Alon Shaya's new cookbook preserves WWII memories, meals

The big picture: The book, which Shaya co-wrote with food historian June Hersh, collects recipes preserved from families impacted by WWII and includes new ones inspired by their stories.

• They share copies of recipes from the Fenves family cookbook, saved by their former cook, Maris, who stowed them away after the family was sent to Auschwitz.
• There are recipes inspired by Navajo code talkers, and even recreations of dishes dreamed up by hungry POWs.

What they're saying: "Without the story, they're just ingredients," Hersh said.

• "But when you tell the story, the ingredients come to life."

Flashback: Shaya's investigation into those stories began when he first saw a scrap of a Nazi flag at the Ravensbrück concentration camp, which was signed by the imprisoned women who made up a food club dedicated to remembering pre-war meals.

• How food is a vehicle for culture and memory stuck with the chef, and he eventually teamed up with Hersh to put that inspiration together in the cookbook.
• "Food is a character in all our lives," Hersh said. "It is at our table, it is telling a story. It is bringing us together. It's informing us. It's enriching us. It's giving us provenance of what we do and who we are."

What's next: Shaya continues celebrating the book's release with an event at NOLA Brewing on Sunday.

• In Denver, Shaya will host a cookbook dinner at Safta on Oct. 28.