Three Sisters on a Mission to Make Tahini an American Pantry Staple

Three Sisters on a Mission to Make Tahini an American Pantry Staple
(From L to R) The Soom sisters: Jackie, Shelby, and Amy Zitelman, co-founders of Soom Foods. Jillian Guyette
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Say the word “tahini,” and most Americans might conjure up an image of a jar gathering dust on the bottom shelf of the international aisle in the grocery store. Press them for one of its uses, and the answers will generally be one of two foods: hummus or tahini sauce.

Amy Zitelman, one of the three sisters who founded the Philadelphia-based tahini company Soom Foods, knows this because she used to feel ambivalent about the sesame seed paste herself—until a cake changed her sister’s mind.
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