When a Cookbook Becomes a Book: Rescuing Recipes, Preserving Stories | Mara Baumgarten Force + Alon Shaya Moderated by: Golan Moskowitz

Award-winning chef Alon Shaya shares the story behind Rescued Recipes, his project bringing to life the handwritten Holocaust-era cookbook preserved by survivor Steven Fenves, who rebuilt his life in the United States—illuminating how a family recipe book became part of the American Jewish story. He is joined by Maura Baumgarten Force, the Director of the Schwartz Family Center for Experiential Business Learning at Tulane, and a collaborator on the Rescued Recipes project. Moderated by Tulane professor Golan Moskowitz, whose work bridges Jewish memory, storytelling, and identity, this conversation traces how intimate recipe collections evolve into public narratives that “publish” and preserve American Jewish experience for future generations. The New Orleans Book Festival brings the world’s leading authors to Tulane University for a multi-day celebration of their works. The Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and convenes readings, panel discussions, symposia and keynote speeches. It provides an opportunity for outlets, authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in the world.