David Gutenmacher joined Jewish Food Society in 2025 as the social media manager. He is a photographer, archivist, and the founder of the Museum of Lost Memories — a project that preserves lost photographs, home movies, and family momentos. Here, he shares his family story in his own words.

In my childhood home in the Kew Gardens Hills section of Queens, Thanksgiving may as well be another Jewish holiday. There’s an abundance of food including dishes we have on Shabbat like pareve scalloped potatoes and lots of family around the table. Of course, we also “bench” — meaning we recite the Birkat Hamazon blessings at the end of the meal. While cleaning the table and packing up the inevitable leftovers from a 20 pound bird, my mom saves slices of turkey for the next day to make a special Shabbat dish: Thanksgiving deli roll.

My mother was born in Brazil and came to the United States in 1990 looking for a nice Jewish boy. Her mother’s family arrived in Uruguay after leaving Europe in the early 1920s and her father eventually settled in São Paulo, Brazil after surviving the Holocaust. My grandfather was always grateful to Brazil for offering him a safe place to live — and my mother felt that same appreciation for the U.S.

Fittingly, she celebrates Thanksgiving with more enthusiasm than any American I know. She wakes up at 4 a.m. to prepare her turkey, watch the parade, decorate the entire house, and cook a feast for our extended family just like she does for Passover and Rosh Hashanah.

If you aren’t familiar with the food of the Ashkenazi modern Orthodox community, let me explain. In my circles, the top five most popular Shabbat dishes are as follows, in no particular order: cholent, kugel, gefilte fish, chicken soup, and deli roll. Wrapped in puff pastry, deli roll is typically filled with an assortment of cold cuts — except when it’s the Shabbat after Thanksgiving. It’s a  dish that’s being passed down in my family; my 22-month-old son is already a fan.