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The pandemic hit Melina Schein, an opera singer, vocal coach, director, and producer based in Western Canada, hard. Shows were cancelled she was due to go on a national Andrew Lloyd Webber tour and was producing a local performance of
Cabaret and days stretched out before her. Schein allowed herself a month to wallow on the couch, then decided to take action. She’d dreamt of becoming a writer, chef, or performer since childhood, and since performing wasn’t an option, she merged writer and chef in a multifaceted culinary project.
The kitchen had always been a place of refuge and creativity for Schein, as well as a connection to Judaism. Her father was a keen cook who had introduced her to Israeli, Turkish, and Moroccan dishes; her mother had an Ashkenazi background and repertoire. Now with unforeseen spare time, Schein sought to learn more about the breadth and depth of global Jewish cuisine.