Chef Danny Corsun has combined cooking, teaching and Judaism to create an extraordinary platform. Culinary Judaics Academy (CJA) is a Netflix-esque platform, providing masterclasses for Jewish learning through cooking.
“It’s an out-of-the-box way of approaching spirituality and faith,” Corsun told the Journal. “It’s very experiential, very tactile.”
Debra Eckerling speaks with Danny Corsun about how he combines education, entertainment and cooking, as well as tips for embracing cooking and his recipe for One Pot Farmers Market Pasta.
Read the full article, listen to the podcast, and get the recipe.
Today is Friday, June 30th, 2023, 6/30/2023. It is the year 2023, it is the last day of June and it is a beautiful summer night in San Francisco. I live alone and am approaching my mid-thirties, no romantic interest, and no children to carry on my name, but a pet I am in the process of adopting. In fact, as I listen to this podcast I am cleaning my apartment and getting it perfect for him. Yes, the pet is a he and he is a Tibetan terrier fondly called “Charlie Bear”. But despite and because of all this, I am lonely. I am also poor. So even as an introvert who enjoys staying home and regards it as one of life’s highest pleasures, I could estimate that going out is a luxury I cannot afford. So what do I do? Stay home and watch tv. Except, Netflix costs $19.99 now and why would I do that when I can listen to a world of podcasts like Taste BUDS with Deb! And yes, I hope to someday contribute and subscribe to worthy podcasts to show my support but for now, I cannot think about my current circumstance without being reminded of how grateful a heart I had in my youth at discovering the generosity and wonder of a library! I am fortunate enough to be in San Francisco where the library here gives me the same satisfaction as seeing the Eiffel Tower. There are worlds to explore and ideas to behold, all in the comfort of my home and the ease of having a free library card. I can check out nearly any book on any topic I can think of. It’s also safe to say the entire world can be regarded as a resource, in the same fashion as a library. A Wealth of knowledge is ours if we want it, but it’s thanks to podcasts such as this one that remain widely accessible. People really are wonderful towards one another.
To say there is no place I would rather be today than at home tonight listening to this episode for the second time! The second time! Going on a third 🙂 and writing about it would lean more towards an understatement than an exaggeration. It might be an exaggeration because I do want to see Charlie Bear and my Mom again and they are at their home, so in a way, that is a place that rivals this one that I am in LOL, but I recognize it’s an understatement because I am more than content, and I will do more than survive. Already, I have learned so much.
Danny Corsuns overall message to me in this episode was that “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”, meaning what he said to the audience (warning, not verbatim): If you ever told me before that I would be providing Food Network quality content someday, I wouldn’t have believed you but that’s the thing, it’s all achievable. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t believe in myself and I really do. His story was tinged with brilliance, from the Netflix-esque platform he created to convey the teachings of his culinary academy, to amusement, of the chef or nutrition counselor, I forget, who couldn’t get her son to eat but somehow he, Mr. Corsun, got her son to devour three bowls of butternut squash soup they made together from scratch. And also, to a respectable and worldly admiration for his religion, the Jewish culture. That quality in Mr. Corsun really resonated with me, especially when he described why one was Jewish, not because their mothers, mother was Jewish but because it was genuinely a rich and remarkable culture that one was proud to be part of, lead me by example and got me to thinking about my happy and devout Catholic faith and how I wish I could regard my religion with such tenacity and fiery dedication. And of course, I liked Mr. Corsuns story on how and why he became a chef and thoroughly enjoyed Eckerling and Corsun echoed one anothers sentiments about the therapeutic benefits of food and overall bewitching power in general.
I learned so much from listening to this podcast. Debra Eckerling is an amazing interviewer and conversationalist and I pride myself in learning from her mannerisms because she is a sophisticated lady.
Perhaps I will try the sweet potato macaroni and cheese recipe. Thank you for including it. I did agree with Miss Eckerling and laughed a little bit remembering that I would record a recipe or tell myself I’d buy the dvd or video and hit rewind again and again until I could write the recipe down myself in a cute little notebook the day I decide to incorporate cooking more frequently into my routine… but it is much easier to have it readily available to you.
I hope you like my comment 🙂 I was inspired by a James Beard essay, James Beard is one of my favorite chefs and writers.