Walking on Walnuts: My Grandmothers' Recipes for Rugelach, Romance and Surviving in the Real World Book

When Nancy landed her first job in one of Manhattan's hottest restaurants, she entered a world of long hours and hard work, where only the most talented and tenacious survive, let alone triumph. From the dangerously high-pressured kitchen of LaCoupe to the unheated, rat-infested kitchen of Toy to the cutthroat three-star kitchen of Acroama, backstabbing, fierce competition, stolen recipes, finicky customers, and hot-tempered chefs were all part of the brew. Throughout her apprenticeship, Nancy is sustained by memories of her immigrant Jewish family evoked by recipes that have been handed down to her through a long line of strong women. The aroma of homemade blintzes, mandelbrot, taiglach, and rugelach comes wafting back to her in times of grief and celebration, recalling stories of relatives who fled Russia and found new lives in America, who sabotaged the Nazis and survived the Holocaust. Meanwhile, Nancy struggles to reconcile the multitude of contradictions in her own life: putting off her painting while pursuing her pastry, withstanding abuse from men at work while yearning to meet Mr. Right, remaining close to her family while guarding her hard-won independence. Fortified by the wisdom of her forebears, she negotiates the maze of choices life offers her, determined to make it on her own terms - as an artist, as a chef, and as a woman.