On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with bagel-tarian Sam Silverman, founder and CEO of BagelUp and the creator of New York BagelFest.

"From the earliest memories that I have, bagels were always a part of our life, a part of our household," Silverman, who grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, says. "When I moved to New York 10 years ago, and I had my first New York bagel, [I] realized that I'd been eating bagel-shaped bread my entire life."

This ignited his passion to explore New York through the lens of finding the best bagels. When he discovered New York didn't have a bagel festival, Silverman started BagelFest. This was seven years ago. And led to the launch of BagelUp.

"BagelUp is all about celebrating bagels, the culture and the people behind them," says Silverman, nicknamed "the New York bagel ambassador" by Utopia Bagels. "This food evokes such amazing nostalgia and comfort and feelings of joy and excitement, it's [easy] to find other people who feel [the same] way."

Sam Silverman shares his love of bagels, bagel history, and the origins of BagelUp and BagelFest. He also talks about his schmear hack, the secret to making good bagels, and his favorite bagel recipe, which you can find at https://JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

National Bagel Day is January 15. Happy Bagel Day to all who celebrate!

Learn more at BagelUp.com and BagelFest.com. Follow @bagelambassador on TikTok and Instagram, and connect with Sam on LinkedIn.

For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Halle Stanford, executive producer and co-creator of "The Monty Pickle Show" and Monty Pickle himself.

A kosher dill with a lot of personality, Monty Pickle is the first-ever series aimed at introducing kids to the Jewish experience and Jewish joy. Monty's YouTube channel has videos of him performing the new Hanukkah song "8 is Great" with Kosha Dillz, as well as cooking episodes: solo and with celebrity chef Duff Goldman.

"I think that kids not only love food, they love seeing how food is made," Monty says. "[They] like a little peek behind the curtain."

"Monty's amazing," says Stanford, a primetime and children's Emmy award-winner, who produced content for the Jim Henson Company for more than 30 years. "What better way to introduce [children] to [the Jewish experience] than through an amazing pickle puppet."

Stanford teamed up with former "Sesame Street" EP and creative director Benjamin Lehmann and world-renowned puppeteer Victor Yerrid to create Monty. They then went out and recruited colleagues from the kid's content world, including Emmy-nominated children's TV showrunner and writer Elise Allen, Emmy Award-winning producer Jill Hotchkiss and Emmy Award-winning producer, Jewish educator and founder of Hebrew Helpers Todd Shotz, to bring him to life.

"There's a lot of children's media that does celebrate Jewish characters," says Stanford, who created the show, "Sid, the Science Kid;" the first Jewish preschooler. "And you can even think of your favorite episode [in a specific show.]"

However, Monty is the first actual series that dives "deep into the pickle barrel of all kinds of Jewish cultural experiences," she explains. " You instill empathy and joy for the Jewish experience in all children globally, that's gonna carry on."

Monty Pickle and Halle Stanford talk about the show's origin story and its purpose: to get kids and their parents laughing out loud together and celebrating being Jewish. They also share their recipe for pickle latkes, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Learn more at TheMontyPickleShow.com, subscribe to @MontyPickleShow on YouTube and follow @MontyPickleShow on Instagram and @Monty_Pickle_Show on TikTok.

For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with celebrity chef, cookbook author, and TV personality Duff Goldman, Charm City Cakes, in honor of baking season!

"There's so much more baking that happens than other times of the year," he says. "It's our time to shine!"

He also has a bunch of new projects. A few months ago Duff, who is known for making ginormous cakes that come alive, started the Topanga Woodworks Etsy shop. " I built cakes that move, which got me into building toys," he says. "Working with wood, things don't fall apart as much."

Plus, he also just opened his first restaurant, Duff's Deli + Market, in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The chef, who is constantly working and traveling, saw the need to put a restaurant representing familiarity into an airport hub.

"As somebody who grew up in delis, [there's something] centering that happens when you get a nice bowl of chicken soup or a pastrami sandwich or a brisket with tiger sauce on it and a Dr. Brown's black cherry soda," Duff says. "It's not the thing you expect to find at an airport, but it's the thing you want in an airport."

He adds, "Travel can be stressful, and I find that [having] something good and yummy really helps; it's nice."

Duff Goldman talks about Duff's Deli + Market, Topanga Woodworks, and his thoughts on life, learning, and kindness. He also shares the recipe for his great-grandmother's Russian tea cakes, which you can get at JewishJournal.com/podcasts, along with other baking tips.

"If you have the time, it usually behooves you to try to bake it once before you bake it for the big show," Duff says. "If everyone's coming over for Hanukkah, if you're going to make sufganiyot, make them once by yourself; make the mistakes."

You will be confident in your ability to make them when the time comes.

Learn more at Duff.com, check out Topanga Woodworks on Etsy and subscribe to @Duff-Stuff on YouTube.

For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.