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Clockwise from top right: Chef Uri Jeremias at a market in Akko, Israel;
falafel at a market in Akko; a group dinner at the Tower of David,
in Jerusalem; nightlife in Tel Aviv; Hedai Offaim at his farm with Marc
Murphy, Gail Simmons, Mitchell Davis, Nancy Silverton, and Ruth
Reichl; the coast in Akko; pickled herring with beets and horseradish
relish at a private brunch.
he chefs were furious. It was 1:30 in the morning,
and the bar at Jerusalem’s fanciest hotel, the King
David, was closed. A who’s-who of food-world
luminaries—Jonathan Waxman, chef of the late, great New
York City restaurant Barbuto; Marc Murphy and Amanda
Freitag of Chopped; Gail Simmons of Top Chef; and my friend
Nancy Silverton, chef of the Mozza restaurant empire in
Los Angeles, all stood outside, fuming. They had not slept
in the 18 hours since our flight landed, but despite a day
of nonstop eating and drinking, no one was prepared to call
it quits. Between meals I had wandered with them through
the cobblestoned streets of this ancient city, visited the
Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and Christ’s tomb,
walked up hills and through markets. Now they stood in
the grandeur of the lobby, glaring at the bar’s locked door.
Traveling with chefs is not for the faint of heart or small
of appetite. It is certainly not for any ordinary mortal requiring
sleep. You may get tired; chefs never do. I’d forgotten
this when Nancy suggested I join her and a group of culinary
pros as they explored the food of Israel. Recklessly,
I signed on. But as we milled around in the hotel lobby,
I was having second thoughts.
Our day had begun with a monumental breakfast in
the King David’s dining room. Picture long tables offering
every food you can imagine: vast arrays of salads, dozens
of cheeses, caviar, cured fish, pastries. Despite our heaped
plates, waiters circled our table like importunate Jewish
mothers, begging us to order more. “We can’t disappoint
them,” the chefs cried, and soon pancakes and eggs
were flowing from the kitchen.
Next came an enormous lunch in the Christian Quarter.
The tables at Lina were laden with bowls of hummus and
masabacha, platters of falafel and pita, pickles, olives, salads.
We ate it all, oblivious to the fact that another lavish feast,
created by Israel’s de facto culinary ambassador, Ido Zarmi,
awaited us at the Tower of David. It was dark by the time we
entered the citadel, but the stone walls came alive as the air
filled with music and a shimmering world of light and color.
This trip was the brainchild of the culinary entrepreneur
Herb Karlitz, who specializes in food festivals and other
chef-driven events. On an earlier journey through Israel,
he was stunned by the country’s food scene, and became
determined to share it with his favorite chefs. Israeli food is
enjoying newfound popularity around the world, especially
in the U.S., thanks to the books of Yotam Ottolenghi and
chefs like Michael Solomonov (Philadelphia’s Zahav), Einat
Admony (New York City’s Balaboosta), Meir Adoni (New York
SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: SIVAN ASKAYO; JACKIE GEBEL & ROBBY MILLER FROM NO LEFTOVERS; YUVAL REVACH; SIVAN ASKAYO; JACKIE GEBEL & ROBBY MILLER FROM NO LEFTOVERS; SIVAN ASKAYO; JACKIE GEBEL & ROBBY MILLER FROM NO LEFTOVERS
