The Sephardic Spice Girls helped me connect with my Jewish roots

Jewish cooking in my family has always been an act of revival and reconnection.

My family, though very dedicated to Judaism, has very few Jewish recipes that have been preserved throughout the generations. Growing up, I felt disconnected from Jewish culture. I hadn’t heard of many Jewish dishes, and I certainly didn’t know how to make them. I knew that about a quarter of my Jewish roots were Sephardic and the rest Ashkenazi — and that’s about all I knew. I didn’t know how to celebrate the festive Jewish holidays and, ultimately, I just didn’t celebrate them.

But everything changed when I disco...