Meet The Team
Chef Danny
(he/him/his)
Founder and Educator
Hi and welcome to Culinary Judaics Academy!
In addition to being an incredibly lucky husband and father of two, I am also a NYC transplant, having moved to LA in 1990. Though I am still a die hard Yankee fan, I'm a sucker for California beaches! While I consider myself the most fortunate person on the planet to have created Culinary Kids and Culinary Judaics Academies because of the profound impact it has on all who experience it, teaching actually represents my second career. As hard as it is for me to remember at this point, I actually spent 20 years in the entertainment industry both in TV and Film - And I don't miss it at all!
Since taking Culinary Academy to the masses in 2005, I can proudly say that our cutting edge, empowering and fun workshops have reached over 50,000 public and private school students all over Los Angeles (and beyond), with hundreds of thousands yet to come!
I am surely proof that if you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life! Thank you Culinary Academy!
Chef Zoey
(she/her/hers)
Educator
Lena Shupper
(she/her/hers)
Operations Manager
Lena Shupper
(she/her/hers)
Lena is fulfilled by and committed to Jewish communal work that connects us to our shared heritage through experiential, meaningful education. It's her passion to bring together Jews of all observances through food and she often says “If we could all just eat together,” then we can build that bridge. Coming to CJA was the perfect fit! The fresh start and deep reflecting of Rosh Hashanah make this her holiday first pick. She's most fond of her Bubbie Bernice's stuffed cabbage and her sweet cheese blintzes (not together, of course!).
Tara Berger
(she/her/hers)
Tara is a graphic designer and fine artist by trade with deep roots within the Jewish community. With years of Judaic teaching experience, she has created several curricula for teens related to Cooking and the Diaspora and other Judaic subjects using pop culture, art, and literature. She is an established art teacher for K-12 grades and received the Sara & Simha Lainer Distinguished Educator Award for her work. Her passion for cooking has led her to focus on writing a cookbook. Tara has said, "Culinary Judaics Academy is a trifecta of everything I love - Judaics, Teaching, and Cooking!”
Our Curriculum Team
Leenie Baker
(she/her/hers)
Leenie loves working for CJA because the creative workshops combine all of her favorite things--delivering curriculum in a fun and unique way, working with learners of all ages, and making delicious food! Her favorite Jewish holiday is Tu B’Shevat and, because she grew up with a large organic garden, she loves vegetables, especially leafy greens!
Becca Levy
(she/her/hers)
Becca is an Jewish and arts educator, theatre artist, yoga instructor, and lover of all things food! She is so happy to combine so many of these skills and passions with CJA. In her work as an educator, Becca is most driven by values-based education that works to build strong communities and inspires exploration of self-identity. Becca's favorite food is any kind of breakfast food, her favorite Jewish holiday is Passover.
Robin Melameth
(she/her/hers)
Robin truly enjoys Jewish culture, history and wisdom and relishes the opportunity to bring someone on my educational journey with me. Her favorite part about teaching is learning from her students; everyone has a story to tell and a lesson to teach. Her favorite Jewish holidays are Purim and Passover (once you get past all of the cleaning). Her favorite food is anything with orange and dark chocolate together.
Ali Kelman
(she/her/hers)
Ali passionately enjoys the total body experience of Judaism and that CJA provides: tasting and smelling the foods that reach back generations, seeing the ancient texts that bring our community together every holiday cycle, hearing voices join in prayer and music, touching our ritual objects and swaying and dancing. Ali comes from a Judaic Studies background of 18 years working in education in the Jewish community and finds fulfillment in as her students begin to realize their own personal Jewish journeys. Ali loves all holidays, particularly for traditional desserts (and chocolate!). She especially appreciates Sukkot because she imagines being hugged in a specific time and place in a pure celebratory moment with family and friends.
Questions?
We'd love to hear from you! Email us with your question and we'll get back to you soon!
