Celebrate the publication of Leah Koenig’s new book Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen with New York’s beloved food maven Arthur Schwartz and four-time James Beard award-winning chef and author Rozanne Gold.
Join us in the Museum at Eldridge Street’s beautiful Main Sanctuary on October 17th at 6pm for a lively panel discussion delving into the riveting history and aromatic foodways of Rome’s Jewish community, among the oldest in Europe. Vibrantly portrayed in Leah’s captivating cookbook, published this Fall by W.W. Norton & Company, Leah chronicles a tale of modern-day Roman Jewish food culture, enlivened with anecdotes from the chefs, butchers, and waves of immigrants who helped shape the Jewish cuisine of the Eternal City.
As leading authorities on both Jewish and Italian food, Leah and Arthur, guided by moderator Rozanne Gold, explore the origins of la cucina ebraica romana (Roman Jewish cuisine) with research, recipes, and recollections. Discover how Rome’s millennia-old community became home to the food of the Diaspora, including those of the Libyan Jews who came to Rome in the 1960s and ‘70s. The result is a uniquely beguiling cuisine whose aromas fill the streets of Via del Portico d’Ottavia (the main road in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto) and beyond. Come fill your senses!