ChallahFest Tour Hits Seven Cities Including Boston and New York

Global ChallahFest launches its second year on November 6 in New York City, marking the first time the event extends beyond Israel. The tour, organized by Foodish, the culinary division of ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, will visit seven cities before concluding in Tel Aviv on November 29. The itinerary includes stops in Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston, Atlanta, and London.

The program features culinary workshops, photography exhibitions, and hands-on bread-making sessions. Merav Oren, founder and director of Foodish, stated that the goal is to engage the next generation by providing active experiences rather than relying on memory alone. She described challah as a versatile medium that allows young people to reinterpret traditions through conversation, art, and food.

The guest lineup includes Jake Cohen, a cookbook author and television personality, and Joan Nathan, an award-winning writer. Chef and restaurateur Einat Admony will participate in events across the tour. Cohen described the festival as an invitation to personalize Jewish tradition through baking, emphasizing that creating food to share builds community.

In New York, the opening includes a meet and greet with Cohen at William Greenberg Desserts. This event introduces the ChallahFest DIY Kit, a tool designed to help participants creatively reinterpret the traditional loaf. The city schedule also features an open Q&A with Joan Nathan and a Kabbalat Shabbat gathering led by Admony. Falmer, a chef and DJ, will partner with Seed + Mill, a New York-based tahini maker, for a special challah-inspired pop-up.

Washington, DC, hosts a panel discussion on challah, culture, and identity, with participation from chef and television host Pati Jinich. In Boston, students will compete in a challah-baking contest. Local bakeries in Atlanta will join together for tastings and community events. London’s program features an intergenerational panel with food historian Claudia Roden, cookbook author Adeena Sussman, and Falmer to explore themes of home and cultural identity.

The festival wraps up at ANU in Tel Aviv with a photography exhibition by Sivan Roshianu and Alexander Zoon Lachnish, a chef and multidisciplinary artist. The final weekend features a lineup of bakeries including Mattarello, Ronale by Zohar, David Laor, and Russell's Bakery. These establishments will present exclusive interpretations of the bread, ranging from ancient Andalusian pastries and traditional Tunisian good-luck challah to a croissant that blends Jewish and French patisserie traditions.