Food

Local Entrepreneurs Bring Classic Jewish Flavors to Farmers Markets

Soup has always been Jake Alpert’s favorite food — especially matzo ball soup, which he believes in eating year-round, not just on Jewish holidays. And when it comes to floaters vs. sinkers, Alpert is 100% a floaters fan. The fluffier the better, he says. Born in Tucson, Alpert is… Read more »

Kol Ami Announces Jewish Food Festival, Invites Community

Kol Ami Synagogue invites the community to their Jewish Food Festival and open house on Sunday, August 13, from 2-4 pm. Jewish food is extremely diverse and reflective of the many regions where Jews have settled. There are Jewish communities on every continent, and each community has its own unique… Read more »

Mae’s Kosher Kitchen Now Open at Handmaker

Handmaker has been providing kosher meals to its residents and the community for 60 years. With the limited options for kosher dining in Tucson, Handmaker has also long provided kosher catering and meals to Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona, as well as to local hotels and hospitals. This summer,… Read more »

‘Taste of Tucson’ cookbook includes recipes from renowned local chefs

Local food columnist and photographer Jackie Alpers’ cookbook, “Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona,” is replete with recipes from well-known local chefs such as Suzana Davila of Café Poca Cosa and The Little One, and Carlotta Flores of El Charro Café. Published… Read more »

Handmaker and Chabad team up for kosher Meals on Wheels

From left, Rabbi Yossie Shemtov of Chabad Tucson with Handmaker Director of Food and Facility Services Mike Felde, Pastry Chef Julie Ogroski, and Executive Chef Claire Wilmouth (Photo: Faye Gandolfi)

Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging has announced a partnership with the ongoing Chabad of Tucson Kosher Meals on Wheels program. By providing affordable kosher meals to those in need, this collaboration helps tackle the issue of food insecurity in the local community. The program will provide glatt kosher… Read more »

It’s the perfect time to get into pickling

pickling

This story originally appeared on The Nosher. You’ve tried coaxing a sourdough starter to life or braiding a challah, turned speckled bananas into muffins, maybe even churned out sheets of pasta. For those lucky enough to hunker down at home in good health during the coronavirus pandemic, experimenting in… Read more »

Chabad to present Mega Challah Bake online

Southern Arizona’s Mega Challah Bake will be held in your own kitchen this year — with Chabad providing live instructions and entertainment via Zoom, plus ingredients for those who want them. “It has been a delight to organize and host the Mega Challah Bake of Tucson over the past… Read more »

Felicia’s Farm honors memory of founder’s wife by feeding hungry Tucsonans

Felicia CutlerThe late Felicia Cutler was the inspiration for Felicia’s Farm in Tucson. (Courtesy Felicia’s Farm.)

Showing kindness to others is the best feeling in the world. So says David Cutler, founder of Felicia’s Farm in central Tucson. All of the farm’s fresh produce and eggs are donated to organizations that provide for people who might otherwise go hungry. Staff and volunteers regularly reap the benefits… Read more »

The Syrian frittata you will make again and again

(Stephanie Hanan)

This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher. Spinach jibn is a traditional Syrian way to prepare vegetables, akin to a crustless quiche. It’s most common to find it with spinach, but you can also make it with zucchini or other vegetables you may have around. It’s healthy and kid-friendly,… Read more »

Local restaurateurs meet their customers at the door with takeout, delivery

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Our Tucson restaurant partners are operating during the mandatory restaurant shut-down, keeping hungry folks fed. We encourage readers to patronize local restaurants to keep businesses afloat and staff employed during this difficult time. Here’s a sampling of innovative and tasty options and specials that are available for takeout and… Read more »

Jewish NFL star Mitch Schwartz embraces his inner chef during coronavirus quarantine

Mitchell Schwartz is having some fun, with food, off the gridiron. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images; Mitchell Schwartz/Instagram)

(JTA) — Fresh off his Super Bowl win in February, Kansas City Chiefs lineman Mitchell Schwartz took a vacation with his wife, Brooke, to St. Lucia. Little did they know that when they returned, they would be spending the next few months holed up at home because of the… Read more »

New market offers variety of global, kosher specialty foods just in time for Pesach

On April 1, Inbal Shtivi posted this photo of kosher for Passover items she purchased at the Al Basha grocery store on the Kosher in Tucson Facebook group page. Shtivi is the director of Tucson’s Weintraub Israel Center. (Inbal Shtivi)

Al Basha’s Grant Road grocery store is like a mom and pop corner shop. The neatly stacked shelves are brimming with a variety of global goodies, in these days when finding well-stocked market shelves is a challenge. And, there’s no price gouging here — the prices are extremely reasonable.… Read more »