[4] As a newspaper food journalist she has visited, among other places, France[5] and Brazil,[6] uncovering new dishes or researching Jewish cuisine.

[7] The success of the series helped Nathan earn the distinction of being called the "Jewish Julia Child" in the media.

Her goal is to preserve Jewish traditions by interviewing cooks and documenting their recipes and stories for posterity.

She was guest curator of Food Culture USA at the 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which was based on the research for her book.

[4] In January 2009, she began choking on a piece of chicken at the Art.Food.Hope dinner in Washington, D.C., but was saved by chef Tom Colicchio, who performed the Heimlich maneuver.