The Jewish Food Project revealed + Saveur Blog Awards 2015

I woke up today at 4:30am with heartburn, palpitations, and great difficulty to breathe. I was sweating profusely beneath the covers, the body of a purring cat covering my chest and obstructing my airways even further. But even without the cat, the rising temperatures, or the nachos I foolishly ate the evening before, I knew this would be one night I could not pass peacefully in bed. Because in just two days, dear reader, I will launch to the world the thing I had been pouring all of my blood, sweat and ideas into for these past five months: the Jewish Food Project.

Starting this Sunday, over the span of the next two-and-a-half weeks I will be running 15 incredible workshops, all exploring different aspects of the vibrant world of Jewish food. So much more than brisket and gefilte fish, this underrated cuisine deserves to be honoured through more than just in the spirit of nostalgia - and this project aims to do just that, through a showcase of all of the diversity and modern appeal of Jewish food.

I am proud to say that I'm not the only one who thinks that. With over a dozen programmers, a few sold-out evenings, nearly a hundred registered guests (and counting! There's still room in some of the workshops), there is clearly a buzz about Jewish food in the city of Montreal. But what more could you expect from the birthplace of Jewish food luminaries like Noah & Rae Bernamoff, or artists like Leonard Cohen, Mordecai Richler and Taras Grescoe (of The Devil's Picnic) who still wax poetic about the bagels, smoked meat and lesser known wonders of Jewish Montreal. Even outside of Montreal, Jewish food is experiencing a great resurgence, and I'm sure this blog owes a great deal of thanks to the rising love for Jewish cuisine.

So if you, as readers of this blog, share a passion for Jewish food, and happen to be around Montreal in the next three weeks, I invite you to come give the Jewish Food Project a try. There is still room in many of the workshops, and I'd be delighted to meet you in person - and share my love for this incredibly diverse cuisine.

And on another note, I also wanted to let you know that TODAY is the LAST DAY for nominations for the Saveur food blog awards. The biggest honour in the blogging realm, even being nominated for the Saveur awards would be a huge honour for this little space. So if you, you know, wanna make a gal happy, there's this link...

But in all seriousness, awards or not, I have to say how much all of your thoughtful comments, heartfelt emails, enthusiastic Instagram likes and Facebook and Twitter messages mean to me. They make it all - the 6am wake up times to chase the light, the weekends spent arranging props in various configurations, the hours in front a computer, putting together words into semi-coherent missives - so, so worth it.

After just over a year of hard work and continuous improvements, I am happy to say that I am proud of the place I've carved out. Whether you are a constant guest At the Immigrant's Table, or if you just stop by for a bite to eat from time to time, I wanted to say how grateful I am for your love, your support, and your constructive criticism.

So whether I'll see you at the Jewish Food Project, or ever win that Saveur blog award, or even hear from you at all ever again - I truly love you all.

THANK YOU.