B’teavon

See our past guest chefs and field experts below, and check back for 2026 facilitators!

Beejhy Barhany is an entrepreneur and activist who was born in Ethiopia, raised in Israel, and currently resides in New York.  She is the founder of the BINA Cultural Foundation non-profit dedicated to celebrating and advocating for Ethiopian Jews in North America. Today, she is the chef and owner of an eclectic Ethiopian restaurant, Tsion Café, that incorporates cuisine from the many places that have been influential on her journeys.

Rachel Sundet, Corporate Pastry Chef: Corporate Pastry Chef Rachel Sundet’s first job in a restaurant kitchen was at the beloved Cambridge, MA, institution, Upstairs on the Square, with Amanda Lydon and Susan Regis. She was immediately hooked. After culinary school in London, she moved west to Seattle, where she worked at Brasa Restaurant and Macrina Bakery. She returned to the East Coast and after a stint on a goat farm with her husband, Tyler, landed at Hungry Mother, where she worked as the pastry chef for five years and met her future business partners. Together, they opened State Park, Mamaleh’s Delicatessen, Café du Pays, which became Vincent’s, and then Mamaleh’s Kibitz Corner. In 2015, Sundet was named a StarChefs Rising Star Pastry Chef and Boston Magazine‘s Best Pastry Chef.

Tyler Sundet, Chief Culinary Officer: Chef Tyler Sundet’s culinary career began with a job as a dishwasher in his hometown of Volga, SD when he was just thirteen years old. From there it was off to culinary school in San Francisco, followed by stints in locales like Seattle, Cape Cod and, ultimately, Cambridge. Sundet alongside his wife, worked at Hungry Mother for five years. Together with his business partners, they opened State Park, Mamaleh’s Delicatessen and Café du Pays which became Vincent’s and then Mamaleh’s Kibitz Corner. Tyler was the proud 3rd place finisher in the South Dakota milk tasting competition circa 2003, and he still has the ribbon!

Margaret E. Boyle is director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at Bowdoin College and associate professor of Romance Languages and Literatures. She is also the award-winning co-author of the new, critically-acclaimed Jewish Mexican cookbook, Sabor Judío, which celebrates the delicious fusion of two culinary traditions: Jewish and Mexican. Written with joy and verve, Ilan Stavans and Margaret Boyle’s lavishly illustrated cookbook demonstrates how cooking and eating connect the Jewish-Mexicans across places and generations. Featuring one hundred deeply personal recipes enjoyed by Mexican Jews around the world, the book is organized by meal— desayuno (breakfast), almuerzo (lunch), and cena (dinner)—and also includes dishes made for Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Hanukkah, Shavuot, and other holidays. Sabor Judío is the product of two award-winning, internationally known Jewish Mexican writers and foodies who spent a decade gathering recipes and personal narratives from Jewish Mexican households. The result is a dynamic and delicious array of recipes and experiences, infusing important cultural heritage into this essential culinary record.

Nissimmi Naim Naor is a chef, rabbi, a casualties informer in the IDF and the creator of the TV show “A Pot of Longing” on Israel’s public channel. He explores the intricate connections between culture, identity, tradition, and, of course, carbs—always carbs—through the medium of food. He began his culinary journey in his grandmother Miriam’s kitchen, later honing his skills in some of Israel’s top kitchens. He holds degrees in philosophy, economics, political science and law, and has previously worked as a policy planner in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. He was ordained as a rabbi by the Hartman Institute. Nissimmi lives in Jerusalem with his wife Shlomit and their three daughters; his favorite carb is Tuscan black grape focaccia.

Paula Shoyer is the author of The Healthy Jewish Kitchen, The Holiday Kosher Baker, The Kosher Baker, The New Passover Menu and The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook. French-trained, Paula has done cooking classes and talks all around the world. She is a freelance writer, cookbook editor and brand ambassador. She has appeared on TV over 57 times, including on Food Network’s Sweet Genius. Paula also runs a food tour to Israel and will be adding other locations soon.

Ari Augenbaum, grew up in both Connecticut and Maryland. He has been in the Hospitality industry for most of his life and has gained accolades both in the kitchen and in the dining room. Ari is the executive chef and a managing partner of Still Deciding, LLC, the parent company of the Soul Taco Restaurant, JewFro Restaurant and Sear Burger. Ari has run restaurants for Ashton Kutcher, Bobby Flay and worked under Morrou Outtarra, Malcolm Mitchell and many other notable chefs. His restaurants have won several Rammy Awards, mentions in national publications for best burger, best soufflés and best tacos in the state of Virginia. He has been featured on Food Network’s Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives. His companies have been mentioned and featured in publications such as Forbes, Southern Living, Bon Appetite, Food and Wine, Eater and Washingtonian among many others. He is passionate about flavors, innovative cuisine and customer service.

Nar Hovnanian is managing partner of Soul Taco and JewFro Restaurants in Richmond, VA and the principle NarHov Events, an event production firm based out of the DC area. She was born and raised in Orange County, CA. A Southern California girl at heart, Nar has a deep and affectionate love for Mexican food (namely tacos), sushi and creative event and marketing strategies. Nar moved to Washington, DC in 2006 and in 2010, launched Taylor and Hov Events and Design; a successful event production and branding firm where she worked with many high profile clients including government officials and top tier corporations. She has an uncanny ability to stay on top of the newest event and design trends and currently acts as the director of marketing for both Soul Taco and JewFro. Nar has been named as BizBash Magazine’s 40 under 40, featured on Food Network’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives and her companies have been featured and mentioned in publications such as Forbes, Eater, Southern Living Magazine, Food and Wine and Washingtonian among many others.

Jeffrey Yoskowitz is a leader of the Jewish Food Renaissance as an entrepreneur, writer, pickler and cookbook author. He curates and cooks dining events in kitchens around the world, teaches about Jewish cooking and Jewish food heritage and writes about food and culture for publications like The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, and Gastronomica, among others. Jeffrey co-founded The Gefilteria and co-authored The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods along with Liz Alpern. He was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list and The Forward 50 and has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Saveur, and The Wall Street Journal, among many other publications.

Liz Alpern is passionate about re-imagining tradition and bringing people together. Liz is co-founder of The Gefilteria and co-author of The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods. She is also the creator of Queer Soup Night, a global event series highlighting the talent of queer chefs and raising tens of thousands of dollars for locally-based social justice organizations. Liz received her MBA from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and has been featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, the Forward 50 and The Cherry Bombe 100. She is committed to seeing a more just and equitable food system for all, so when she’s not in the kitchen with The Gefilteria, she’s consulting for the national non-profit organization Fair Food Network.

Ori Zohar is co-founder and co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel, the first comprehensive single origin spice company in the United States. Based in New York, the company works directly with its partner farms to source unique, beautiful, traceable spices for professional chefs and home cooks. Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation, building new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent and traceable. Burlap & Barrel appeared on Shark Tank in April 2023, and you can spot their spices in The Bear on Hulu.

Ori is an Israeli-born, Baltimore-raised social entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. He was one of Food & Wine’s 2021 Game Changers, the Specialty Food Association’s 2020 Breakout Talent to Watch, and an expert speaker at the Fancy Food Show, the Fine Chocolate Institute of America, Columbia University, NYU, his alma mater University of Maryland, and more.

Becky Bridger is a Newport Beach, California-based Floral Educator. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, Becky’s florals add a touch of magic to every occasion. Her company, Bexbloomz, is known for providing fabulous florals.

Adeena Sussman is the author of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen, which was named a Best Fall 2019 cookbook by The New York Times, Bon Appetit, and Food & Wine. She is currently working on her follow-up to Sababa, all about the foods of Shabbat. She also co-authored Gazoz, all about the culture of sparkling seltzer-based drinks in Israel, with Benny Briga. The co-author of 15 cookbooks, Adeena’s three most recent collaborations, including Cravings and Cravings: Hungry for More with Chrissy Teigen, were New York Times Best-sellers. A lifelong visitor to Israel who has been writing about that country’s food culture for almost 20 years, Adeena made Aliyah in December 2018. She cooks and writes in Tel Aviv, where she lives in the shadow of the Carmel Market with her husband, Jay Shofet. You can follow her on Instagram @adeenasussman.

Leah Koenig is the author of seven cookbooks including the acclaimed The Jewish Cookbook and Modern Jewish Cooking. Her newest cookbook, PORTICO: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen, was published by W.W. Norton on August 29, 2023. Leah’s writing and recipes can be found in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Food & Wine, Epicurious and Food52, among other publications. She also writes a weekly newsletter, The Jewish Table, which shares recipes and stories from the world of Jewish food. In addition to writing, Leah leads Chefs, Presenters & Facilitators cooking demonstrations and workshops around the country and world. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two children.

Michael W. Twitty is a recognized culinary historian and independent scholar focusing on historic African American food and folk culture and culinary traditions of historic Africa and her Diaspora. In his latest book, Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew, which just won the National Jewish Book Awards 2023 Book of the Year, Twitty explores the cultural crossroads of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine and issues of memory, identity, and food. He is a living history interpreter and historic chef, one of the few recognized international experts of his craft—the re-construction of early Southern cuisine as prepared by enslaved African American cooks for tables high and low—from heirloom seeds and heritage breed animals to fish, game, and foraged plant foods to historic cooking methods to the table. Michael is a two-time James Beard award-winning author of the acclaimed The Cooking Gene. He founded Afroculinaria.com, the first website/blog devoted to the preservation of historic African American foods and foodways. He has conducted over 400 classes and workshops, written curricula and educational programs, given lectures and performed cooking demonstrations for groups including the Smithsonia Institution, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Carnegie-Mellon, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Library of Congress, the Association for the Study of Food and Society, and Oxford University’s Symposium on Food and Cookery.

Tova du Plessis is a four-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee and owner of South Philadelphia Jewish bakery, Essen. In 2021, her apple cake with buttermilk sherbet and rum caramel “Beat Bobby Flay” in the episode “It’s a Cakewalk”. She took inspiration from the fresh baked bread and pastries she would make alongside her mother as a child in South Africa. Her food reflects her heritage while being heavily influenced by her technical training. She loves cooking Ashkenazi favorites, such as brisket, and her bakery sells spins on these classics, such as her cinnamon hazelnuts and chocolate halvah babka.

Hélène Jawhara Piñer is a PhD in Medieval History, History of Food and a Sephardic Chef. She is the author of Sephardi: Cooking the History, awarded by the Gourmand World Awards as the Best Jewish Cuisine Book, and Jews, Food and Spain which was a finalist of the Jewish Book Awards in the “Sephardic Culture” category, in 2023. She spearheads the culinary live show “Sephardic Culinary History with Chef Hélène Jawhara Piñer”, 13 sessions promoted by the American Sephardi Federation (ASF) & The Center of Jewish History. She was awarded the Broome and Allen Fellowship of the ASF in 2018 and the David Gitlitz Emerging Scholar Prize of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies in 2021. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Foodish Advisory Board of ANU Museum in Tel Aviv and is currently working on a new cookbook, Matza and Flours.

Rabbi Charlie Schwartz is the founding director of Lehrhaus, a Jewish tavern and house of learning in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he leads a team of seasoned restaurant professionals and Jewish educators to create experiences at the intersection of learning, community and hospitality. Charlie was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminarwhere he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow, Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Fellow and founded Not-a-Box Media Lab, developer of the popular PocketTorah and AlephBet apps. A resident of Newton, Massachusetts, Charlie lived for over a decade in the Cambridge/Somerville area, where he was a rabbinic advisor to the local Jewish community, board president of Alef-Bet Child Care and played sousaphone in the Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band.

Susan Barocas is a writer, chef and cooking instructor. She is passionate about healthy, reduced-waste cooking and Jewish food, especially Sephardic history, cultures and cuisines. She is co-founder/co-director with Sarah Aroeste of Savor: A Sephardic Music & Food Experience, created in 2022 to preserve and present Sephardic history and culture. Founding director of the innovative Jewish Food Experience, Susan served as guest chef for three of President Obama’s White House Seders. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Lilith, Moment, The Nosher and syndicated newspapers across the country among other outlets. Chef Susan has presented classes, given talks and cooked across the US, internationally and on broadcast media.

Todd Ginsberg is this year’s Southern Spotlight Chef at B’teavon and an expert in Jewish food culture who has worked at a number of critically acclaimed restaurants. He is a 2014 and 2015 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Best Chef, Southeast and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. He started his career at The Dining Room at The Ritz Carlton in Atlanta under Joel Antunes and Bruno Menard. Later he spent time at Lucas Carton in Paris and at Alain Ducasse in New York. Upon his return to Atlanta, Todd worked for the Concentrics Restaurants Group, serving as chef at both TAP and Trois. He was the chef at Bocado from its opening in 2009 until partnering with Jennifer and Ben Johnson and Shelley Sweet to open The General Muir in 2013. Ginsberg, Johnsons and Sweet’s restaurant group Rye Restaurants next opened Fred’s Meat & Bread and Yalla, both in Krog Street Market (2014), TGM Bread (2016), Wood’s Chapel BBQ (2019), and a second location of The General Muir in Sandy Springs (2021). Most recently, Todd and Rye Restaurants collaborated with Thompson Hotels to open Dirty Rascal at the Thompson Buckhead, featuring classic Italian American “red sauce” cuisine (January 2022).

Zak Stern is known affectionately as Zak the Baker for his well-known kosher bakeries of the same name in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, FL. In Spring 2023, Zak was announced as a James Beard Finalist. He was also named a James Beard Semi-Finalist in the Outstanding Baker category in 2017 and 2018, Best Baker by the Miami Times in 2013 and Baking & Pastry Chef of the Year by JWU Zest Awards in 2015. In 2014, Zak the Baker Wynwood Bakery & Cafe won Best Bakery in the Best of Miami Awards and has gone on to develop a national reputation for excellence. Now, his breads are available at Whole Foods Markets throughout South Florida.

Sonya Sanford is a writer, chef and podcast host based out of Portland, OR. She specializes in Ukrainian and Soviet cuisine, Jewish food and Pacific Northwest seasonal cooking. Sonya recently published her debut cookbook: Braids: Recipes From My Pacific Northwest Jewish Kitchen, and you can find more of her work at www.sonyasanford.com and follow her on Instagram @sonyamichellesanford.

See our 2025 sponsors below, and check back for 2026 sponsors.

Thank you to all of our sponsors:

If your company is interested in becoming a B’teavon sponsor for next year, please contact bteavon@ramahdarom.org.

All-inclusive rates are per person and include comfortable accommodations, delicious kosher meals, snacks, beverages, and all activities. Travel is not included.

Please scroll down and review “Accommodations” for photos and descriptions.

We are unable to offer pro-rated registration for late arrivals or early departures.

Payment Schedule

• Due at Registration: A $150 non-refundable deposit per participant will be processed.
• December 18, 2025: Full payment due. See ‘Cancellation Policy’.

Payment can be made via credit card, e-check, or by mailing a check. If paying via credit card, a 2.5% fee will be added to cover the processing fees charged to Ramah Darom by the credit card companies. There is no fee to pay via e-check or mailed check. Please ensure mailed checks reach our Atlanta office by the payment due date indicated.

We strongly encourage purchasing Trip Protection Insurance. This insurance must be purchased before your final payment is made! While we understand that unexpected life events can happen between registration and the retreat, please note that our refund policies are based on the significant upfront costs we incur once your registration is confirmed. As a result, we regret that we cannot provide any refunds after December 18, 2025, for any reason.

Cancellations must be submitted in writing to retreats@ramahdarom.org.

Cabins

There are 18 cabin buildings across our 185-acre campus. Ramah Darom’s cabins are modern and spacious, featuring hardwood floors and a screened-in porch. Inside each building are 2 or 4 cabin units, depending on the cabin style. Each unit has an open sleeping area with dorm-style bunk beds, private room(s) with twin beds, and a bathroom with shower stall(s). Linens are provided, but beds are not made up. 

Shared Cabins: There are 2 shared cabin units per cabin building, and each unit is shared by 2 families (4 families per building). Each unit has 2 private rooms, 1 center room with 8 bunk beds, and a shared bathroom. The bathrooms have toilet stalls and walk-in showers.

Semi-Private Cabins: There are 16 semi-private cabin buildings on campus, with 4 semi-private cabin units per building (4 families per building). In a semi-private cabin, each family has their own unit with 1 private room, a main sleeping space with 4 bunk beds and a private bathroom. There are 2 units on each side of the shared common area, and each is separated from one other family by a pocket wall.

Hotel Rooms

There are 4 hotel buildings on our 185-acre campus. All hotel rooms have a private bathroom, heating, and air conditioning, a dresser, a table with two chairs, a Keurig-style coffee maker, a mini-fridge, complimentary toiletries, and bed and bath linens. Most rooms have 2 queen beds, and a few have 1 king bed or 2 full beds. A limited number of connecting rooms are available, and some hotel rooms are ADA-accessible.

Cottages

There are 4 private cottages on Ramah Darom’s campus—our most luxurious accommodations. Nestled among the trees, these cozy, studio-style cottages feature a king-sized bed, a full-sized pullout couch, a private porch, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower. A small kitchenette includes a sink, refrigerator, and Keurig-style coffee maker. All cottages have heating and air conditioning, a dresser, a table with two chairs, complimentary toiletries, and bed and bath linens. These charming accommodations are best suited for 2 guests and provide an elevated retreat experience. Cottages are not ADA-accessible and can only be accessed via stairs.

Check-in: Friday, February 13, 2026, 2:00-5:00pm ET
L’hitraot: Monday, February 16, 2026, 12:00pm ET

Ramah Darom is two hours from Atlanta, in Clayton, GA. Please download and print these Driving Directions and bring them with you when you travel. GPS shortcuts can lead you to dangerous mountain roads!

If you need transportation to or from the Atlanta Airport, please complete the necessary information in your registration on your family dashboard. Families with children requiring a car or booster seat should bring their own. The shuttle bus is $50 per person each way.

• February 13: The bus will depart the airport at 1:00pm ET (flights should land by 12:00pm ET)
• February 16: The bus will depart campus at 12:00pm ET (flights should depart after 5:00pm ET)

Please use this Packing List as a guide and bring any specific items that you feel are necessary for your health, safety, and enjoyment.

Please note that NO pets of any kind may join you for your stay onsite, for any length of time.

Vaccination Policies

The Gefilteria is a food venture launched in 2012 with a manifesto and a mission to reimagine eastern European Jewish cuisine. You can find their artisanal gefilte fish online and in stores during major holiday seasons, though their work reaches far beyond a single dish. Their cookbook, The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods, builds off of their original manifesto with over 100 recipes and stories. Most of the year they’re leading immersive culinary workshops and collaborating on dynamic events and media projects. And while they don’t have a storefront, they are always cooking up a dinner or an event in person or in the virtual sphere. We are excited to welcome Jeffrey and Liz back for their third B’teavon.

Ramah Darom brings people of all ages together for exceptional experiences in Jewish living and learning on its 185-acre North Georgia mountain campus. Ramah Darom programs – including summer camp, family camps and year-round experiential retreats – inspire a lifelong love of Jewish values, tradition and community.