Susie Fishbein
Encyclopedia
Susan Beth Fishbein (born 1968) is an Orthodox
Jewish
kosher
cookbook
author. Her Kosher By Design series of cookbooks has been a runaway best-seller for ArtScroll
, with over 400,000 copies sold from 2003 through 2010. In 2008 she was included on the Forward 50 as one of the 50 most influential Jews.
and raised in a strictly kosher home. She earned an MA in science education and taught in a public school for four years.
In 2000 she co-edited the The Kosher Palette: Easy and elegant modern kosher cooking, a 308-page hardcover, spiral-bound, community cookbook produced as a fundraising
tool for the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy
of Livingston, New Jersey
, where her first child was a student. The book went through four printings comprising 36,000 copies from April 2000 to December 2001.
After this project, Fishbein sought to upgrade her cooking knowledge by taking lessons and collecting recipes from professional chefs. Professing an interest in bringing to the kosher cookbook market "something like what Martha Stewart
does – meals that are easy to prepare, and elegant and healthful, and that appeal to all the senses", she assembled the team of Renee Errich, a Manhattan
event planner, to choreograph table settings, Larry Sexton, florist at the Plaza Hotel
, to provide flower-arranging
tips, and John Uher, a professional food and lifestyle magazine photographer, to direct the photo shoots for a new kosher cookbook titled Kosher By Design. This team continued to work with her on subsequent books, along with other experts such as Bonnie Taub-Dix, spokeswoman for the American Diabetic Association (the nutrition consultant on Kosher By Design Lightens Up) and kosher caterer
Moshe David (who contributed many recipes for Passover By Design).
classics with her creative recipes, such as Tri-Colored Matzah Balls, Challah
Napkin Rings, and Beer-Braised Brisket
. Though her recipes sport exotic names such as Broccoli and Almond Bisque, Pecan Crusted Grouper over Amaretto Whipped Potatoes, Kalamata and Mustard Crusted Roast Beef, Sweet Potato Wedges with Vanilla Rum Sauce, and Chocolate Mint Dalmatian Cookies, Fishbein emphasizes the use of simple ingredients that can be found in any supermarket and markets herself as an "everyday cook".
In addition to recipes, Fishbein's books feature sample table settings and floral arrangements, party themes, wine lists, and explanations of Jewish traditions and kashrut laws which are an educational aid for non-Orthodox readers.
In media interviews, Fishbein explains that her recipes aren't necessarily "Jewish", but they are all kosher. She claims that her popularity is even greater among Conservative
and Reform
Jewish women who do not have a kosher kitchen but are interested in cooking gourmet
. ArtScroll has realized the books' salability by extending beyond its traditional Orthodox Jewish market into the mainstream market, including sales on Amazon.com
, at Barnes & Noble
and Christian
evangelical booksellers
, in Williams-Sonoma
stores, and in supermarkets.
with cooking demonstrations at Jewish benefits, bake sales, kosher cruises and food festivals, appearing before a new or repeat audience almost every week since 2003. She has also appeared nationally on The Today Show, Living It Up! With Ali & Jack
, Martha Stewart Living Radio
, and the Nachum Segal
Show, earning her the sobriquets of "the Jewish Martha Stewart" and the "kosher diva
". She has become the darling of the Jewish media, which quotes her and her recipes in pre-holiday features and lauds her easygoing and gracious personality.
The kosher industry that Fishbein rode to stardom is now using her success to help promote its own products. At the 21st Annual Kosherfest 2009 in the Meadowlands Exposition Center
in Secaucus
, Fishbein held a book-signing at the Kolatin Real Kosher Gelatin booth and produced a complete dessert recipe supplement based exclusively on the new gelatin product.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
kosher
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
author. Her Kosher By Design series of cookbooks has been a runaway best-seller for ArtScroll
ArtScroll
ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York...
, with over 400,000 copies sold from 2003 through 2010. In 2008 she was included on the Forward 50 as one of the 50 most influential Jews.
Biography
Susie Fishbein was born in Oceanside, New YorkOceanside, New York
Oceanside is a hamlet located in the south part of the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. The population was 32,109 at the 2010 census.-History:...
and raised in a strictly kosher home. She earned an MA in science education and taught in a public school for four years.
In 2000 she co-edited the The Kosher Palette: Easy and elegant modern kosher cooking, a 308-page hardcover, spiral-bound, community cookbook produced as a fundraising
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
tool for the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy
Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy
The Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy is a coeducational Modern Orthodox Yeshiva Day School located in Livingston, New Jersey. The Academy is dedicated towards developmental education and religious growth, for both boys and girls from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8...
of Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
, where her first child was a student. The book went through four printings comprising 36,000 copies from April 2000 to December 2001.
After this project, Fishbein sought to upgrade her cooking knowledge by taking lessons and collecting recipes from professional chefs. Professing an interest in bringing to the kosher cookbook market "something like what Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
does – meals that are easy to prepare, and elegant and healthful, and that appeal to all the senses", she assembled the team of Renee Errich, a Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
event planner, to choreograph table settings, Larry Sexton, florist at the Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
, to provide flower-arranging
Floral design
Floral design is the art of using plant materials and flowers to create a pleasing and balanced composition. Evidence of refined floristry is found as far back as the culture of Ancient Egypt....
tips, and John Uher, a professional food and lifestyle magazine photographer, to direct the photo shoots for a new kosher cookbook titled Kosher By Design. This team continued to work with her on subsequent books, along with other experts such as Bonnie Taub-Dix, spokeswoman for the American Diabetic Association (the nutrition consultant on Kosher By Design Lightens Up) and kosher caterer
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
Moshe David (who contributed many recipes for Passover By Design).
Kosher By Design
Beginning with her first Kosher By Design cookbook in 2003, Fishbein has produced seven cookbooks in the series as of November 2010. The Kosher By Design series combines elegant yet easy-to-prepare kosher recipes approved by two rabbis with stunning, full-color glossy photographs to appeal to the growing segment of American Jewish women with disposable income who want to produce contemporary kosher fare. Fishbein puts a new spin on kosher and Jewish holidayJewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
classics with her creative recipes, such as Tri-Colored Matzah Balls, Challah
Challah
Challah also khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka , vánočka , zopf and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten on...
Napkin Rings, and Beer-Braised Brisket
Brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing/moving...
. Though her recipes sport exotic names such as Broccoli and Almond Bisque, Pecan Crusted Grouper over Amaretto Whipped Potatoes, Kalamata and Mustard Crusted Roast Beef, Sweet Potato Wedges with Vanilla Rum Sauce, and Chocolate Mint Dalmatian Cookies, Fishbein emphasizes the use of simple ingredients that can be found in any supermarket and markets herself as an "everyday cook".
In addition to recipes, Fishbein's books feature sample table settings and floral arrangements, party themes, wine lists, and explanations of Jewish traditions and kashrut laws which are an educational aid for non-Orthodox readers.
In media interviews, Fishbein explains that her recipes aren't necessarily "Jewish", but they are all kosher. She claims that her popularity is even greater among Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
and Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
Jewish women who do not have a kosher kitchen but are interested in cooking gourmet
Gourmet
Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
. ArtScroll has realized the books' salability by extending beyond its traditional Orthodox Jewish market into the mainstream market, including sales on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, at Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
and Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
evangelical booksellers
Bookselling
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers or bookmen.-Bookstores today:...
, in Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a high-end American consumer retail company that sells kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions...
stores, and in supermarkets.
Media personality
Fishbein has also developed a public career as a celebrity chefCelebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
with cooking demonstrations at Jewish benefits, bake sales, kosher cruises and food festivals, appearing before a new or repeat audience almost every week since 2003. She has also appeared nationally on The Today Show, Living It Up! With Ali & Jack
Living It Up! With Ali & Jack
Living It Up! With Ali & Jack was a syndicated daytime television talk show show that aired from September 2003 to April 2004, hosted by Alexandra "Ali" Wentworth and Jack Ford, based out of New York City....
, Martha Stewart Living Radio
Martha Stewart Living Radio
Martha Stewart Living Radio is a 24 hour satellite radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 110 produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. The station airs a variety of programming hosted by the company's team of experts, covering topics related to the domestic arts, including day and date...
, and the Nachum Segal
Nachum Segal
Nachum Segal is an American radio DJ. He has hosted the program Jewish Moments in the Morning since September 1983.-Early career:...
Show, earning her the sobriquets of "the Jewish Martha Stewart" and the "kosher diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
". She has become the darling of the Jewish media, which quotes her and her recipes in pre-holiday features and lauds her easygoing and gracious personality.
The kosher industry that Fishbein rode to stardom is now using her success to help promote its own products. At the 21st Annual Kosherfest 2009 in the Meadowlands Exposition Center
Harmon Meadow Plaza
Harmon Meadow Plaza is a shopping complex in the Meadowlands of Secaucus, New Jersey, approximately six miles from New York City. It is owned by Hartz Mountain Industries, whose corporate offices are located in the Plaza...
in Secaucus
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
, Fishbein held a book-signing at the Kolatin Real Kosher Gelatin booth and produced a complete dessert recipe supplement based exclusively on the new gelatin product.