Table 4 two 10 20 17

[Music] good morning everybody we are back here after yontiff you are listening to table for two with Niemi now and on the nighttime seagull Network I am so excited it's been ages since we've been here it is after hug when you are listening to this I feel like so much time has gone by and we are thrilled to be back on air with a brand new show always exciting I love I love my job and I love meeting all the great people we've had so far season six has been rocking and rolling and eating a lot of eating for those who don't know me only I mean I and I'm about all the food all the time I know I can hear you certain asleep I'm a kosher personal chef cookbook author I give cooking classes run chopped competitions anything food related I'm somehow involved with which is a little crazy so I want to hear about your food experiences - how was your trip did you make anything from my book let me know or anything you made on your own or eight somewhere it was fun went somewhere that was fun let me know because I'd really love to hear this coming Sunday is the Crown Heights food crawl so excited for that okay we have the guys on the air a couple weeks ago took home like four burgers because we couldn't eat anymore after that great show but we're really excited to continue and talk and we have an amazing line-up just before we talk about my guests I just want to do a quick restaurant roundup it's been a little while since I've done one we spoke about on last time on last show we spoke about Memphis and how fabulous the Memphis restaurants restaurant was in it's actually located in the JCCC but I really loved it and of course wikiz cookies but now let's give Toronto st. and st. Louis and Brooklyn some shout outs in Toronto I went to two places a couple weeks ago went for a family wedding and at a place called the pantry absolutely fabulous out-of-the-box dairy restaurant which I really appreciate I feel like they all serve the same food but this was really different so if you're a big if you're in Toronto or maybe just go there to eat I don't know you know me I would travel anywhere to eat so go try out the pantry and Hermes bakery I hope I'm saying that correctly they had a cockroach cake that was to die for chocolate using our owns by my friends family fakie Grossman's family long-time Torontonian family if that's how you say it and I just absolutely squeezed out that pumpkin from the cockroach cake that chocolate filling was insane people had told me about it and then I got to try and it was absolutely fabulous okay st. Louis the Ted Drewes ice cream genie Klein had told us about a teeny zero-g from st. Louis now she's in Florida we miss her terribly sending you kisses Dini from New York it's at Ted Drewes he was a guy and not Jewish guy who owned a massive ice cream place out and say Louis iconic looks like the 1960s if you had gone onto my Instagram stories you will have seen how fantastic that place is look so Americana and the guy had heart surgery and his doctor was Jewish and the doctor he's after he had a great recovery Ted said to his doctor what can I do for you and he said make your Ted ice cream you're Terry's ice cream kosher and he did and it has become just such a popular thing hangout for Jews and non-jews alike to eat incredible that it's not really called ice cream it's called custard because I think the high percent of fat if it has took more than like readers ice cream it has more than a certain amount of fat it's actually called a custard not ice cream so there you go little health back there or non health fact shout out some Iraqi in Flatbush on right off fire Kings Highway amazing food by chef may or Ellie oz everyone go follow him go to Meraki it's actually power of all Sephardic Moroccan Israeli food brilliant it's one of the best Israeli restaurants outside of Israel and to my dear good friend I saved the best last hi sir Elena and her husband Shlomi opens up it's called bread very local it's not the supermarket let's not get it confused it is amazing it's a cafe inside an office building of our park salads soups sushi wraps yogurt bar granola bar overnight news Li you name it they've got a pastry cook dairy pastries why would you have power of pastries when you enter milk like restaurant like amazing so everybody please go follow bread very local and go eat there it's actually might even be worth the trip to borrow a platform seriously you just have to find parking yeah but I just wanted to do a little restaurant round up while it's taking me over and we don't want to think about cooking we can actually go out to eat so give them a little shout out um so let's go back a couple of weeks in time my good friend chef a Tampin f-8 Brenda and I'm single network has been on the studio at least four or five times it's joining me today on the phone cuz chef a times actually in 10th grade so he couldn't make it him couldn't make it in so it dragged him out of the kitchen and we have thrilled to have him on air he's back at school because he had so much time off from school over the Hokkien that he is he couldn't come in so we're gonna have him today over the phone we'll have him in in the studio again welcome chef a Tom Burnett hi Naomi how are you good you are a superstar beyond words thank you you too you are too kind by really you ever superstar you grew like 10,000 followers over the summer yeah it was amazing I was with a lot of really cool people kind of exposure and I just did a lot of work working hard and yeah it really paid off you know it's amazing when you say working hard this kid is I don't want to call you a kid it's not it's not he's a young adult because he's wise and and and know so much and and has deep insight into everything and a ton you are amazing thank you let's talk about the highlight of last month because I guess now it's three four weeks later after the show has aired tell us about how you ended up on Food Network so as you may have remembered back yeah what happened I was 11 I had this goes way back back when I was 11 I had just filmed chopped that my episode of chop still hadn't come out yet I couldn't tell anyone and I'd met guys see Eddie at at a book signing front of his books and there were hundreds of people there so I couldn't tell him I was in I was out tell anyone but he's guys Yeti so I'm sure I could have told him he's one of those famous Food Network Stars but there were hundreds of people there so I couldn't tell him but when I met him I like totally dressed up I said what the perm before I dressed up like him I had this whole wig his goatee glasses chef's jacket everything and I wore that there and she like flipped out he like put on his sunglasses army honey sit down his chair it was like crazy and cemented at that time and then about a year ago I let him again at a book signing it's kind of like crazy I've heard about it like I think I'll Instagram I saw him post about it during the school day that she was doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Paramus I believe or some marginal were very close to my school and I go I now go to my mom's the school when I works at fresh and so I ran her off so like mom I need to do guys Yeti again tonight so it was a crazy night so so I went and you're waited on line for hours and then when I met him again the coolest part was he actually remembered me I mean how could he forget my crazy costume and so I met him again Sami was able to talk about chops but my whole cooking career on my food blog which was really awesome to tell my idol about that and then at the end I given him my business card said if you have time I said my blog you know he's a super busy guy and everything probably went off time lo and behold we're driving home and literally no less than 20 minutes later I had waiting in my inbox and email from one of his people asking me to be on the show it was like the best it was like the best email subject line like in the whole world it was like guy's grocery games want to speak to a top want to speak to a time per guy's request slipped out yet I would literally be my mom were on the side of my house my mom sorry my mom were on the side of the house one second or you car alarm just went off hear me my mom were freaking out on the side of her house that I got on the show it was crazy well then I had a garbage show but that he asked to interview me for the show and and then so we were freaking out and then you know tons of interviews emails different interview questions later if we found out I got on the show and I was flown out to it was in near San Francisco with my mom and we filmed the episode which was so much fun and here we filming episode and I was on a superfan episode because I'm a guy City superfan so cool that is so cool so we had the episode aired like some Goodell yeah we literally Bruce broke out fast at the Bernath household Mumma Bernath made a beautiful milk meal for us and chef a ton made three kinds of sauces for his friends and family and we watched a ton we I wanted a ton watch a ton I was actually watching you watch yourself yeah that was fun I took some pictures of you watching yo yeah I have to send them to you so how was the next day back at school I was great everyone was super supportive a lot of people watched it coming they watched everything yeah it was it was really great you were here over the next day at school everybody want your autograph already like a time we know you're them or like ah a Tom whatever well people say oh yeah like like you know might might some of my friends are like how come everybody knows you like they don't know about the food scene so like did you do you have that still like or everybody knows that you're in the food scene then they have a following uh everyone in my school yeah it's cool you like the cool kid on the block think it okay so let's talk about what's next for a Tom Burnett that's going on now is Jeremy he's a lot of work history 101 down the hole you're not going to say that right actually I think I have washtech okay what I'm going out going on now is I have I'm doing a lot of work on my food blogging my blog so I do want to work on that you can do photography for different brands like Manischewitz that's cool I know you're getting to work for them too right I'm not sure I'm not sure where we're up to but something we've had a conversation so I'm doing that two times and so a lot of just like recipe developing different things like that also I just got you know the big it women character seems yeah I know what that is but let's explain to the feed feed to our viewers who aren't so familiar with that what's easy so the feed feed is like a crowdsource the website and Instagram page just probably thought of social media but their main thing is their website their Instagram and he kind of like highlight different food bloggers and people all over social media and internet and Instagram they have around 1.3 million followers 1.3 million that's insane yeah and and yeah so I just got I done in the past but I doesn't miss in the past but I just got a regular spot on their Instagram story somebody to do cooking lives and doing like different cooking demo live without live sorry like short videos and you know the Instagram story for their account which is really exciting because that's great exposure and there are a ton of fun to do I am so proud and so impressed we are freaking out for you that is amazing amazing so what kind of things have you done for them for Fifi what kind of annoys her recipes link from my blog I think I've done okay people remember he's in the middle of a school day this guy is amazing aha I think you did a pizza one once right oh yeah yeah I did like the person I didn't like perfect margherita pizza so I was saying along those lines I've done I've done like I think at least four or five but now it's really great to have a regular spotter so I'm not sure if it's like monthly or every other week sign like that but I'm really excited for it it's unbelievable you just grow Baruch Hashem every day it's it's amazing watching really and and and you know we keep this in perspective and I'm not putting down he's young he's in the tenth grade and he's managing school and he just really well in school mama tells me yeah I know mama bionaire for good friends Karina tells me he's a good a ton is a very good student this is not like something he'd do because he's not an academic he's smart boy so he's just focused and driven and it's so unusual what could you say to any of our young audience who want wants to do something in any industry what words of inspiration can you give us young and as the young adults and even my older listeners what would you give us say to everyone the adults and I say especially to the kids but also the adults anyone at any age is I really never think your dream or what you want to accomplish is like two too big or too crazy because like you really can work hard really nothing can stop you from achieving your dream like don't think oh I'm too young to compete on the Food Network let's see here at this port so I'm too young to try to do try to do professionally or art I'm too young try selling my art like your age or too old like your age really I don't think and I don't think it defines what you can accomplish that's actually very inspirational I like that okay I hope everyone takes their time can we just go back a little bit to Food Network something that I've lived and I want to share with everyone either a lot of people don't have televisions they couldn't watch it live but some people had watch it through into in air through Instagram a ton wore his yarmulke he didn't take it off and wore a baseball cap to pretend he wasn't Jewish or from he worries yarmulke on set so proudly such a kiddush Hashem I just know that Hashem had so much nos as well as with the rest of us but how did you know what to make if you couldn't taste the food what was the process there could you share that with us so yes obviously he said I did wear my keeper and obviously also cannot tasting the food so I mean I'm sorry upfront with them whenever I audition for any TV shows I tell them right away that I don't like trying to hide it and I'm just show up on the show and then not taste anything like I let them know like I can't tasting the food I make but I just cook non-coastal think the only thing that I can't cook you can cook not just taste is mixing media milks I'm very upfront with them so they know they do a lot of research so that they make sure like the challenges they give you like they want to give me a challenger for making like a Philly cheese steak sandwich or a cheeseburger cuz they know I can't write so I just want to pause that this is actually something about hahaha I know this because I've got friends who've gone to chef school who could not eat anything even if you're not eating it or you're giving it to an someone who's not Jewish you still are not allowed to cook meat and milk together so yes and they understood that and they understood that and respected that yes they were amazing with that and then luckily I'm sure we each got a network star mentor to help out give us guidance and and kind of just like if we have a question or whatever be in the kitchen part of this part of like in the round guy would let them in in the kitchen actually help us cook so I did have our leave my mentor Aarti Sequeira search to Clara and she was really great they didn't show as much didn't show it all on the show remember it it's highly edited down it's actually two days of filming going to the one-hour episode and she was like mighty sponsors she when I made for example the turkey burger she was the one who took a piece of piece it to make sure that it was seasoned writer she tried the guacamole she tried my salsa verde all those different things that was really great having her to try it when I when I'm chopping I was loving actually didn't have anyone so that I really was just nope I really I was just hoping like what I put was good and you were at the time crazy yeah I know one rabbi hefted it one he asked one of these fellow contestants to try his food right amazing amazing what a rock star what a rock star the summer was amazing for you your presence currently what you're up to right now is amazing we cannot wait to see what you've got up to we're gonna a tan you've got your tickets already for a kosher feast and blogger conference and yep and it's at my counter and it's in the calendar we're giving you a note from school we've got a busy exciting day because the rest of the in the rest of the hour on tea table for two is going to be with talking about Melinda on the phone talking about Jewish food media conference and esti Berkowitz in the house in the studio will hi hi so we're gonna talk to st about that also hm thank you so much for joining us oh thank you for having ya always it's funny with that we're doing a phone interview you've always been able to get out of class to get here but I know it's a bit hard right now right after the hugging so please say isn't your mother the head of the math department hello we couldn't get you out for that yeah it's okay what we'll do it we'll do this again soon 8:00 and good luck everything give our best to their kids in the fresh congratulations to the whole fresh school for having you part of their team and and being doing so well a ton can we tell them I mean it's already aired so we know that a ton was not the winner of the grand prize but he was the winner with all of us because he was there did you get to take home some prizes yes we did get to keep actually well one thing I brought I printed out this like canvas prints of I've got of guys Yeti because I have different people like I hang up a lot of different people I look up to my room so I brought that after after we had finished filming and we were about to leave I asked I could see guy again with it in his trailer and I talked to him for a minute and I had him sign that and also I had brought him to take the picture of me dressed up as him with him from the first time at him so I gave that to him that you actually asked me to sign which is pretty cool and then additionally me and Austin the other runner-up we both got 2500 I did as well plus each other chef gets he comas like it's likely signed by all the Food Network Stars which was really awesome that's cool really that's the hair above for everything and I will see you in a couple of weeks at the all the food that food trifecta nakusha food trifecta yeah look forward to see you guys all right thanks a ton regard to where your parents oh thank you it's humble and I say hi when she comes out oh yes Milind is gonna be over the phone alright not coming into this year we're gonna have there we're gonna have Melinda by phone Oh awesome thank you so much for having me alright thanks a time bye go do you matter thank you goodbye a chef a time Bernath isn't he amazing Estie I can't I can't believe he's so young I know right and so skilled he said what to do he's a wise old soul he's family - yeah great fam mom and dad a social support if the schools are so supportive oh we went to the viewing party with the Strauss's and some of his Roubaix who came also from fresh it's just really inspirational and to have that keeper on his head and as I said like he could have won a baseball cap easily get the right thing and he did the right thing he was too cool for school that kid okay hey time thank you for being an inspiration to me and olders everyone in the industry Wow yes they follow along chef a ton beneath this is table for two with the yummy Nachman on the neck I'm seagull Network right here on the Lower East Side it is a fantastic hour that we're having we've started off with a big kick off with a ton okay I have st Berkowitz in the studio were supposed to have Melinda Strauss in as well in the studio and she was going to be my ride home sorry cuz Melinda I live in the same neighborhood and I came early this morning by train cuz I went to the farmers market first whenever I can I try to go to Union Square just to walk around and spend some people spend a lot of money on candy and nosh I spend a lot of money on fruits and vegetables because I love seasonal fruits and vegetables from local farmers and I kind of bought a lot of stuff and waiting for Melinda after the studio she was gonna drive me back from the pommel and is not feeling well so referral Emma to you mail and feel better so we're gonna bring Melinda onto the phone in a little bit but every year we try to get together I think we've already done a little interview earlier on in the year but now as we get closer we are getting close this is airing October 20th so kosher fair is we're talking about four weeks away very clever Eric give or take so it's really exciting SD you are the founder along with your friend our friend Roberta sure yes out there in Atlanta Georgia when did you start kosher feast we're in our seventh year seven well I think I've been to I think four or four four or five of them I think I missed the first two you did you did cuz the first one really was in a conference room at the Jeffords I mean yeah not the Javits in the middle and sorry sorry Secaucus that's when originally there was no Instagram there was really Twitter and we kind of reached out online to say who's gonna be at kosher fest so we found out and we had a conference room upstairs so that was really the beginning was that feasting involved there was food and I can't remember what it was but it was great so the whole thing really evolved and the next year we grew we went to a restaurant and we we sold out and then we had to continue growing because more and more people came onto the scene more and more people were discovering that they wanted to use a platform to showcase their talents their skills their passions so we now are in our seventh year and we plan to have an extraordinary event with incredible people who in fact you know Sharon Shannon Sarna you know she came to one of her the second one and she's come every year and that's before the not sure you know she had just started with the Nasher so who knew that she was going to become a cookbook author and a personality I mean making these videos so it's so nice to see like she even said that's where she met I believe le Revati who is dinner in Venice who I haven't heard much from lately but in those days the group wasn't so big right it was small right Alexandre Revati Alexandre sorry Alexandre I'm charlie yeah yeah yeah she you know and Liz rivain came and you know we had of course Louis held and and Roberta but we all really discussed what it was about us that maybe was missing and what we were doing so the network in the community started and then it just kept growing and as you see you know you wouldn't have your show at that point there was no table for two there was no table for two this is our sixties sixth season I joined halfway through five through the first I remember I remember because I came on and you had Ilan and Abby Wolin remember oh my god yeah happy not too shabby yeah that'll be great thank you really early on so it's so I just want to thank you Naomi for being an MC extraordinary no and not just that but you have a lot of marketing insight you have your your on the pulse of what's happening not bad for kindergarten teacher right I think you learn everything in kindergarten isn't there a book about that oh wait we think I need to know I learned in Timothy got it yes yeah school I started right here on the Lower East Side teaching kindergarten CK I have a question for you so all those kindergarten teachers don't give up you never know where you're gonna be where you gonna be I love kid that's my first love is kindergarten teaching right here at the mtj and then the education Alliance seek agent you got em TJ yeah yeah and it was I'm over there when you were there no I was long gone probably I'm way out of it yes so you really have thank you in there you know looking out for us critiquing right really important yeah I say like how it is and I'm actually like my personality is very like the nice Midwest girl because like you know I'm from suburbs of Chicago but nevertheless being in New York these amount of years that I have you know it's helped been here now 15 years I'm here 25 okay years on me so buddy in ten years but this whole thing I'd have it is yeah you know really what started with kosher feast is because I had gone to other conferences for mom bloggers because that's really where I started she's an amazing mummy blogger and I'm just gonna she gets flown by Disney to go to Disney World to blog about Disney that's how big it was okay let's put things into perspective to you know it's it's actually the beauty of these opportunities comes from meeting people in person making a connection and following up because you never know who might have a have a need to have somebody go to an event and that the trip was actually for the opening of Fantasyland the New Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom it was phenomenal those experiences but as a mom blogger who just so happens to be kosher they were accommodating so I always have a high respect for these big mainstream companies and corporations who didn't mind you know look at a temper nap it's okay you're kosher so come on the Food Network you know and other people Dini delivers and people really making those connections in Main Street ami Kreitzer what you want to eat she's working I see with Pottery Barn you know there's a crossover okay so mom blogger but also kosher feeder in the home right so all of these things contribute to why kosher feasts had to start because I as an attendee a blogger which I'm sure you've heard of it's a major what is it your mom blog conference I don't know anything about it so this conference is huge and cold blog her get it blog her okay and I have to give a shout out to Beth Rosen y'all see oh my gosh she's the one that told me to start a blog she said show your story cuz I'm not I didn't grow up religious at all it happened in my 30s so there's a story there obviously oh what's what happened to all those 30 years well you'll have to read the blog to find out prime time parent dime time prime time you know look what a ton said don't give up on your dreams in my 30s I switched my whole life around started keeping kosher traded in my pants for skirts my family thought I was nuts really and they worried most about guess what eating out at restaurants where are we gonna eat because that's a big Jewish thing we always went out to restaurants all the time it was Jewish but not kosher we still got a coffee shop but now I had to introduce well kosher is cool really where are we gonna go you know in those days you have to think back this is 2002 we don't have what we had today right now even in the Chicago area you had to go all the ways to West Rogers Park to get a slice of pizza nothing like what we have today would you follow Naomi's feed and feed yourself because you know you're showing the world st. Louis who knew they had stuff I mean that's far from me six hours I could drive there but this whole transition and my husband is so funny because he's also in his family the only one he became observant later in life and when our parents met each other for the first time they said so will your if she marries my husband son will they go out to restaurants you know that was the conversation where are we gonna eat but thankfully the food scene has evolved it is gourmet it's fascinating I mean pomegranate you know and Lobby granite bread very gourmet clot seasons all of them yeah errands you know you could get almost everything look at that Indian place and Stanford navaratna I mean who knew that's what's a Louis has an Indian kosher place and so does so to Seattle right because there it's easy to keep a Indian restaurant kosher it is it's fascinating so again okay so vegetarian ya know I've had this couple weeks or things need some chicken soup I need some chicken soup right away any cures for the kind there's no more great there's no time for you to have a cold remember the Grand Elio ratna's Oh ratna's I couldn't get chickens if I could get an onion soup it yeah the classic deli so again this this blog her I was the only one there my kosher meal was somewhere lost in the ovens of the hotel and you know I was it was a Shabbos also so I stayed in the hotel and I walked up and down the stairwell so there's many stories of people doing that in the mainstream but most importantly is I saw how brands were getting people together around big events so why couldn't it be when kosher fest is really the biggest event for all the foodies right like I don't think there's anything else out there make an event around it so that's what we created and it's now it sells out every year and people who come have grown and been in wall street journal I mean look at Hani Applebaum look at the Applebaum rock star Wow Wall Street Journal talking about the filter fish you know the main Instagram Wyatt wine twice on The Wall Street Journal genius you know so kosher is not just you know it's so funny because I watched you in Memphis was it and you showed the kosher section yeah walk through the question section there's those typical Kroger's right Oh Kroger which Oh knocks knocks knocks smokes and say no but they're getting it like but they can get it more right so that's why we have to keep doing what we're doing Oh Jamie Jenner and winn-dixie oh yes winters against it shout out and kisses to Jamie absolutely absolutely you know so here we are setting the trends people like you you're noticed by mainstream brands people want you to come to their places when you're sharing a story and that's what this network of vloggers and food people and chefs and cookbook authors and the brands that want to reach them that's what kosher feasts is about so if you're a blogger now we're not talking like WWE gourmet etc or right you don't have to take the website you can be an Instagram blogger that summer Graham is a platform an Instagram blogger so we're calling we're calling and we'll talk about that - Melinda about about the block the conference in a few minutes we'll get Melinda on the line but so in the morning there's the I call it Melinda's conference the the Jewish Linda kitchen - tested Jewish food Jewish mini conference formerly kosher food bloggers conference actly okay and then in the evening it becomes let's clarify everything in the evening adventures into kosher feast where se has said that where everybody who's in the food media industry gets to connect with each other and at certain companies and if you know of a company it's not too late we are still oh they are still taking sponsorships absolutely they want to come in and and work and connect with bloggers on a private level on a smaller level curse chef s the next day is big and huge and people flying from all over the world it's very hectic it's a little bit small acts more intimate it's that you know so you can come to that so we start off a morning with Melinda we end our day off with SD at kosher feast now it's going to be the Brooklands children museum I want everyone's missing what did I say that Jewish Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn in Crown Heights and Crown Heights and and when Sta helping SD out with some planning and we kind of like got together my house I think I made shuck sugar and sourdough that's kind of meetings yeah right yeah and we were saying like we're too big for a restaurant you know the restaurants cannot really hold the crowd we're up to 120 people we 1/2 move movement we want people to literally physically move around the room and network right but we're too big for a catering hall we don't need each small Eden Palace in in Williamsburg or the sense we like somewhere in the middle so we I know that like this idea hit me that you know a lot of events happen in museums I've gone with my husband to some events for his his his profession in in at Museum so like why don't we make it at the Museum not at the Museum let's have a night of the museum and then I thought I bet you they have an a/v room or something that we can have the Belinda's portion the Jewish food media conference and it can all be at one place and then other Jewish Jewish Museum and it synchronize and that's where the world's best food is so outside of your Shalom I'm just saying um and then it kind of all came together so beautifully Melinda loved the idea the rabbi liked the idea honey up for BAM helped put it all right that she connected us brother the library was built in her brother's memory so it's just all in to visit together okay very meaningful it was there was an amazing way that it came to get together and we're gonna talk a little bit now to Melinda but honey honey Greenbaum from honey Queen BAM events she is that coordinating the room we had to pick just the right caterer and we spoke to some amazing caterers and each one gave us a proposal but but we liked really working with Ladyface or the crowd and we are going from what one table one table one catering follow them way to star what they have we have an amazing menu get your tickets now and I just want to add one thing in between the kosher the Jewish food media conference and kosher feast they will an opportunity with mafia Alex Rapoport thought to help put together packages that will be used for the people in need you know they filled millions of people not just Jewish people so you you'll be able to come and do a mitzvah hey partake in must be are absolutely and work with must beer as well as learn and educate yourself and the Jewish food media conference and then feast in the evening feast and connect and and really and then the next day is two more days of kosher fest coming up and it's really just something very very very special we're on the phone yeah okay guys hey Mel how you feeling honey Oh dandy oh man what were foolish a lame everybody on the end knows you're not feeling well and you left me stranded in Manhattan yeah just joking loves to come in you know I always love our artisans make it more than you sit tight you get better because we need you to get better we've got the food conference coming up in a couple of weeks so we need you to get your strength back won't be a problem okay so I'm s Tina was just filling everyone in about the history of the kosher feast and you know talking a little bit bad and building up all the hype and the food and there and the reasons why everybody needs to come to this that in the industry and that wants to be in the industry or or just you know middle your fellow foodies yeah for sure but let's talk about them one of the most important things you know we love the the the food part and we love the connecting part and then it but will let's talk about the educational component of the day I call these three things the kosher trifecta the Jewish food media conference kosher feast and kosher fest we've got three things going on in one week amazing let's talk about the history of the Jewish food media formerly known as kosher kosher food bloggers conference exactly so talk about a little bit about the history well it all began Naomi with your cousin and myself which I love gel a big shout out to Shelly server the two of us that's it six years ago at this point or even more than that were actually commiserating about how there really wasn't this community within our you know within our kosher bloggers world there were most of the bloggers I mean many of the bloggers hadn't even started yet this was still really early on in the kosher blogger game starting to meet there was no Instagram yet no there was no Instagram at that point it was basically ww-whatever so the two of us had noticed that outside of the Jewish world at the kosher world you know we had met some really great bloggers through Facebook that we were building these communities with and building like I knew I was building kitchen tested with all these bloggers that weren't in my my Jewish world which was fine and there's some amazing friends that I've made but I realized it was something that was missing from our Jewish world within specifically for bloggers so we decided we're gonna put together a conference we're gonna get everyone together in one room and we're really gonna focus on branding because especially at the beginning of your blog it's what do I even want from this it's a hobby it's going to be a job so I want to make this full-time how do I make money doing this what is SEO really like I don't know there's so many people when you start out you know it's really a question of how do I get started so we put together the first kosher food bloggers conference and it was a great success I was really I didn't know what to expect or who would be there just starting to meet all these people and it really was so much fun that I couldn't help we couldn't I just I had to do it again and that's really where it started was realizing that this many people and it was I think around like 60 people that were there wanted to learn more about how to grow their blogs and their businesses and that's where it all begins like what kind of speakers do you have so in the past we've had speakers we know we've had photography speakers and we've had again people talk about search engine optimization how to get people to come to your blog what is your brand thinking of even as things like the of your blog write the name of nowadays even with Instagram and everything else it's figuring out how to brand yourself how to have things like about writing cookbooks and doing video shoots it's really run the gamut but it's really again it all it all comes back to different ways of building your brand and making money doing it making money making money which and you know it but it comes down to is when you put in the effort and you put in the time and you're helping other people it's nice to be rewarded for it and the reward comes obviously from when we hear from people and they tell us when they love our recipes and when we're really changing people's perspective on on the kitchen but it also it's really nice when you're putting that much effort into you know to actually get paid it's a job I know I love it you know people say why you're busy is so Instagram or all the time I'm like during the day I'm like cuz it's my job you're busy with your job during the day I'm busy with my job and my job part of it huge part of it is Instagram I just had a conversation with someone yesterday who I reached out to on Instagram so when I've never spoken to I've actually been following her for a little while and I and I reached out I said hey you're going to coach her back and she's like you know I never really thought about it we had Tolle conversation we switched over to what's that for mr. him just so we could really have right a conversation would you say no right yeah so one of the things that I asked her I really actually asked her you know I was telling her all these ideas that I even I had in ways she could make money I had no clue I didn't ask her are you making money with what you're doing and it turns out that she said to me oh I'm not actually making money with what I do yet but I'd like to write and I said you know bianco sure fest you gotta come to the conference because when you know going to culture fest that we love walking around meeting with brands hanging out with our you know fellows in our industry and saying no smashes and she's having fun and just being on Instagram is just such a fun we're especially like for other three of us it's also you know promoting our sponsors for our events but for someone coming to Koecher fest who's within our world it's so great the day before meeting everybody right knowing who you're going see and also knowing before you walk into kosher fest how am I going to present myself to the brand's they're standing behind those tables right and that to me is what's so important is knowing what you want from your whether it's a job or a hobby knowing what you want from it so that when you talk to these different brands and especially with new products out that you can introduce yourself and and sell yourself and make yourself valuable to them no it's it's it's true and I really hope no this is open to anyone you know these are not kosher fest is for professionals and people in the industry yeah right and then make it much tougher this year than they've ever done before for us for the for for the press or for anyone mm-hmm you know they what they don't want people just coming into the world's biggest kid express different a fresh best there won't you in the industry legit and they're gonna check you out if you're in the industry kosher fest calm it's a place to go oh absolutely right but for for these event for Jewish food media conference and why did you switch the name Melinda so last so before this year it was the kosher food bloggers conference and we we took a hiatus last year I took a hiatus from the event was doing construction and there was just a lot going on and what ended up happening was that so many people were reaching out and saying what's happening to the conference are you gonna do it again next year and I was like you know it I'm doing it again and what I realized is over the course of that full year that we took a break instagram has become everything I mean it is boss it is religious a boss it is it's just you know it's such a huge part it's not even just oh I'm a blogger and I have an Instagram account Instagram is where people are you are using Instagram as their blog so I realize that calling it a kosher food bloggers conference not only sets us you know makes it small where it's only for people who consider themselves to have a blog where maybe they're just on Instagram and looking to grow there but it also by calling it kosher versus Jewish I'm closing I was closing it off to people who maybe you know who were saying well do I am I kosher enough for you do i I don't keep kosher but but I you know the recipes that I make are all Jew you know I live a life where I don't keep kosher but I'm traditional or I'm Jewish in this way or that like there was just it was too closed in with that word kosher right and people said any hi miss food or oh it's open to anyone who's in the Jewish Jewish world yeah it was also it's very funny because speakers in the past we've had speakers who weren't Jewish before never an issue and I've had people who've asked is it okay if I call if I'm not kosher and I kind of giggle a little bit because I'm like of course but really the name was making people feel like maybe they couldn't come right we want it we want if once you feel welcome to come I think that's great I think you know if you're thinking even if you're thinking about I just want to learn mm-hmm you know so yeah this is the event for you the day there's no rule I don't have it like a you know you have to have a certain number of followers or have been doing this for a certain amount of time you could have you want to have your an Instagram you 200 followers but you know this isn't something you want to build on you want to turn this into a full-time job you want this to be a hobby that can make a little bit of money or even if you just you just want to learn more or you know if you're in our industry and you want to meet more people in our industry no it's in a smaller setting where it's not kosher fest is incredible but it's huge so it's it's an effort to find your friends sometimes we walk around together and we lose each other and we know each other so imagine trying to find I remember the first year I went to kosher fest and it was Leia Pyrrha from ku kosher now from between carpools and there was I remember and that's actually when I met Hani Apple down from busy in Brooklyn also and it was this whole like how do we all find each other we had no clue and I wanted to be lay always had all these great conversations and it was big big effort back then especially to find each other through in this huge room so having this event where we can all see each other before and suddenly our faces are all recognizable and the truth is this is one more thing even to add that we grow as bloggers or as social media influencers when we work together right there should be no jealousy this should be none of that and there is nothing we build each other and build each other up you can you know there's an expression in real estate it's called retail gravitational pull right so if you have a store just say on the Bowery that's one store that has it that sells lighting right no one's really gonna come to the barre to look for a lighting store and I'm using this for an example because it's real and I'm near the barre right now my research there are 15,000 million trillion lighting stores on the lower e on the Lower East Side at the Barry because you create a whole bunch of stores it becomes the destination and you come so basically the same thing we build each other up just like the lighting stores do we build each other up and you find the right person that works for you know every lighting store has the right lighting for your house not every blogger is the right blogger for your company am I making a good analogy here yeah I mean I think it's more I got to be right you want it you want to connect with the right person for your black brand there's so many people to choose from they're all there people gonna want to come but the difference with a Lighting Store is that you want to leave with one light to go hang up in your house right whereas here there's no never really especially not just for brands but if you're just someone who is looking for recipes you don't need one website to find recipes you want to find recipes on multiple websites variety right no but my point is it's one location to meet all these all the doors right it's the retail gravitational pull you come to the area and the area is yeah and you're gonna push it kosher food Jewish food media and kosher feast yes with that for sure yes you're gonna be there and especially well you know if they're with any brands listening it's that same thing where we when we look for sponsors it's not we're not taking advantage of any of anyone we're not saying give us your money and then nothing happens we're bringing in these brands because everyone is in one place all the people that you as a brand were were searching through Instagram for or calling it one blogger and saying hey can you help me here you go here's a silver platter of 75 to 100 social media influencers that actually want to work with brands here you go and the email won't get deleted from your press release now you have a name and a connection beautiful faces exactly oh my gosh that's a big one too is when people do sponsor and they you know sometimes are like okay we're gonna go throw something in the swag I'm like you should come too so that there's not just that that food in the swag bag but your face is now connected with that and you introduce yourself as the person with that product in the swag bag and everyone will recognize that face and then assuming that you've got that boot at kosher fest the next day that relationship builds a day later it's not even just waiting for them to get a hold of you or first things like that they're literally you're face to face for three days in a row right love it absolutely love it that's right it's a great great great event we encourage people to come Mel you go first to everyone how you get tickets for Jewish food media because they're selling like hotcakes airing this is October 20th okay people you're listening to this October 20th yes the tickets are going crazy we don't have probably at this point not many left we still a little bit of space don't worry okay but we have our early bird going on right now and now you know that early birds what time is it what date does the early bird endmill remember today's October 20th the last day of October the last day of October is the early bird okay so we get that in peeps yes Jewish food mediacom okay and let's just say one more thing the conference is November 13th I don't think we ever said that the conference we know when it is but you don't know when it is peep well because it's the same day at kosher feast so I don't know if you guys mentioned that but they are we are clearly the three of us working together to build an incredible day of education and leading right into just like a monster amazing delicious food social scene where everyone can then you know actually talk it out and talk to brands and taught you know just really make friends and have fun eat really good food with minor if you guys mentioned mafia yes oh yeah between so you got to get an education talk to new people and do a mitzvah know everybody wins so yeah so it's Jewish food mediacom and right there at the top it says register so you can't miss it an SD Kosh your face how do people find out about kosher feast we have a group on Facebook that people can message if you're interested and we don't have your email please go to kosher feast on Facebook and it will ask you if you join this is for food people you know people in the industry also you can email kosher feast at gmail.com there's an event break right there the wizzy Eventbrite yeah that's right also going to be in the group yeah it's there's gonna be links oh exactly and on Instagram you're going update on Instagram it's good I love it we love Instagram I posted a little from coach on coach your face when I was away this summer I know sometimes we have takeovers yeah you know what even that's become really big I've been doing a lot of take over recipes for different companies it's this is where this is your chance to meet to meet people and to meet companies that may want to work with you so yeah I want it to be when were when we're educating one of the things that we will be talking about is these different ideas how to work with brands through Instagram through blogging because a lot of times we go into this and go I have no idea how to make that money and you know right now specifically like you said with Instagram takeovers it's just one really great example of how of how brand brand bloggers can work together so on Instagram specifically it's being able to approach someone with a brand and and give them the idea right if I remember I can't remember who was who said it a few years ago one of the conference's say you want to give the brand the ideas not say hey I want to work with you but here's what I want to do to build your business I need you see you mm-hmm exactly it's giving them the value of working with you so a great example of that would be you know it's Naomi Nachman same shoe or that company I do Instagram takeovers and I do them all the time and look up how they benefit those companies let's do that together so that's just a great example of one of the things that we'll be talking about at the conference and one of the things that you can then take into Koecher fees and Co you're fast when you're you know when you're working it when you're walking around and also it doesn't end there we keep in touch we are active on our groups on our Instagram I love I love the group right we want to we want you to share your success with us you know after the conference and all year round you know you know I love those Facebook groups because they become people's like family some of them are put out too much personal stuff too much settle down people well that'll down kosher beef the Jewish food media groups are very happy group yeah there's not really a lot of crazy that happens right not a lot of happy groups up there and it's just also keeping track of everything that's being posted and making sure it's all professional and and it's cheerleading someone who's somewhere like when honey it was on The Wall Street Journal was really it's really Edelman became pastrami King right separate the brisket sorry all right you know why I said pastrami because on the downtown Manhattan is a restaurant called pastrami king Oh fundable he does makeup and I know there is much yes so brisket the brisket King or you know when someone does something like everyone really cheers each other on you know I think it's really phenomenal that that is such a great time recently I god oh my god exciting no you should hate Oh was on the show at the beginning you'll hear that well when the show is you'll hear it that's what it's for like you said no jealousy support your people be happy for them and you never know they may need someone to replace them somewhere like to go do a demo somewhere this is what the network is about yeah you know yes the relationship amongst the group and with the community in the brand's yeah we're all big fans of clearly we're all big fans of this day we want everyone to be there too yeah no matter how big or small as long as you're within our industry and you want to learn and you want to meet other people the industry and build your your company whatever that may be fantastic should be there be there okay thank you so much Melinda and open two years ago two years ago ZK and I went down as part of the nom Segal Network and we interviewed all these great bloggers right remember that CK I can't believe that's two years ago already so this year it's in Brooklyn we look forward to meeting and greeting and tweeting in the world what's the expression meet greet wait repeat repeat yes look gorgeous thing we look forward to seeing everyone there but this has been a great show a tan banana live Alon Strauss mr. Berkowitz in the house right there with me in the hot seat always fun to have these friends and colleagues are in their studio with us yeah CK I can't believe we're well into October it's going fast we've got music sponsored by our friends at km coming up but first we have the Arif shabbat show with Mark Soumik which is gonna air right after this and it also airs on Thursday um if you've missed any of our shows you can watch them on the watch or listen to them on YouTube on Anaheim single net channel or on our app anytime on the go and I am Seagal app on and this is table for two so let's sign off wishing you all shabbat shalom and see you next week happy cooking [Music] [Applause] [Music]