Totally Booked with Zibby
Episode: Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, RUSS & DAUGHTERS: 100 Years of Appetizing
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guests: Niki Russ Federman & Josh Russ Tupper

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Zibby Owens sits down with Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, co-authors of Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing and fourth-generation co-owners of the famed New York food institution. Recorded live at Zibby’s Bookshop in New York City, the conversation explores the unique cultural legacy, personal journeys, business evolution, and deep community significance of Russ & Daughters. They reflect on heritage, innovation, and how food can foster connection across generations—even through challenging times.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Understanding "Appetizing" & The Roots of Russ & Daughters

• What is “Appetizing”?
  • “Appetizing” refers to the Jewish food tradition of fish and dairy, distinct from a deli (which offers meat) due to kosher dietary laws.
  • Niki explains:

    “If you think of, for example, bagels and lox, that is appetizing… It’s the same sister food tradition to delicatessen... On the Lower East Side... one block apart, you find Katz's delicatessen and Russ & Daughters.” (04:30)

  • Name origin: Derived from Yiddish forspice (appetizers), likely a mispronunciation that “stuck.”
  • “After today, you’re not allowed to call us a deli.” – Niki Russ Federman (04:30)
• A New York-Born Tradition
  • Josh: “It’s a tradition born in New York.” (06:19)

Personal Journeys: Returning to the Family Business

• Josh’s Path
  • Raised in an ashram; went from engineering in Portland to joining the family business after hearing his cousin Niki’s father was considering retirement.
  • “I was working as an engineer... There was no real passion behind it… I told Mark I’d leave my career and come to New York and attempt to get into the business.” (06:42)
  • Mark (Niki’s father) was initially reluctant:

    “He tried to dissuade me. 'It’s not all Martha Stewart appearances.' Every day he reminded me, 'We’ll see. Not sure if this is gonna work.'” (06:42; 08:56)

• Niki’s Story
  • Grew up in the shop, but resisted joining at first due to the cultural drive to do “better” than your parents.
  • “I realized I was part of a lineage. And there’s something really—not just beautiful—about that, but in this country, we don’t preserve craft or place as well as we could. Russ & Daughters holds a lot of meaning for a lot of people.” (09:24; 10:30)
  • After personal exploration, she called her parents to return; her father said, “That’s nice, but now your cousin’s involved, so you gotta talk to Josh.” (12:08)
  • They quickly agreed they’d make a good team.

Store as Community: Heritage, Identity, and Place

• Beyond Transactional Interactions
  • “It’s not just about the exchange of goods and transactions… All of humanity came through those doors… this food always evoked an emotion or a story.” – Niki Russ Federman (09:24)
  • Zibby echoes:

    “…It’s about life and connection.” (13:20)

• Legacy Foods and Emotional Resonance
  • “Our food is that type of legacy identity food that has the power to [connect people to their history].” – Niki Russ Federman (13:44)
  • The business allows people to connect with their family’s past, regardless of background.

The Cookbook: History & Community, Not Just Recipes

• Cookbook as a Family & Community Archive
  • “It’s a cookbook, but it’s more… We hope that this book does that—bring a piece of that shop experience into your home.” – Josh Russ Tupper (14:13)
  • The book weaves recipes with family stories, photographs (including staff), and Lower East Side history.
  • “You see that the immigrant story continues… Russ & Daughters is a family business in the literal and figurative sense.” – Niki Russ Federman (17:47)
  • Notable story: A Dominican staff member gained customers’ trust by learning Yiddish—a symbol of overlapping immigrant stories. (17:57)

Balancing Modernization & Authenticity

• How Does a 100+ Year-Old Business Stay Relevant?
  • “We have this guiding light, which is the original store… always looking to that to make sure we’re not straying too far… but we want to evolve, introduce technology… but keep hold of the historical connection. So it’s a lot of debates.” – Josh Russ Tupper (23:29)
  • “Innovation for us is something the customer doesn’t notice. We can… change all the systems, but try to maintain that connection to the past.” (24:43)
• Organic Growth Over Grand Strategy
  • “We’ve never sat down and said, well, this is our ten-year plan… It’s about wanting Russ & Daughters to continue for another four generations, and seeing what the organic next thing is.” – Niki Russ Federman (25:03)
• Examples of Organic Expansion
  • Opened a restaurant after repeated customer requests for a place to sit.
  • Opened a bakery to save authentic New York baked goods (bagels, bialis, babka) from vanishing or becoming mass-produced.
  • “We thought, well I guess that’s on us. And that’s how our bakery was started.” (26:46)

Customer Service: Old-School Values in a Modern World

• Service Stories
  • Zibby shares a story of accidentally ordering 40 boxes rather than 40 pieces of rugelach—and a staff member called to confirm, demonstrating genuine attention and care. (27:55)
• Challenging Customers as a Badge of Honor
  • “We care that much about your experience… a family that’s been shopping with Russ & Daughters for 4–5 generations feels ownership over the brand and who we are. So, they’re telling us how to do things.” – Josh Russ Tupper (29:04)

Food as Comfort and Connection—Especially in Difficult Times

• Being Jewish in the Current Moment
  • “Our food is, at the end of day, comfort food… when times are difficult, we feel like we’re doing a service—giving people foods that remind them of joy and good memories and who they are.” – Niki Russ Federman (29:44)
  • “It’s really demonstrated to us how important a place like Russ & Daughters is to bring people together over food and positivity.” – Josh Russ Tupper (30:35)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

Family Stories

• “My mom was a research chemist… she thought she was marrying a lawyer. And then the pull of the family business…” – Niki Russ Federman on her multicultural, multi-career family history. (15:20)
• On her Colombian mother feeling like an outsider with “regulars” and working in the back of the store due to her accent—a window into assimilation, belonging, and the evolving American immigrant story. (15:45)
• Staff and customer dynamics: “The way [the Dominican counterman] got in their good graces was, he started speaking Yiddish.” – Josh Russ Tupper (17:57)

Food Favorites & Rituals

• On menu debates:

  “That was not nearly as challenging as the matzo brei… Everyone grew up eating a different version and so... we got to the point where we instructed servers to ask guests how they wanted matzo brei made, which is, if you’re running a restaurant, a terrible thing to do!” – Josh & Niki (33:16; 33:19)

• On recipe heritage:

  “I set out to try to recreate [Aunt Ida’s] stuffed cabbage… [Her son Marty] would give me notes… we went back and forth multiple times… My kids started out loving it, now they’re like, no more stuffed cabbage! But the day Marty said, ‘This reminds me of my mother,’ I thought, okay, we got it.” – Niki Russ Federman (35:29)

On Community & Storefronts

• “As much as you can order online… just remembering the importance of place and storefronts and coming and visiting us in person if you can… there are few things like foods that are rooted in place…” – Niki Russ Federman (37:04)
• “We see now… less and less in-person interactions. I think Russ & Daughters promotes—we hope to continue that. So, come into the store and buy whatever, something small, but be there and share that experience.” – Josh Russ Tupper (38:03)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:14] - Defining “Appetizing” and Jewish food traditions
• [06:42] - Josh’s unconventional path to joining the business
• [08:56] - Niki’s journey: resisting, then embracing the family legacy
• [13:44] - Food as connection; legacy in every recipe
• [14:13] - The ethos behind the cookbook
• [23:29] - Maintaining brand authenticity while evolving
• [26:46] - Opening the bakery to preserve tradition
• [29:44] - Food, community, and being Jewish after October 7th
• [32:13] - Favorite dishes: kasha varnishkes, bialis, matzo brei debate
• [34:26] - Aunt Ida’s Stuffed Cabbage and the quest for authentic family recipes
• [37:04] - How to support Russ & Daughters for the next 100 years
• [38:03] - The value of in-person experience and real community

Final Thoughts: How Listeners Can Support Russ & Daughters

• Visit in person and remember the value of real, in-store experiences.
• Share traditions by bringing new generations to Russ & Daughters, or by gifting their foods.
• Be mindful of the importance of community-rooted, independent businesses.
• “Foods that are rooted in place… are still unique and evoke a lot. Keep that in mind as you help to share it.” – Niki Russ Federman (37:39)

Tone & Language

The episode is warm, candid, and full of affectionate banter, with a strong sense of pride and humility. Both Niki and Josh are passionate about honoring the past, delighting customers, and remaining authentic New Yorkers. Their humor and familial chemistry shine, especially as they discuss how even small changes (like the recipe for matzo brei) can be hotly debated by their community.

Recommended for:
Anyone interested in food history, New York Jewish culture, multi-generational family businesses, or the emotional resonance of food as legacy and communal glue.
Memorable Takeaway:
Russ & Daughters is much more than a shop—it is a living tradition, a cultural bridge, and a testament to the power of place, food, and family.