May is a month of celebrations. From Mother's Day to National Hamburger Day to National AAPNHI Heritage Month to National Jewish American Heritage Month, there’s a lot of food and culture to celebrate. There is a lot of Jewish cooking and baking going on right now. From the owners of well-known bakeries to TikTok content creators to chefs, there’s a huge pool of talented chefs and foodies to highlight. It wasn’t easy narrowing down our favorites, but here’s a list of the top Jewish food content creators to follow during Jewish American Heritage Month.
Melissa Ben-Ishay | @bakedbymelissa
Yes, the owner of Baked by Melissa. Aside from making irresistible and addictive mini cupcakes, Melissa Ben-Ishay’s TikTok is the go-to place for dinner recipes, desserts (obvi), and the viral green goddess recipe — her Instagram is another spot with a sprinkle of Baked by Melissa promo. Her meals are easy to follow, and she gives tips throughout the video.
What I love about her videos is how Ben-Ishay makes them personal almost like she’s speaking to you, rather than a camera — her date caramel video is a prime example with Ben-Ishay revealing that she made it for a specific snack she was craving. The honesty and relatability are what will have you returning to her profile, aside from the delish recipes, of course.
Jake Cohen | @jakecohen
Breakfast sandwiches, pasta, cakes, and Hamantaschen are just a few of the recipes that you’ll find across Jake Cohen’s socials. With 1.5 million followers on TikTok and one million on Instagram, Cohen aims to provide easy recipes for home chefs that could dazzle any occasion. Cohen is a two-time New York Times bestselling author of “Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch” (2021) and “I Could Nosh: Classic Jew-ish Recipes Revamped for Every Day” (2023), where he shares family recipes like his great-grandmother’s apple cake and his own like Challah Monkey Bread.
Leah Cohen | @leahscohen
Leah Cohen is a Culinary Institute of America alum and a former contestant on Top Chef. She owns two restaurants — Pig and Khao and Piggyback New York — that have Jewish and Filipino influences, an ode to her parents.
Cohen uses her Instagram as her teaching ground, with tips on recreating her favorite recipes, including babka.
She experiments with traditional recipes, creating a savory babka that features spinach and feta cheese. The spinach and feta “masterpiece reminds me why I fell in love with baking — it’s pure magic,” she writes in the caption of the recipe.
Samantha Ferarro | @ferrarokitchen
Samantha Ferarro uses her Instagram platform to inspire others to cook with bold and vibrant flavors. And she’s not lying, scrolling through her profile you’re met with nothing but color! Her dishes heavily incorporate Jewish, Mediterranean, and Italian influences, among others. Ferarro takes her time with her recipes, offering step-by-step instructions to make a delicious meal.
Brighten your day-to-day meals with her Butternut Squash & Pear Soup or one pot Chicken Provencal, the latter for those busy days when you don’t want to bother with cleaning so much.
Fany Gerson | @fanygerson
Fany Gerson is a Mexican Chef with deep Jewish roots. She’s the owner of two NYC-based shops, La Newyorkina and Fan-Fan Doughnuts that will satisfy your sweet tooth. With almost 12 followers on Instagram, her content ranges from doughnuts, ice cream, and home-cooked meals.
Promoting treats from both her shops, you can tell there’s a Mexican and Jewish fusion including the Sweet Matzah collection special for Passover at La Newyorkina. The signature caramelized matzah had flavorings of Mexican chocolate and sea salt, and white chocolate, raspberry, and hibiscus.
Molly Yeh | @mollyyeh
Molly Yeh is the host of The Food Network’s Girl Meets Farm. Her Instagram features fun and colorful foods, like Bibimbap and Rose Marzipan Sprinkle Hamantaschen — you can tell Yeh loves her sprinkles and I love that about her.
Her recipes are inspired by the heritages of her Jewish mother, Chinese father, and her Midwestern surroundings. Yeh’s Instagram is the place to be if you’re looking for comforting recipes, some that will surely satisfy your sugar cravings.
Zak the Baker | @zakthebaker
Zak the Baker is a cool/hipster bakery in Miami, FL and its Instagram is mouth-watering with apricot Hamantaschen and countless videos of bread.
The Instagram is more so aesthetic bird’s-eye photos of all the treats detailing all the ingredients used to make the baked goods.