Order Up! A Conversation with Leah Koenig, Jewish Food Writer, author of Portico and The Jewish Cookbook
One Potato talks to Leah about feeding picky eaters, nourishing our families, and weaving storytelling into recipes
Welcome to Order Up! Our One Potato Interview Series, where we interview chefs, founders, food writers, home cooks, and members of our community about cooking and food - highlighting and sharing the diversity in our world - and how we can nourish our families and kids. January is National Soup Month, and since Leah spoke about the comfort of Matzo Ball Soup (and feeding picky eaters!), we thought this was a great interview to kick off the new year.
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Welcome back to One Potato’s Order Up! Interview Series, where we explore the stories behind the food with inspiring home cooks, chefs, and food lovers. Today, we’re thrilled to feature Leah Koenig—an award-winning Jewish food writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Food & Wine, Food52, and more. She’s the author of seven acclaimed cookbooks, including The Jewish Cookbook and Modern Jewish Cooking, and her latest, PORTICO: Cooking & Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen, recently won an IACP Award.
From her mom’s Hanukkah sugar cookies and hamantaschen-making memories to her kids’ insistence on eating a peanut butter on a banana for dinner, our conversation with Leah covered everything about food traditions, creativity in cooking, and real-life parenting. We especially loved her perspective on how Jewish cuisine is a global tapestry, reflecting the journeys of Jewish communities over centuries, and how she brings these stories to life in her cookbooks and newsletter, The Jewish Table.
Leah’s advice to embrace imperfection (yes, a peanut butter and chocolate chip banana, or buttered noodles can be dinner!) and her favorite freezer hacks are gems every busy family can relate to. She approaches food not just as sustenance but as a way to connect with loved ones and explore the world.
Whether we’re chatting with home cooks or professional chefs, we learn so much by asking the same or similar questions in every interview and seeing how each person answers differently. Leah’s advice on navigating picky eaters and finding creativity in the kitchen is not only relatable but also deeply encouraging for busy families.
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Introduce Yourself: My name is Leah, and I’m a Jewish food writer. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and two awesome kids, Max and Bea.
Through the recipes and interviews that we share at One Potato, we foster an easy way to expose kids to new foods, flavors, and cultures. One of the things that is so engaging about your work is how your cookbooks and Substack newsletter weave stories of Jewish history and family traditions. What inspired you to start doing that?
When I began writing professionally in 2009, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to focus on Jewish cuisine or keep things more general. Honestly, I worried about being pigeonholed. But there’s that classic advice: write what you know.
At first, I wrote about random topics—like rum made on ships—but every time the Jewish holidays rolled around, I felt a pull to explore the dishes I grew up with as a Jewish American with Eastern and Central European roots. I started digging into matzo balls, potato latkes, and other traditional foods—not just how to make them, but their deeper stories and histories.
That curiosity opened up an entire world for me. Jewish cuisine isn’t limited to one region; it’s a global tapestry reflecting where Jewish communities have lived over 2,000+ years. Writing about these foods hasn’t boxed me in—it’s been a blessing, letting me discover the world through the lens of the Jewish table.
Now, I get to share the stories behind Ethiopian Jewish dishes, the foods of Cochin Jews in India, Moroccan recipes, Central Asian flavors from Uzbekistan, and, of course, the traditions of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and America. It’s a fascinating journey through history, culture, and celebration.
This thread of food and storytelling is a beautiful way to think about the cuisine of any and all world cultures. Let’s bring it back home and talk about your personal approach to cooking. How have your family and traditions influenced the way you cook? Do you have a favorite memory of cooking with your parents or grandparents that stands out?
My mom has always been an amazing cook, and the kitchen was her sanctuary—a place to get creative and express herself. She didn’t always invite me or my brother in, and honestly, I wasn’t super interested back then. I was a buttered noodles kid! But I definitely absorbed her love of cooking as this almost spiritual process.
Now, I feel that too. Sure, there’s the day-to-day grind of making meals, but when I have time to dive into a cooking project, it’s freeing and creative, a space to explore and experiment.
That said, there were two cookie-related exceptions to her kitchen rule. The first was making Hanukkah sugar cookies. My mom would set us up at the kitchen table with rolling pins, dough, and a set of Jewish-themed cookie cutters—a menorah, dreidel, maybe a shofar—and we’d decorate them with sprinkles or icing. A few years ago, she passed those cookie cutters down to me, and now I make those same cookies with my kids, who are 10 and 5.
The second was making hamantaschen for Purim, those triangular cookies filled with jam or poppy seeds. We’d stamp out rounds using an upside-down glass—although I’ve since upgraded to actual cookie cutters—and fold them into triangles. It’s such a fun memory.
Interestingly, even though we weren’t often allowed in the kitchen as kids, my brother and I both ended up loving to cook. He’s not a professional, but he’s really talented. Now, when we cook with my mom, she can finally trust us not to spill flour everywhere!
You mentioned being a “buttered noodles kid,” and that picky eating is just part of life for many families. How do you approach getting your kids to try new things, especially when they’re picky eaters?
Honestly, I’ve learned to stop stressing about it so much. It’s not about making every meal perfectly balanced; it’s about looking at the bigger picture. Over the course of a day or a week, are they getting their nutrients? If the answer is yes, then I don’t worry as much. When my oldest was a toddler, I used to obsess over every bite, but he was thriving—meeting milestones, growing, and healthy—so I realized I needed to let go of that perfectionism.
My mom set a great example. Even though she let me eat buttered noodles and red pepper strips some nights, she still served the rest of the family pepper steak, grilled chicken, or whatever she’d made. I grew up seeing those foods and eventually trying them on my own terms. For me, the focus wasn’t on what we were eating but on being together at the table. That’s what I try to do with my kids now.
Some nights, it’s a win; other nights, it’s a peanut butter banana with chocolate chips for dinner—and that’s okay! Last night, my daughter had that while my husband and I ate tofu with cabbage and scallions. One of the words I always like to use is nourishment - there was greater family nourishment in having the family together at the dinner table. She was full, happy, and still part of the family dinner.
When it comes to trying new things, it’s a long game. If you bring tension and pressure, kids will push back. I offer my kids what we’re eating, but if they’re not into it, I’ll make them a quick peanut butter and jelly. Over time, I’ve seen my 10-year-old start to explore—last week, he tried roasted onions and broccoli! It’s all about patience and making the table a positive, welcoming place.
Could it also be a question of perfectionism, as a parent?
Absolutely. When you’re in the thick of parenting a toddler—especially your first—it’s so easy to fall into the worry trap. As parents, that’s what we do: we worry. But it’s important to remember that feeding kids is a long game. You don’t need to get it perfect at every single meal for them to grow into more adventurous eaters. Keeping that perspective can make a world of difference.
Are there any simple Jewish-inspired dishes or ingredients that you recommend for busy families who want to explore new flavors or Jewish cuisine without feeling overwhelmed?
Matzo ball soup is a fantastic, versatile dish for busy families looking to explore Jewish cuisine (here’s a link to Leah’s recipe for Herb Garden Matzo Ball Soup published by Food&Wine online). It’s a classic chicken soup with fluffy dumplings that works for all ages and tastes. You can keep it simple or get creative depending on your family’s preferences. For younger kids, you can serve it deconstructed—broth in a cup, carrots, or a piece of matzo ball on the side. Older or more adventurous eaters can enjoy it as a full bowl of soup with fun garnishes like fresh dill or even crispy fried onions (like the ones from Trader Joe’s).
If you want to experiment with flavors, you could add something unexpected like Chinese five-spice powder for a twist. When my son was little, he wouldn’t eat matzo ball soup with a spoon but loved sipping the broth through a straw. Sometimes it’s less about changing the food and more about finding creative ways to serve it.
Our final question is one that we ask all of our guests, but it’s fun to see how everyone answers differently. What's a chef approved cooking skill that you use all the time that you think home cooks should practice or have under their belt? This could also be a kitchen tool that you would recommend.
My favorite kitchen hack is to cook from the freezer. It might sound obvious, but making double batches of meals like chili or pesto and freezing the extras saves so much time when life gets busy. I call it “past me helping future me.”
I label everything in stackable Pyrex containers with the name and date (at One Potato we love these Souper Cubes Silicone Freezer Trays)—meatballs, sauces, soups—and it’s a lifesaver on hectic nights. I know someone who takes this a step further by freezing things flat in bags and filing them upright like a filing system. It’s genius, though I’d need a non-plastic solution for that. (Check out these Reusable Gallon Freezer Bags.)
Even as a freelancer with some flexibility to cook, there are nights when I just don’t have time. Having a freezer stocked with homemade meals means fresh, homemade food is always within reach—no chopping required.
You can subscribe to on Substack at The Jewish Table or follow her on Instagram @leah.koenig
& Don’t forget to follow US on IG @onepotatobox ❤️
Helpful Links from this Interview:
Buy Leah’s Books Here from Bookshop.org
Leah’s recipe for Herb Garden Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo Ball Soup, Delivered Right to Your Door from Goldbelly 🥣
Souper Cubes Silicone Freezer Trays for meal prepping/”past you helping future you” as Leah says