We’re thrilled to share the first in our series of recipes from Recipes to Remember, an initiative of Lasting Impressions: DOROT's Legacy Project.
Recipes to Remember is a book filled with much more than recipes. It is a keepsake of stories and food and pays homage to the lives, legacies, and food memories of those who make up our DOROT community. Food has the power to evoke powerful memories and this book seeks to celebrate and uplift the memories that we have, and the stories that we tell, about the food that we eat—the simple, the festive, and the sweet.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, here's a story of love and resilience and recipe for a Valentines-worthy Black Forest Cake from Lili Levy:
“At a young age I lost so much to the Holocaust, and I knew that I wanted children to call my own. When I met Leon through the barbed wire fence in the concentration camp, I told him that even if we couldn’t have children, we would adopt. We survived the camp, and we got married, and we started a new life in Brighton Beach, in the borough of Brooklyn. We raised two beautiful and successful sons and have wonderful grandchildren and great-grandchildren that we see often.
I love to bake for the family. They, in particular, love my chocolate cookies. My father was a professional cake decorator in Poland before World War II uprooted our family’s peaceful and harmonious life. I might have been too young to absorb his skills, but I do love to make cakes of my own. When my family is not around to enjoy my sweet treats, I give them away to the doormen of the building, friends, and to anyone I meet around town. When they ask me how I make such delicious treats I say I use the best ingredients. That’s the secret! For this chocolate cake, it’s all about the cocoa powder.” - Lili Levy
CLICK HERE for the Recipe for Lili Levy's Black Forest Cake
Looking for more delicious stories, recipes and wisdom? You can now purchase a printed copy of Recipes to Remember for $35.00. Please email LastingImpressions@dorotusa.org for more information.
Lasting Impressions: DOROT’s Legacy Project is generously supported by a grant from the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation.