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Joan Nathan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joan Nathan
Born (1943-01-26) January 26, 1943 (age 83)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Michigan (M.A.) Harvard University (M.P.A.)
Occupations
  • Food journalist
  • Author
  • TV producer
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
SubjectJewish cooking
Notable works
  • Jewish Cooking in America
  • The Jewish Holiday Kitchen
  • The New American Cooking
Websitejoannathan.com

Joan Nathan (born January 26, 1943)[1] is an American cookbook author and newspaper journalist. She has produced TV documentaries on the subject of Jewish cuisine. She was a co-founder of New York's Ninth Avenue Food Festival under then-Mayor Abraham Beame. The Jerusalem Post has called her the "matriarch of Jewish cooking".[2][3]

Education

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Joan Nathan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Jewish parents Pearl (née Gluck) Nathan and Ernest Nathan. After receiving a master's degree in French literature from the University of Michigan, she earned another master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[4] As a food journalist she has visited, among other places, France[5] and Brazil,[6] uncovering new dishes or researching Jewish cuisine.

Career

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Television

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She was executive producer and host of Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, a PBS series based on her cookbook, Jewish Cooking in America.[4] The series follows Nathan as she travels across the United States, visiting the kitchens of celebrities, chefs, and other notable Jewish cooks as she explores Jewish culture and history throughout the nation.[7] The success of the series helped Nathan earn the distinction of being called the "Jewish Julia Child" in the media.[8] In 2000, the series was nominated for best national television food show at the James Beard Awards.[9]

Journalism

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Nathan has contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines, including Saveur, Food & Wine, The Denver Post, Better Homes and Gardens, CNN, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.[10] She is a regular food columnist for The New York Times and Tablet.[11]

Cookbooks

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Nathan has written twelve cookbooks, winning numerous awards for them. Six are about Jewish cuisine and two on Israeli cuisine. Her goal is to preserve Jewish traditions by interviewing cooks and documenting their recipes and stories for posterity.[12]

In 1985, An American Folklife Cookbook won the R.T. French Tastemaker Award (now the James Beard Award). The New American Cooking won the James Beard and IACP Awards for Food of the Americas and Best American Cookbook. She was guest curator of Food Culture USA at the 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which was based on the research for her book.[4]

Two decades later, in 2005, Jewish Cooking in America won the Julia Child Award for Best Cookbook of the Year, and the James Beard Award (again) for Food of the Americas.[13] In 2017, the IACP: International Association of Culinary Professionals honored Jewish Cooking in America as a Culinary Classic.

  • The Flavor of Jerusalem (1975), with Judy Stacey Goldman. ISBN 978-0-316-59843-9
  • The Jewish Holiday Kitchen (1979) ISBN 978-0-8052-0724-8
  • An American Folklife Cookbook (1984) ISBN 978-0-8052-3914-0
  • The Children's Jewish Holiday Kitchen (1987) ISBN 978-0-8052-4130-3
  • Jewish Cooking in America (1994) ISBN 978-0-375-40276-0
  • The Jewish Holiday Baker (1997) ISBN 978-0-8052-4142-6
  • The Foods of Israel Today (2001) ISBN 978-0-679-45107-5
  • Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook (2004) ISBN 978-0-8052-4217-1
  • The New American Cooking (2005) ISBN 978-1-4000-4034-6
  • Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France (2010) ISBN 978-0-307-26759-7
  • King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World (2017) ISBN 978-0-385-35114-0
  • My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories (2024) ISBN 978-0-525-65898-6
  • A Sweet Year: Jewish Celebrations and Festive Recipes, (2024) ISBN 978-0-593-80189-5

Personal life

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Israel

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She lived in Israel for three years working for Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem.[14]

Marriage

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Nathan was married to the late Allan Gerson, an attorney, and has three children and two grandchildren.[11] She divides her time between Washington, D.C. and Martha's Vineyard.[4]

Awards

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  • 2018, Creativity Moment Award, Moment Magazine [citation needed]
  • 2015, Grande Dame Award, Les Dames d'Escoffier International [citation needed]
  • 2011, [with her husband, Allan] Special Recognition Award from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research for her contribution to preserving Jewish culture [15]
  • 2008, MacDowell Fellow, the MacDowell Colony [citation needed]
  • 2005, Silver Spoon Award, Food Arts Magazine [citation needed]
  • 2002, Honorary doctorate from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Culture [citation needed]
  • 2001, Inductee into James Beard Foundation's Who's Who in American Food and Beverage [citation needed]
  • 1998, Jewish Daily Forward "Forward 50"
  • 1995, Golda Award, American Jewish Congress [citation needed]
  • 1994, Jewish Cooking in America received the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook and later, the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award

Guest appearances

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Other

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In January 2009, she began choking on a piece of chicken at the Art.Food.Hope dinner in Washington, D.C., but was saved by chef Tom Colicchio, who performed the Heimlich maneuver.[20]

References

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  1. ↑ Ferris, Marcie Cohen (2026-01-27). "Joan Nathan". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 2026-08-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Taste Israeli food with Joan Nathan". The Jerusalem Post. November 16, 2020.
  3. ↑ The New Yorker has described her similarly as the grande dame of Jewish cooking. See: "In the Kitchen with the Grande Dame of Jewish Cooking". The New Yorker. April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Joan Nathan". Random House. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  5. ↑ Nathan, Joan (17 December 2008). "In Successful Paris Restaurant, Jewish Roots". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Nathan, Joan (20 April 2005). "In Brazil, Passover Holdovers". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "Jewish Cooking in America | Cooking Shows". PBS Food. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  8. ↑ "Jewish Julia Child' discovers the right mix". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  9. ↑ Lerner, Michele (2014-02-06). "For cookbook author Joan Nathan, a home that 'loves people'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  10. ↑ "Articles by Joan Nathan's Profile". Muck Rack. Retrieved 2026-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. 1 2 "About – Joan Nathan". Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  12. ↑ "Cooking with chutzpah", Book Section, Haaretz
  13. ↑ Joan Nathan profile, New York Times, March 28, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Israeli Hanukkah". myrecipes.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  15. ↑ "YIVO 10th Annual Heritage Dinner" (PDF). YIVO. Retrieved May 31, 2011. [dead link]
  16. 1 2 "Joan Nathan: Book Fest 07". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  17. ↑ Denchak, Melissa. "Interview with TV Chef Joan Nathan". Food and Wine. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  18. ↑ "Hannukah with Joan Nathan". Episode CL9422. Food Network. Archived from the original on 2009-10-10. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  19. ↑ "Joan Nathan: An Exotic Holiday Feast". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  20. ↑ Colicchio Uses Heimlich Maneuver to Save Cookbook Author Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Slash Food, January 19, 2009.
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