‘Eat Jewish’ author and influencer Melinda Strauss coming to Pittsburgh

Melinda Strauss, a content creator known for explaining modern Orthodox Jewish life to 1.5 million TikTok followers, is coming to Pittsburgh for a June 1 book signing hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Speaking with the Chronicle by phone from Long Island as a lead-up to the invitation only Hannah Kamin Annual Lion of Judah event, Strauss said although as she’s looking forward to discussing “Eat Jewish,” her 2025 cookbook, and sharing insights from her work as a food blogger and influencer, “my favorite part is hearing people’s stories.” Whether those she engages with are followers or not, “being able to connect with the old and the new, and being able to share my story and also hear theirs is my favorite part about this.”

On both Instagram and TikTok, Strauss, 43, is a familiar presence. Her videos range from Trader Joe’s kosher hauls to celebrating her dog Louie’s bark mitzvah. While aiming to offer insight on the quirks of modern observant life, Strauss often reminds followers that neither Orthodoxy nor Judaism are monolithic. Instead, the multitude of opinions and practices shape a collective experience.

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For Strauss, living in accordance with halacha (Jewish law) often plays out in two-minute explainers. Whether detailing her family’s approach to swimming on Shabbat — halachic concerns include squeezing out wet clothing, submerging oneself in water and creating a flotation device — or why she has two beds in her guestroom (in deference to comfort and ritual purity laws), Strauss treats everyday experiences as opportunities to inform.

She called her audience “curious people,” and said they are individuals “who want to learn more about Judaism, whether they’re Jewish or not Jewish.”

Though it’s nearly impossible to gauge exactly who makes up the 1.7 million people following her on TikTok and Instagram, Strauss said she’s fairly certain the group represents a range “from tweens and teenagers, to men and women in their 80s.” Regardless of who her demographic is, “the biggest thing is that they’e all curious in some way or another about the way I’m living my Jewish life.”

Strauss grew up in Seattle, Washington, in what she called a “really good, stable, wonderful home.”

As a freshman at Yeshiva University Stern College for Women, she experienced a “pretty intense time,” she recalled. Months after Sept. 11, 2001, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Strauss graduated college and moved to the Upper West Side. She worked in recruiting at a law firm, got married and moved to Queens. With a baby in tow, she and her husband later moved to Long Island.

After leaving New York City, “I quit my job and I’m like, ‘I’m going to be a stay-at-home mom,” she said. The decision was prompted by a realization that it “was actually more expensive for me to go to work than it was for me to stay home.”

With a daughter who “just napped,” Strauss found herself with newfound time.

“I was bored,” she said. “I didn’t want to wake her up to go to Mommy and Me. And I started just playing with recipes at home.”

Strauss created an album on her Facebook page where she tested recipes. A friend suggested converting it into a blog. Despite not knowing what a blog was, Strauss gave it a go.

“That’s what I do. Tell me to do it. I’ll try it. I figure what’s the worst that’s gonna happen? It’s not gonna succeed. I’ll find something different,” she said. “Thank God, it worked out pretty darn well.”

Strauss’s blog, “Kitchen Tested,” captured attention and about a year later Strauss began organizing a conference for fellow kosher food bloggers, an effort that helped forge connections across the Jewish world. After about 10 years, COVID arrived. Like nearly everyone she knew, Strauss joined TikTok.

“I had no idea what I was sharing,” she said. “I was just sharing because my daughter wanted to be on the platform. And I’m like, if she wants to be on here, I’ll be on here.”

Strauss noticed frequent questions about her ritual practices. Whether inquiries concerned being offline throughout Shabbat or only eating kosher food, Strauss realized “there’s this whole world of people who don’t know anything about Judaism.”

She said she “started sharing and answering questions, and it really took off from there.”

TikTok offered a platform to leverage various interests, including, food, inspirational speaking, Israel advocacy and Jewish education.

Her cookbook, she continued, represented a way of “combining it all.”

Complete with recipes, memories and insights into Jewish practice, “Eat Jewish” is another step in Strauss’ journey. Where she lands she isn’t certain.

“The one thing about me is I never know what’s next, and I kind of like it,” she said. “I’ve always just thrown things out and seen what’s next and had fun.”

The process is relatively carefree but not careless, she explained.

“My biggest thing that I want for people is to let them know that their voice is important too — however they’re using it,” she said.

Whether it’s having a conversation, creating content, or even liking content, every action matters.

“People don’t realize how much of an impact they can make with the tiniest little moment,” she said. “Like when someone’s running a marathon, and people are on the sidelines clapping, they’re making an impact even when they don’t realize they are. And it’s a huge impact. So I just want people to know that however you’re doing something, you are doing something, don’t ever feel like it’s not enough.” PJC

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.