Memories of A Good Meal
Memories of a Good Meal: Recipes of Resilience Inspired by Stories of World War II Survival
By Alon Shaya and June Hersh
Publication date 6 Oct 2026
An unforgettable collection of recipes inspired by ten diverse, moving stories of Holocaust survivors and WWII heroes, from James Beard Award–winning chef Alon Shaya with author June Hersh. Memories of a Good Meal is a culinary journey that celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit and the transformative power of a good meal.
Twin Jewish girls, hidden by a Christian family, foraging for blueberries and wild mushrooms in the Polish forest. A Navajo code talker who carried a sachet of corn pollen as a talisman into battle. A small French town that rallied around the united cause of saving—and feeding—thousands of children during the Holocaust.
In this one-of-a-kind cookbook you’ll discover remarkable stories of ordinary people who did the extraordinary, and the unparalleled role that food played in their survival. Through exclusive interviews and rich archival material, each story is anchored by remembrances of good meals and insights from lives lived with intention and purpose. From Holocaust survivors who persevered against all odds to military heroes who saved thousands of people through their bravery and unwavering faith, these snippets of history give you a deeper understanding of the past and renewed hope for the future.
James Beard Award–winning chef Alon Shaya, along with culinary historian June Hersh, transform these moving accounts into recipes that will nourish generations to come. From humble potatoes eaten by a Polish partisan fighter to miso soup in a Japanese internment camp, dreams of warm hotcakes in a German POW camp, and culinary fusion in a Jewish refugee community in the Dominican Republic, these recipes are as diverse as the stories they honor:
