20 Questions for… Chanie Nayman

For 13 years, CHANIE NAYMAN has edited Family Table, developing it from a few pages of recipes into a robust section with a life of its own. In 2017, Family Table production moved over from Mishpacha’s Israeli offices to its American base, and Chanie now leads a large team of recipe contributors, stylists, chefs, and columnists

My ideal work environment

I never get as much work done anywhere else as I do on an airplane. I write, I respond to emails, I clear out all my texts, I search for inspiration for new recipe ideas. All this on a one-and-a-half-hour flight. Otherwise, I’m in my office with all tabs closed but the one I need, with my phone on silent.

Deadlines are…

a necessary evil for a creative!

I learned the most from writing about

My role is not so much about writing as it is the coordination of ideas and recipes. I’ve learned the most from my interactions with the many people I’ve worked and collaborated with.

The accomplishment I’m proudest of

Launching Kosher.com with Leah Gottheim and Michal Frischman seven and a half years ago. It’s become such a household staple.

The best piece of advice I got

“Do what you have to do, then do what you want to do.” My mother ingrained this in me as I was growing up, and I think about it all the time (and tell it to my kids, too!).