Stephanie Sher learned to cook from her mother, who grew up in Canada. It was her who brought back a cookbook that became Stephanie’s definitive primer for all sorts of culinary creations. First published in 1950, the book, aptly titled “A Treasure for My Daughter,” has been heavily modified by what Stephanie calls her own “childish scribblings.”

“It’s funny,” she said. “I haven’t looked at that cookbook for a long time.” 

Among other things, the compendium contains a recipe for tsimmes, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish stew. But Stephanie never actually used a recipe to make her tsimmes, instead following her mother’s directions. 

“That particular dish was made for the holidays,” Stephanie explained, “or any festive occasion.” 

Stephanie explained, “My mother liked to have it any time we got together as a family.” Even Thanksgiving, a decidedly non-Jewish holiday, was no exception.

During these family gatherings, Stephanie always wanted to help out. “Tsimmes was my dish to make, because it was easy. So I could contribute to the occasion, you know?”

The holidays marked many of Stephanie’s fondest family memories. “When I finally moved out, I had the smallest apartment, but I was the one who kept kosher, “so my family would come to me.”

“One year,” she shared, “it snowed, and they missed one day, so I cooked by myself for the first seder and everyone else came for the second. It was so much fun.”

“It was difficult for me to cut back and just do one seder after my parents passed away,” she said later. “I was so used to doing two.” 

Even after her mother died, Stephanie kept making her tsimmes for the holidays. 

“It’s a memory of when my mother and I would make things together,” she told me. “I was hoping to make it the way she did, so I would try to find the exact ingredients and everything.”

“Everyone said they liked the way I made it, so I guess I can.”