Press
“Food is a lens on the South Carolina Jewish experience,” write Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey in the introduction to their fascinating book, Kugels & Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish Southern Carolina.
Kugels and Collards: How South Carolina Serves Up Kosher Cuisine
In Rachel Barnett’s family, Christmas Day is a big deal, she says. There’s no Christmas tree or stockings hanging from the mantle, but for 60 or so years, it has been a time for the extended family in South Carolina to gather for a special meal.
In This Jewish Southern Family, Christmas Day Is a Time To Gather
When Lyssa Kligman Harvey hits the road, she takes her grandma Ida’s kugel with her. For the unfamiliar, Harvey describes the dish as “Eastern European comfort food,” a noodle pudding that is a staple of the cuisine Jewish families brought with them when they immigrated to America.
Lyssa Kligman Harvey: Savor Your Story
When Rachel Barnett married her husband Henry in the summer of 2006 in South Carolina, they didn’t serve wedding cake at their reception. They served peach cobbler. “I wanted to recognize his family’s peach farming history,” explains Rachel.
Jewish Food Society
Alison Law included Kugels & Collards in this yearly roundup, stating “The number of books about the U.S. South or written by authors with ties to the South only increases over time — as does the caliber of their work.”
The Bitter Southerner
Published by the SC Department of Agriculture, pages 60-62 of the 2024 issue feature an article about Kugels & Collards and two recipes from the book.
Grown in SC
Southern Jewish Life Regional
Pages 80-82 of the January 2024 issue feature an article about Kugels & Collards.
Garden & Gun
Garden & Gun’s “The Best Books for (and about) Southerners of 2023” included Kugels & Collards in their list of top cookbooks, novels, and memoirs.
Columbia Metropolitan
Editor Margaret Clay’s review of this “remarkable collection of essays and recipes” features the recipe for our Savory Southern Kugel.
COLAtoday
Local editor David chose Kugels & Collards as one of his six to-go gifts this holiday season.
Can We Talk?
Rachel and Lyssa talk with Jen Richler of “Can We Talk?”, the podcast of the Jewish Women’s Archive. Also featured on the podcast are Dale Rosengarten and Kim Cliett Long.
The Local Palate
Kugels & Collards made The Local Palate’s list of 11 Unforgettable Southern Cookbooks from 2023.
The Nosher
Kugels & Collards made The Nosher’s list of the 8 Best Jewish Cookbooks of 2023.
Mark Smith is joined by Rachel and Lyssa to discuss the role of food in situating Jews into the rich story of the South across the generations. “Take on the South” is the podcast of the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina.
Take on the South
Anne Byrn visited SC for the Columbia launch of Kugels & Collards, and was a featured speaker at the JHSSC Conference. Be sure to read this tasty newsletter all about cookies!
Between the Layers
Nate Stanley joined us at the Columbia Launch Party on October 6, and created this lovely piece for the evening news.
WLTX News19
The Office of the Provost featured Kugels & Collards in its October news. Kugels & Collards has ties to the school beyond being published by USC Press—it’s both Rachel and Lyssa’s alma mater!
University of South Carolina
aish.com
Check out Rachel’s peach cobbler recipe on aish.com. Delicious!
The Sumter Item
Alaysha Maple of The Sumter Item did a great front page follow-up piece about the Kugels & Collards book talk held on September 20, 2023.
Steel Magnolias Podcast
This delightful podcast, co-hosted by Laura Beth Peters and Lainie Stubblefield, explores life in the American South and welcomed guests Rachel and Lyssa on a recent episode.
Maayan Schechter visits Kugels & Collards authors during this festive time of year, and learns how Rachel and Lyssa blend food cultures on their own tables during Rosh Hashanah.
SC Public Radio
Two recipes from Kugels & Collards—Savory Southern Kugel and Annie Gailliard’s Okra Gumbo—are featured on one of the premier kosher food websites.
Kosher.com
Kugels & Collards is listed among an esteemed group of new cookbooks favored by G&G contributors. Senior Editor CJ Lotz Diego liked the book for its blend of classic and modern recipes, as well as the cherished stories linked to well-known establishments.
Garden & Gun
A look at how the cookbook came to fruition and the stories behind a few of the stand-out recipes are at the forefront of this article by Lillia Callum-Penso.
The Post and Courier Greenville
Jewish Book Council
Rachel and Lyssa give insight into the women cooks featured in the book and the important women in their lives who shaped their understanding of food and Jewish identity.
An article showcasing Sumter area ties within the book in advance of the Kugels & Collards book signing on September 19, 2023, at the Sumter County Museum’s Temple Sinai Jewish History Center.
The Sumter Item
This article looks at South Carolina’s Jewish Culinary History and features a recipe for Hoppin’ John and Collards.
Tablet Magazine
In this “Cook the Book” article, Amber Chase creates Potato Latkes, Gloria Slow’s Schnecken/Rugelach, and Grandma Ida’s Lokshen Kugel.
The Local Palate
Danielle Dreilinger engages readers to “learn five key points and borrow two South Carolina Jewish specialties for your own table.”
Southern Kitchen
“Kugels & Collards doesn’t read like most new cookbooks; instead, it feels closer to a family photo album, gathering snapshots of several generations of Jewish South Carolinians, their historic businesses, stories of immigration and assimilation, as well as plenty of recipes.”
Southern Living
Due to its stories with ties to Savannah, Kugels & Collards was included in the September/October issues of Savannah Magazine. Check it out on page 32!
Savannah Magazine
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Townsend interviewed Rachel and Lyssa for the AJC Food section. “What we created here is a sort of unintentional archive of South Carolina’s Jewish historythrough the food memories that are so important to its people,” said Gordin Barnett in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Food Enthusiast
In this video interview, Rachel and Lyssa chat with Dara Bunjon of JMore Living about their cookbook. This interview was recorded live on Facebook.
The Nosher features an article written by Rachel about Bubba’s Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe, featured in Kugels & Collards. Also featured on their website is this article about the cookbook, featuring a Q&A with Rachel.
The Nosher
This article, written by Amy Spiro, discusses how Kugels & Collards came into existence.
The Times of Israel
Between the Layers
Anne Byrn explores the cookbooks Portico and Kugels & Collards, which area “as much about culture and history as they are fabulous recipes to make this fall.”
The Well-Seasoned Librarian
The Well-Seasoned Librarian is a podcast for food lovers of all levels. Join Dean Jones, a librarian and food writer, as he talks to Rachel & Lyssa about Kugels & Collards.
Soda City Biz Wire
Soda City Biz Wire wrote a short piece celebrating these Columbia, SC, authors on the release of Kugels & Collards.
In the podcast “Tastebuds with Deb,” authors Rachel and Lyssa talk about food, family, and the birth of the cookbook. You can read the article, listen to the podcast, or watch a video of the interview.
Jewish Journal
Rachel and Lyssa share how Southern kitchens are where Black and Jewish transitions come together.
This article was also featured in The Jerusalem Post, Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, Baltimore Jewish Living, and St. Louis Jewish Light.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
YOUR LAST MEAL is a podcast hosted by National Edward R. Murrow award-winning reporter Rachel Belle. The August 3, 2023, broadcast features a talk with Rachel and Lyssa about “mashup” cooking.
Your Last Meal
Featured under the “Learn Something New” category, Kugels & Collards was mentioned in ColaTODAY’s daily email and in this article about locally authored books.
COLAtoday
This article featured nine fish dishes for period leading up to Tisha b’Av, including the salmon and grits recipe featured in Kugels & Collards.
Jewish Journal
The June 2023 issue of Georgia Magazine examines “New books for Southern cooks,” and Kugels & Collards is featured alongside some other heavy-hitters in the regional culinary scene.
Georgia Magazine
