On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with musician Happie Hoffman, a former non-cook who discovered the joy of cooking during the pandemic
“I understood that if I wanted to have a proper Shabbat meal, I had to learn how to make it for myself,” Hoffman says. “A lot of times at [dinners] I'm always helping, but I'm not actually orchestrating the food portion. … my contribution is a song or music.”
A singer-songwriter, who writes soulful, heartfelt music, Hoffman has been teaching music since her teens and spent most of her twenties traveling around the world leading Jewish music groups.
“Also in that process I was writing my own music … and it all evolved very organically,” Hoffman explains. “The special thing about music is the ability for people to connect with it … I can turn on a song that completely shifts the way I feel, whether because of the way the music sounds or a memory that I have associated with that song.”
Cooking, like music, is a way to connect to your roots and has the power to heal your soul.
“Being present … can make it magical,” she believes. “Give yourself the permission to … enjoy the experience and make art that's in service to yourself or people you love.”
Happie Hoffman shares her musical and cooking journeys, the power of being present, and her recipe for gluten-free cinnamon challah, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.
Follow @HappieMusic on Instagram and learn about Mishkon Tephilo (Mishkon.org) in Venice, CA, Hoffman’s second spiritual home. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.
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