Stefanie Goldberg Transcript

 Stefanie Goldberg Transcript

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Hi, everyone. You're listening to The Future Of Food Is You, a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. I'm your host, Abena Anim-Somuah. And each week, I talk to emerging talents in the food world and they share what they're up to as well as their dreams and predictions for what's ahead. As for me, I'm the founder of The Eden Place, a community that's all about gathering people intentionally around food. I love this new generation of chefs, bakers, and creatives making their way in the worlds of food, drink, media, and tech.

Today's guest is Stefanie Goldberg of Funny Girl Bread. Stefanie dubs Funny Girl Bread as her food business that makes outsized loaves for your celebration. Stefanie and I talk about the inspiration behind her name, doesn't have any relation to Barbra Streisand's musical, why bread was a vessel to take up space, the history and art of eating challah and how she is starting to find room in the New York City baking community. The team at Cherry Bombe discovered Stefanie at Natasha Pickowicz's More Than A Bake Sale, where she made a beautiful challah creation that was quite aesthetic. Stay tuned for our chat.

Thank you to Kerrygold for supporting today's show. Kerrygold is delicious, all-natural butter and cheese made with milk from Irish grass-fed cows raised on small family run Irish dairy farms. Kerrygold farming families pass their craft and knowledge from generation to generation. This traditional approach is the reason for the rich taste of Kerrygold. You can enjoy delicious sliced or shredded Kerrygold cheddar cheese available in mild or savory flavors. The shredded cheddar is perfect for those who love making mac and cheese. And now the grilling season this year, the cheddar slices will take any burger or veggie burger up a notch. There's also Kerrygold's classic salted butter in the gold foil. It's perfect for slathering on corn on the cob, always a summer fave, and the unsalted butter in the silver foil is an absolute must if you're turning sweet summer strawberries into strawberry shortcake. Visit kerrygoldusa.com to find the Kerrygold retailer nearest you and lots of great recipes.

Let's check in with today's guest. Stefanie, thank you so much for joining us on The Future Of Food Is You podcast.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure. I'm a fan. I've listened since episode one of season one.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Nice. Well, thank you. I mean, it's always nice to have a fan in the studio. Can you tell us where you grew up and how did food show up in your life?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Of course. I grew up in Manhattan, New York City until I was about seven, and then we moved to the suburbs of New York, and so I spent the rest of my young adult life growing up out there. Food was always a central fixture in my family, so it was present all the time. My mom, amazing cook and baker and fully self-taught, which was always pretty astounding to me. And I don't know how she does it. It's magic. Either brisket like a big brisket or a beautiful salad, or she makes these incredible mandarin chocolate chip cookies.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, wow.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, I don't understand, but-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Like there are mandarins in the cookies?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, dried mandarins, chocolate chips. They're chewy. They're crunchy. They're everything you want a cookie to be. But I think her love for food and the creativity she has with food and also her love for feeding people was always really tangible. And so I grew up with that. My dad makes a really mean grilled cheese and nothing to sneeze at. It's really fantastic.

So, I think with both of them, food was really important in my life. Looking back on my childhood, what I noticed is that food was always really prevalent in celebrations and I think that's really important to note. So, Central Park birthday parties, there were always these incredible cupcakes from a place called the Cupcake Cafe.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, very cute.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Very cute and very simple, basic cupcakes, buttercream, but they really were works of art. I remember the smell. I remember the flavor. Also, there was a little French bakery around the corner from our apartment. It is long gone, but they had this cake called a Dijon cake, which was basically like a Cassie's mousse cake.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Wow.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Also incredible, really fantastic. I've never found it since I was like four, but very fond memories of that cake. Things like Hanukkah, we'd have crispy latkes, we have sour cream, we have homemade applesauce. So, really this idea that people and community were really important in celebrations, but also the food was so much a part of what made it so special.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, I mean, you made some hints that growing up in a Jewish American family, I'm sure there were different ... I know Shabbat is such a sacred part of the tradition and the religion and I've been so honored to get to go to Shabbats. How did your family incorporate, well, just practice with food as well? I know there's so many different foods for every ceremony that you have or every holiday that you have.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, it's a really great question and I think like you said, it's really different for every family, every different sect of Judaism. I think for us, it really was about the food. It was really focused on how does this bring love to the space, how does this connect us? How does the food way connect us all?

And so, we weren't, I think, as observant. We didn't necessarily focus on a Shabbat itself, but we had brisket or we had chicken or we had something that was about bringing the family together and sitting down together. Also, I'd say music was a big part of it. There's something about food and music in my family that just, they go hand in hand. There's always something on the radio or we always put a record on. And so, it's probably the least religious version of Judaism, but really was more about how the food ways make us feel connected to the culture.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, that's awesome. You have a bit of background within the performing arts industry. How do you think growing up in that community, growing up in that culture, what does food also look like there as well?

Stefanie Goldberg:
I think that there's some interesting stuff that happened in the theater world related to food. Something I experienced that I think is part of why the business came to be was in the theater world, there's an emphasis on body and body size and body type. I noticed that I was asked to be smaller and that I was asked to take up less space, and also I was praised when that would happen.

And so, there are so many things that aren't correct or right about that, but I think that as I removed myself from the industry, which was my own choice and a choice I was very comfortable making, I noticed how there was a reckoning with that and how I was trying to understand what I experienced and I think what many other people experienced, women, men, gender-nonconforming, anyone in the world can experience as someone who identifies as a woman. I'm speaking from that perspective specifically.

I think that coming to this business, I was interested in understanding how do I undo that and how do I detangle that and how do I take something and focus on taking up space. And so, I think when it comes to bread, for example, bread itself is, it's big. It takes up a lot of space. And even the idea of the proofing process, it grows and then it has multiple stages. And I think also inherently to eat bread, you have to take up a lot of space. And I think of, you probably have seen it, there's this silly meme of women laughing while eating salad.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, yes. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Big friendship.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yes. And so, if you look at those pictures, I mean, they're ridiculous. And also, women are laughing. There's nothing in their mouth. They're holding a fork with basically nothing on it, and there's this idea that we don't have things in our mouths that it's not appropriate or that it doesn't conform with societal standards. So, bread is large. To actually dig into bread with challah specifically, you have to tear it. You have to take up space.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
It's a process.

Stefanie Goldberg:
You put it in your mouth, it fills your mouth. So, there are so many things happening there that I think for me, compared to theater, were in defiance. It's the opposite I think, of what I was experiencing. And so, eating bread for me feels like an act of defiance and a way to step away from all of that.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Can you tell us a little bit about the history of challah and the right way to pronounce it as well?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yes, so you can really pronounce it a couple of different ways. You can say challah, you can say challah, you can say challah. I think most people gravitate towards challah. They are all correct. At the base, challah is a soft, rich bread. That's the basic definition. It's really delicious. Though I think folks would say, I'm biased for sure.

Historically, challah originally was a piece of dough that was separated out and given to the Kohen, which is the priest. Also, challah originally meant any bread that was made for a Jewish ritual, pita bread, flatbread, different things based on where you were in the world. That's obviously, I think a pretty far cry from what we know today of challah.

And also, challah wasn't braided back then. Yeah. So, that was not something that was part of the ancient origin story. That was something that really came about in the 15th century. What happened was that Jews were fleeing persecution. It was, I think, Ashkenazi Jews specifically, and so they arrived in Austria and Germany. And these Jewish women were following in the footsteps of their non-Jewish counterparts who are making these platted breads on Sundays. And so, that's how challah started to become braided. It was symbolic of the Sabbath bride's hair, which is really interesting.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The Sabbath bride, what's that?

Stefanie Goldberg:
The braided hair of the bride essentially.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Okay.

Stefanie Goldberg:
So, think of just a typical three-strand braid. I think what I find most interesting about braids is that it was really something that showed wealth and status because the more time and the more money and the more domestic support you had, the more breeds. And so, at that time, you could show your wealth and show your status through bread. And I think that's really fascinating.

And so, I think modern challah has obviously evolved into this thing. And speaking of Ashkenazi Jews in the turn of the century, challah wasn't always this sweet and eggy thing that we know it to be. But as that wave of Jews came to America, to New York specifically from the end of the 19th to the early 20th century, the eggs and the sugar were so inexpensive compared to Europe. And also, there was a huge push from the sugar industry to use sugar.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Big sugar.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Big sugar, right?

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Big sugar.

Stefanie Goldberg:
And so, you have this bread that then becomes sweeter and richer, and also commercial yeast is developed. So then, you have a bread that can be sweeter and can be saltier and is bigger. So, all of that comes into play when we think of the braided sweet eggy loaf that we have. And I think modern bakers who are baking challah are using their own sense of taste, their own backgrounds, their own training to interpret it in their own ways. And I think that's really beautiful because you have all these different versions of the thing that exists out there.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Food is so interesting because I think it's a beautiful testament to history and culture and assimilation. From your perspective as a child, what was challah like in your house? Were you guys just buying challah, Zabar's or whatever, or were you every Friday night making it like braiding all the five strands together?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Challah was not a big fixture in my household. I think actually my mom, I mentioned she's an incredible baker, she never touched bread.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Bread's tricky though.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Bread is really tricky.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
I'll give her that. I'll give her that.

Stefanie Goldberg:
No hard feelings, mom, if you're listening. You're still my hero. But if we had bread, it was a store-bought loaf either from Zabar's, that was a fave place.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The best.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Or swing by Barney Greengrass, pick some up.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Another classic.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Another classic. But I think what I remember of it from childhood was really the ritual if we went to temple. So, again, we weren't particularly religious, but Shabbat, if we were more involved, we would go to temple. We were reformed. And so, there was a lot of music I mentioned in the ceremonies, even if we weren't in our home and we were in a temple, music and celebration. And I always remember that afterwards, there's basically the kiddish and you have the challah.

And so, this thing of being with your family and singing songs together and having bread, that's really how it showed up in my life more. So, there really was not the baking of the challah in the kitchen, which is really interesting.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Well, you gave us a beautiful historical telling of the history of challah, which is a perfect segue because you actually took a route in academia and food, which is really impressive. You got your master's in food studies from NYU, New York University. What was it like going to school there, obviously being a city kid? But then, what were some of the learnings and experiences that you had being in class, just talking about food from such an amazing academic perspective?

I'm such a nerd, so I feel like I've thought about going to school for my master's and it has to be in food studies, and everyone that's come out of NYU has just said such great things. But yeah, I would definitely love to hear it from your perspective.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, of course. I'm happy to talk about it. And if you're thinking about it, I encourage you to pursue it. You can do it.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, shucks.

Stefanie Goldberg:
It was a really incredible experience. I think secretly, although not so secretly now, I had always wanted to go to university in Manhattan. And when I went to college, I went to Pennsylvania and did a small liberal arts thing out there, and it was really lovely, but I don't think I really fully understood that I wanted to be in a city and taking the subway to class and all this other stuff. And so, I think it was really a dream come true in a lot of ways. I had just exited the theater industry and I was like, "I want to do this thing. I'm going to give it my best shot." And I got it and I was like, "Okay, here we go."

I think being around so many scholars, these incredible scholars in the field, I mean, I had incredible professors, so much knowledge, Fabio Parasecoli, Amy Bentley, Krishnendu Ray, Jenny Berg, Scott Barton, Mireya Loza, all these incredible scholars in the field. And I got to sit in the room with them. And also, I had these colleagues who had these varied backgrounds. They were coming to food from such different angles. And I think the ability to make connections and form friendships with folks having those different backgrounds is really special.

Academia is an interesting place and really challenges us in a different way. And there's something very special about being on a campus that is as large as it is and being surrounded by so many people who are also learning and also learning so many different things. So, I loved it. I became devoted to food history, which I never expected, but it was amazing. I love food and food ways and how they tell a story about who we are and where we came from and where we're going.

I had a wonderful professor named Gabriella Gershenson. She's also a writer. And so, she taught me so much about how to write, how to tell a story, how to ask questions, so just a really wonderful space. And I made some of my closest friends in grad school, so.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. That's amazing. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to consider pursuing an academic career in the food world?

Stefanie Goldberg:
I definitely do have advice. And I think the first thing I'd say is be open. I think that's really important to explore all the nooks and crannies. Going into grad school, I had absolutely no clue what I was going to hone in on. And I think it was because I was open and I tried all these different classes and poked at different things that I wound up focusing on bread and food and history and food and gender and all of those things, but going in, I had no clue. So, be open. And I think the second piece of advice I would give to someone is if you think you can't, you can. I worked full-time through grad school, so I was doing a 9:00 to 5:00 and-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
And a 5:00 to 1:00.

Stefanie Goldberg:
And a 5:00 to 1:00. I would go to class at night and it took me three years, which is perfectly fine. It can take you three, it can take you five, whatever. You do what you need to do. But when I wasn't working or in school, all my free time was focused on studying and reading and writing. And I definitely had a minimal social life, but I think it was worth it. And was it challenging? Yeah. Did I have moments where I doubted myself and my ability to get through it? Of course. I think that's really normal and it's okay to talk about. But I think what's important to remember and my biggest takeaway is that you can and do well.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's take a quick break and we'll be right back.

Kerry Diamond:
Hi, everybody. This is Kerry Diamond from Radio Cherry Bombe. The new issue of Cherry Bombe's print magazine is now available. You can subscribe via cherrybombe.com and receive Cherry Bombe direct to your door four times a year. Or you could pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore, magazine shop, or culinary store, places like the Silver Shamrocks in Rochester, Michigan, Good Egg in Toronto, and the Bird Kitchen Clothing website in the U.K. For more stockist locations, head to cherrybombe.com and click on the Magazine tab. Thank you in advance for supporting our print magazine.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's talk about the core of your story, your business, Funny Girl Bread, which I love just the way you talk about it. You sent us your biography. You said, "A few years ago, I was 10 years into my career as a performer, and I was hungry to try something new, but also just hungry. And then enter stage left, Funny Girl Bread, the bite-size bakery that makes outsized loaves for your next celebration." Why did you decide to start a challah business, Stefanie?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Abena, great question. Okay, so the way I approach this I think is four pronged. I think the first prong is related to family and history and ancestry. For me, history is just so important and connecting to family and history through that was really valuable. I think the second prong for me, also something we chatted a little bit about, is women and bodies and having this reckoning with what I was experiencing, the need to rewrite that story to come back to my own body, to understand what it meant to take up space and to work with a medium that was about taking up space throughout the entirety of it. Also, I love bread. I think that's like-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Who doesn't?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Who does not love bread?

Abena Anim-Somuah:
And if they do, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend, but who doesn't? Yeah, I guess if you're allergic to gluten, that is a possibility.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Understood.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
But there's great gluten-free breads out there.

Stefanie Goldberg:
There is, absolutely.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Prong three, love bread, love challah. And I think in terms of the fourth prong, it's really about women and humor. Again, I'm speaking from the binary, speaking from my perspective as someone who identifies as a woman, there's definitely a stereotype that either women can't be funny or can't be as funny as men. I think so much of that is because of the threat of what it means to be funny and to be a woman and how that challenges patriarchal structures. So, for me, humor has always been a way of pushing back against something and challenging it and looking at something that's archaic and pushing it away.

I guess this last prong is really about how do we take tradition and how do we take whimsy and how do we turn these things on their head and bring them together as a way to again, move beyond archaic structures and challenge something in a new way while still honoring ancestry and roots. So, those I think are the four prongs. I presented a fork to you.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
You presented a four-strand challah to me. And now, we're going to dig in. I mean, that's such a beautiful way to think about a business. And I think the beauty of this podcast and just I think the food world in general now is so many people are using food as a love language to talk about their ancestry and talk about their immigrant stories, and talk about the ways that food have served so many roles and so many functions. So, your breads are incredible and decorative. You sent us some photos, and I know you have a few photos on your social media.

But I just love how ornate they are. It's not just a strand. It's like a strand with little bits and bobs and it's just so beautiful. But I'm curious to hear how did you perfect the recipe for the challah, like the base challah. And then, how do you sort of add onto it and add your own flair?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yes. It's a journey. It has been a journey. I am not a baker by trade. I am self-taught. And so, I think there are a lot of things I definitely don't know that maybe a traditional baker would know, Melissa Clark, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, Molly Yeh, like all these really wonderful people and looking at their recipes, trying them, seeing what feels right to me and what feels more right for them. Then going from there. Adding more flour, taking away flour, adding different types of sweeteners, honey, sugar, whatever.

And so, ultimately what I arrived at that felt like home and was very honest to me in terms of what I like from my bread is a bread that's richer. It has more egg yolks. And it's a bread that is less sweet. And it's also a bread that uses honey. So, I prefer honey.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Honey over sugar.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah. And it's not to say that sugar is bad. Sugar, challah, phenomenal. I think that for me, I find a different depth of flavor with honey, especially if you're trying different types of honey, if you're in that phase of exploration. I think that's really valuable. I also was really focused on a balance between something that was billowy and fluffy, but also something that was having density and bite to it, and I think that took a while to figure out. Yeah.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome. You had such a creative way of talking about the role of Funny Girl in your life. So, most people say it's their side hustle, but you said it's your enterprise. Because you do have a full-time job-

Stefanie Goldberg:
I do.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
... which isn't necessarily in the food world, but I would love to talk about how do you balance the creativity of making sure you're sharp at work at your full-time job, because this is work, but then also feeling this creative energy and also trying to be a business because it's not easy running a business. Business acumen does not naturally flow from our brains into the work we do.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah. It definitely doesn't flow naturally. I think at its core, what it comes down to, is organization and structure, because I have to have those things in check for the creativity to really be successful and to flow. So, working on budgeting, having social media posts programmed and ready to go, writing emails, prepping invoices, updating my website, all sorts of stuff like that, having those pieces behind the scenes structured then allow me to propel myself into the actual creative work of the bread.

I think it can sound a little counterintuitive, because we think about creativity and we think of this free flowing boundlessness. And I think that is true, but for me as a person, I can't get there without all the structure in place to support that. I think that's really important. And in terms of balancing it with a 9:00 to 5:00, I'm the director of operations for a nonprofit. That's my 9:00 to 5:00. I love it. I believe in it. I believe in the mission. It's very important to me.

And it is a challenge. It is really hard. And you're right, I don't call it a side hustle. I call it an enterprise, because it is a fully functioning small business. And I really don't want to diminish that. And so, you mentioned earlier, I call it a 9:00 to 5:00, and then I have a 5:00 to 1:00. And so, that's really what it is.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. You just never stop. I mean, that's a good way to think about it, but I'm curious. We have so many people who listen to the podcast who are aspiring, they're itching to just get something done. And I know you mentioned something so beautifully earlier of like, if you don't think you can't, you can. But how do you take care of yourself? I know you are immensely talented and have limitless energy to do things, but how do you make sure that you're taking care of yourself and you're fueling yourself creatively outside of bread?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, it's such an important question. And I think as we continue to evolve, we're asking it more and more. So, I'm appreciative that you're bringing it up. And this also might sound strange, but I have to schedule time to care for myself.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
You got to do what you got to do, right?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Got to do what you got to do. It sounds counterintuitive, but if you plan in, you bake in, so to speak, the time, you have to do the thing. So, putting in my calendar two hours to sit on the couch and-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Do nothing.

Stefanie Goldberg:
... do nothing. Listen to The Future Of Food Is You, listen to the newest episode.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
There you go. And all the other episodes in The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network.

Stefanie Goldberg:
And every part of Cherry Bombe, right?

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Call a friend. I don't know, experiment, do a puzzle, something. I think that as someone who's more introverted, I have to be very thoughtful about making time to get together with other people, and that's just something I've learned about myself in my life. And so, I think that has to be intentional, too, of reaching out to people or if someone reaches out to you being like, "Oh, this is a good thing. You should make time." And that you need a little bit of that energizing and rebooting. So, I think that's what I do.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome. I mean, I respect it. Do nothing days are important. And I think especially in New York, this is a schedule forward city. You definitely have to schedule time to not do anything. And that's the only way you can get it done.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Exactly. And also hydrate. Got to say, that's key. Got to drink water.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Drink water.

Stefanie Goldberg:
It's really good.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
It's good for the brain.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Can you tell us about the first challah order you had and what that experience was like?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yes, I can. It was a blast. It was such a pleasure to work with the clients and with the wedding producer. So, I heard from this client and she expressed that they wanted basically a centerpiece challah for their wedding.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
For their wedding.

Stefanie Goldberg:
For each table. And they had 10 tables. And so, it was a little bit off the beaten path of what I think celebration challah usually is, but also a really fun and challenging opportunity. And so, as we talked, they shared with me that what they were looking for was something round and something that was traditional, but whimsical. And also, they let me know they had a floral centerpiece in the middle of the table. So, I was given that information and basically shot out of the cannon.

And so, I think what happened was three phases of things. So, in the first phase, I had to figure out a round structure. And so I was really drawn to negative space. I don't know why, but I was maybe-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
A true artist, true artist talking.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Working with the negative space.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.

Stefanie Goldberg:
I mean, it probably had to do with the fact that I knew this centerpiece was going to be in the middle of the table, but that was the first thing. I was thinking, "Okay, traditional and also whimsical, negative space." So, that's phase one. Phase two was there were at least 10 people at a table. And so, thinking about places and place settings and glasses and napkins and all this stuff, and reaching to get bread, it can be tricky in terms of having to tear and break the bread. So, what could I do to make it as functional and effective as possible to make it easy, make it easy for someone to tear bread. And so, that's where I arrived at part two, which was 15 individual rolls that would make up the wreath.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Wow.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah. I was like, "Oh, good idea."

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The negative space became positive space.

Stefanie Goldberg:
It became very positive.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome.

Stefanie Goldberg:
And then phase three was how do we make it whimsy and ornate? And so, then it became rolls that were braided. So, you had these 15 platted rolls that connected and created a challah wreath essentially. And it was a really challenging project. It was incredibly fun. I think that what I didn't anticipate was the feeling of actually presenting it and setting it in the space. Again, it was my first job. It was a big job.

And one of my best friends, Hannah, was with me, which was also really special. I've known her since I was eight years old. So, that was really lovely and was a huge champion of me and moving through the work. But to get there, to be with this person, to set them on the table, I think to see it in real time was nothing I could have anticipated.

Having just been in my kitchen, working and preparing, I mean, it's kind of indescribable. I felt proud. I felt excited. I was happy to be sharing culture with people and happy to be making these connections, and also happy for this client to see their whole wedding come to life. And also, just a little plug for community, I think it's so valuable and so important. And I had my friend Hannah, my friend, Sarah, Eliana, Daisy, Cheryl, all these people, my parents, my brother in the background. If you think you can't, you can. They were those people.

And so, I think community is so important because without them, I would be able to do this of course, but the story would look so different. And so-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
It takes a village.

Stefanie Goldberg:
It always does. Yeah.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Well, this is a perfect segue into community actually. I'm really curious to hear, obviously, being in New York City, being in the food studies community, I'm sure you found great community there, but how have you found community within the baking scene here in New York City? I think it's such a special place, and we've had a few members of the baking community, Jenneh Kaikai, Amy Franz, who talk so much about how much the community has helped accelerate and propel their careers. How have you found the community has benefited you? And then also, how have you added to the community, do you think, from your work?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, absolutely. To start with Natasha Pickowicz, she's an incredible person, incredible baker. And she has held and continues to hold many charitable bake sales that are really focused on community and resistance and change. And so, the organization I work for was one of the charitable organizations that was part of the bake sale was for us and also to celebrate-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
And Brigid Alliance.

Stefanie Goldberg:
The Brigid Alliance, yup.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Totally.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Just for context, for the bake sale?

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yes, of course. So, the Brigid Alliance is a nonprofit organization. And we provide logistical support to folks who have to travel long distances for abortion care. So, obviously something that is very much fraught, fraught to say the least right now. And so, Natasha is a huge champion of that right and a person's right to choice and bodily autonomy. So, that's where this was all coming together. And we also were celebrating the launch of “More Than Cake.”

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Which is a fantastic book.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
So great, such great recipes in there. I have to sit down and really dig in and bake through that. It's so fun. Yeah.

Stefanie Goldberg:
I drool every time I look at the book.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
It's a fun book to read as well.

Stefanie Goldberg:
It's a great book. So, that's really where this was all coming together. And so, I had been in conversations from the organizational side with Natasha and her team. I reached out to Natasha and I said, "Look, I'm starting the small business. It's called Funny Girl Bread. Here's what I do. And I'd love to make a challah of the reproductive system for the bake sale if you're interested." And she said, "Yes." So, thank you, Natasha.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's amazing.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Yeah, it was really amazing. And I think my first attempt at it was very literal and it was too clinical. It felt really cold. And so, I scrapped it and I was like, "This does not feel true to me. It doesn't feel what I want to present." And so, what I arrived at was actually an abstract interpretation of the reproductive system. That's what I called it. It was really more about a feeling. It was about capturing an idea of hope and choice and possibility and potential.

At this bake sale, it wound up being the central fixture on the organization's table. It was the first thing you saw when you walked in. That was just happenstance. It was really amazing. The reception was great. I think that I really did get to be a fly on the wall because I'm new to the space. And so, people didn't know I was the baker.

And I think that afforded me a lot of opportunity to observe people engaging. And I think that was the most important part to me was that I got to see people engage and I got to see connection and community in real time with the thing itself. So, there was almost an element of a research aspect, a research project to it.

And in terms of community, I was in this incredible community of New York City bakers. I couldn't believe it. I was very awestruck. I mean, such nice people, such talented people, such kind people. It was really amazing. And I think bouncing off of that, how I find myself digging into the community is talking to people at events.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
There's so many events, yeah.

Stefanie Goldberg:
There's so many events to go to. Being connected via friends, reaching out via email, engaging via social media. Anyone who engages with me responding and communicating with them, I think that's all really valuable. And I think in terms of contributing to the community, I really respect the folks in the community. There are so many incredible bakers who are baking bread.

And I'm just interested in being myself and contributing in a new way or a way that's true to me. I want to celebrate all the bakers that already are there making this bread, and I want to join them and be in community with them and be a companion to them. I mean, when we think of companion, Latin roots, right? Cum pane, with bread. So, really to build companionship through bread with these people, that's my goal.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
You briefly mentioned social media, which I think has been such a powerful tool for independent food businesses, especially in New York City. It's like if you're not posting your pop-up partnership bake sale on Instagram, that's the new flyer of a lamp post. I feel like everyone's got such creative and beautiful posters and you're growing your social media so beautifully. I think you're posting very intentionally, which I really love. How are you thinking about leveraging social media to build your brand? And are there any social media accounts of a similar type that you think are inspiring you these days?

Stefanie Goldberg:
I am really not an expert at social media. I am learning every single day. And so, for anyone out there, whoever you are, even if you have a small business or if you don't, if you're also learning, congrats. And I'm right there with you. I think that for some of us, people look at us and they think, "Well, they're an expert or they know everything." I'm definitely not. So, lots of reading, lots of researching, lots of observing in real time what happens.

But I think one thing I'll say that is important to me that is true and will remain true is that being honest and being myself is the key to social media presence. And so, I share pictures that I think look good, but also that bring me joy. So, at the end of the day, it may not be a great photo, but it makes me happy. And so, that to me feels honest.

I talk about the process. I haven't gotten there yet, but I will talk about what it looks like to try something and not to be as successful as you hope to be or what it means to make a mistake. I make really silly, goofy bread puns. I will always continue to strive to make better and better bread puns. That's just I think part of my style. But again, it's honest. And I think part of what I love. And in terms of accounts that I'm really jazzed by, I mean, I think some of them are bread. My very close friend, Cheryl Holbert of Nomad Bakery bakes these astounding challahs. And I actually apprenticed with her for a while in sourdough.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, very nice.

Stefanie Goldberg:
We only made one challah together ever. So, I really actually didn't study challah with her, which is funny, because now, I've really found myself in challah. But she's a wonderful person and I think a real important specialist in the field. I see your sticker on your laptop, Challah Dad.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, Challah Dad.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Phenomenal.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Love him.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Love.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
And he's such a genius, too. I met him briefly in L.A. and he was so just so kind and so sweet. And I ate half the challah on the plane.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Oh, absolutely.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. I had to stop myself.

Stefanie Goldberg:
I have to say, I can't recall all of the names, but all of the individuals who bake challah for fun or do it for, I don't know, religious or ritualistic reasons who have reached out, I really value them because I think in social media in general, there can be this idea that it has to be perfect and it has to look perfect, but really, especially with bread, that you're doing it, that you're enjoying it, I think is what matters most.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
For sure.

Stefanie Goldberg:
And I had a woman reach out to me and comment on the challah wreath I made that was part of the first job I did. And she said, "It's really beautiful. I've got to try it." So, I sent her a direct message and I was like, "Please try it. Let me know. I'd love to see a picture." And she did. And she sent me a picture and she said, "Well, it's not as beautiful and this, that and the other." And I said, "No, it's your own interpretation. And that's what matters. You have to be true to yourself. So, you saw something that inspired, you tried it, and you did something beautiful." And I think we have to hold onto that. That picture perfect is we've got to get rid of that a little bit.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Obviously, we're huge manifesters on the podcast. I would love to hear if there were dream clients or dream collaborations you have been manifesting up in your journals. Who would you want them to be or who would you love to work with?

Stefanie Goldberg:
This is a literal dream because it can't be real. But my grandmother, my grandparents. I think they're such incredible folks and I never either knew them well enough or got to meet them, but I think to share challah with them would be so special. So, when I dream, I will hope to make that dream a dream reality. That was a little circuitous there, but that would be great.

And in terms of people who are earth side, two women, two Jewish women who are very important to the performing and theater world I'd say are Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler. And to clarify, Funny Girl Bread has no connection whatsoever to the film or the musical Funny Girl. Huge fan, also a huge Barbra Streisand fan. However-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Two queens.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Two queens, definitely from different places. But yes, it would be an honor to give bread to Barbra and Bette, if I can be on a first name basis, and would certainly plotz if they were available to accept my bread.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
I love that Yiddish word plotz.

Stefanie Goldberg:
It's a great one.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, that's incredible. And when you think of future bake sales, future projects, where would you love to see Funny Girl on the big screen but on the big bread? I don't know. That was my funny way of trying to come up with a billboard.

Stefanie Goldberg:
With a billboard? Funny Girl Fully Proofed. That's what I'll call it. That's the series.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
I love it. Dream as big as you want to.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Okay, I'll dream super big. So, I think the biggest dream is that I would like to have it be an established institution in Manhattan, at the very least. I know I'm small. I'm three months old, so really, I am an infant, but I would-

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Infants grow.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Infants do grow. We grow. And so, I'd like to really make a contribution to the city, to this community. So, that is a lofty goal. And I don't know fully what it looks like, but I'd say that is it. There's a really wonderful young person. Her name is Jacqueline Lobel of Shtick, NYC. Super cool. Does really fantastic stuff.

And so, I connected with her. She does a lot of really wonderful Jewish-related events. And so, she and I have discussed partnering on Shabbat dinners or a Shabbat dinner that she throws. And I'm really excited at the potential there of bringing bread to this space that's cultivated and I think a close-knit exciting space that's about ritual and also being more modern and taking that to the next level.

And I think just being a young business, continuing to be open to believe I can and to build the community, to make connections, make friendships, to learn from everyone around me. I think that's really the focus and the goal.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's amazing. Well, Stefanie, it'll happen. I think just your approach and your philosophy to creating this business is so excellent and so well done. So, we can't wait to keep eating your bread and keep supporting you. We're going to do our fun Future Of Food Is You tradition, obviously you listen to the podcast so you know this. So, this is our Future Flash Five. How are you feeling?

Stefanie Goldberg:
I'm feeling great. Ready as I will ever be. I think.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of challah.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Fully proofed.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of food history.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Limitless.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of food businesses.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Sustainable.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of food theater.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Exciting and musical.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of bake sales.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Communal.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Stefanie, again, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. I've learned so much about challah and I will think of you every time I take a bite now.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Thank you so much for having me.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Of course. If we want to keep supporting you, where are the best places to find you?

Stefanie Goldberg:
You can find me on Instagram @funnygirlbread. You can check out my website funnygirlbread.com, or you can find me on the streets of Manhattan. I walk everywhere, so if you see me say hi.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
I love it. Amazing. Thank you so much.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Thank you.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
Before we go, our guest is going to leave a voicemail at The Future Of Food mailbox just talking to themselves 10 years from now. You have reached The Future Of Food Is You mailbox. Please leave your message after the beep.

Stefanie Goldberg:
Stef, I've got to tell you, I am kvelling. You started your own small business. You are celebrating your culture and your people through custom challah creations. And you are fully and unapologetically yourself. Right now, we are at the beginning of a journey, but there is so much more that lies ahead, simchas, challenges, opportunities for learning and growth, and plenty of time for therapy. I hope you are still as curious as you always have been. You continue to be surrounded by a wonderful community of family and friends, and that seltzer remains the primary liquid that runs through your veins.

I hope that you have crossed paths with many people and gathered many stories and that Funny Girl Bread has become a small but important part of the fabric of New York City. I hope your children's picture book has been published. I hope you still sing to your dough. And I hope you didn't get another dramatic haircut, but maybe finally gave curly bangs a go. Stef, I love you, I like you, and I will always save the last bite for you.

Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's it for today's show. Do you know someone who you think is the future of food? Tell us about them. Nominate them at the link in our show notes or leave us a rating and a review and tell me about them in the review. I can't wait to read more about them. Thanks to Kerrygold for sponsoring our show. The Future of Food Is You is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Thanks to the team at CityVox Studios, executive producers Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker and associate producer, Jenna Sadhu. Catch you on the future flip.