Back­yard Kitchen is a col­lec­tion of kosher fam­i­ly recipes derived from Esther Cohen Salem, Sari­na’s grand­moth­er, and Renee Salem Mis­s­ry, her moth­er. Esther Salem was the first Syr­i­an Jew­ish cater­er in Ben­son­hurst Brook­lyn. These authen­tic sal­ad recipes were hand­ed down from moth­er to daugh­ter with love and are tra­di­tion­al foods found in the Lev­ant. Sari­na has adapt­ed some recipes to accom­mo­date mod­ern think­ing about healthy eat­ing. A respect­ed expert on the Syr­i­an Jew­ish com­mu­ni­ty of New York, Sari­na Roffe is a career jour­nal­ist with a pas­sion for Sephardic his­to­ry and culture.