Unlike Italian and French Food which is rooted in the land, Jewish cooking is rooted in the laws of kashrut and yes, in the land of Israel, but also all around the world. Nathan discusses how Jews of different diasporas have come to the South and left their imprint not only on the foods people eat, but also on the growing and commerce of foods in the area.

Joan Nathan is the author of numerous cookbooks, including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won the James Beard Award and the IACP Award for best cookbook of the year. She was the host of the nationally syndicated PBS television series Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, based on the book. A frequent contributor to The New York Times, Tablet magazine, and other publications, Nathan is the recipient of numerous awards, including James Beard’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, Les Dames d’Escoffier’s Grande Dame Award, and Food Arts magazine’s Silver Spoon Award, and she received an honorary doctorate from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Culture in Chicago. She holds positions on the advisory committees for the Museum of American History’s Kitchen Cabinet and the Center for International Private Enterprise’s LIFE project. The mother of three grown children, and grandmother of twin one-year-olds, Nathan lives in Washington, D.C., and on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband, Allan Gerson.

Joan Nathan’s latest book, King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World will be available at a reception/book signing following the program.