Food is more than sustenance—it is a powerful portal into memory, family histories, and cultural traditions. When people share recipes, they share more than ingredients; they pass down stories, values, and identities from each generation to the next. Two projects, both supported by grants from our Intergenerational Relationships for Cultural Preservation RFP, beautifully illustrate how food transmits cultural identity l’dor vador — from generation to generation.
One project, Emaye’s Kitchen, led by Dr. Beza Abebe, highlights Ethiopian Jewish culinary traditions. The other, Tastes of Tradition, a video series from The Braid spearheaded by David Chiu, showcases multigenerational Jewish families sharing their food and family histories.
Emaye’s Kitchen: Honoring Ethiopian Jewish Heritage
Dr. Beza Abebe’s work is deeply rooted in her passion for equality and celebrating the rich diversity of the Jewish people. After studying law in Israel, where she focused on advocating for Ethiopian Jews and women’s equality, she relocated to the Bay Area to continue her education. While she found a vibrant Jewish community there, she did not immediately find other Ethiopian Israeli Americans to connect with.
Determined to create belonging for Ethiopian Jews and Jews of Color, Abebe turned to community building. “The idea of equality is something that is very special in my heart,” she shared. “When I decided to put my legal career on the side and focus on my community [it was important] for me to work for equality for all of us within the Jewish community because I really believe that recognizing our diversity is critical for shaping strong Jewish community in the future”
As a mother of two, Abebe is even more committed to fostering inclusion and visibility for her children’s generation. She has long recognized the power of food in shaping cultural narratives. “I felt like what people knew about the Ethiopian community was mostly focused on challenges and not the beautiful parts of the Beta Israel community—our historical heritage, tradition, values, food, our music, our clothing…keeping traditions alive for thousands of years.”
After October 7, 2023, Abebe sought connection with fellow Jews, particularly Jews of Color, and worked with other leaders to organize a Sigd event in New York, Atlanta and other cities which drew a large, enthusiastic turnout. Inspired by this experience, she set out to create more opportunities to celebrate Ethiopian Jewish heritage, with traditional recipes as a natural starting point. “Everything we cook in my community, we have been doing it that way for thousands of years. Now that I live in the U.S. it’s even more important that I cook with these recipes to ensure this part of our tradition continues.
Through her cooking videos, supported by the Jews of Color Initiative, Abebe not only shares recipes but also strengthens community bonds—including her own. Through working on this project, she was thrilled to discover and connect with other Ethiopian Jewish families in her local area, deepening her commitment to making Ethiopian heritage more visible for Ethiopian Jewish children and within the broader Jewish community.
“I want this to open up more things in the Jewish community…and to make different JoC experiences heard,” she said. “I don’t want it to be just a project and done. I want to bring in different stories and experiences and conversations that hopefully help all of us grow.”
Tastes of Tradition: Preserving Family Histories Through Recipes
The Tastes of Tradition video series by The Braid, a nonprofit focused on creating and preserving stories grounded in Jewish cultural experience, also explores how food carries cultural identity across generations. “Is there anything more universal than food?” asked David Chiu, Communications and Marketing Manager at The Braid. “Food is so inviting. Food crosses barriers. Food brings people together… Food fosters such a sense of culture and pride and a connection to who we are.”
For Chiu, an Asian American Jew, learning family recipes helped him strengthen his cultural identity and transformed his relationship with his father, a Chinese immigrant who never wrote down his recipes but was eager to share them once Chiu, as a college student, was interested in recreating them on his own. “It became this real way for us to bond. Learning those family recipes brought me in touch with my Chinese identity. That’s really true of a lot of people. Being Jewish, whether religious or totally secular, connecting with the foods that are part of your family or tradition are in some ways the most tangible parts of your identity.”
Rooted in the power of sharing recipes, Tastes of Tradition brought multigenerational, multiethnic Jewish families into their home kitchens to document their food traditions and personal histories. “Families are sharing not just recipes, but, in the recipe, keeping traditions alive. It’s not just a recipe. All of these foods have stories.”
The five-part video series captures the magic of passing down traditions through food. For many families, filming these videos became an unexpected opportunity for meaningful conversations. “There were a lot of family members who, even though they agreed to be on camera and already had a sense of what they were going to share, there are a lot of things they’ve never said to each other that had room to be said, like ‘Mom, you really inspire me.’ Suddenly the embarrassment of saying ‘I love you and what you’re passing down is so important’ melts away. In the act of coming together and cooking and telling stories about the family…magic happens.”
Watch the Tastes of Tradition series.
A Celebration of Jewish Culture Through Food
Both Emaye’s Kitchen and Tastes of Tradition illustrate how food is a gateway to memory, connection, and identity. These grantee projects not only celebrate the depth of diverse Jewish cultures, but also reinforce the importance of preserving and sharing traditions for future generations. Whether through Ethiopian Jewish recipes passed down for thousands of years or the personal narratives of multigenerational families, these videos remind us of the powerful role food plays in shaping who we are.
We invite you to watch and share these inspiring projects that celebrate the rich ways Jewish identity comes alive through food.
