The New Jewish Table Cookbook Allergen Conscious Recipes

Looking for Passover recipes that are also gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan?

There’s a new cookbook out by Chef Todd Gray of Washington DC’s Equinox.

Included in The New Jewish Table are “contemporary reinterpretations of traditional Jewish dishes.”

Highlights from the book, which includes more than 100 unique recipes, include Fig & Port Wine Blintzes, Yukon Gold & Sweet Potato Latkes, Matzo-Stuffed Cornish Game Hens, Smoked Salmon & Sweet Corn Beignets, Falafel with Pickled Vegetables & Minted Lemon Yogurt and Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach. 

Here’s more about Chef Todd Gray and his co-author and wife, Kassoff Gray

From the seasonally-inspired dishes he creates every day in his award-winning restaurant to his ongoing support for sustainable farming and fishing practices, Chef Gray’s impact on Washington, D.C.’s culinary scene has been immeasurable. Todd is as widely known for his exquisite cuisine as his effervescent personality and dedication to working with and promoting local and regional purveyors. A longtime advocate for sustainable agriculture, he has played a major role in making the sustainable and regional food movements popular within the DC food scene.

A five time nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic Award he was also named the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 2011 RAMMY Chef of the Year.

On a national scale, Chef Gray was selected by First Lady Michelle Obama to help advance her Healthy Kids Initiative, a project that encourages schools to serve students healthier meals. At the First Lady’s request Chef Gray addressed over 500 chefs on the South Lawn of the White House about implementing her vision on the Chefs Move to School initiative.

Chef Gray also currently serves as a board member on the Norwegian Seafood Council, an international organization dedicated to the promotion of sustainable fishing methods. Additionally, Todd has been the Culinary Consultant for International Trade Center Management at the Ronald Reagan building since 2001. He continues to work with Culinaire, Inc. to oversee their casual seafood concept, Watershed, a restaurant that showcases the best seafood on the Eastern Seaboard.

About Ellen Kassoff Gray: A respected industry veteran in her own right, Ellen Kassoff Gray’s vast experience in business and marketing has been one of the key ingredients to the success of Equinox and the Harvest Moon Hospitality Group, both of which she owns and operates with husband/business partner, Chef Todd Gray.

Over the years her talents and accomplishments have been recognized by numerous professional organizations: Ellen was named Manager of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington in 2007, and in 2009 she received the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR) Golden Fork Award for Front-of-the-House Excellence.

Ellen’s love for the restaurant industry and commitment to excellence is topped only by her passion for activism and supporting the causes in which she so strongly believes.  Ellen’s concern for animal welfare inspired her to launch Sugar & Champagne, an annual charity event that brings together DC’s finest pastry chefs and wine purveyors to benefit the Washington Humane Society.  To date, Sugar & Champagne has raised almost $1 million for the WHS, which provides care to more than 30,000 homeless animals every year.  In addition to honoring the work of the WHS as an organization, the event recognizes numerous individuals for their tremendous dedication and hard work towards improving the lives and treatment of animals.

Additionally, Ellen serves on the boards of the Washington Human Society and the Washington Jewish Community Center.  A longtime mentor for female chefs and restaurateurs, Ellen is a proud member of Les Dames d’Escoiffer International.