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Cooking with her Bubbe taught Amy Kritzer Becker that food and family traditions are inseparable, and that joy belongs in every recipe. Now, through her shop ModernTribe, Amy’s family ecommerce site that she runs with her brother Andrew, they’re helping families celebrate Jewish life in the same spirit: full of creativity, connection, and just the right amount of chutzpah. 👉 Shop moderntribe.com
Amy Becker shares family recipes, cultural roots, and why Jewish food will always be more than just what’s on the table
The holiday season is here, so keep an out for this year’s One Potato holiday gift guide, favorite holiday recipes from the archives, quotes from past Order Up! guests about their family traditions, and kid-friendly cooking activities.
We’re kicking things off with chef, baker, and cookbook author Amy Kritzer Becker of What Jew Wanna Eat, who proves Jewish food can be playful, modern, and utterly shareable. If you’ve ever searched for a Jewish recipe online such as, matzo ball soup or challah with a twist, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Amy’s recipes. The San Francisco-based writer, recipe developer, and owner of ModernTribe.com has built a vibrant corner of the internet where Jewish food meets creativity, humor, and a deep sense of tradition.
Amy started cooking alongside her Bubbe Eleanor in Connecticut, where braided challah and blintzes were made with equal parts butter and family gossip. Today, she brings that same spirit to her modern interpretations of Jewish classics, from pomegranate brisket to her fan-favorite Drunken Honey Cake.
Her playful, pun-filled approach (and signature “Jew food for everyone” tagline) have made her a beloved voice for anyone looking to celebrate culture through food. In this chat, Amy shares how her culinary roots shaped her path from business professional to cookbook author and Food Network contributor, how she’s keeping Jewish food traditions alive for a new generation, and the family recipes that are still the closest to her heart.
A message from Amy and ModernTribe.com:
Celebrate Tradition, Modern Style
ModernTribe brings together beautiful Judaica, clever Hanukkah gifts, and joyful home essentials that celebrate Jewish culture with humor, heart, and modern design. From menorahs that double as conversation pieces to dreidels you’ll actually want to display year-round, it’s the perfect place to find something meaningful for your family and fun for your kids.
Whether you’re lighting the candles, gifting a loved one, or starting new traditions with your little ones, ModernTribe has everything you need to make this Hanukkah bright, meaningful, and fun.
✨ Shop Jewish gifts and Judaica made for modern families → moderntribe.com
A Conversation with Amy Becker
Introduce Yourself: My name is Amy Becker. I’m the founder of What Jew Want to Eat, a Jewish food blog, and I’m the mom to a three-year-old daughter.
She’ll say she’s two and a half, but she’s almost three. I live in San Francisco with my husband and daughter, and I also own ModernTribe.com with my brother, which is a modern Jewish gift store.
You’ve said your love of cooking started with your Bubbe. What’s one kitchen memory that really stands out?
It’s hard to pick just one! I spent so much time cooking with my Bubbe and my mom, three generations in the kitchen, which is so special now that I have a daughter. One of my favorite memories is making blintzes. My Bubbe would fry the thin pancakes, which are basically Jewish crêpes, and then we’d fill, wrap, and line them up on tea towels all over the kitchen to cool. There’d be bowls of batter, filling, stacks of towels, and the smell of butter everywhere.
Rugelach was another favorite, and it was one of the first recipes I learned and one of the first I shared on my blog. It’s still one of my favorites because it’s so hands-on and adaptable in terms of varieties of filling, though my Bubbe always stuck with cinnamon flavor. I loved the whole process: mixing, rolling, and sprinkling sugar. Cleaning up, not so much. I’d conveniently disappear until it was time to eat.
What do you remember most about those family cooking days?
The noise and the love. It was always loud; women gathered around the oven debating if the brisket was done, talking about recipes and life all at once. There’d be gossip, laughter, and something sizzling on the stove. It was chaos, but it was a lot of love. It was comforting.
You’ve modernized a lot of traditional Jewish dishes on your blog. What was the first one you recreated?
The very first recipe I posted was sweet potato latkes with cranberry applesauce. [Original photo above, the evolution of the latkes below – plus tips in the IG post!] I’ve always had this need to do things my own way. Even as a kid, I was wearing weird outfits and stacking bracelets up my arms. So when I started What Jew Wanna Eat, I knew I wanted to modernize the classics a bit. That first recipe wasn’t a huge reinvention of my Bubbe’s classic latke recipe, but it set the tone for everything I’ve done since, taking tradition and adding my own twist.
And I still hand-grate the potatoes like my Bubbe did. I used her box grater for a long time until it got lost somewhere along the way, but I use the same type, with the big holes. Every time I use it, I think of her — she’s 97 now!
What’s your ultimate comfort food?
Definitely my Bubbe’s chicken soup with matzo balls. It’s simple, soothing, and full of memories. Her secret (not-so-secret) ingredient is parsnips, they give the broth this natural sweetness. She was always light on the salt, so I’ve adjusted that part, but otherwise, it’s a pretty classic recipe.
Your daughter’s not even three, but it sounds like she’s already into the kitchen!
Oh, totally. I knew it would be fun to cook with her, but it’s even better than I imagined. She’s already reminding me to buy apples for Rosh Hashanah and gets excited for latkes at Hanukkah. She’ll eat applesauce and sour cream by the spoonful, same as me. She loves decorating cookies, and she’s surprisingly adventurous for a toddler… her favorite meat is tongue, which even I don’t love!
Speaking of the holidays, and cooking and baking together as a family… What’s one dessert you think every family should make together?
Rugelach again! It’s just so versatile. You can make different fillings, freeze extra dough, and bake a small batch whenever you want. You look like you’ve got your whole life together when really, you just defrosted a disc of pre-made dough.
When I wrote my dessert cookbook years ago, I didn’t have kids yet, so I didn’t realize how many people love baking as a family. Now, seeing parents and kids baking from my book together, that’s come full circle for me.
We also make hamantaschen every year, even when my daughter was much younger. She loves scooping the filling and pinching the sides. Some are prettier than others, but they all taste great.
If someone wants to start cooking Jewish food for the first time, what’s a good place to start?
Latkes, for sure. They’re familiar — fried potatoes are universally loved — and they come with a great story from the Hanukkah tradition. They’re simple to make, and they help people get over that fear of cooking for others. I always say, it’s just food. Your guests are there to see you, not judge your latke technique.
For dessert, I’d recommend mandel bread. It’s kind of like a softer Jewish biscotti, and you can mix up the fillings and toppings however you want. Or try a honey cake with pomegranate glaze for something bright and colorful. I’m always trying to add color to Ashkenazi dishes, such as a pop of pink glaze or fresh herbs, that just makes everything more vibrant.
How do you balance honoring tradition while making a recipe your own?
I think tradition and evolution go hand in hand. Jewish food has always changed based on where people lived and what ingredients they had. If my ancestors in Poland had avocados, I’m sure they would’ve used them!
When I toured with my cookbook, people would tell me, “That’s not how my grandmother made brisket.” And I’d laugh and say, “Okay, but do you think your grandmother’s onion soup mix was 2,000 years old?” Food evolves and that’s part of the story. The important thing is that it still connects you to your roots, just in a way that fits the times.
What do you hope your daughter takes away from growing up around all this cooking and tradition?
I just want her to feel proud of who she is and to find joy in it. So much about being Jewish can feel serious — and that’s important — but I also want her to see the fun, the creativity, and the community in it.
When I started my blog, I didn’t even think of Jewish food as “Jewish.” It was just normal to me. But moving to places like Austin and San Francisco made me realize how special and unique it is to share those recipes and traditions with others. Now my daughter and I go to JCC holiday events together, bake, do crafts, and celebrate — it’s joyful. And that’s the point.
What’s one skill every home cook should work on?
Confidence. I went to culinary school after starting my blog, and what I really learned was the “why” behind recipes. Like why you braise brisket or how baking powder works. Once you understand that, you can make anything.
So learn a little technique, trust your instincts, and don’t panic if something goes wrong. You can always fix it… Or worst case, order a pizza. Cooking’s supposed to be fun, not stressful.
