Rhoda Cohen was actually our first Cooking by Heart subject. When we set out to find folks to shoot with, a friend, Joanie, made a perfectly adorable poster (shown below) which she placed strategically in diners in the outer boroughs of NYC. Rhoda’s friend saw this poster and encouraged her to call. Rhoda was incredibly sweet and open with us, she even prepared some written thoughts and memories about the cheesecake recipe. A few weeks later, we shot the piece with her.

Rhoda’s writes:

“Every New Year’s Day for almost fifteen years I hold an open house. I always make an Italian Cheesecake. The recipe came from Maria, the Italian wife of my father’s pharmacy clerk. When I was a child she spent many days in my mother’s kitchen learning how to cook Jewish food from my mom. My mother learned how to cook Italian dishes from her. I grew up eating mostly Italian food and some traditional Jewish dishes. Maria brought this cake to my mom many years ago when she was elderly and ill, I asked her for the recipe. It has become one of my family’s favorites along with the ones I grew up with.”

Recipe here:

Joanie, thank you for finding Rhoda! Trokon, thank you for your audio equip and thank you Rhoda & Alan!

Music: Skin by Andrew Bird