How Pacific NW Chef Sonya Sanford Braids the Jewish Diaspora Into Every Dish

by Tara Dublin

“They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!”

That may be the underlying theme of all Jewish holidays, which is perhaps why every traditional holiday meal is focused on the pure comfort and pleasure of tucking into a plate full of food prepared with and surrounded by love.

In her new cookbook, Braids: Recipes From My Pacific Northwest Jewish Kitchen, Chef Sonya Sanford explores those feelings as she weaves her unique life experiences into the traditional recipes handed down for generations from our ancestors.

The recipes in Braids are inspired by Sanford’s experience growing up in a Soviet Jewish immigrant home in the Pacific Northwest, by her adventures in living and cooking in cities along the West Coast and Hawaii, and running her own restaurant, Beetroot Market & Deli, in Portland, Oregon.

Born in Seattle to Soviet-immigrant parents, Sonya graduated from Reed College in Portland and spent her early professional life working in the film industry in Los Angeles before pivoting to a career as a chef.

Soon after moving back to Portland, Sonya opened Beetroot. Specializing in Jewish diasporic cuisine, Ukrainian and Soviet food, and Pacific Northwest seasonal cooking, she regularly contributes to The Nosher. Her writing has also been featured in Tablet Magazine, The Jerusalem Post, JTA News, Hey Alma, and in local Jewish outlets across the country. She also co-hosts Food Friends, a weekly podcast all about home cooking, with her close friend, Kari Lauritzen.

Sonya will be sharing some of her favorite dishes to help launch Hadassah in Portland at the Eastside Jewish Commons on Sunday, August 13th.

Ahead of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jewish Life Now spoke to Sonya about her love for both cooking and teaching others just how simple it can be to start making their own food memories. (some answers have been edited for clarity)

JEWISH LIFE NOW: What is your favorite food memory centered around the High Holidays?

SONYA SANFORD: When I think about the High Holidays, I immediately recall sitting around my grandmother’s table. She came from Ukraine, and in our family, it was traditional to have a four-course meal that always started with “zakuski” — a huge spread of salads and dips, gefilte fish and smoked fish, and/or chopped liver. I always piled my plate full of eggplant caviar, homemade gravlax, and her marinated peppers… and challah of course.

JLN: That sounds so good, I can taste it right now. What is it about Jewish food that makes it just so comforting, even for non-Jews?

SS: I would say that Jewish food, in its essence across the Diaspora, is centered on comfort. Many Jewish dishes are designed to be shared, and often there’s a spiritual purpose behind certain mainstay foods — whether that’s a meal eaten around the Shabbat table, prepared for Pesach, or even one that’s dropped off at a community member’s doorstep during a time of need.

Additionally, whether you’re making Ashkenazi-style brisket or a Sephardic hamin, most Jewish cuisine is rooted in simple ingredients, done well. It’s hard for that not to be comforting. To be fair, this is true of many cuisines — who doesn’t like a good dumpling, a bowl of saucy pasta, a heartwarming curry… and also, who doesn’t like lox and bagel or a potato boureka?

JLN: People who have never tried them! Which is a great lead into my next question: If you could cook one Jewish meal as an example of what our history would look like on a plate, what would it be?

SS: The most wonderful thing about Jewish food is how incredibly varied it is across the diaspora. For me, one of Jewish food’s only defining traits is the laws of kashrut; and even that has evolved in recent years.

I love our rich culinary diversity; and it’s hard for me to pinpoint a meal that defines all of Jewish cuisine. I love that a Jewish meal can mean bourekas and harira, kneidlach and gefilte fish, gondi and tahdig, schnitzel and salatim, or a fish masala and malpua. Perhaps the one meal I would cook would attempt to include many of these dishes.

That said, if I were to cook one meal that was an example of my own Jewish lineage and family’s story it would be a feast of challah and brown bread, borscht, smoked fish, latkes, and honey cake served with fruit preserves.

JLN: Which all sound amazing, if not a bit intimidating for a novice chef. What would you recommend as a “starter Jewish meal” for anyone who might be a bit overwhelmed by such a deep and delicious history?

SS: I think one of the best meals a novice chef can master is chicken soup. It’s endlessly versatile and foundational to so many Jewish folks. It’s also very hard to mess up. Once you learn to make a basic chicken soup, you can start building from there — add-on noodles, matzo balls, and eventually even homemade kreplach.

I also think challah is a wonderful gateway bread if you’re learning to bake. It’s far more forgiving and simpler than many other bread recipes, and even if your loaf ends up a little misshapen or under-proofed, or any number of “imperfections”, everyone is always thrilled to share a home baked braided bread.

JLN: If only I had enough stomachs to eat everything we’ve talked about! Since we’re coming up on the New Year, who would be sitting around your table at your dream Rosh Hashanah dinner?

SS: Rosh Hashanah is my favorite holiday, and almost every year my table is filled with friends and family; some are Jewish, some are not, some are local, and some come to visit from afar.

If I could invite anyone on the planet to join our annual gathering it would be Mel Brooks, Ina and Jeffrey Garten, and Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.
Learn more about Chef Sonya Sanford and check out the amazing recipes on her website: www.sonyastanford.com