Stephanie Goldfarb

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No one wears the mantle of "queer Jewish foodie" quite like Stephanie Goldfarb. She's even spoken on panels about the intersection of all these parts of her identity. Stephanie works for Honeymoon Israel, runs retreats for trans- and cis-gender girls through Keshet and his been named America's Best Cook, literally -- by the Food Network.

Stephanie brings her entire identity to everything she does. For her bi-monthly supper club (currently on hiatus, but stay tuned), she donates 100 percent of proceeds to organizations serving women, the LGBTQ community and people in need of healthcare. Last month, she launched Honeymoon Israel's first LGBTQ Pride Shabbat, part of her work helping Jewish and interfaith couples build community when they return from their trip.

Stephanie also serves on the board of Mishkan Chicago and the Health Education Task Force of the Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics.

AGE:
34

PRIMARY GIG:
Director of Community Engagement at Honeymoon Israel Chicago

ON THE SIDE:
Boredom is my enemy. Up until recently I ran the Seven Species Supper Club, an underground dining experience that combined my passion for food and my love of tzedakah. I still do a lot of cooking, food teaching, and food writing professionally and can sometimes be seen competing on national cooking shows. I also contract with Keshet to run shabbatonim for queer Jewish teens.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
I just got married!!! It was a gigantic, queer, Jewish wedding, and we had doughnuts instead of wedding cake, sparklers, a mom-quilted chuppah cover, and it was the most perfect day ever.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 10 WORDS OR LESS:
Uppity, queer, Jewess who will nourish your belly and soul.

SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME:
I ran a Jewish feminist research training program for high school-aged women for four years. My students produced university-level research on topics such as eating disorders among Jewish women, and rape culture in the Jewish community. Also, if it’s hip hop and from the '90s/early 2000s, I know it. By heart.

IF TIME AND MONEY WERE LIMITLESS, I WOULD:
Learn every language and use that knowledge to build bridges between people.