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 and get settled

• 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.

• Together with Gil Hovav, Market to Market- the Evolution of Tel Aviv's Markets - The markets of Tel Aviv are some of Michael’s favorite places to explore. Learn about the immigrant influences on the foods you will find here. And see why the produce, spices, and many other culinary delights remain today the inspiration for Michael’s dishes.

• 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.

• Carmel Market - Continue to Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), the largest market in Tel Aviv. Touring the market reveals the taste of the ages of Tel-Aviv in the youthful atmosphere of the city's central market. The established market that was founded over 90 years ago, can now reveal its secrets, stories, and legends to you.

• A different Lens- Looking at Culture through Fasion at Maskit - Conceived in 1954 by Ruth Dayan, Maskit made contemporary luxury clothing utilizing traditional embroidery techniques from Hungarian, Yemenite, Bulgarian, Bedouin, Palestinian, Druze, Lebanese and Jewish artisans. The resulting works of art created more than jobs for immigrants; a brand was born.

• Time to refresh before dinner

• Dinner at HaBasta - HaBasta is one of Michael’s favorite Tel Aviv eateries located right off the market. Almost all its produce is sourced from the market. 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 through Michael's Eyes - 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. During the tour visit stores that Michael and his family have been shopping at for decades and pick up things for the meal later.

• 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.

• Optional-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.

• Time to relax before dinner

• Chef's Demonstration and Dinner at The Private Room at George and John Restaurant with Chef Tomer Tal - George & John offers a contemporary menu, corresponding with locality and seasonality, serving refined and creative dishes within a unique atmosphere. The Private Room by George & John is situated in a historic location, previously used as the wine and beverage storage of the original Jerusalem hotel where Mark Twain would visit and write his memoirs during his visit to Palestine. George & John by Head Chef Tomer Tal was voted the Best Restaurant in Israel, and in the top 6 best restaurant in the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 best restaurants 2023 awards.

• The Jaffa Hotel Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out

• Begin the day at Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel - Asif is a non-profit culinary center that aims to cultivate and nurture Israel’s diverse food culture. Tour the library where there are books selected by culinary experts (you might find one of Michael's) that represent Israeli, Arab, and Jewish cuisine from all over the world; visit the exhibition space that explores relationships between food, history, agriculture, and more; and, finally, visit the rooftop urban garden which grows rare varieties of herbs, including over 250 types of ezov (hyssop), the main ingredient in the za’atar spice blend, and one of Michael’s favorites which he incorporates into many of his recipes.

• Depart Tel Aviv and drive north

• Prepare lunch and dine with Chef Michael Rantissi - Prepare Lunch and Dine with Michael Rantissi - roll up your sleeves and enter the kitchen to cook alongside with Michael as he demonstrates to you some of the foundations for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. Gather as friends to see how the food you have made creates a conversation together with Michael which is at the heart of a Middle Eastern Feast.

• Drive to Akko and start with a short historical tour - Akko is one of Michael's favourite places in Israel for fresh sea food, and one of the best locations in Israel to taste traditional Arabic cuisine. 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.

• Meet Uri Buri for a drink on the rooftop of the Efendi Hotel

• Dinner 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.

• Drive to Mitzpe Hayamim - Check in to your hotel

• Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• People to People - Michael believes that one of the secrets behind the beauty of Israeli cuisine that has influenced his work is the fusion between innovation and tradition - today we explore the creativity of what Israeli has to offer also enter the homes of the people to soak up the culture. discover more about the history and traditions of Israel's diverse ethnic communities.

• Visit Karat Caviar Farm - This Galilee-based innovative aquaculture startup was launched in 1992, when a dedicated team of entrepreneurs and aquaculture professionals imported genuine Osetra sturgeon fingerlings directly from the Caspian Sea to a farm located in the north of Israel. The Osetra is one of the rarest species of sturgeon and the source of the world’s highest quality caviar. The cold, pure Galilee water offers ideal conditions for the sturgeons that closely match their natural habitat.

• Tasting tour at Ghajar - Meet chef Ali Katib for a tasting tour in the only Alawite town in Israel, originally a Syrian village. Entry used to be restricted to residents only or those with special permits, but that changed recently when Israel lifted all limits on movement. Hear about the town's complex, yet interesting story, have lunch at the home of Ali's mother, and taste the special Alawite cuisine.

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

• Time to rest and enjoy the hotel's facillities

• Dinner at the hotel's Wood Grill Restaurant

• Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Drive to Mattat to meet Erez Komarovsky for 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. Walk among the Middle Eastern Vegetable patch, as Michael points of bounty that he brings back to his eateries.

• Continue to 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. Pick up the essentials that Michael uses in his authentic traditional kitchen and hear his stories behind his favorite spices.

• Welcome to Jerusalem! - We'll meet at the hotel for a cocktail to toast our arrival in Jerusalem, and this next phase of our journey. After checking in to the hotel and freshening up, wander through Jerusalem’s iconic stone-lined streets, explore the Judaica shops, and people-watch in one of the world’s oldest cities. Michael has picked out some restaurant recommendations for dinner, or you can explore Jerusalem yourself and find a spot that speaks to you (and your appetite).

• 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

• Shabbat Dinner

• 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.

• You've never had halva or tehina like this! - On the way back stop at an iconic tehina factory in Abu Ghosh - Tehina is an essential ingredient when eating felafal and hummus, reminiscent of food at his mom’s house on a Sunday morning and inspiration for his first book "falafel for breakfast" understand now why people are flocking to to eat the food of his childhood.

• Return to the hotel

• Dinner on your own

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Mining Jerusalem Bakeries

• Street Food Mania in Machane Yehuda Market 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.

• Sabich Building - While in Machane Yehuda you'll buy all of the ingredients to make Sabich then join together in a kitchen to put it all together with Michael!

• Free time

• 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 - Hotel and transportation are not included