The Breakfast Tradition That Brought A Family Back Together

The soft early May light fills the windows as guests file into the airy Summerhill Market event space in Toronto, Ontario. A sign at the entrance welcomes all to the Gold-Barsky ultimate family reunion—the heartwarming prize for our Florida Orange Juice contest winner, Miriam Levin-Gold.

Her winning entry spoke of the importance of family routines with Florida orange juice that only became more meaningful as she grew older. “Looking back, I realize how much those small routines meant. My mom worked incredibly hard, and those mornings together were her way of making sure we still sat down as a family before the day rushed in,” she recalls. “Now I have a toddler of my own. When I pour her a little glass of Florida orange juice at breakfast, it reminds me of my mom at the kitchen counter, making something simple feel steady and warm. It’s a small tradition, but it carries a lot of love with it.”

Miriam’s reunion brought nearly 20 family and friends together, but it was the bond between mothers and daughters that stood out among the group. Miriam, her mother, Elaina, and her two-year-old daughter, Nora, were inseparable all evening.

As guests file into the private event, servers are lighting tapered candles and tea lights on the long dinner table that’s draped in soft orange linen and adorned with deep orange poppies and white scabiosa flowers. The bar opens, handing out bright orange mocktails gorgeously presented in a highball glass and topped with a billowing cloud of bright white foam—a creamy combination of Florida orange juice, lime, soda and coconut cream. Canapés are passed with endive leaves filled with orange and quince paste, walnuts and a shower of manchego, and a sourdough crostini with herbed goat cheese and a spicy orange glaze. As guests eat and drink, Miriam makes the rounds, expertly hugging her guests with one arm while holding Nora in the other, Elaina always within reach. The volume steadily rises as the room is filled with happy squeals from people who haven’t seen each other in months—and in some cases, years.

“We had a surprise Zoom wedding,” Miriam explains. “Not everyone was happy about that!” she laughs. 

It was December 24, 2021, and Omicron was raging, keeping everyone apart. Miriam, who was in law school at the time, had just finished her final exam of the semester and told her now-husband, Josh Barsky, “Let’s just do it now.” Meeting links were sent, and vows were exchanged while people watched from the safety of their locked-down homes.

Since then, Miriam and Josh had Nora, who will be three in June, Miriam graduated and now works in intellectual property, and life has simply gotten busier. With law school friends absorbed in starting their own careers (one even brought her laptop to the dinner just in case work called) and family scattered across the country, it’s been years since the loved ones of the Levin-Gold-Barsky clan were all in one place.

“They’re really wonderful people,” says Josh’s uncle, Gary Fayerman, who flew in from Calgary with his wife, Sabrina, for the dinner. “Both families are uniting here. It’s really special.” 

Rachel Barsky, Josh’s sister, agrees. “Since [the wedding], so much has happened!” Rachel is 18 weeks pregnant with her second child and flew in from Vancouver to attend. “It’s really nice for all of us to be together.”

As Nora grows, the distance between friends and family has been on Miriam’s mind, so when Florida Orange Juice presented a chance to win a dinner for loved ones, she jumped on the opportunity. 

"I was excited to share a little tidbit about our lives," Miriam explains about how her story was selected over hundreds of entries to win the dinner. "Family is everything! It’s really the only consistent thing you have."

It’s important for Miriam to instill in her daughter the same connections to family and the kitchen table that Miriam’s mother showed her. Elaina Gold, a nurse, raised Miriam and her two brothers alone, a tough job made tougher by her demanding work schedule. Despite the chaos of a home where everyone was running madly in all directions, Elaina made certain Friday night dinners were sacrosanct (“We didn’t have a choice!” Miriam laughs). The daily breakfasts, however fast they may be, were a brief pause in the day to connect, with Florida orange juice being a staple on the table.

“It wasn’t so easy,” Elaina admits of the family breakfasts. “But routine was very important. I was trying to build tradition, so it was an investment that I was determined to make. The kids loved orange juice!” she laughs. 

As if on cue, Nora, her little round cheeks flushed, puts her head on Miriam’s shoulder. Miriam feels her forehead and frowns lightly. “Mom, do you think she has a fever?” Always the nurse, or maybe just always a mom, Elaina puts her hand gently on the child’s head. She nods, compassionate but not concerned, “She’s a little warm.” Miriam asks for a glass of orange juice and Nora immediately brightens, seemingly cured. “She loves Florida orange juice!” Miriam laughs. “She always gets so excited!”

As guests make their way to the table, the whole dinner harkens back to the Gold family’s tradition of Florida orange juice that was set so many years ago. The menu champions this humble drink throughout each dish: Faroe Island salmon with a dijon, Florida orange juice and dill sauce; leeks braised in Florida orange juice; and Florida orange juice–roasted carrots.

When it’s time for dessert, Miriam, Nora and Elaina cut the cake (coconut and, naturally, Florida orange juice) for their guests. Smiles and cheers erupt, especially from Nora. Hand in hand, Miriam and Nora make the initial slice, Elaina by their side. It’s a moment that seems to signify a passing on of the tradition between the three generations of women, who can add another beautiful memory to the books.

Cake and event production by creative culinary consultant Sid Starkman of Sidnichka, menu by Often Catering.