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On an ordinary Tuesday evening in Pinecrest, a crowd gathered inside a small theater on the campus of Temple Beth Am, chatting about brisket, kugel, and the many ways Jewish food tells a story. It wasn’t a religious service or a school event, but a lively conversation about tradition, culture, and the dishes that connect them.
The event was part of Chef’s Table at The Hub, an intimate culinary series that pairs cookbook authors and chefs for a live conversation. It’s then followed by a curated dinner inspired by their work.
The Hub’s guest on March 10 was Melinda Strauss, the Jewish food creator and educator behind the new cookbook, Eat Jewish. Strauss’ approachable online videos about kosher cooking and Jewish traditions have earned her nearly two million followers across social platforms, and her book celebrates not only her own recipes but those passed down through generations of her family.
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From Cookbook to Community in One Night
Before gathering at the table, Strauss took the stage for a lively discussion moderated by Miami food writer Sara Liss. She traced her journey from early food blogger to what many TikTok followers affectionately call the “Jewish TikTok mom.”
Strauss explained that the online community she built grew organically out of curiosity, often from people who knew little about Jewish life. Questions about keeping kosher or celebrating Shabbat quickly evolved into deeper conversations about tradition, identity, and the stories behind everyday foods.
“People would ask me simple questions like, ‘What is Shabbat?’ or ‘Why do you separate milk and meat?’” Strauss told the audience. “I realized there were so many people who were just curious and wanted a space where they could ask questions without judgment.”
That ethos of openness, curiosity, and community is precisely what the Hub hopes to foster.
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A Cultural Living Room in Pinecrest
Located on the Temple Beth Am campus, the Hub is a relatively new cultural arts and community center quietly reshaping South Miami’s event landscape. Often described as South Miami’s “cultural living room,” the space was designed to prioritize intimacy and conversation.
Rather than large auditorium events, The Hub focuses on smaller gatherings where audiences can interact directly with performers, authors, comedians, and culinary personalities. Under the leadership of Senior Director of Programming Anita Braham, a Miami native who previously spent a decade developing public programming at Pérez Art Museum Miami, the venue has quickly expanded into a dynamic cultural calendar.
“Our mission is simple,” Braham says. “We want to bring people together through culture.”
Programming spans everything from nationally recognized comedians and live performances to literary events in partnership with Books & Books. One of the venue’s most distinctive offerings is its food-focused Chef’s Table series.
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Where Dinner Becomes the Conversation
Chef’s Table at The Hub blends the format of a cookbook talk with the intimacy of a shared meal. Each evening begins with a moderated conversation exploring a guest chef or author’s culinary perspective, from family traditions to creative process. The talk is followed by an optional multi-course dinner inspired by their recipes.
Guests can attend just the talk, often with a signed cookbook included, or stay for the full experience. For many attendees, the dinner is where the evening truly comes to life. Because at Chef’s Table, guests don’t just hear about the food. They taste it.
More Than Just a Meal
After Strauss and Liss concluded their conversation, attendees who opted for the dinner portion crossed the courtyard for a curated menu drawn directly from Eat Jewish. The dinner featured dishes like roasted eggplant, cabbage borscht, chopped liver, and cinnamon sugar mandelbroit, bringing the flavors discussed onstage directly to the table.
The dishes gave guests a chance to experience the recipes Strauss had spent the previous hour discussing, transforming the evening from a talk about food into a communal dining experience.
For Strauss, whose work often emphasizes that Jewish cooking spans far more than the Ashkenazi staples many Americans recognize, sharing the meal with guests felt like a natural extension of the conversation.
“Jewish food is incredibly diverse,” she told the audience earlier in the evening. “Every family has their own traditions and flavors.”
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A Jewish Space, Open to Everyone
Although the Hub sits within a synagogue campus, its programming is intentionally designed to welcome a broad audience. Events are open to the public, and the lineup reflects a wide range of interests beyond religious programming.
Guests can attend stand-up comedy shows, author talks, cultural conversations, and live performances. In a city as diverse as Miami, where people regularly explore cuisines outside their own cultural traditions, The Hub extends a similar invitation through its programming.
That accessibility is part of what makes the venue feel less like a traditional institution and more like a community gathering space.
What’s Next at The Hub
In the coming months, the Chef’s Table series will continue with additional culinary personalities, including Israeli cookbook author Adeena Sussman. Her upcoming appearance will feature a conversation with Zahav chef Michael Solomonov centered on the flavors of Tel Aviv.
Beyond the kitchen, April’s lineup leans into music, theater, and storytelling, from a tribute to Broadway composer Richard Rodgers to a visit from composer Marc Shaiman and a screening spotlighting actress Tovah Feldshuh.
Past performers have included SNL alum Colin Quinn and comedian Jared Freid, with audiences often seated just a few rows from the stage.
The Hub’s practical perks don’t hurt either. It offers free on-site parking and no drink minimum, a refreshing contrast to traditional comedy clubs. Guests can also grab pre-show bites or drinks from the on-site Top Nosh Café, making events feel less like productions and more like a relaxed evening out.
The Hub at Temple Beth Am. 5950 N. Kendall Dr., Pinecrest; 305-667-6667; thehubmiami.org.
