A Sweet Conversation: Leah Koenig & Susan Spungen on Jewish Desserts, with a Tasting from The Dessert Table & The Cookie Queen

6 pm Check In | 7 pm Program followed by Cookie Party!

$80 General Admission | $75 Weitzman Members

All tickets include the program, a signed copy of one of the authors books and the Cookie Party!

Additional copies of the authors' books will be available for purchase.

Join cookbook authors Leah Koenig and Susan Spungen for a moderated talk and Cookie Reception at The Weitzman, built around their books, The Dessert Table and The Cookie Queen, as part of Sisterly Love Collective’s 2026 Cookbooks & Convos festival.

After the talk, savor a curated selection of treats from the books, lovingly baked by some of Philadelphia’s most exciting woman-owned bakeries. Mingle, munch, and meet the authors during a festive signing reception that’s equal parts party and community celebration.

About the Authors

Leah Koenig is the author of seven previous cookbooks, including the IACP Award–winning Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen. Her writing and recipes have appeared in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and the New York Times, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and her new book, The Dessert Table: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets, traces the 2,000-year-old tradition of Jewish sweets through recipes and stories from historic Jewish communities and up-and-coming diaspora bakeries.

Susan Spungen is a cook, food stylist, recipe developer, and cookbook author who served as Founding Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia from its inception until 2003. She was Culinary Consultant and Food Stylist on the feature films Julie & Julia, It’s Complicated, and Eat, Pray, Love, and is the author of several cookbooks, including Recipes: A Collection for the Modern Cook.

About the Moderator

Kae Lani Palmisano The evening pairs conversation with cookies. Koenig and Spungen sit down for a moderated talk — led by Kae Lani Palmisano, Philly Mag’s Emmy-winning food & travel storyteller — exploring Jewish dessert traditions: the holiday classics, the everyday treats, and the recipes that turn into rituals of their own. Following the talk, guests are invited to a Cookie Reception featuring local Philadelphia bakers, each offering their own take on recipes inspired by The Dessert Table and The Cookie Queen.

Produced in partnership with Sisterly Love Collective as a part of Cookbooks and Convos.