Alix Wall

Bubbelah chef turns the traditional matzah ball on its head Bubbelah chef-owner David Nayfeld has gone all in on global Jewish food traditions, from Georgian savory pastry to a Moroccan spread.

Highly recommend Menlo Park's new Bubbelah, go! jweekly.com/2025/08/06/b...

San Jose chef’s mushroom cookbook guides foragers A new cookbook focused exclusively on fungi is threaded with the chef’s Jewish family anecdotes and memories.

My heart is breaking over too many things to write about here, so I'm just going to post my latest food column about a new cookbook by a Bay Area Jewish chef, whose star ingredient is mushrooms. jweekly.com/2025/07/28/t...

Letters capture a family’s generational discord over Israel Painful differences over Israel led a Bay Area mother and adult daughter to navigate their beliefs and feelings through a series of letters.

The generational divide over Israel has emerged as one of the most difficult topics for many in American Jewish life. Here, a mother and daughter try to bridge the gap, in @jewishsf.bsky.social jweekly.com/2025/07/23/b...

He Didn’t Know It Was an Audition. But He Got the Husband Role.

What fun writing about the love story of Aleksandra Shira Dubov & Daniyel Berchenko. This is the 3rd couple I've written about who met through @Wilderness Torah. If you know of anyone getting married soon with an interesting story, please send them my way! www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/s...

J. wins 10 Rockower Awards for journalistic excellence “Once again, J. dominated the awards for best Jewish news,” J. CEO Jo Ellen Green Kaiser said after collecting 10 awards for J.

Pleased to be included in the American Jewish Press Awards. I won 1st place in the food category about two business owners who have been in dialogue since shortly after October 7, and a 2nd in war-related personality profiles for my article about Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. jweekly.com/2025/06/24/j...

ORGANIC EPICURE | Goats star in kosher food event on a farm Kosher goat cheese was a highlight of an event about fermented foods, with a demo on spinning wool and pizza making on sourdough crust.

I recently attended a farm event for the kosher crowd. jweekly.com/2025/06/19/t...

Couldn't be more thrilled about this. www.thewrap.com/jewish-story...

In Oakland, a gay Orthodox rabbi is paving the way for Jews like him Rabbi Shua Brick of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland is the first openly gay rabbi hired at an Orthodox synagogue.

Happy that this story is out in the world, especially for pride month. jweekly.com/2025/06/11/i...

ORGANIC EPICURE | San Francisco's ‘Little Russia’ draws adventurous foodies All manner of Russian food can be found at specialty stores in S.F., where a recent “Post-Soviet Food Tour” traveled down a particular memory lane.

Last month, I took a tour of S.F.'s "Little Russia," through its grocery stores. It was fun as well as delicious. jweekly.com/2025/06/05/s...

Never Mind the Possible Food Poisoning, the Proposal Had to Go On

While these two couldn't be any cuter, I think Summer, their maltipoo steals the show, no? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/s...

With closure of Pomella, Oakland loses a valuable community gathering place The Piedmont Avenue restaurant run by Mica Talmor took its role as a “third space” seriously, hosting a variety of groups and events.

The food and the desserts will be missed, yes, but so will the community gathering spot. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/05/19/p...

Oakland restaurant's entire menu: Latkes, BBQ, cheesecake, sides Ben Block has been selling cheesecakes at farmers markets for years. He’s now gone brick-and-mortar and added pre-dessert items to the menu.

Bay Area latke lovers, check out this new spot! jweekly.com/2025/05/13/a...

New Jewish folktale gets 'crankie' with old-timey storytelling device The Magid Ensemble, coming to the Bay Area in May, uses live klezmer and a device called a crankie to bring an original story to audiences.

Excited to see this crankie box in person. jweekly.com/2025/05/07/n...

Oakland rally mourns loss of life as Gaza war drags on About 200 people gathered near Lake Merritt to continue to call for a peaceful solution to the 19-month war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

My coverage of a Saturday peace rally: jweekly.com/2025/05/05/o...

Why the ‘Garlic Guy’ cleaves to cloves “The Book of Garlic” kick-started not only a lifelong obsession for L. John Harris, but also an entire garlic movement that he would lead.

This bit of Berkeley food history as seen through one person, L. John Harris, was super-fun to write. jweekly.com/2025/04/30/w...

Oakland’s Pomella to close; owner cites costs and Israel war Chef-owner Mica Talmor says rising costs and personal stress since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack led to her decision.

Pomella was a home for me, too. So sad to report this news. jweekly.com/2025/04/28/o...

Why are pickles such a big hit with S.F. religious school kids? Crunchy pickles at snack time have kids at this S.F. religious school begging for more — and learning some Jewish history as they munch.

My @jewishsf.bsky.social food column takes a detour to an SF religious school class where the kids go crazy for pickles. jweekly.com/2025/04/16/w...

Who invented matzah brittle? Just like toffee, the plot thickens A longtime Bay Area resident believes she deserves credit — even though someone else has long laid claim to it . PLUS: the original recipe!

For years, Marcy Goldman has been given credit for inventing matzah brittle, or matzah crack. I recently spoke to Karyn Lipman, who believes she came up with the idea at the same time. (With local expert, Dianne Jacob) Exclusive to @jewishsf.bsky.social jweekly.com/2025/03/27/w...

‘It would put us out of business’: Restaurants, importers brace for 200% European wine tariff That $19 bottle of wine could cost you close to $50 if the 200% tariff goes into effect and at least one importer says it would put them out of business.

How the proposed tariffs on European wine would affect Bay Area businesses. (hint: not well) for @EBNosh www.berkeleyside.org/2025/03/25/t...

The Virtual Meeting That Started It All Chi Mokel and Tommaso Wagner met at the dawn of the pandemic five years ago, just as she was starting a new job at the foundation where he worked.

A couple with Jewish, Chinese and Nigerian descent is definitely a first for me. Mazel tov, Chi & Tommaso! (Looking for my next couple marrying soon, please send me tips!) www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/s...

Napa baker finds her sweet spot with bake-at-home cookie kits “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like the smell of freshly baked cookies. It gives people an emotional connection,” says Rory Kandel.

When you see a story like the one Elena Kadvany did about Rory Kandel in the SFChronicle, you sometimes think there's nothing else to add. But Rory wasn't ready to tell her Jewish story yet. jweekly.com/2025/03/14/n...

So much fun to write the love story of these two super-talented and hilarious people. Mazel tov Marnina & Micah! If you know anyone interesting getting married soon, please send them my way! www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/s...

Sephardic culinary historian seeks to win over matzah skeptics “Matzah and Flour” includes recipes from across Sephardic Jewish history. Author Hélène Jawhara Piñer posits that matzah can be "exciting.”

If a cookbook about matzah doesn't sound so exciting, think again. This one will surprise you! And she'll be in the Bay Area next week: jweekly.com/2025/02/21/s...

2 eateries close: Ethel's Deli in Petaluma, Daily Driver bagels in S.F. Ethel's Delicatessen is the first to close of a Covid-era spate of new delis in the North Bay. And Daily Driver closes all six locations.

And after covering Ethel's as a Covid popup, it was sad to see the deli close. jweekly.com/2025/01/29/2...

Unexpected Jewish backstories at Gigi’s wine bar in S.F. The Jewish manager and the Vietnamese chef (Tu “The Jew” Phu) at Gigi’s wine bar in San Francisco have long admired each other’s cultures.

Gigi's Wine Bar in San Francisco has an unexpected Jewish backstory, in @jewishsf.bsky.social jweekly.com/2025/02/05/h...

One month from today, I will be in conversation with my friend Josh Miele, scientist, inventor and MacArthur Genius Award winner, as he launches his newest project into the world, his memoir, "Connecting Dots: A Blind Life" at the JCC of the East Bay. Join us! www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launc...

For her, foraging for mushrooms is a way of life Carrie Staller's Tu Bishvat workshop in Berkeley will celebrate the “interrelationships of trees, humanity, fungi and the unseen world.”

Since I love talking to people about what they're passionate about, @Carrie Galore was a great subject to talk with about mushroom foraging. In @jewishsf.bsky.social jweekly.com/2025/01/28/f...

A Proposal — and a Wedding Date — That Were Suddenly Moved Up The current political climate caused Josey Nett and Grace Duncan, who met as freshmen in college, to change their long-term plans.

My first mini-vow of 2025 is this couple who planned a rush wedding after election night, and my connection to them came through pickleball. Congrats Josey & Grace! Know any couples with great stories getting married soon? Please send them my way! www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/s...

This latke contest was no ‘Chopped,’ but it was a Jewish slice of life Four teams faced off in Walnut Creek for a latke-making contest using a “mystery basket” of ingredients, like on Food Network's "Chopped."

Recently, I covered -- and judged -- a Chopped-inspired latke contest at Chabad of Contra Costa. Fun was had by all. In @jewishsf.bsky.social jweekly.com/2024/12/20/t...

The one trick you need to make perfect latkes There is a secret to making perfect latkes, passed down through a chain of Bay Area chefs to our food columnist — and now, to you.

If you will be making latkes soon, you must read this. I posted about it last year, and so many of you commented and said you're not going back. Srsly, do not make them without reading this, you'll thank me later. You're welcome. jweekly.com/2024/12/18/t...