In Search of Israeli Cuisine – February 2025

Activities:

• 15:00 Meet your group members and guide in the hotel lobby

• “What makes Israel a unique culinary story?” - Introduction and opening conversation with your group leader: “What makes Israel a unique culinary story?”

• Machane Yehuda Market Culinary Tour - In the heart of Jerusalem, 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.

• Thinkers Distillery followed by night experience in the market - "At Thinkers we maintain pace with all the new developments and painstakingly connect the old together with the new to fulfill our mission of taking spirits further. Our Jerusalem distillery is part research library, part chemistry lab, part advanced technology workshop, part mind and behavior study center, part design studio, and 100% passion. It’s not easy, but we will never put any product into a bottle unless we are convinced that is has been furthered in every way into the best in class."

• Jerusalem

Activities:

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

• Metzilot Mazon - volunteer and tastings from the pantry - Jerusalem Food Rescuers seeks a fair, eco-friendly urban food system by salvaging surplus produce from the local wholesale market, aiding communities lacking food access, including Swords of Iron war displaced families. Volunteer to sort and pack fruits and vegetables for distribution. Discover food preservation techniques across cultures and its vital role. Enjoy tasting pantry treats.

• Did you see Shtisl? - A taste of the Ultra-Orthodox world-walk the streets of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, get to know the people, the food, and feel the vibrations of this life. On a busy Friday morning, when people are preparing for Shabbat, gain a more complex appreciation for the people by visiting various institutions, seeing unique leisure, and art. And of course try freshly baked challah.

• Proceed Back to the hotel for Free Time

• Shabbat Dinner and Home Hospitality - Enjoy an authentic and intimate Shabbat dinner in a private home, taste traditional Shabbat food, and understand why Friday night is family time and what it means to Israelis.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Culinary and Multicultural Tour of Jerusalem's Old City - Walk through 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.

• Continue with a Lovely Nature Hike and Foraging at the Sataf - Explore the Jerusalem Hills through the beautiful trails in the Sataf forest. Sataf is situated on the site of ancient agricultural terraces dating back to the time of the ancient Israelites. Along the way - forage for edible plants and learn about the Biblical diet.

• Authentic early Dinner at Majda Restaurant - 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.

• Free evening

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out.

• Travel to the Galilee.

• Wine Tasting at Kishor Winery - The winery is located in Kishorit, a village for adults with special needs. The members of the community enjoy a full life, including meaningful employment. In conjunction with the professional staff, the members take an active part in the grape cultivation, bottling, and marketing of the wines. The Visitors’ Center also employs Kishorit members who host guests, interact with members of the general community, and give guided tours.

• Havat Rom - Farm to Table - A visit to a magical organic farm, located on a mountain with a beautiful view of Meron Mountain. This is an agricultural organic farm, where they use ancient knowledge along with modern tools. Trying to find the balance between humans and nature. Enjoy a light meal from the fresh produce and excellent cheese.

• Druze Cooking Workshop & Dinner - 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.

• Proceed to the hotel & check-in.

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Relaxed morning - enjoy the hotel's facilities.

• Travel to the Valley of Springs.

• Uri Mayer Chizzik Sustainable Eating - 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.

• Bio Bee Agri-Tour - In Sde Eliyahu learn about this pioneer Kibbutz of organic farming in Israel. While visiting the fields we not only learn about the benefits of organic farming but also about biological pest control. The Kibbutz established the first biological pest control company in Israel and is a world leader in the field of biological pest control and bumblebees for pollination.

• Dinner at Rutenberg Restaurant - Situated on the banks of the Jordan, next to the old Gesher conservation site. The three bridges over the river and 10,000 years of human history attest to the fertility of the flora and fauna of the Jordan Valley. "We believe in seasonal local cuisine and are constantly in the process of discovering the region."

• Proceed back to the hotel.

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out.

• Morning speaker - Geo-Political Brief - Explore Israel’s security challenges along its northern border, its relations with neighboring countries in the Middle East, and the latest developments from an expert speaker.

• Akko Historical Tour and Market - 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.

• Late lunch at the legendary 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.

• Haifa - Shuk Talpiot and Bahai Lookout - Take time to explore and eat at the latest Haifa hangout space and modern market. Hear about the gentrification that the city is going through, the history, and the food scene that tells the story of the diverse communities in the past and present.

• Travel to Tel Aviv & check-in to the hotel.

• Free Evening.

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Tour the Picturesque Old Jaffa - 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.

• Levinsky Market - the Israeli Mix - Levinsky Market 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.

• Visit an urban Roof-Top Garden in Ramat Gan - The Association for Urban Farming is a non-profit organization that aims to transform urban areas into self-sustaining food systems. Their goal is to create highly nutritious, locally grown produce that is accessible and available to all. Discover how the Association for Urban Farming has developed a large scale model, intended for replication, to increase local and sustainable food production and consumption in metropolitan areas.

• Dinner at a Local Restaurant.

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & head south.

• Stop at a Local Olive Oil Press - Visit the family-owned boutique olive oil press. Learn about the history of producing olive oil in the Land of Israel, taste the high-quality local oils and hear about the family farming business located in Moshav Sde Moshe.

• Naot Farm - Tour and Cheese Tastings - Naot Desert Farm 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. Visit the goats and taste some delicious cheese.

• Visit the Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center - Learn about the geological story behind this unique and amazing work of nature through interactive exhibits. At the center, pay tribute to Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first and only astronaut, who tragically died on a space mission in 2003. View the crater from a stunning vantage point, at the heart of the promenade which stretches along the Ramon Crater mouth. There is a hanging terrace providing a marvelous observation point over the depths of the crater.

• Wine tasting at Nana 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.

• Special Group Dinner in the Desert Under the Stars.

• Travel back to Tel Aviv.

• Tel Aviv - Backstage Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel and free morning - Enjoy an easy morning to experience the city on your own.

• Recommended: check out the Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market and the Carmel Market - An open-air market in the heart of Tel-Aviv that has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art. The market is comprised of over 100 stands representing specialty crafts and folk art in virtually every medium imaginable: wood, stone, sand, glass, ceramics, and various metals with most if not all containing materials or themes found only in Israel.

• After lunch meet the group for a visit at Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel - 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.

• Drink Down a Story of Israel! - Travel the different regions of the country through a cocktail workshop. 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.

• Farewell Dinner and Wrap-up.

• Group Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport

• L'hitraot! We hope to host you again in our beautiful country!