Adeena Sussman in Conversation with Melissa Clark

The dining room table is covered with a pristine white cloth, candles flicker and the kiddush cup stands ready to be filled. With the blessings about to begin, the family gathers excitedly, drawn by the aroma of chicken or beef brisket sizzling in the oven, of noodle kugel or roasted potatoes baking to a golden hue.

This is the image of the tantalizing meal that welcomes in the magic of Shabbat. But doesn’t the same menu grow a little boring week after week?

As a child, cookbook author Adeena Sussman always looked forward to the traditional Shabbat dinner that fed her soul. But in her own kitchen, she feeds it by mixing things up — and in her latest book, Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours, she shows you how to follow suit.

Add some figs and pomegranate to your brisket. Roast kohlrabi instead of potatoes. Brighten up your table with sweet-and-tart eggplant salad, serve up homemade tomato jam to slather onto your challah and end your glorious dinner with a showstopping lemon and black sesame Bundt cake!

Adeena returns to the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center stage for a conversation with The New York Times’ Melissa Clark not only to talk about such culinary strategies but about the delights of Shabbat in her adopted home, Israel, the traditions of local cooks and the magic of a family gathering to celebrate the Sabbath Queen.

Adeena Sussman is the author or coauthor of 14 cookbooks, including Sababa, named a Best Fall 2019 cookbook by The New York Times, Bon Appétit and Food & Wine.

On the staff of The New York Times, where she writes the “A Good Appetite” column, Melissa Clark is the author of 45 cookbooks, a James Beard Award winner and a former judge on Iron Chef America.