Chef Michael Rantissi Culinary Trip- March 2024

Activities:

• VIP Arrival - Arrival at Ben Gurion airport. Your VIP agent will be waiting to greet you at the sleeve of the plane. After assisting with arrival procedures and collecting your baggage, you will be taken to meet your driver.

• Transfer to Tel Aviv

• Dinner on your own OR opening dinner

• The Jaffa Hotel Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• 'What is Israeli Cuisine?' with Gil Hovav - Gil Hov­av is one of Israel’s lead­ing culi­nary jour­nal­ist and a pop­u­lar TV per­son­al­i­ty. He has played a major role in the remak­ing of Israeli cui­sine and the trans­for­ma­tion of Israel from a coun­try of basic tra­di­tion­al foods into a ​“gourmet nation”. Gil has pro­duced some of Israel’s most pop­u­lar TV cook­ing shows and writ­ten a num­ber of best­selling cook­books and novels.

• Market to Market- the Evolution of Tel Aviv's Markets - Through touring two markets understand the circumstances that led to the creation of Tel Aviv's markets and the factors that impacted the variety and style of the food sold there. You'll have tastings throughout.

• -Levinsky Market - The Levinsky Market, founded in the 1920's, specializes in spices and Mediterranean delicacies. It is, in many ways, the best market in Tel Aviv, known for its variety, freshness, and special atmosphere. Whether you are looking for a rare Indian spice or some good quality saffron - this is the place. Shops offer a cornucopia of excellent cheeses, smoked fish, wines, and other delicacies. Tour the market and have "tastings" throughout.

• -Hatikva Market - Hatikvah Market, founded in the 1930's, 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. The Hatikva Market was built in the mid-1930s as a response to the Arab Revolt, when residents of the village of Salama stopped coming to the neighborhood to sell their goods. What began with a few produce stalls put up by local residents of Iraqi, Yemeni, Syrian and Iranian background grew into a sprawling market spread out along the triangle of Ha’Etzel, Hahagana and Hatikva Streets.

• Assif: Culinary Institute of Israel - Asif is a cultural center in Tel Aviv with a library, farm, gallery & café that encourages open discourse around local foodways and identity. Tour Assif, hear about their mission, and have coffee and desert in the cafe.

• Short Bauhaus Tour - Tel Aviv has more Bauhaus buildings that any other city in the world, so many that it is designated by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. The buildings were designed by Bauhaus architects who immigrated to Israel from Europe in the 1930s and were influenced by the work of Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius.Some 4000 Bauhaus buildings were built in the 1930s – a development which turned the city center into a quasi "open air Bauhaus museum" and earned Tel Aviv the nickname “White City.”

• Time to refresh before dinner

• Dinner at HaBasta - Small but perfectly formed, HaBasta is located on a street leading off Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market, from where almost all its produce is sourced. An extensive daily changing menu is scribbled on a piece of paper on the wall. The dishes, while simple, are satisfyingly complex in execution. The international wine list is equally exceptional. You will be greeted by Maoz Alonim, chef and owner.

• The Jaffa Hotel Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Untold Jaffa - Tour the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, a predominantly Arab neighborhood in Jaffa, you’ll hear a challenging narrative about the city and its history. Continue your tour through Jaffa, enjoying the beauty of the winding streets and the beautiful port with its biblical reference.

• Visit Michael Rantissi's family home and meet his mother - Have an intimate discussion with Michael and his mother about the things that influence their cooking. Follow this by a cooking workshop and shared meal in the courtyard of the house.

• Ilana Goor Museum - The Ilana Goor Museum sits on a hill in Old Jaffa and is a beautiful setting for the work of artist Ilana Goor and her magnificent collection.

• Israeli 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.

• Dinner at Haj Kahil - Haj Kahil, delicious Arabic food across from the clock tower in Jaffa

• The Jaffa Hotel Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel with Jessica Steinberg- Israeli Cultural Expression - Jessica Steinberg is the culture editor at the Times of Israel, covering Israeli life, culture, food, travel and business.

• Check out of the hotel

• Tour of Kiryat Ham'lacha with Shirel Horovitz - Kiryat Ham'lacha is a former industrial zone. Since the factories closed or moved out, many artists, designers, musicians, dancers, street artists and small business are now the heart of the neighborhood. Drawing from multiple fields of knowledge, Shirel weaves into each experience aspects of social issues, politics, economy, religion and more to create a vivid and nuanced image of the Israeli reality. Her knowledge, passion and love of all that is Art, Tel Aviv and Israeli history are nothing less than contagious.

• Depart Tel Aviv and drive north

• Lunch at Uri Buri - For the past 40 years , the popular Uri Buri restaurant has offered a variety of delicately prepared fresh fish and seafood dishes, and boasts a wine list with over 100 different kinds of fine Israeli wines.

• Akko historical tour - Walk through 4,000 years of history in this ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient city of Akko, situated on the Mediterranean coast, is one of the oldest ports in the world, and a city shared by Jews and Muslims. Walk narrow streets past towering ramparts, deep moats, green domes, venerable synagogues, slender Muslim minarets, and secret passageways. Discover the subterranean city built beneath Akko in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders. Learn about the city’s ancient history, as well as its important role in Israel’s modern history.

• Saleem Amer stone carving workshop - Meet a local stone artist Saleem Amer and try your hand at stone carving - Try your hand at stone carving with local stone artist Saleem.

• Drive to Mitzpe Hayamim

• Dinner at the hotel

• Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning tour of Tzfat or morning hike - Start the day in Tzfat which sits at a higher altitude than any other city in Israel and has been known since the 16th century as a major center of Kabbala, Jewish mysticism. Tzfat’s mystical aura adds to its special status as one of Israel’s four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Tiberias, and Hebron. The old synagogues, narrow alleyways and artists’ studios add to the hilltop city’s unmistakable charm.

• Continue to Mattat to meet Erez Komarovsky- Cooking workshop and meal - Chef and baker Erez Komarovsky is considered the godfather of Israeli baking and one of Israel’s most prominent culinary figures. Komarovsky is one part of "Erez and Hanan" high-end catering company, head of the ‘Galilean Cooking School’ in Matat, founder of the legendary "Lehem Erez" and the author of many cookbooks, baking and more.

• After lunch you'll have two options:

• -Tour the Christian sites around the Sea of Galilee - Visit Capernaum, The Church of the Multiplication, and the Primacy Church of St. Peters.

• -Agamon HaHula - Bikes & Golfcarts - The Hula Valley sits in part of the northern Syrian African Rift Valley which stretches as far south as Mozambique in Africa. Each migration season, over 500 million birds travel through the Hula Lake. This wetland paradise is the perfect stopover for small waterbirds, cormorants, heron, pelicans, raptors, storks, and cranes.

• Time to enjoy the hotel's facilities

• Dinner at the hotel

• Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Visit the ancient synagogue at Hukuk - Recent excavations revealed a stunning mosiac floor in the ruins of the ancient synagogue in Hukuk. Through this mosaic unpack the history of the area and the region.

• Visit a Druze village, prepare a Druze meal in a - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy the feast you create. Learn about Druze culture and history from your hosts and from the food you eat.

• Tour Nazareth - Israel’s biggest Arab city, Nazareth is a fascinating place, set in the Lower Galilee. It combines traditional, simple Arabic charm, Christian history, and grand old Arabic architecture. Nazareth is home to many important early Christian sites, including the Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, and the Synagogue Church, as well as an authentic, living Arab souk (market).

• El Babour Spice Shop - Stop at El Babour Spice Store in the heart of the holy city of Nazareth, the 120-year-old, family-run mill is renowned for its range of exceptional homemade spices.

• Drive to Jerusalem and check into your hotel

• Machane Yehuda Market appetizer tour - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this 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.

• Dinner on your own

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tour Jerusalem’s Old City - Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. In the Jewish Quarter, uncover the layers of Jewish history from the time of the First Temple until the present day. In the Christian Quarter, visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and, if conditions permit, visit the one of the holiest Muslim sites, the Temple Mount. Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Old City Tasting Tour - Walk through the Muslim and Christian Quarters of 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. We will have a “taste of history” that interweaves stories and anecdotes, historical information, and, of course, combines the senses of smell, taste, and sound.

• Free time

• Optional-Cooking workshop Arcadia Ein Karem Chef Ezra Kedem - Ezra Kedem is deeply 'Yerushalmi'- a Jerusalemite- in his roots and has taken this destiny along with the Iraqi- Jewish kitchens of his mother and grandmother and the experiences he shared with him to create Arcadia Restaurant. Arcadia has been at the forefront of New Israeli Cuisine with Kedem as an innovator and frontrunner in the industry.

• Shabbat Dinner cooked by Ezra Kedem and Michael Rantissi

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Wine tasting at Clos de Gat Winery - Clos de Gat Winery is situated in the foothills of the Judean Mountains, bordering Israel’s biblical Ayalon Valley, where Joshua defeated the Five Kings. An ancient “Gat” (Hebrew for wine press), pre-dating the Roman period by a thousand years, is located by the house set in the heart of the vineyards.

• Visit Beit Jamal Monastery - Beit Jamal is a Catholic monastery run by Salesian order. The monastery is active today and hosts concerts, sells pottery made by the nuns, and runs a winery. The Christian tradition identifies the site with the Roman- and Byzantine-era Jewish village of Caphargamalam. Another spelling and etymology for the name is therefore Beit Gemal or Beit Gamal - the House of Rabban Gamaliel the Elder.

• Wine tasting at Sphera Winery - Sphera Winery is a boutique winery featuring only white wines from the Judean Hills of Israel. Carefully balancing nature, innovative technology and a delicate, artistic touch, by focusing on only white wines, Sphera can zoom in on the fine details and discern the slightest of subtleties. Doron and Sivan, the winery's owners, believe in a clear and minimalistic approach that brings out the fruits’ true essence, while ensuring wines that are layered with rich and complex flavours. And, of course, the views aren't too bad either.

• Late lunch at Majda Restaurant - Majda, a restaurant in the Jerusalem Hills village of Ein Rafa, is famous for its innovative fusion cuisine, beautiful property, views from its rooftop, and for an appearance on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The menu is full of creative local dishes all prepared by Yakub and Michal, the Arab-Jewish couple who own Majda.

• Return to the hotel

• Dinner on your own

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Two options:

• Yad Vashem - Visit the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance. You'll be guided by a member of the Yad Vashem staff.

• Masada National Park - Ascend the mountain from the east to explore Masada, scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago. The new museum at the Visitor Center reveals the secrets of the daily life of the rebels, the story of the excavations, and how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols.

• Float in the Dead Sea - At 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Known in Hebrew as "The Sea of Salt", it is also one of the saltiest lakes in the world - with about 34.2% salinity.
  This is a stunning, other-worldly landscape of shimmering blue water ringed by bare, orange and yellow hills. The waters of the Dead Sea hold a potent solution of minerals and salts that have strong healing properties. Together with its ethereal beauty, these health-giving minerals make the Dead Sea’s beaches and spas popular vacation spots for Israelis and tourists alike. At one of the local hotels, have lunch and 'float' in the Dead Sea.

• Final dinner at Rama's Kitchen - “Rama’s Kitchen” was founded by Rama Ben Zvi 22 years ago, as a unique restaurant in the Jerusalem hills. Over the years Rama’s Kitchen has become a thriving culinary landmark and is consistently ranked as one of Israel’s leading restaurants. The magnificent surroundings enhance a total and uniquely special culinary experience. The menu constitutes a confluence of contemporary western cooking techniques and traditional Arab and Mediterranean cuisine.

• Transfer to the airport or return to the hotel

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem - Not included

Activities:

• Optional extension to Mitzpe Ramon