Food & Foodies Open the 21st Annual Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival; Thursday, November 7, 2013

Three food fanatics open the 21st Annual Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival with “Food & Foodies” on Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. in the Herbert Gilman Theater at the Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117. This event will be moderated by local professionally-trained chef, businesswoman and foodie blogger, Martha Kalen.

Mark Russ Federman is the author of Russ & Daughters, Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built, which tells the story of the beloved store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He has appeared individually and on panels at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Public Library, and the conference of the Association of Food Journalists. Federman and his family’s store, Russ & Daughters, were most recently featured on the PBS documentary The Jews of New York; on Lidia Bastianich’s PBS series Lidia Celebrates America; and on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.

Allen Salkin is the author of From Scratch: Inside The Food Network introduces readers to the big personalities and high drama—the extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of the Food Network, the business, media and cultural juggernaut that changed the way America thinks about food. He has been a journalist for several publications, including New York magazine, The Village Voice, and Details. He has also produced video interviews with celebrity chefs and appeared on E! True Hollywood Story: Chris Farley.

Louisa Shafia’s latest cookbook, The New Persian Kitchen brings a healthy perspective to classic Persian recipes while weaving in facts and stories about Persia’s culture and history. Shafia is a restaurant consultant, food writer, and recipe developer, who has cooked at restaurants in San Francisco and New York, and more recently has helped restaurants develop healthy menus, taught cooking classes at venues around the country, and created original recipes for magazines including Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, Food Network Magazine, Prevention, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and Better Homes and Gardens.

The year-long festival includes three more signature author events, children’s events, book club programs, and Jewish Book Week. Tickets to Jewish Book Festival Signature Series events are $20 per person. Tickets are on sale via mail, in person, fax, or online at the Mandell JCC Box Office, 860-231-6316, 860-233-0802 (fax), tickets@mandelljcc.org and at www.mandelljcc.org. Patron and sponsorship opportunities available.