Chella Bluth-Rosenberg
(she/her/hers)
Pronunciation: (CHEH-LAH)
Title: SnackTime Explorers Program Coordinator
As SnackTime Explorers Program Coordinator, Chella oversees SnackTime Explorers’ responsibilities/ programs. Chella is passionate about Food Education and advocacy as a stepping stone to creating better systems, resources, and opportunities for underrepresented and overlooked communities.
Chella has a BA in Communication Studies from Wayne State University in Detroit. Currently, she is obtaining a master’s in Food and Gastronomy from Boston University. She is interested in researching the many faces of Jewish food. Chella wants to analyze the acts of communal eating within Judaism and how these shared meals have been a tool of preservation and community development for Jewish culture and religion.
Chella has been active in the Detroit community since her college days. She often hosted large-scale community events such as interfaith panels and sustainable living fashion shows, partnering with Madewell and Deviate. Chella also founded a female education series called “Girl’s Night” which was awarded a $4,000 grant from the National Council of Jewish Women.
Chella has worked at a myriad of nonprofits, which include the Museum of Food and Culture, Detroit Phoenix Center, Freedom House Detroit, Adamah, Repair the World, and Mint Artists Guild.
While at the Detroit Phoenix Center, Chella served as the Program and Outreach Engagement Coordinator. Chella strongly believes in being community-driven, aid-based, and incorporating youth voice and perspective into programming and curriculum. Throughout her experience, Chella saw the interconnected patterns between food insecurity, youth homelessness, generational poverty, systemic racism, and outdated infrastructure.
Chella and her husband Jeremy, operate a Jewish community development nonprofit called Mezuzah. They are working with the nonprofit NW Goldberg Cares to build a small-scale grocery store and communal gathering spaces and to restore and repurpose blighted houses in their neighborhood. Chella understands the power of food and its ability to connect to bring people together or drive them apart.
Favorite Food Education Standard: FES #2: Foods have sources and origins.
I resonate with FES #2, Foods have sources and origins. For many, there is a disconnect between the foods that we eat and the journey that it took for these foods to end up on shelves, in refrigerators, or on the dinner table. Our foods have stories that need to be told and cultures that need recognition. The more we learn about the history of food, the more we can learn about each other and understand our impact on our environment. We would not have the food that we have today without the cultures that set the way before us. It is crucial that we teach people where our food comes from and encourage them to explore the wonderful world of food.
A favorite food memory or recipe:
Growing up in Brooklyn, I was fortunate to be exposed to many different cultures at a young age. I used to love grocery shopping and making my rounds at the different stores around the neighborhood. My family would visit Net Cost Market, right by my Bubbie’s apartment in Coney Island. Net Cost Market serves a large Eastern European population and carries many Russian and Ukrainian products. I loved looking at the different types of Russian cereals, baked goods, and chocolates. We would make our way to Flatbush Avenue and stop at Holon Foods. I loved trying all the different types of pickled vegetables and homemade maamoul cookies. The shop smelled like a mixture of hawaij spice, zaatar, and louisa. Our last stop was the Puerto Rican grocery store to buy fresh fruits and paletas. When I think about these outings, I feel a sense of home.
Reach me: Connect with me on LinkedIn!