Cooking in memory: Honoring Oct. 7 victims through their favorite dishes

The last meal Shani Gabay shared with her family was on October 6, 2023. It happened to be her favorite: a spicy fish stew prepared by her mother, served with challah on the side. The next day, Gabay, a 25-year-old recent law school graduate, attended the Nova music festival with friends. She was tragically murdered during the event when Hamas militants infiltrated the festival, killing 364 people.

Nearly a year later, on Monday evening, around 30 culinary leaders, pro-Israel activists, and journalists gathered in her memory alongside Shani’s mother, Michal; younger sister, Nitzan; and older brother, Aviel, at Gabriel Kreuther, a two-star Michelin restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Dressed in matching white “Team Gabay” shirts, the family shared stories and a four-course meal that featured Chef Kreuther’s rendition of Shani’s beloved fish stew — with some guidance from Michal in the kitchen.

Other courses honored the cherished dishes of additional victims from the Oct. 7 attacks: tomato soup with dumplings in memory of Itay and Hadar Berdichevsky, beef tartare with microgreens in memory of Adiel Twitto, and a rich chocolate birthday cake in memory of Aviv Baram.

The event was hosted by the Asif Culinary Institute, a Tel Aviv-based organization that has served thousands of hot meals to Israelis affected by the Israel-Hamas war. In response to the devastating reality that thousands of families are left with an empty seat at their tables, the institute launched the “A Place at the Table” initiative in May to commemorate victims through food.

Asif works closely with families to gather stories about their loved ones and then recreates their favorite meals, often in the families’ own kitchens. These recipes and stories are then shared on Asif’s website and social media, offering a personal lens through which the world can learn about the victims of the attacks.

Attendees at Monday’s event, most of whom had never met before, quickly found a shared connection through the emotional power of food. Among the eclectic group were Michelle Ahdoot, director of programming and strategy at EndJewHatred; social media influencer Zach Sage Fox; Mosheh Oinounou, former executive producer of CBS Evening News and founder of Mo News; and actress Patricia Heaton, best known for her role in Everybody Loves Raymond.

The gathering transformed a chic Manhattan restaurant into a space of remembrance, honoring the lives lost not through speeches or headlines, but by serving the dishes they cherished most—bringing their memory back to life, one meal at a time.

* The Jewish Insider contributed to this article.