Mike and Adeena’s Excellent Israeli Culinary Adventure – Dec. 2023

Activities:

• 11:00 AM Cocktail and opening at Asif - Asif is a non-profit organization and culinary center in Tel Aviv dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture, a joint venture of the New York City-based Jewish Food Society and Tel Aviv’s Start-Up Nation Central. Get to know your group members, your group leaders Michael Solomonov, and Adeena Sussman and the tour guide, followed by a presentation of our journey and an intro lecture about Israeli Cuisine.

• We will split into three groups to explore the best markets - Through this tasting culinary tour, you will explore Israel's diversity.

• 1. Levinsky Market - This market specializes in spices and Mediterranean delicacies.

• 2. Hatikva Market - Shuk Hatikvah is a lesser-known gem. Since the market's renovation, it has become a joyful, colorful place. Many say this is Tel Aviv's best market for variety, price, people-watching, and authenticity.

• 3. Bne Brak - Visit the Ultra Orthodox city of Bnei Brak and taste, experience and smell the pots and pans of pre Shabbat dinner preparations

• Drive back to the hotel, rest and get ready for the evening program

• Welcome festive group dinner hosted by local chefs

• Optional: TLV Cocktail Crawl in the heart of the city - Get the feeling of the weekend's atmosphere which begins on Thursday evening and through Saturday.

• Tel Aviv - Royal Beach Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - Every morning you'll enjoy a delicious Israeli buffet breakfast at the hotel.

• Optional morning activity: check-out the Carmel Market - Shuk HaCarmel, the largest market in Tel Aviv, has a youthful atmosphere and here you can find some of the great street food and various cuisines - from Yemenite food to Georgian and Balkan food.

• Afternoon - choose your track:

• Track 1: Old Jaffa Tour - Jaffa is one of the most ancient port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean basin. Today Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's younger sister, was established centuries later, in the year 1909, but the two were united into one municipality in 1949, yet each part kept its unique feel and atmosphere. Jaffa has been regenerated in recent years with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming a highly popular part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry.

• Track 2: Colorful Graffiti Tour - Enjoy a creative Graffiti workshop in the trendy neighborhood of Florentin, and experience fun and artistic freedom. Discover new and daring Israeli Graffiti Artists that are gaining recognition around the world.

• Track 3: Free time to check-out the coffee scene in the city - We will give you a list of recommended spots.

• Music Concert - Kabbalat Shabbat with Shai Zabari - Welcoming the Shabbat with a musical fun performance of the famous Israeli singer, Zabari, and his band.

• Shabbat Dinner - Gather together for Shabbat dinner. We'll have a local chef join us for dinner.

• Tel Aviv - Royal Beach Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Choose your morning tour:

• Track 1: Tour of Neve Tzedek and the Independence Trail - Begin with a tour of the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside of Jaffa and currently one of the most beautiful and desired locations in Tel Aviv. It was built by some of the dignitaries of the old Jewish community of Jaffa in 1887. Looking to head out of the ever-growing and over-crowded Jaffa. In recent years, after a period of neglect, the neighborhood was restored and has become a trendy fun beautiful part of the city. Next, continue to the Independence Trail and follow some of Tel Aviv’s heritage milestones, teaching visitors the history of this great city along the way. We will end across from the Independence Hall, where on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion read aloud the Declaration of Independence as Israel was declared an independent Jewish state.

• Gazoz Workshop - Meet Benny Briga the legendary Gazoz master of the Levinsky Market and author of the Gazoz book with Adeena Sussman. Briga has reimagined the Turkish tradition and given it a creative twist that results in delicious and beautifully bubbly beverage. Join Benny to learn how you can make this yourself.

• Track 2: Tel Aviv's Herstory - From the early days of the establishment of Tel Aviv as the first Hebrew city, women have played a key role in building the foundation. Learn about Golda Meir, Rachel the Poet, Tzina Dizingoff, Ahuva Ozeri and others who were the movers and shakers that were part of making this city so great.

• Tishrey cocktail workshop - Drink down a story of Israel! Travel the different regions of the country through the drinks. Through local spirits, quality Israeli produce, cultural design, and Israeli innovation, meet the staff of an Israeli cocktail 'start-up' and see how they translate this into amazing cocktails. Cocktails are mixed with Israeli alcohol, fruit in season, and wrapped into the Israeli story. You’ll have a chance to learn to mix the drinks as well.

• Indulge in a Jewish Shabbat Brunch - Enjoy the variety of classic ethnic foods that are part of the Shabbat day meal. These dishes are brought directly from the homes in which the food was cooked by families that share their heritage and flavors.

• Free time & rest

• Round tables - An open discussion around a table led by different speakers, an opportunity to learn and share thoughts about various topics - from Israel's parliament system, Israel's international relations, judicial system and more.

• Dinner in a local restaurant on your own OR Optional: Street food hopping - Explore the seven species of Israeli street food “hopping” between street food restaurants. Enjoy Adeena and Mike's favorite spots.

• Tel Aviv - Royal Beach Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Foraging and wild food with Dr. Uri Mayer-Chissick and Nura - Get to know local, wild food from nature– and dishes prepared today from food that has grown here throughout history with Dr. Uri Mayer-Chissick, an expert on the history of local food and nutrition in the Middle-East and author of the Israeli guide to foraging wild edible plants, hike and cook outdoors.

• Outdoor lunch

• Ptora boutique olive oil press visit led by Hila Alpert - Visit the family-owned boutique Ptora olive oil press. Learn about the history of producing olive oil in the Land of Israel and hear about the family farming business located in Moshav Sde Moshe. Professional olive oil tasting of the high-quality local oils led by Hila Alpert, writer, journalist and presenter .

• Travel south and check-in to your hotel

• Enjoy a lookout over Maktesh Ramon and get an intro to this unique geographic region

• Dinner at the hotel's Rosemarine chef restaurant

• South - Beresheet Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Morning group activity: spice workshop - Get an introduction to the world of spices with Mike and Adeena and mix your own spice.

• Choose your next experience:

• Track 1: Avdat National Park -tour and spice workshop - Explore the desert at the Nabatean Spice Route at Avdat, which is over 2,000 years old. Learn the history of the desert’s significance on the culture and flavors of Israel.

• Track 2: Nana Winery - Tour and tasting at Nana Farm Winery. In the heart of desert, between ancient stone terraces and barren golden sand hills, wine vineyards appear. The powerful site is hard to describe in words. Experienced vintner Eran Raz, nicknamed "Nana", has created a quality leading wine in what some may be surprised to call ideal conditions for quality vine growth.

• Track 3: ATV ride - Self-drive in an ATV vehicle through the Ramon Crater, with your guide, learn about this unique place and enjoy an outdoor activity.

• Cooking session with Mike and Adeena - In a local kitchen cook together some dishes for your group dinner.

• Leisure time at your hotel

• Desert Night Experience - Blowout outdoor dinner in the desert, live music, and star gazing experience.

• South - Beresheet Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Optional morning hike in Makhtesh Ramon National park - Makhtesh Ramon is a type of geological formation found only in Israel and northern Sinai. The steep rock cliffs surrounding a closed valley drained by a single wadi are the product of erosion. Ramon Crater is the largest of three in Israel.

• Check-out and continue with meeting the people who make the desert bloom

• Track 1: Ramat Negev Agricultural R&D Center - Visit the R&D Visitor Center. Its main purpose is to encourage the development of agriculture in the peripheral areas, taking advantage of natural resources. Ramat Negev R&D focuses on developing advanced agriculture in arid conditions, irrigating with brackish water. After a short explanation visit a greenhouse of unique vegetable varieties.

• Track 2: The Culinary Queens of Yerucham - The Culinary Queens host in their homes while telling guests about their culture and background and educating through recipes. Many of Yerucham's settlers come from Morocco and Yemen and tasting their traditional dishes combined with their stories is quite a treat!

• Track 3: Naot Farm - This is one of the many havot bodedim (lone farms) built by Lea and Gadi Nahimov, modern-day pioneers who are making David Ben-Gurion’s vision of the desert blooming come to life. Tour the farm, hear about the vision of the owners, visit the goats and taste some delicious cheese.

• Travel to Jerusalem Hills

• Authentic lunch at Reshta Restaurant - Reshta chef restaurant in Ein Rafa village is set among green fields in front of the breathtaking view. Offering authentic Arabic food, Reshta restaurant is named after a traditional lentil and noodles dish, which is made by the restaurant’s chef, Ranam Barhom, out of local produce, grown in the fields surrounding the restaurant.

• Wine Truck hosting Hashizra - women wine community culture - Wine truck will welcome you in a beautiful setting. Discover the growing community of women in the Israeli wine world. HaShizra (The Stem) was established in order to expand the work of women in the wine, culinary and spirit industries, to provide them with professional tools and to highlight women’s increasing presence in the world of wine. While learning about the Israeli wine culture, enjoy tastings of various Israeli wines produced by women wine makers.

• Travel to Jerusalem and check-in to your hotel

• Welcome to Jerusalem! - Reception cocktail at the hotel's rooftop. Make a toast and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Old and New Cities.

• Free evening and dinner on your own - We will be happy to give restaurant recommendations.

• Jerusalem - The Orient Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Geo-political talk with Daniel Sherman - Sherman is a strategic and organizational consultant focusing on peace and development issues. He served as a Senior General Staff officer in the IDFs' Strategic Planning Division where he worked on the peace process and Israel’s defense-oriented international relations; worked on strategic planning and leadership development at the Mandel Foundation; and was International Relations Director for an Israeli human rights organization, where he was responsible for engagement with diplomats and international policy makers.

• Panoramic lookout from the Tower of David - 360° panoramic view from atop an ancient guard tower at Tower of David grounds. This is the only place in Jerusalem where the entire Old City, new Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, the Judean Desert and the Moab Mountains of Jordan, will be at your feet. This is a perfect introduction to your day and the places you will be visiting.

• Old City tour in two tracks - Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Track 1: Old City must-see sites and culinary tour - Walk through the Old City seeing the historical and religious sites. See some off-the-beaten track sites in the winding alleyways and enjoy some Jerusalem delicacies. Tour the Jewish Quarter including the Roman Cardo and synagogues, the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter and the Arab Market in the Muslim Quarter.

• Track 2: Explore the craftspeople in the Old City - Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. Meet artisans who are highly skilled in their crafts, in which the knowledge has passed in their family for generations.

• When its lunchtime go on a culinary tour in the Arab Market - Browse in the famous Arab shuk (market) in the Muslim Quarter. Check out the local hummus and sweets, the many stalls selling spices, pastries, pottery, sheepskin, embroidered clothes, and so much more.

• Take time to reflect at the Western Wall - Proceed to the Kotel (The Western Wall), sacred because it is one of the last remnants of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• Early group dinner at Azura - A family-run institution in the Iraqi section of the market, famous for its Turkish-inspired delicacies that are slow-cooked to perfection atop kerosene burners.

• Continue with a night Street Art tour in Shuk Machane Yehuda - At night the market transforms into the city's hottest night scene and the famous market tells a different story. Artist Solomon Souza turned the closed 'shuk' into a gallery of famous faces. Tour and learn 'who's who' in this unique venue. Conclude your tour with trying excellent local beers.

• Jerusalem - The Orient Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• East vs. West - We'll begin with a discussion panel for a better understanding of the rich and different Sephardic and Ashkenazi cultures and food with guest expert speakers.

• Mike and Adeena Bakeoff Workshop - Enjoy a demo presentation of classic dishes while learning about the origins and uniqueness of each cuisine.

• Continue exploring these ethnic communities through art and culture

• Track 1: Israeli Art Collection in the Israel Museum - Between the Jewish and the Israeli stories - A tour of the Israel museum - Reopened in 2010, Israel's premier museum underwent a $100 million renovation. The result is a world class museum which competes with some of the best. It includes a model of Jerusalem circa 70 CE, the Shrine of the Book – containing the Dead Sea Scrolls, magnificent archaeology and Judaica wings, as well as a sculpture garden, youth wing, a permanent Israeli collection and general modern and contemporary art wings. In this tour we’ll start in the Jewish Art and Life Wing connecting between the curatorial visions, the artifacts and art, to explore the layered stories of Jewish communities around the world. We’ll then continue to the Israeli Permanent collection to grapple with Israeli art and the interwoven connections between Israeli and Jewish identities.

• Track 2: Nachlaot Neighberhood - In the heart of Jerusalem’s downtown, Nachlaot is one of the city’s older and more colorful neighborhoods, retaining much of its original 19th century architecture, narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets. The neighborhood was planned to accommodate the Yemenite, Kurdish, Jerusalem Sephardi, Greek and Galician Jews. The communities had their own synagogues (many still exist today) and were each housed within a walled compound built around a common courtyard and a water cistern in the center.

• Lunch time - culinary tour in Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of the city sits a bustling multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. A tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market is an adventure for your taste buds! Enjoy the hustle and bustle with all the rich fragrances, colors, and sounds this iconic Jerusalem market offers.

• Tour the market through an ecological lens - The Machane Yehuda Market is one of the great markets of the world and shows the greatest abundance the land of Israel has ever seen. But, what is the significance of contemporary environmental issues related to the production and consumption of food? Tour the market through an ecological lens with a focus on the emergence of organic produce and health food stores in the market in recent years and a look into what Jewish sources have to say about sustainability.

• Free time or optional Hannukah tour and evening visit to the Western Wall - On this tour, you'll be able to enjoy seeing the Hannukah candles lit in the Old City, learn about the holiday's traditions, and the historical stories that took place in the time of the Maccabees which have been celebrated for over 2,000 years.

• Final group dinner and Hannukah party at Zedekias cave - Private festive group dinner, Hannukah candle lighting, live concert, and dancing in the unique Zedekiah's Cave. This is a five-acre underground limestone quarry that runs the length of five city blocks under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was carved over a period of several thousand years and is a remnant of the biggest quarry in Jerusalem. The cave slopes down into a vast 300-foot-long chamber.

• Jerusalem - The Orient Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Israeli Food-teck Panel - Introduction to Israel as a Start-Up Nation and learn about various special local food-tech Startups.

• Giving back opportunity - Kaima Organic Farm - Through volunteering, understand some of the challenges Israel faces and take a small role in addressing these challenges. At Kaima Farm we’ll cook lunch using the farm’s produce to serve to the youth who are changing their lives through their work at the farm.

• Farewell group lunch and closing session - Food trucks at a beautiful outdoor location with a special guest speaker.

• Group transfer to Ben Gurion Airport - Fly back home, or transfer to Tel Aviv for those who panned to extend their trip.