Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.

“The Automat,” a documentary about the Horn & Hardart restaurant chain that had customers feeding nickels into automated machines to receive hot food, opens April 1 in the Bay Area. Filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz is Jewish, as are many of its stars — such as Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. “The Automat” also has a local Jewish connection: Co-producer Alec Shuldiner, one of the film’s talking heads, lives in Fairfax. It’s playing at the Vogue Theater in S.F., Albany Twin in Berkeley, Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael and Summerfield Cinemas in Santa Rosa.

As Kneaded Bakery is one of those Jewish-owned food businesses we’ve watched with great interest since reporting on its opening in San Leandro in 2018. Owner Iliana Berkowitz grew up in the Palo Alto Jewish community and opened As Kneaded with the help of Hebrew Free Loan. Like many food businesses, As Kneaded has gone through several pandemic pivots, opening for just two days of retail, while focusing more heavily on growing its wholesale accounts. A recent email announced that starting April 6, the bakery will be open Wednesdays through Sundays. It also will feature more items, like cookies and muffins, as well as croissants by Berkeley’s Nabolom Bakery. Its newest wholesale accounts are Nabolom, Alley & Vine in Alameda, the Whole Foods at 1177 Market in S.F. and the Willows Market in Menlo Park. As Kneaded is at 585 Victoria Court in San Leandro.

On April 7, the Jewish Community Library will host a 7 p.m. virtual event with cookbook author Benedetta Jasmine Guetta, who has just released “Cooking Alla Giudia: A Celebration of the Jewish Food of Italy.” While many know that the popular dish of deep-fried artichokes comes from the Jews, many are not aware that the same is true for the ubiquity of eggplant and sardines in Italian food. Guetta is a passionate advocate for Jewish Italian food and wants more people to know how Jews influenced such a beloved cuisine. She lives in Los Angeles, where she runs Café Lovi in Santa Monica. Books are available for sale from Afikomen Judaica. Register here.