Episodios

  • Jewish Joy Con, Easy Gourmet & Lamb Koftas with Jean Meltzer
    Jul 23 2025

    On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Jewish romance author Jean Meltzer, founder of Jewish Joy Inc, which includes the Jewish Joy Book Club and the Jewish Joy Box.

    Last week, Meltzer announced the inaugural Jewish Joy Con. The three-day cultural convention, set for March 13 to 15, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, will celebrate Jewish pop culture, storytelling and creativity through the lens of joy.

    “This is a time right now where we need joy, especially Jewish joy,” she explains. “I just thought, ‘Let's get together and throw ComicCon meets Jewish summer camp.”

    A romance author by trade, Meltzer has long been an advocate of joy. She says romance authors only have one rule in their books: “Your story must have a happy ending.”

    While a lot of Jewish stories are focused on trauma - and rightly so - Meltzer tries to center her stories on happier moments. She has been chronically ill since age 18, so holding onto joy has helped her get through the most challenging moments.

    To bring more joy into your life, Meltzer suggests taking a few seconds every day to be present, doing something you love; recognize the beautiful moments. It could be playing with your children, walking your dog or seeing someone you love laughing.

    “And if it can be Jewish, even better, but it doesn't have to be,” Meltzer explains. “Joy is what will connect you to your universe.”

    Jean Meltzer talks about Jewish Joy Con, more ways to bring joy into your life, and the importance of remembering to “stop and smell the rosemary.” She also shares some early food memories and tips for cooking “easy gourmet,” as she does, as well as her recipe for lamb kofta, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

    Follow @JeanMeltzer on Instagram and Threads and JeanMeltzerAuthor on Facebook. Check out JeanMeltzer.com, Jewish-Joy.com and TheJewishJoyCon.com


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

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    22 m
  • Performance, Healthier Eating & Mexican Fire-Roasted Shakshuka with Chef Aaron Clayton
    Jul 16 2025

    On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with performance chef Aaron Clayton. Performance chefs are those who prepare nutritionally focused meals for athletes.

    “We're there to make sure that they're able to perform on the field, the court, wherever it may be,” Clayton says.

    When asked what regular people can do to eat healthier, Clayton says the easiest thing is to drink more water and cut out as much sugar from your diet as possible. Other ideas include looking for in-season produce, eating at consistent times, and not eating dinner right before bedtime.

    Also, try to block off time to cook, so you remain connected to your cooking. The food will even taste better.

    “If you're smelling the food throughout the process, if you're hearing the noises that it makes when you put it in the pan; these things are important,” he says. “Pay attention to these details; do not be distracted by your phone or [anything else]; try to make that time and space in the kitchen protected and sacred.”

    Experimenting in the kitchen is also great for your mind, body, and soul.

    “Anytime someone asks me what my favorite thing to cook is, I say, ‘Something new,’” Chef Clayton explains. “The process of learning helps you grow and develop so much, especially in the kitchen.”

    Chef Aaron Clayton talks about his cooking origin story - and how he ended up on this career path, some of his favorite Jewish foods, and how he shares his heritage with some of his athletes. He also shares tips for “performance cooking,” details about the Athlete Meal Plan philanthropy, and his recipe for Mexican Fire-Roasted Shakshuka, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

    Check out PerformanceChefs.org and AthleteMealPlan.org. Follow @chefaaronius @PerformanceChefs and @AthleteMealPlan on Instagram.


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

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    26 m
  • Kosher Barbecue, Crack Dogs and Brisket with Warren Rockmacher
    Jul 9 2025

    On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Warren Rockmacher, known as the godfather of kosher barbecue. Rockmacher discovered competitive barbecue in 2013. He competes with his kosher barbecue team around the country and has started competitions of his own, including the Great American Kosher Barbecue Championship and Jewish Festival in Lake Worth, Florida.

    “People love coming out for the food [but we also have] crafters, vendors,” he says. “We're celebrating being Jewish and that's really what [the event] is all about.” Their third annual event will be February 15, 2026.

    Rockmacher believes there’s an art and craft to making barbecue.

    “[The art] is taking something uniquely American … and being able to make it your own,” he explains. “[This applies to] something as simple as just grilling hamburgers and hot dogs or elevating that chicken [or] brisket.

    “Try different things - you never know what you might like.”

    The craft of barbecue is the fire management. You use different wood pellets, rather than charcoal or propane, to get a nice wood flavor. And you cook it low and slow.

    “A good brisket is going to take you anywhere from 9 to 13, 14 hours, depending on how you do it,” he explains. “We start at night and they're done the next morning, and then you let them rest for a period of time and then go ahead and eat them.”

    Warren Rockmacher shares his barbecue origin story, name drops some of his favorite kosher pitmasters - including Dani Goldblatt of Holy Smokes in LA - and goes through the different types of grills and smokers, along with what you can make in them. He also shares barbecue tips, the 411 on competitions, and recipes for two of his favorites: honey bourbon crack hot dogs and brisket, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.


    To learn more about the Great American Kosher Barbecue Competition, visit gakbbq.org. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

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    29 m
  • Bagels, Banter & Banana Bread with Jessica Fishenfeld
    Jul 2 2025

    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.

    ***

    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.

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    25 m
  • Spago, Legacy and Short Ribs with Byron Lazaroff Puck
    Jun 25 2025

    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.

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    30 m
  • OneTable, Shabbat & Gazpacho On-The-Go with Amy Bebchick
    Jun 18 2025

    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.

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    23 m
  • Respect the Chain, Restaurants & Ratatouille with Sam E. Goldberg
    Jun 11 2025

    On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Sam E. Goldberg, creator and host of “Respect the Chain,” a pop culture travel food show that dives into the stories behind the most iconic restaurant chains.

    “Whether it's Moe’s versus Chipotle, ketchup versus mustard, everybody's got an opinion and everybody's educated enough to discuss it,” Goldberg, who is team ketchup, says. “I put ketchup on my rice, I put ketchup on my eggs, I put ketchup on everything.”

    An attorney, who specializes in real estate law, Goldberg finds he has a really nice balance between his career and his passion project. Law is extremely serious; “‘Respect the Chain’ is fun and upbeat.

    Growing up Jewish in New York City, Goldberg says a love of food is in his DNA. He enjoys traveling and exploring chain restaurants throughout the country and around the world. He also prioritizes sharing his Jewishness, especially during the holidays.

    “We had the Adam Sandler song, we had that one “Rugrats” episode for Passover, but that was pretty much it [in my youth],” he says. “If I've got a platform, I'm going to make sure everybody sees some Jewish content.”

    Sam E. Goldberg shares “Respect the Chain’s” origins story, why he loves chains - hint: he’s a creature of habit, and restaurant best practices. Goldberg also shares his latest discovery, Ratatouille, the movie and the dish. Get his mom’s recipe for ratatouille at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

    Follow @RespectTheChain on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

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

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    20 m
  • Music, Emotion and Gluten-Free Cinnamon Challah with Happie Hoffman
    Jun 4 2025

    On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with musician Happie Hoffman, a former non-cook who discovered the joy of cooking during the pandemic

    “I understood that if I wanted to have a proper Shabbat meal, I had to learn how to make it for myself,” Hoffman says. “A lot of times at [dinners] I'm always helping, but I'm not actually orchestrating the food portion. … my contribution is a song or music.”

    A singer-songwriter, who writes soulful, heartfelt music, Hoffman has been teaching music since her teens and spent most of her twenties traveling around the world leading Jewish music groups.

    “Also in that process I was writing my own music … and it all evolved very organically,” Hoffman explains. “The special thing about music is the ability for people to connect with it … I can turn on a song that completely shifts the way I feel, whether because of the way the music sounds or a memory that I have associated with that song.”

    Cooking, like music, is a way to connect to your roots and has the power to heal your soul.

    “Being present … can make it magical,” she believes. “Give yourself the permission to … enjoy the experience and make art that's in service to yourself or people you love.”

    Happie Hoffman shares her musical and cooking journeys, the power of being present, and her recipe for gluten-free cinnamon challah, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

    Follow @HappieMusic on Instagram and learn about Mishkon Tephilo (Mishkon.org) in Venice, CA, Hoffman’s second spiritual home. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

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    21 m