MARCH 16 • 2023 | 21

chef throughout the weekend. 
I was assigned to assist Susan 
Barocas in three sessions — 
Marvelous Mezze, Converso 
Cooking and Sephardic Sweet 
Tooth. Susan’s sessions were 
ambitious and, across the 
three, participants made six 
savory dishes and two sweet 
ones, including eggplants 
stuffed with a mix of savory 
and sweet flavors (mushrooms, 
pears and apples), chickpeas, 
salads, marochinos (almond 
cookies), and biscochos. 
 While the flavors were 
new for me, I very much 
enjoyed them. Susan started 
each session providing some 
background on Sephardi 
cuisine including how Jews 
ultimately influenced the 
broader Spanish food culture. 
 As an assistant, I prepared 
the room, equipment and 
ingredients before the class, 
helped Susan and participants 
during the class and cleaned 
up afterward. Seeing the work 
that went into preparing for 
the class and comparing the 
approaches different chefs 
took in conceiving their classes 
gave me a new appreciation for 
all the consideration and effort 
that made these happen.
While I expected to enjoy 
the eating and learning 
opportunities at the retreat, 

I also came away thinking 
differently. Food is more than 
just food: Food is memory; 
food is community; food 
is connection. The retreat 
reaffirmed for me the value of 
connecting to my own food 
traditions, whether they be the 
old-country ways of my great-
great-grandparents or more 
proximately, understanding 
my parents’ cooking and the 
stories behind the foods I ate 
growing up. 
I also came away feeling 
emboldened to explore more 
of the full spectrum of Jewish 
food traditions beyond my 
own to develop a fuller 
understanding of our Jewish 
history and experience. And 
to enjoy some new tasty foods, 
too. 
Finally, I was reminded 
of all the ways in which 
food connects me to others, 
whether it be over a Shabbat 
dinner or making new friends 
at this retreat. I’m so glad 
I attended B’teavon, and I 
encourage others to attend 
next year. 

Find out more at www.ramahdarom.

org/bteavon-jewish-culinary-

exploration. 

Dr. Joelle Abramowitz is a past JN 36 

Under 36 winner and past president 

of Jewish Young Professionals of Ann 

Arbor.

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ

Joelle 
Abramowitz 
and Susan 
Barocas

Eliana Leader, director of the Ramah Darom 
Retreat Center, addresses the crowd.

Participants pickle green beans at The 
Gefilteria’s pickling workshop.

DANA SHAPIRO

