If you had told Sivan Kobi, a few years ago that one day she would be flying around the world giving presentations and lectures to Jewish communities about her recipes, she likely would not have believed you. Until the outbreak of COVID-19, Sivan mostly cooked for her family and for friends who came over for Shabbat and holidays. Then the pandemic changed everything.
Sivan – known to her followers as Sivan Kitchen - was born in Israel and moved to Los Angeles with her family in 1980 when she was four-years-old. In LA, her father opened Sherman Bakery in Sherman Oaks, followed by two additional locations and a deli — all of which became very popular. Sivan grew up there, absorbing the aromas, winning recipes, and love of baking and cooking. She met her husband Avi at 19; he too is the son of Israeli immigrants and restaurant owners. They married when she was 20 and had four children.
It was one Friday in May, when the entire world was in lockdown and barely leaving the house. Sivan was preparing dinner for her family, and as usual, her kitchen was filled with pots of simmering dishes that spread incredible aromas throughout the house. On the counter, neatly arranged, were cakes and cookies, and in the oven a challah was baking — all homemade, of course. Her eldest daughter, Airel, who had come home, said to her: "Ima, why don’t you share all these recipes with the world? Everyone is home, no one is going anywhere. All people do is cook or watch someone else cooking on Tv or Instagram."
At that very time, many people who had never really spent time on Instagram or TikTok — unlike the younger generations — suddenly discovered the power of social media and began uploading content. Those who were consistent and truly engaging managed to attract tens and even hundreds of thousands of followers, some even millions.
Sivan thought it over and decided to go for it, even though she didn’t really believe anyone would want to follow her. At the time, she had only 200 followers on her Instagram page, Sivan’s Cakes.
Before becoming who she is today — Sivan’s Kitchen, a popular and beloved influencer — she ran a business specializing in custom-designed cakes. Still, she thought, who would want to follow me? Nobody really knows me.
Today, looking at her page with 1.3 million followers and seeing the number of likes and views each video receives, it all seems simple and obvious that this beautiful woman cooking incredible food would become a leading influencer, but Sivan says it’s mainly thanks to hard work.
"People think they can post one recipe and disappear for two months. If you’re not consistent, it won’t work,” said Sivan in an interview with Ynet. “When I started, I posted videos every single day. It’s a lot of work. To this day, I film and edit my videos myself. I’m on my phone 20 hours a day, I sleep from 2am to 6am. You have to build a community, reply to people who message you. I remember getting messages from women saying, ‘I don’t know how to make schnitzel’ or ‘I don’t know how to make rice.’ I would look at my husband in disbelief. What, really?"
Sivan emphasizes that building a connection with her followers is essential. She recalls, “In order to succeed, you can’t be disconnected from your followers. You have to talk to them and respond. At first, people would message me saying they don’t know how to make schnitzel, and I’d think — really?”
It was in moments like these that she realized her role went beyond sharing recipes. She began helping women build a Shabbat menu, patiently explaining what to do when they got stuck in the middle of cooking one of her recipes. Today, she admits, she can’t respond to every message the same way because the volume is overwhelming, but she makes a sincere effort.
Sivan feels she has a mission — to bring women closer to Judaism — and she does this through food. She often hears this from Chabad women who invite her to cooking demonstrations in their communities.
"One rebbetzin told me, ‘You have more influence than I do’. Another one from a Russian community in Coney Island who invited me to an event told me, please talk to them about kosher food — they’ll listen to you much more than to me. They break the Yom Kippur fast with fish, meat, and dairy together.
And I understand it. They really listen to me more because I look more like them than she does. I don’t cover my hair or wear long skirts, but I do keep kosher and enjoy observing Shabbat and holidays. So beyond the recipes I share on Instagram, it’s important for Jewish communities to bring me in to help connect Jews in the community to Judaism."
A rebbetzin from an LA community who invited her to an event thought maybe 30 women would attend. "Maybe thanks to you we’ll get 50 people," she told her. In the end, the event sold out, and due to high demand, an additional evening was added the following day. "The rabbi told me, what you’re doing is something big. You’re bringing the community closer to the synagogue. Suddenly they’re hosting Shabbat, coming to prayers with their families, enrolling their children in the local preschool and school, and the husbands start attending classes at the synagogue," Sivan says excitedly.
Her eldest, Ariel, manages the website and all the products sold on Amazon and Sivan’s site — including tablecloths, napkins, plates, trays for Shabbat, and more. Lauren, 24, handles bookings, collaborations, and customer service. "She does the negotiations and then I step in," Sivan says.
Two and a half years after she began filming herself cooking and baking in her home kitchen, her page gained momentum — first reaching 10,000 followers, then quickly 100,000, and continuing to grow to its current 1.3 million. Women from around the world began reaching out to her. One told her she is married to a Muslim man and lives in Indonesia, where no one can know she is Jewish for fear of persecution. Still, after learning to cook kosher recipes through Sivan’s page, she began cooking every Shabbat for her family.
The support doesn’t stop there. Sivan’s husband serves as her right-hand man and accompanies her to every destination in the US and abroad. "I can walk into a fully equipped kitchen with six ovens, or suddenly into a kitchen with one barely functioning oven. Avi is amazing at making everything work and organize what’s needed. He started traveling with me on Rosh Hashanah 2024 when we were invited to New York and New Jersey for a few events. I told him: from now on, you’re coming with me. And truly, he leaves work and travels with me wherever I’m invited."
Among the countries she has visited recently with her husband is Dubai, where she was invited to lead a challah separation ceremony. A few weeks ago, she returned from New York, where she was invited by the Bukharian community. "More than 650 women attended — it sold out within 48 hours."
In Israel, she was also invited by the Israeli Food Network to appear and teach viewers several recipes.
Sivan’s event calendar for the coming year is already fully booked through September, and it’s likely that by the time this article is published, it will be filled through the end of the year.
Creating new recipes each time isn’t easy, but Sivan draws inspiration from others on Instagram just as people draw inspiration from her. "Trends help too. Suddenly there’s a new trend and everyone’s on it. And thank God we have so many holidays — each time we prepare holiday recipes, sometimes the same ones, but I upgrade them year after year."
She constantly releases new recipes, updates old ones, and explains them clearly and simply in her videos so anyone can follow along. With hundreds of beautiful and delicious recipes, it was only a matter of time before she would publish her own cookbook. The book is currently in its early stages and is expected to be released sometime in 2027.
Sivan and her husband Avi love cooking together at home, turning the kitchen into a place of laughter, collaboration, and family bonding. Their children grew up helping her, learning to cook and appreciating the rhythms of family life. For Sivan, mealtime is about more than food, it’s a chance to connect, share stories, and create memories that last long after the dishes are cleared.