though you get instant gratification with this matzo ball soup, it still counts.

“I get comments online all the time: ‘My grandmother would be turning over in her grave; if you're not making it from scratch, it's not real,’” Nathan explains. “Well, I'm making it from scratch, so you don't have to.”

The brand, however, is about more than soup. NOOISH’s mission is to elevate and make Jewish food accessible to everyone.

Nathan has been in the culinary space for a while, and was a producer on the Great Big Jewish Food Fest at the beginning of the pandemic. During that time, she noticed how everyone was seeking comfort and connecting through food. Then, after the pandemic, Nathan noticed a gap. Others were still elevating their own culture's food, but nobody was really doing that for Jewish food, outside of the kosher aisle.

And now there is!

Nathan shares the NOOISH - and her own - food origin stories, her love of Jewish comfort food, and the recipe for one of her favorites: New York Shuk’s Jerusalem latke, which you can get at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more at NooishFoods.com and follow @NooishFoods on Instagram and YouTube. 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 Hannah Sattler, owner of Hannah's Kitchen, a Jewish-focused catering business and cafe in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sattler prides herself on nourishing the soul, preserving tradition and creating meaningful connections through food.

While Sattler always loved food and cooking, she started off as an engineering major, ended up in the financial industry (“I’m a numbers cruncher”), and then took time off to be a stay-at-home mom to her three daughters. She ended up running her synagogue’s kitchen, starting as a volunteer, before being hired as their kitchen manager.

About 10 years ago, when her life went through some changes, Sattler started Hannah’s Kitchen.

“I've always been really organized and [that applies] especially in the catering world,” she explains. “You really need to not just know food, but how to organize and delegate.”

It may have taken a while to get to her destiny, but she ended up in the right place.

Hannah Sattler talks about her childhood food memories and career journey. She also shares tips for not overwhelming yourself when cooking, whether it’s for the family or a larger occasion, as well as her grandmother’s recipe for parve strawberry ice cream, which you can get at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

“Not everything, culinarily, has to be complicated,” Sattler says. “You can make some easy meals and [then have] quality time with your family.”

Learn more at HannahsKitchenmke.com and follow HannahsKitchenMke on Facebook and @Han_kit_mke on Instagram.

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