—Intermountain Jewish News - Passover Foods - Special Section - Feature Story

Cooking always played an integral role in Joan Kekst's life. For over twenty years she has written the food column for the Cleveland Jewish News, and freelanced for many national Jewish publications, including The Forward.

Joan spent many years teaching and lecturing on kosher food and Jewish holiday cooking. This experience gave her the opportunity to meet students of all backgrounds who possess a hunger to learn Jewish customs and cooking. Many students, especially young Jewish homemakers and those new to Jewish cooking and customs, motivated Joan to create her new book, Passover Cookery: In the Kitchen With Joan Kekst.

Joan holds a Bachelor's degree in Home Economic Education from Notre Dame College and a Master of Judaic Culture from the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies. She completed several prestigious cooking courses, including LaVarenne Paris and the New York Cooking School. She created "Jewish Kitchen Culture", a curriculum for life cycle classes at the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies and taught the Jewish holiday classes at Synergy, the Culinary Institute of University Hospitals' rehabilitation program. Currently, Joan presents instructional programs for numerous Cleveland institutions and conducts private classes.

Joan is married, the mother of five children and the grandmother of eight. She resides in Beachwood, Ohio.