Our heritage

This cookbook is dedicated to Nanny.

She was my inspiration and teacher in the kitchen. Disaster frequently followed her in the kitchen, but she always made sure her family sat down to a delicious three-course meal every night.

I also have to acknowledge my Grandma Ida Builder, who was an amazing cook. I remember her making blintzes in our small Glen Oaks apartment. The crepes (bletels) would be spread out all over the kitchen. I only wish I had learned to make her challah.

The recipes here come from all over the family — Nanny and Poppy, aunts and uncles, in-laws, old friends, and the occasional borrowed classic — collected and tested in Barbara’s kitchen.