Podcast appearances and mentions of mark russ federman

In the inaugural episode of Adventures in Jewish Studies, host Jeremy Shere explores the New York Jewish food tradition of “appetizing” with guests culinary ethnographer Eve Jochnowitz, NYU history professor Hasia Diner, former 3rd generation owner of the appetizing store Russ & Daughters Mark Russ Federman, and Concordia University professor of religions and cultures Norma Joseph. Appetizing is a distinctly American, distinctly New York, distinctly Jewish, food tradition. Introduced as a counterpart to the meat-selling deli, and carrying fish, dairy, and related foods, appetizing stores have been around since the early 1900s. Appetizing played an important role in the history of Jewish foods and is an integral part of the story of Jewish New Yorkers – how they lived, how they ate, and how they evolved.

Author of "Russ & Daughters," Mark Russ Federman handed the keys to the store to his daughter, Niki, and nephew, Josh, passing ownership of Russ & Daughters to the fourth generation of the Russ family, providing us with the tastes and smells of the past.

It sometimes seems like everything is going through change. Yet there are some institutions that, the more they change, the more they remain exactly the same. This is true for an appetizing store on Manhattan's lower East Side, that from its pushcart beginnings in 1907, to the new family members running it today, has remained a beacon of smoked salmon, herring, chopped liver and caviar, But more importantly, it's the story of how one family persevered and grew a business, around all the change of 20th century New York. Mark Russ Federman took over running Russ and Daughters in 1978 and a couple of years ago turned it over to the fourth generation. He tells his appetizing story in Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built.

Ben Katchor's "Hand-Drying in America" and Mark Russ Federman's "Russ & Daughters," a cookbook memoir, are the new releases recommended by Emma Morgenstern, Director of the Jewish Book Council Network. Episode 0056 March 5, 2013 Yiddish Book Center Amherst, Massachusetts