Meet Me At The Deli

Heeb Media

Details

Meet Me At the Deli, a podcast hosted by Gefilteria co-founders Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz, answers listeners’ burning questions on deli culture, Jewish cooking and the nouveau shtetl kitchen lifestyle.

Recent Episodes

SEP 10, 2026
Recipes for a Sweet Rosh Hashanah with Cookbook Author Leah Koenig
A mandel bread (brot?) by any other name… This week’s episode brings a special treat: cookbook author Leah Koenig, whose new book, “The Dessert Table: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets”, landed on bookshelves everywhere last week! Leah joins Liz and Jeffrey just as the High Holiday season kicks off to discuss her brand new recipe collection, ways to go beyond the traditional apples and honey, and the perfect post-Yom Kippur break fast menu. In this episode, we dive into the difference between mandel bread—mandel brot—and its Italian cousin biscotti, the spiritual, psychological, and culinary repercussions of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur starting so dang early this year, why Liz’s chiropractor keeps bringing her mandel bread, and the unfortunate (smelly) side-effects of opening past-due p’tcha inside the podcast studio. Come for the can’t-miss creative spins on High Holiday favorites, pulled straight from the pages of Leah’s new cookbook; stay for the kvetches, kvells, and kibitzing from our two favorite experts from the Jewish food world. Leah Koenig is a celebrated cookbook author, prolific food writer, and the voice behind the popular Substack, The Jewish Table. Leah has written for every major food publication from Food & Wine and Bon Appétit to The New York Times and Epicurious. “The Dessert Table” is Leah’s ninth book and is available now wherever books are sold. Discover more about Leah and purchase her new book at leahkoenig.com. Show Notes: Mandel bread reborn for a new generation… The modern mandel bread company Liz mentioned: Wandel (https://eatwandel.com) The cocktail jellies Jeffrey brought from his birthday fête to share: Solid Wiggles More information about Toronto blueberry buns: http://joannathan.com/stritzlach-blueberry-buns/ Find Leah’s Toronto Blueberry Bun recipe in her book, “The Jewish Cookbook.” This episode was produced by Felicia Reich and edited by Pasha Toub. Got a burning question on Jewish cooking? Submit your questions at ⁠http://tinyurl.com/GefilteHotline⁠ or email ⁠[email protected]⁠! Meet Me At The Deli is co-hosted by Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz of The Gefilteria. Visit ⁠http://gefilteria.com⁠ for recipes, workshops, The Gefilte Manifesto Cookbook, and more. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review and rate the show—it’s the best way for us to grow! Click the subscribe button so you never miss an episode. This show is an original podcast by Heeb Media, an independent digital nonprofit for subversive Jewish culture. Circumcision not required.
59 MIN
AUG 13, 2026
An Ode to Immigrant Cooking with Author Nora L. Rubel
Slide into the deli seats with Liz and Jeffrey for this week's episode, where this time, they get to ask the questions with guest Nora L. Rubel about her new book, Recipes for the Melting Pot: The Lives of the Settlement Cook Book. Learn about The Settlement Cook Book and the bad-ass that was Lizzie Kander, the founder of a settlement house in Milwaukee, who left a legacy of Jewish immigrant cooking through this enduring recipe book. Topics include a brief history of The Settlement Cook Book, the most successful charitable cookbook in American history, the noteworthy absence of garlic and kosher food, and the intended versus actual audience. The trio kibitz about vegan deli sandwich names, bathhouse influencer etiquette, and much, much more. Nora L. Rubel is the author of Recipes for the Melting Pot: The Lives of the Settlement Cook Book. She is the Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Rochester, and is incredibly proud to share this project with the world. Find her newest book, released on Colombia University Press, here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/recipes-for-the-melting-pot/9780231566162/ Learn more about Nora: https://www.norarubel.com/about-nora.html Show Notes: Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks (Book Launch location): bonnieslotnickcookbooks.com Kitchen Arts & Letters (Panel location): kitchenartsandletters.com 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman: Barnes & Noble Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day by Alexander Smalls & J.J. Johnson (with Veronica Chambers): Bookshop.org HOPWTR x Hot Girl Pickle — Pickle Lemonade: hopwtr.com/products/pickle-lemonade Spicy Moon (vegan Szechuan restaurant, multiple NYC locations): https://www.spicymoonnyc.com This episode was produced by Felicia Reich and edited by Pasha Toub. Got a burning question on Jewish cooking? Submit your questions at http://tinyurl.com/GefilteHotline or email [email protected]! Meet Me At The Deli is co-hosted by Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz of The Gefilteria. Visit http://gefilteria.com for recipes, workshops, The Gefilte Manifesto cookbook, and more. This show is an original podcast by Heeb Media, an independent digital nonprofit for subversive Jewish culture.
55 MIN
JUL 30, 2026
Live! From the Sour Cream Sierras with Dan Vetrano, Willie Zabar, and Rocco Marinaccio
Reporting LIVE from the Sour Cream Sierras...is green borscht actually a thing? Should anyone ever scoop a bagel? Liz and Jeffrey take Meet Me at the Deli on the road for a special live episode from the Borscht Belt Festival in Ellenville, New York, where they (alongside three passionate guests) answer both listener and live questions about foods, traditions, and debates that define Jewish American cuisine. From the origins of the Reuben sandwich and cholent to the psychology of immigrant food culture, plus passionate takes on mustard, chopped liver, cinnamon raisin bagels (and more!) this live episode is packed with food history, comedy, and plenty of kvetching. Dan Vetrano is a comedian and host of Get Work, a live comedy show where comedians interview for real jobs using fake résumés. Learn more at www.danvetrano.com. Willie Zabar is a New York comedian, writer, and member of the legendary Zabar family. Learn more about Willie at www.williezabar.com. Rounding out the panel is Rocco Marinaccio, professor of literature, food studies, ethnic studies, and New York studies at Manhattan University. Show Notes: The Borscht Belt Festival: https://www.borschtbeltfest.org/ The Borscht Belt Museum: https://www.borschtbeltmuseum.org/ Rhapsody in Schmaltz by Michael Wex: https://wwnorton.com/books/Rhapsody-in-Schmaltz Hungering for America by Hasia Diner: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691059757/hungering-for-america The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook: https://archive.org/details/VilnaVegetarianCookbook Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird – "Borscht Revisited": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bX9_q-_u3c&list=RD3bX9_q-_u3c&start_radio=1 This episode was produced by Felicia Reich and edited by Pasha Toub. Got a burning question on Jewish cooking? Submit your questions at tinyurl.com/GefilteHotline or email [email protected]! Meet Me At The Deli is co-hosted by Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz of The Gefilteria. Visit http://gefilteria.com for recipes, workshops, The Gefilte Manifesto cookbook, and more. This show is an original podcast by Heeb Media, an independent digital nonprofit for subversive Jewish culture. Circumcision not required.
54 MIN