As a Jew-by-choice who identifies strongly with my Finnish heritage, it often feels like my identities are two non-overlapping circles: the Jewish part and the Finnish-American part. Although there is a Jewish diaspora in the Nordic countries (Finland’s Jewish community dates back to the early 19th century), that is not my family’s background. It’s been challenging to navigate the Nordic and Jewish intersection, especially since Nordic-American culture is often heavily focused around Christmas and other Christian traditions.
Andrea Baumgardner (Katie Cannon Photography)
BernBaum’s: Recipes from Fargo’s Nordic-Jewish Deli has served as a guidebook for finding my way forward. Written by chef Andrea Baumgardner, who co-owned BernBaum’s with her husband Brett Bernath during its 2016-2024 run, the cookbook provides the recipes for the deli’s distinctive blend of Icelandic, German, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Middle Eastern culinary influences. In the intro, Baumgardner notes that her own Icelandic and German culinary heritage had a lot in common with her husband’s Ashkenazi roots. Elements found in both Nordic and Ashkenazi cuisines include pickles, smoked fish and meats, rye, potatoes, and cultured cream.
BernBaum’s is a gorgeous book, with photographs of the finished dishes as well as behind-the-scenes snapshots of the deli, vintage photos of the family members who inspired many of the recipes, and even images of handwritten recipe cards. Details about the restaurant and the hardworking people behind the food are woven throughout the book, making it a touching tribute to a unique, beloved restaurant. (I actually visited BernBaum’s during a 2018 work trip to Fargo, years before my conversion – I wish that at the time I had the Jewish cultural fluency to recognize what a special place it was.)
Chapters reflect the breakfast and lunch fare BernBaum’s specialized in, including breads, breakfast entrees, sandwiches, soups, salads, and sweets. Many recipes are vegetarian, and there are several vegan options, including smoked carrot lox, a cashew cheese spread, and vegan mocha tahini cookies. The recipes themselves are ambitious, reflecting a professional chef’s attention to detail. For example, knishes are made with a homemade puff pastry, and there are instructions for curing your own gravlax. The vegetarian matzo ball soup recipe requires three separate sub-recipes: matzo balls, homemade vegetable stock, and Hawaij spice mix.
As daunting as that all may seem, Baumgardner is an excellent guide, walking you through each step of the process with detailed instructions ranging from recommended techniques for shaping dough or pureeing soup to a multi-page primer on how to build a restaurant-quality salad.
As much as I love an in-depth baking project, at this particular juncture of my life I needed something simpler – enter the lox scrambled eggs. In the headnote, Baumgardner describes it as “a lighter play on Jewish deli salami and eggs.” While it may be lighter, it’s definitely not light, with copious amounts of butter and cream. Thanks to the thorough instructions, I turned out an upscale restaurant-grade scramble in my home kitchen. Not only was it delicious, with creamy, fluffy eggs and buttery flakes of smoked salmon, it was also reminiscent of the open-faced scrambled egg and salmon sandwiches I enjoyed on a trip to Norway.
When my life settles down a bit, I’m looking forward to trying some of the cookbook’s more in-depth recipes, especially the wild rice porridge, noodle kugel with a streusel topping, and borscht. BernBaum’s has also inspired me to consider how my own family recipes can fit into a Jewish context – for example, making pulla, a Finnish braided cardamom bread, for Shabbat. Thanks to Andrea Baumgardner’s chronicling of her Nordic-Jewish deli’s recipes, I’m finally starting to see how my Finnish-American-by-birth and Jewish-by-choice identities can overlap.
Ordered!