‘Chef of the Modern Middle East’ is coming back to St. Louis

Published April 29, 2026

American Israeli cookbook author Adeena Sussman, whose new cookbook Zariz (“quick” in Hebrew) offers a joyful antidote to complicated cooking, is coming to St. Louis.

Adeena Sussman will discuss her soon-to-be-released cookbook, “Zariz: 100 Easy, Breezy, Tel Aviv-y Recipes,” during an event from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 5 at the Jewish Community Center’s Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur.

Sussman is the New York Times bestselling author of “Shabbat” and “Sababa.” She cooks and writes from her kitchen in Tel Aviv. For Sussman, the kitchen is an island of calm: a place where she can center her mind, set the rules and create a daily haven of deliciousness through her cooking.

These days, she finds herself embracing the mantra “when the going gets tough, the cooking gets easy.” Pandemics, wars and the busy pace of a very full life have led her toward a smoother, more streamlined cooking approach embodied in the Hebrew word for quick, zariz.

Most of the recipes in this cookbook contain fewer than 12 ingredients—not including olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemons, which are staples of Sussman’s Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, and already in most pantries.

Rachel Holtzman will moderate at the event. Tickets (includes one copy of the book) are $48.64 per couple for J members; for non-members, the cost is $48.64 per attendee or $64.86 per couple. For St. Louis Jewish Book Festival All-Access Pass Holders, admission is included in the pass (cookbook may be purchased separately at the event).