Un-Orthodox Cooking

Story and photo by Eric Boll

Chef Alison Gütwak discusses her culinary experience as an Orthodox Jew.

Challah purchased from Athens Bread Company.

Jewish food is often defined by the fact that it’s kosher: the rules for food preparation and consumption that are laid out in the Torah.

This often limits restaurants that Jews who choose to stay kosher can go to and can be difficult for Jews who decide to become chefs. Alison Gütwaks, a personal chef who now lives on Columbus, knows this struggle well as she had to work closely with her rabbi while attending culinary school that was not kosher.

“It was a lot of fun and very hard,” Gütwaks says. “As an Orthodox Jew I follow the laws to a T. Before I went to culinary school, I asked my rabbi what are the things I cannot do and I was actually expecting a lot more than what he said.”

Gütwaks’ rabbi told her that the only thing forbidden by the Torah was that she could not cook milk and meat together. Gütwaks got around this issue by having another student handle the mixing of milk and meat.

The other issue that Gütwaks encountered was that she was not actually allowed to eat any food she prepared that was not kosher. Fortunately, her rabbi told her that she could chew and taste the food if she did not swallow it.

Gütwaks; however, gave up on this method because she was worried she might accidentally swallow the food.

Gütwaks has always been interested in food, as she went to college with the goal of eventually becoming a nutritionist. During high school and college, Gütwaks would often cook for her friends and family. She eventually decided to attend culinary school during a yearlong break between her undergraduate degree and nutritionist school.

“I would always find a way to be involved in cooking by either selling stuff for extra money or working as sous chef while in college,” Gütwaks says.

Gütwaks thinks that something special about Jewish cuisine is that everything is used to avoid waste. Additionally, Gütwaks cites that most recipes can be tied to traditions or cultural practices.

“What’s cool about it is what they made back in the day, stuff of convenience usually, so traditional Jewish foods are slow cooked usually due to Shabbat because you can’t cook on Shabbat,” Gütwaks says.

Gütwaks recommends that people try Jewish baked goods. Babka and challah are two dishes that she enjoys.

Babka is a sweet bread with chocolate, nuts, poppy seeds or any sweet filling mixed in. The dish can trace its origins back to eastern European Jews and recently gained popularity due to food influencers.

In Athens, babka can be bought from Village Bakery at 258 E. State St.

Challah, meanwhile, is a special type of braided bread that was first made by Ashkenazi Jews. The bread is typically eaten on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. In Athens, the bread can be found at the Athens Bread Company at 284 E. State St.

For more information about Jewish recipes or kosher, visit Gütwaks’ website alibabka.com.