A Flavor of Sephardic Baking at SAC
This year at SAC we are providing a Sephardic baking activity for all bunks. Seattle community member, Joy Maimon has joined our staff to offer the ultimate in experiential, (and very delicious), Sephardic learning. Joy previously served as a SAC board member for 8 years and remains very invested in our organization. Our Sephardic baking activity provided her with the perfect opportunity to continue her involvement with SAC while sharing with our campers the rich connection to Sephardic culture through our “comida” (food).
Joy chose to teach both Biscochos, (traditional Sephardic cookies), and Boyus of cheese, (savory cheese cookies), because she wanted to teach the campers recipes that were relatively simple to make so that they could be involved in the process from start to finish. She wanted them to say, “I actually made this” as opposed to just shaping pre-made dough which would have been more like a play dough activity. Joy noted, after working with the campers, that they were really engaged and took pride in their work. What particularly surprised her were the younger boys. They were so excited and focused on their baking! She was also very impressed with how dedicated and intent the counselors were on making sure their campers were happy and having fun.
Joy learned her Sephardic baking skills from Mrs. Lisa Benaroya z”l the wife of Reverend Samuel Benaroya z”l. Reverend and Mrs. Benaroya were neighbors of hers when she and her husband David were first married. However, Joy modified the recipe to include cinnamon sugar on her biscochos the way she learned from her grandmother Alegra Alhadeff z”l . And the cheese boyu recipe is also from her grandmother Alegra. Joy is a member of SBH and a long time Seattle resident. She is the mother of Albert, Rosie, and Victor.
Our Sephardic Baking program at SAC has been generously sponsored by Lynne Behar, grandmother to camper Leah Zana, and by Ron and Natalie Benudiz, parents of SAC Campers Adam and Rachel. Our SAC community is so appreciative of their generosity!
We hope that our campers will take these recipes back home and spread the enjoyment of their Sephardic baking experience with their families. Come’ con Gana!
