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Micah Siva, the 31-year-old dietitian and cookbook author behind the to-be-published Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine, is well aware of New York's excellent dining scene despite living in San Francisco.
"In New York, people demand quality and, if you don't offer something that is high quality, then there is some place down the street that will," she says matter-of-factly. "And that's what fuels the amazing local dining scene."
The fact that Siva follows both a vegan and a kosher diet, regimes that vastly limit what she can eat, paradoxically makes her even more grateful for what chefs are currently offering diners in New York, a city she hopes to one day call her own.
"New York defies what people think of as kosher food," says the culinary pro. "If you go to any other city in America or North America, a kosher restaurant is always serving Israeli food or bagels but in New York there are so many amazing options that span the globe."
A few weeks before the launch party for her newest cookbook at Gertie in Brooklyn (you can snag tickets to the event right here), an aptly chosen venue given her focus, Siva opens up about her favorite kosher restaurants in New York, the popularity of vegan menus, what makes food so important and more.
On the sorts of recipes featured in Nosh
"It is a vegetarian, mostly vegan, cookbook that is centered around Jewish cuisine. There are 100 recipes in total, from breakfast options to cocktails and more. It's a celebration of Jewish food filled with entry-level information about tradition so it's a great way to diversify your cookbook shelf and learn about different holidays while understanding more about veganism."
On her favorite kosher restaurants in New York
"When it comes to kosher restaurants in New York, Eyal Shani is the guy who does it right with Malka, the newly kosher Miznon and Port Sa'id, which isn't technically kosher but where else can you get away with having beans in a bag?
I also have fond memories of Caravan of Dreams because it is where I would go on first dates 12 years ago. I was vegan at the time and it was just the place to go while I was in culinary school.
Also: I love Coletta, a vegan and kosher restaurant, and, since I usually stay on the Upper West Side when in town, I have to mention Modern Bread and Bagel, which is actually a gluten-free bagel place that is kosher."
On the popularity of vegan food
"People want to expand what vegan food looks like so that we're not just talking about salads. So many cuisines have dishes that are naturally vegan. It's kind of like the non-alcoholic space, where people weren't so sure if they liked it and then it exploded. I think we're at that explosion part with veganism where it's not just health food restaurants that are offering a vegan menu but different ethnic cuisines are leaning into naturally vegan dishes.
Some of my favorite spots in New York are Spicy Moon, a super-cute, trendy and delicious Szechuan restaurant, and Dirt Candy, where I did my internship after culinary school. Amanda Cohen, a fellow Canadian Jew, is behind it, so I have an affinity for it.
My other favorite doing cool things with vegetables is Mesiba in Brooklyn. It's not vegan but the babaganush dish is wild: they serve the whole eggplant covered in smoked tahini."
On choosing Jewish diner Gertie as the location of her launch party
"First of all, I love their branding and the beautiful space. I love that it's Jew-ish and it is welcoming to people who don't necessarily see themselves as religious Jews.
My husband is also from New York and his grandmother was named Gertie so when we went to the restaurant for the first time he was really emotional about it and we thought it would be a really nice thing to have the event there."
On the importance of food across cultures
"Food brings everyone together. We call it breaking bread for a reason when making peace with others. Sharing a meal can really help build bridges.
The different kosher restaurants in the city, celebrating different cuisines, prove that Jews are not one-dimensional but come from all over and the Jewish community can come together to support each other no matter where they are from. Coming together through food can really help tell the story of the Jewish people. When I think of my memories growing up, every single one involved eating and I think that's so common among Jews and a cause for celebration."