This article is part of Unpacked’s series on Jewish chefs and content creators. Read our previous interviews with Eitan Bernath and Jake Cohen.
If you’re a fan of accessible, delectable cooking, you’ve probably come across Ryan Nordheimer. He’s made his mark by sharing his recipes, his cookbook club, and his experiences as a home chef.
The 24-year-old, based in New York City, has amassed a following of around 500,000 across TikTok and Instagram over the past four years.
Nordheimer spoke with Unpacked about his journey as a content creator, his love of Jewish cooking, and why he believes food is best enjoyed as a communal experience.
Ryan Nordheimer’s growth from novice chef to social media sensation
Nordheimer wasn’t always the seasoned home chef fans see in his videos. His love for cooking and baking blossomed only four years ago when he was sent home from his study abroad program in London during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With more time on his hands, Nordheimer learned to cook. He saw it as an opportunity to help his mom in the kitchen and experiment with techniques he had watched on YouTube. His learning strategy involved asking questions, watching clips online, and, most importantly, trying something new each day.
“I challenged myself to cook or bake one new recipe a day, post that to Instagram casually, and just keep that going for as long as possible. So I would make a recipe and post it to Instagram. Just by cooking regularly every day, I got better,” Nordheimer said.
Read more: Jake Cohen is reviving Jewish cooking, from Instagram to your kitchen
He never intended to build a large social media following; he simply loved the process of cooking and sharing his creations. However, he soon began attracting followers on TikTok and Instagram. Nordheimer started to gamify his growth, turning it into a fun challenge to gain followers and create more quality content.
With no prior experience in making videos, the home chef reflected on the growth he’s experienced both on social media and in the kitchen. His account has followed him through his graduation from Washington University in St. Louis, the start of his career, leasing his first apartment, and moving to New York City.
Creating his own recipes and delving into Jewish cooking
After around 18 months of cooking something new each day, Nordheimer began creating his own recipes — which he now shares online.
“I got to a point where I felt like I learned a lot, and I had some ideas, and creativity wanted to experiment and see if some of my ideas could translate into an actual recipe,” he said. “You just have to make that leap and see how it goes.”
By sharing his recipes, the food on Nordheimer’s account truly became his own. This journey included further exploring his Jewish roots through cooking.
Nordheimer has shared a variety of innovative recipes, such as Passover-friendly strawberry shortcake meringue, everything bagel latkes, and pull-apart challah loaves.
The content creator loves to innovate traditional Ashkenazi fare. However, for holidays, he’s learned to balance innovation with some of his family’s staples. Nordheimer believes that diversifying the food at holiday gatherings can bring excitement back to Jewish traditions and celebrations, which are often dominated by certain family recipes.
“I love to put twists on old classics, but it’s a conflict because my family is very traditionalist, and they want their recipes how they always were,” Nordheimer said. “It’s a give and take, learning, where I can innovate and bring something new to the table that gets people excited for a Shabbat dinner service together.”
Read more: Ryan Nordheimer’s giant everything bagel latke
Nordheimer’s favorite Jewish holiday is Passover because of the rich story that accompanies the Seder.
Each year, his family discusses the Exodus story and relates it to contemporary issues.
“We talk about how the Passover story can sort of inspire and show triumph throughout the ages, and especially today, when it feels like there’s more conflict than probably ever before in my life relating to Jews,” he added. “Food can evolve, and I think the messages around Jewish holidays can too, and that’s a very large part of, like, my Jewish experience.”
Nordheimer feels that the same strategy used at his Seder should be applied to the dishes on the table. Old recipes can adapt and evolve through modern interpretations. He specifically mentioned his strawberry shortcake as a possible replacement for coconut macaroons and flourless chocolate cake. He hopes that the extra effort he puts into trying something different will get his loved ones excited about the festival meal.
With his strawberry shortcake, Nordheimer wanted to highlight the idea that Passover signals the beginning of spring. He felt that the heavy traditional desserts didn’t resonate with the theme of rebirth due to their lack of bright flavors or color. By focusing on strawberries in a foot-tall cake, he aimed to provide something fresher and more visually appealing to his Seder, offering a show-stopping alternative to the often dreary Passover desserts.
Ryan Nordheimer hopes to inspire people to share their Jewish identities online
Nordheimer believes that expressing one’s background and heritage is essential, but he understands why many Jews feel uneasy about being open about their Judaism due to pervasive antisemitism online.
“It’s important for everyone to be able to share their identity on social media,” he said.
With no reservations about sharing his Jewish identity, Nordheimer decided to post recipes inspired by his heritage. He hoped this might provide comfort to other Jews and encourage them to be open about their Jewishness as well.
“I’m comfortable sharing my Jewish background, and felt that would inspire other people to feel okay posting about it too,” he said.
However, he sometimes worries about posting about his Judaism due to fears of antisemitism.
During Passover, he was concerned about sharing the seders he hosted, the brisket he helped his mother make, and the various Passover-friendly cakes he was preparing. He hesitated but eventually decided to post.
“If something is part of you, then why try and hide it on social media?” he said.
Still, Nordheimer braced for the online response but was relieved to see only positive reactions to his Passover content. This experience taught him about overthinking and catastrophizing the worst, even though he had cultivated a following of supportive fans.
Jewish food as a community-builder
After Nordheimer began his culinary journey, he took a more active role in planning holiday meals for his family.
As food has always been central to his family’s Jewish identity and his idea of the holidays, he has enjoyed exploring what he wants those holidays to look like as an adult. Being able to set his family’s menu and take the lead on cooking has been particularly fulfilling.
“It’s so nice to have the cultural aspect, and the aspect of tradition in relation to food be such a central part to how I experience Judaism,” he said.
For Nordheimer, cooking for groups of friends and family is the highlight of learning how to cook. His imagination runs wild when cooking for many people, instilling a sense of purpose in his four-year-long endeavor as a chef.
“Cooking is the most fun when you’re doing it for other people because I am allowing other people to enjoy and have a great night or a great birthday party, and that’s ultimately what brings me the most joy,” he said.
“As much as I love to cook great food for myself, it’s the act of doing something for others and seeing the smile on their face that really inspires me,” Nordheimer added.
Nordheimer has extended the joy of Jewish cooking beyond his family and friends by running a baking lesson at a local Moishe House.
As his account continues to grow, Nordheimer has begun integrating more of his communal cooking into his content, hoping viewers see how his cooking fits into his everyday activities. He now features videos about his cookbook club, cooking for his friends, and what a day in the life of a food content creator looks like.
For anyone inspired by Nordheimer to start cooking, he suggests setting clear goals for what you want to achieve. While he recommends trying a new recipe every day — even if it’s a simple three-ingredient recipe or experimenting with a new technique — Nordheimer suggests longer-form YouTube videos or cookbooks as great sources of inspiration and learning.
“You don’t need to be a gourmet chef to be inspired and get in the kitchen,” he said. “There are ways to sort of balance the stress of cooking a dinner for friends with those small wins.”
Originally Published Aug 7, 2024 02:24PM EDT
