Quality
pg
Name of First Article Goes Here
you can feel.
Prices
pg
48
Name of First Article Goes Here
you can afford.
HOW THEY DID IT
6 Shirley Ave. Somerset, NJ 08873 P: 718-499-6300
Rated #1 in all hosiery categories
45
Available at your local hosiery store.
SUSIE FISHBEIN is the author of Kosher by Design, a bestselling series of cookbooks that combines gourmet, yet easy-to-prepare recipes. N
76
HAS COOKING ALWAYS BEEN A PASSION OF YOURS?
She has celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month at the White House, made appearances on national television, and has been named among the most influential Jews in America. Her Kosher By Design series of eight cookbooks has sold over 480,000 copies around the world. Her latest cookbook in the series is Bringing it Home: Picture Perfect Food Inspired by My Travels. It will be published this spring. WRITTEN BY JOSEPH J. SHERMAN
72 | fyimagazineny.com
SUSIE: Cooking and baking was always something I enjoyed doing. I always liked it when food looked pretty, but it was not something I ever thought I would do as a career. I have a masters degree in science, an undergraduate degree in elementary education, and I was a public school teacher for four years. I stopped working after my first child was born to become a full-time mom. I was always a very organized person, and when the day school asked if I would co-edit a cookbook, I saw how there was a need for elegant, modern Kosher books. At the time, chefs were not considered rock stars. There were traditional cookbooks, but not a lot that I could use practically. Shomer Shabbos people make a Thanksgiving dinner every week for Shabbos. I wanted to do something for the Kosher consumer- something lovely, modern and healthy. I did not want it to be necessarily traditional.
WHAT WAS YOUR “BIG BREAK”? SUSIE: I got an interview with Artscroll. They had not yet done a cookbook, and they took a gamble on me and it paid off. It was like I hit the ground running with little experience. I learned a lot in the process.
DO YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS AN AUTHOR, BUSINESS OWNER, AND/OR ENTREPRENEUR? SUSIE: I consider myself all but an entrepreneur. I chose not to expand the use of my name. There are things that could have made me money, but I chose not to give my name to them. I suppose an entrepreneur would do it. I am more choosy- more into my name and brand. I have the trust of my audience. They will buy my book sight unseen. They know I developed and tested it, and they know me. I am careful to test the recipe in a foolproof way.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COOKING AS A HOBBY AND AS A CAREER? SUSIE: You can’t just say “I like to cook, let me try to sell it to someone else.” If you don’t take yourself seriously, people will not take you seriously. You have to draw the line and decide if your project is a hobby or a business. I put in the time and effort that I would put into any job. I prioritize my time and say to myself, “If I was working in a law firm, how would I schedule my time?” For example, when I am on work time, I do not go out with friends to the mall, because this is something that I am willing to give up. I knew this genre was missing in the Kosher book world. Peter Lynch writes in One Up On Wall Street that he knew which stocks to pick based on what he saw around him. When he saw that his wife and kids were bringing home bags of clothes from The Gap, he knew to buy the stock. I was a Modern Orthodox woman who
73 | fyimagazineny.com
loves to cook. I saw lots of traditional cookbooks, but not books for people who cooked like me. Immediately people said, “Yes, we want it, and we want more.” WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR WORK?
SUSIE: How much nachas it brings to my husband, kids, and parents. Being a Jewish celebrity is a cool thing. If I was a famous lawyer, they would have no understanding of it, but they go out and people say, “She is your mother!” There are perks to being a celebrity that my kids get to enjoy. I have done cooking demonstrations as the chef on cruises, at Disney, and other cool places. I do one of those a week somewhere in the country, a food tour every February, and Europe in the summer.
WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON? SUSIE: I lead a week-long culinary tour of Israel every February. We meet rock star chefs like chef Meir Adoni, sleep at the Waldorf, and see the cutting-edge food scene. The Kosher world has really stepped up, and some of the chefs moved from treif to Kosher. We meet sheep farmers who make their own cheese, a French pâtisserie, and guided tours of the shuk. It’s all food, all the time.
CAN YOU SHARE ANY ADVICE TO WOMEN WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN THEIR OWN BUSINESS? SUSIE: Take yourself seriously and cross the line from hobby to business. Treat it as a business, and hopefully you will be rewarded. Follow your gut. Do what makes you happy. fyi