Matt Delgado

By: Elizabeth Breyer Johnson

Some cooks inherit their love of the kitchen. And others build it, slowly and stubbornly, one improvisation at a time. This month, we meet a phenomenal home cook, Matt Delgado, whose Friday challah has become a beloved family ritual. In his youth, he discovered cooking could be comfort, independence, and occasionally, cake for dinner.

Today, he brings that same curiosity, skill, and heart into the weekly ritual that now defines his home. Following, he shares how his love of cooking took root, what challah-making

means to him, and why the weekly rhythm of preparing the Shabbat dinner has become one of the most grounding times of his day.

You’ re known among friends and family( as well as the CJN editor) as an exceptional cook. How did your love for cooking begin? I started cooking as a kid, mostly to eat the foods my parents wouldn’ t or didn’ t have the time to prepare. When my mother bought Betty Crocker cake mixes, I figured out how to make it myself. There was plenty of trial and error, including the time I forgot to grease the cake pans.

I grew up as a latchkey kid as my mother was a real estate agent, who showed houses in the evenings and on weekends. In turn, my sister and I often made

our own lunches. We began with boxed mac and cheese eventually graduating to lemon-seasoned chicken prepared on the George Foreman grill eaten alongside steamed broccoli. My mother taught me the basics: how to read measurements, whisk, fold, and improvise when ingredients needed to be substituted. My grandmother also shaped my love of cooking, especially during the holidays. She made lemon chess pie, which I still enjoy today, and taught me how to make creamy mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.

My favorite part of cooking is putting in the effort and( hopefully

) ending up with something delicious. I began exploring cooking more seriously in graduate school when I lived in a vegetarian co-op with 15 people. Four nights a week, we enjoyed group dinners and took turns cooking. My roommates came from all over the world, introducing me to new flavors and dishes, including a curried peanut soup from Niger. Armed with access to a treasure trove of cookbooks, that experience gave me great confidence to try new techniques, foods, and flavors I had not considered before.

What drew you specifically to challah, and how did the tradition of baking it every Friday take root in your home? Baking is a more recent pursuit for me. For a long time, I was intimidated by bread making

. The time commitment felt daunting, and I was perfectly content with your typic, storebought sandwich bread. But I’ m always open to learning something new, and the best way to learn is to dive in.

My bread baking journey began when our kids attended Charlotte Jewish Preschool, and challah felt like the natural place to start because it traditional, delicious, and not too time-consuming. The weekly Friday ritual truly took hold during the pandemic, when working from home gave me the time to make it regularly. In my current role, I still work from home on Fridays, which allows me to continue a family tradition that has become something we really cherish. I’ ve made a six-braid challah instead of the usual three and once tried a round, eggless Sephardic version. One day, I plan to craft a challah recipe of my own.

Describe a typical Friday in your kitchen. What’ s happening in those final hours before Shabbat dinner? As Illana can attest, my cooking projects are often time-consuming and sometimes elaborate. A typical Friday begins with me paging through recipe books or the New York Times Cooking app, which I like for its variety and seasonal ideas. Depending on my energy, I may try something new, which often means a quick run to the grocery store.

Because I work from home on Fridays, I map out a timeline for each part of dinner and identify what can be executed ahead of time. I might start a marinade in the morning before logging on, then peel and cut carrots for tzimmes when I have a spare 20 minutes. By the time dinner approaches, most of the prep is done. What remains is multitasking several dishes simultaneously and hoping I can put a meal on the table before the kids fill up on snacks.

You cook for your wife, Illana and daughters, Poppy, and Rosie each week. What does sharing food with them mean to you? There’ s an old saying:“ Some people live to eat, and others eat to live.” I think my family falls into the former category. At the most basic level, I’ m committed to preparing a nutritious meal and introducing them to new things in the hope the dish is a hit.

What matters most is that they indulge me and are willing to try what I make, which isn’ t always easy for young children. But over time, my daughtershave become more adventurous and will now taste the dish instead of refusing it outright.

What’ s the biggest lesson cooking has taught you? Patience, creativity and more, but the greatest lesson is learning to accept failure. I can’ t count how

many times I’ ve put hours into a dish only for it to turn out poorly. Times like these serve as important lessons for our children because trying again after something goes wrong isn’ t easy.

Sometimes it’ s as simple as understanding your tools. For example, my oven runs hotter than the dial suggests, so I adjust cooking times and temperatures accordingly. Other times, it’ s simply a matter of taste, such as wanting a little extra spice or salt.

Cooking with my daughters takes presence, but it also creates real moments to bond. I want them to learn to reflect on the outcome: Is it what you expected? How does it taste? Would you change anything the next time?

How does your family get involved? Do your daughters help, taste-test, or claim the best piece? My girls help throughout the year, but they are especially excited during the holidays when I prepare desserts. I have menorah, dreidel, and Star of David cookie cutters, and the girls love decorating cookies.

Watching them reveals their different personalities. Rosie is detailed and deliberate, with a good eye for color, while Poppy prefers a fully“ immersive” approach, often ending up with icing on her hands, face, and sometimes even her hair. One might coin her the Jackson Pollock of cookie decoration.

When you pull the challah from the oven and sit down with your family, what does that moment represent to you? During the week, we are constantly rushing out the door to school or work and return home with only a small window of“ together time” in the evenings. Joining as a family on Shabbat to share the challah and a meal I’ ve prepared is a moment of true togetherness. And that’ s what it’ s all about.

Matt’ s story is, in many ways, a recipe of its own: equal parts family tradition, trial-and-error, and the joy of feeding the people he loves. It’ s also a reminder that the most meaningful food often begins long before the table is set, in the small moments of creativity, and connection that shape a kitchen and a family.

The Modern Balabusta spotlights our very own masters of hospitality. From kitchens to grilling, local businesses, gardening, tablescapes, at-home entertainment, backyard gatherings and beyond. Want to be featured in the Modern Balabusta? If you or someone you know embodies this spirit, email Elizabeth Breyer Johnson at elizabeth. johnson @ jewishcharlotte. org with a brief note explaining why. We’ ll be in touch if it’ s a fit for an upcoming issue.