New Intergenerational Cookbook Highlights Diversity and Connection

“From My Family to Yours” is a true celebration of the intergenerational and multicultural connection. The more than 100 pages of culinary delights reflect the rich tapestry of cultural heritage within Los Angeles. 

The cookbook is collected and presented by Alliance for Healthier Generation, City of Los Angeles Department of Aging and Woodcraft Rangers, and is in partnership with Jewish Family Service LA. 

“Through the pages of ‘From My Family to Yours,’ readers are invited to embark on a culinary journey that delights the senses and touches the heart,” the prologue reads. “It’s more than just a book of recipes; it’s a celebration of life and culture to honor the past, embrace the present and look forward to a future where meals are shared, and every table is an extension of our global family.”

In this collaborative effort, seniors enrolled in the Department of Aging Congregate Meals Program and students in Los Angeles were invited to submit recipes. The cookbook also includes contributions from several celebrities, including Camila Alves McConaughey.

The idea of the cookbook challenge came about when Tammy Williams, a nutritionist at the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, and Josephine Thomason, national advisor for Whole Child Health Alliance for a Healthier Generation, attended a conference at the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico.  

After attending a workshop on Native American cooking, Williams and Thomason discussed developing a cookbook challenge for the hour-long car ride back to the hotel. 

“Through our Intergenerational Food Access Pod Committee, we made a motion to vote on an Intergenerational Multicultural Cookbook Challenge to be implemented in Los Angeles,” Williams told the Journal.  “There were a lot of moving parts, as the committee was all over the United States, but we made it work.” 

They also partnered with Woodcraft Rangers’ after school program, because Williams used to work at that organization as a fitness/nutrition consultant for all of the schools in L.A.

“The purpose of the Intergenerational Multicultural Cookbook Challenge was to celebrate the ethnically diverse Los Angeles community by promoting the passing of traditional family recipes” – Tammy Williams

“The purpose of the Intergenerational Multicultural Cookbook Challenge was to celebrate the ethnically diverse Los Angeles community by promoting the passing of traditional family recipes,” Williams said. “Our hope was to bring younger and older Angelenos to share a seat at the table by telling stories through food and sharing their recipes.” 

For nearly 170 years, Jewish Family Service LA has been a cornerstone of support for the diverse communities of Los Angeles. While JFSLA serves people of all faiths, its backgrounds are rooted in Jewish values such as tikkun olam.

“The intent of the challenge is to be multicultural as it invites Angelenos outside of the Jewish community to learn more about Jewish culture through food, culinary traditions and family emigration stories,”  Siri Perlman, RD. Siri, JFSLA’s senior nutrition program director, told the Journal: “Many of the recipes represent the Jewish Diaspora from all over the world, including [Lillian Mizrahi’s] Melanzane Mizrahi’s recipe.”

Mizrahi, who is congregate meal site coordinator for JFSLA, contributed her mother-in-law’s dish, Melanzane Mizrahi, to the cookbook. “My late mother-in-law grew up in Paris and lived in Egypt where my husband was born, so I got the recipe from her,” Mizrahi told the Journal. “Mireille traveled from Cairo to Netanya to Rome and finally to Los Angeles; she was a wonderful cook.

Mizrahi wanted to share the recipe, because it is from all over the world. “I thought it covered ethnic diversity,” she said. “In the whole middle east, eggplant is probably the number one dish.”

It’s also healthy, delicious and not too complicated. “Once you’ve cooked it once, you can play with it and adjust,” Mizrahi said. “You can play with seasonings; put a little more of ‘this,’ or a little less of ‘that.’ 

She added, “It’s flexible; not every instruction is necessary to follow.”

To learn more about “From My Family to Yours,” go to https://www.healthiergeneration.org/campaigns/from-my-family-to-yours.

For more information about Jewish Family Service LA and its initiatives, please visit www.jfsla.org.

Melanzane Mizrahi’s Eggplant

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 lb ground lamb or beef
2 large eggplants
2 large onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
1 small can of tomato paste
½ cup raisins
Washed pine nuts for topping
½ cup plus 3 Tbsp olive oil
Peel and slice eggplant. 

Place eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with salt and cover with a plate to weigh it down. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Remove weights and shake off the excess salt

Put 2 tablespoons of oil in one frying pan over medium flame. Spread out eggplant, single layer, in the pan, and decrease flame to low until eggplant is soft. Be sure the eggplant is soft.

Place half cup of oil, then onion, ground meat and seasonings in another frying pan. Mix and cover. Cook over low flame for 20 minutes.

Loosen tomato paste with water. Add tomato paste to the meat pan, along with the raisins.

Put eggplant in a casserole dish and place meat mixture on top.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F.

Heat a frying pan on low heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add pine nuts and cook on low heat. Add salt to taste. Add to the top of the dish for great flavor and enjoy!