Zoë Gilbard is a sophomore at Brown University. She is spirited and sweet – a bit like the dish we made together. Her apple cake is a rather recent tradition, but it soon became a staple in her house.
In high school, Zoe was the head of her Jewish Heritage Club. Amongst the sea of latkes made for each event, Zoe noticed a void waiting to be filled: dessert! She researched a bit online, and found an apple cake she soon made for the international food fair at her school. |
Not wanting to waste leftovers of this treat, Zoe headed door to (classroom) door. The cake gained popularity quickly, and soon Zoe was making one or two cakes for every holiday or school event. To meet the demand, baking became a family activity. Zoe and her mom often make the cake together, with her dad drifting in and out, coring apples as necessary.
Apart from apple cake, foods such as brisket, kugel, and bagels are important pieces of Zoe’s Judaism as well. These foods are part of her family traditions. Eating bagels every Sunday may not be religious, but Zoe views it as “culturally necessary.”
While food is an essential element of Zoe’s Judaism, there are many other important parts. In an effort to challenge the perception that Jewish holidays are only about food, Zoe began to speak to people about what the holidays truly mean. The apple cake caught everyone’s attention, and she noticed that people were willing to listen as then ate. For Zoe, the cake “became a vessel for [her] to talk about Judaism with people who weren’t Jewish.”
Food is community. It’s a professor’s wife chasing Zoe down the hall, begging for the apple cake recipe. It’s Zoe’s cousin spending all day making the perfect brisket. It’s congregants from her synagogue coming together with their own interpretations of traditional food, all offering a unique dish. It’s Zoe’s mom staying up to bake and keep her daughter company while she studies. It’s Zoe sharing this recipe at Brown, and teaching others about her culture on a full stomach.