Paris!

Cookbooks!

High Tea at the Four Seasons Geroge V Hotel!!!

Ooh La La!

48 Hours in Paris

Not because of religion, Zionism or any idealism – just because I felt this would be a good place for me. And it has been.

We are now in the midst of attacks – until today missiles, as of this morning, a bus explosion in Tel Aviv.  If that wasn’t bad enough (it is), what’s really pissing me off is the reaction of some friends reporting on Facebook. I’ve had enough!

You guys – I know you’re worried and angry and reaching out to share your frustration. Got that. But don’t you realize how much worse you are making the situation? Do you really have to turn Facebook, a social media phenomenon, into your personal podium? Do you know how more nervous it makes everyone? Don’t you realize you are just playing into the hands of our enemies? Can you imagine their glee when seeing all your postings?

I don’t want to see any more photos of Israeli soldiers petting kittens. Or protecting Arab children, or giving water to handcuffed prisoners. I don’t want to hear about who started this and how we have to fight back hard in order to show them a lesson. Isn’t it enough that we get it full time on all the news media? Do you really have to spill out all your fear and anger to the rest of us? Do you think we won’t agree with you? That you’re telling us something new? Do you think we really don’t know all of what you’re saying? We do! And we’ve known it for a long time.

The fact is these Facebook postings are primarily from my immigrant friends, not Sabras. The Israeli born among us are posting, if at all, jokes of a sarcastic nature, black humor if you will. I think they’re used to these situations and don’t use them as an opportunity to teach the world something.

Here’s what I think, if you care. The world doesn’t care! Yes, they started. So what? Yes, its not fair. Agreed. Yes they are barbarians who apparently care less about their loved ones then we do. So? You think it’s going to change after a few strong words on Facebook? You think a few cute pictures of caring Israel soldiers are going to make them put down their arms and smoke peace pipes with us? If you do – get over it!

I don’t know whether it’s basic anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism or a mistrust of the supposedly stronger power over the “underdog.” I don’t know what fuels their insatiable hatred of us, and I don’t care. Because I don’t think it will change. There are programmed to hate us and that’s just the way it is. It comes with mother’s milk for them. I would venture to guess that the angry men in the street calling for death to the Jews, are not university educated businessmen (although the leaders may be). They live with their hatred of us, maybe they need it to survive, to blame others for their own problems. I don’t think they are prepared to part with that motif.

I’ve had more than a few Arab friends. Arabs from Egypt and Jordan. Do you think for a minute that when they get home, they speak highly of us? The women I’ve known have been treated like queens here, I among those catering to them. And what do they tell us before they leave – “I probably can’t be in touch because I could get into trouble.” Do they fight the tide of hatred towards us? I doubt it. I suppose they are just concerned about themselves and their families and accept the situation as it is. So while we fight for an end to this madness – they shut their mouths and accept the situation as is.

Please, I beg you, go back to posting pictures of dogs doing stupid things, children dancing, the meal you ate last night and what mall you’re schlepping around in. While once I dreaded those types of postings and thought what drivel it is, now I long for it. I want you to go back to your normal lives. Please – write your opinions if you must, but don’t post them (hmm, as I’m doing now?). They won’t help. At least they won’t help us. And right now we all need to help each other.

Add some normality to your day, and mine. Don’t let those f—ks  win the psychological war!

Shaul Evron at the bar in Yoezer Wine Bar

(As printed in Oregon Jewish Life)

On November 4, Israel bid farewell to a king. His name was Shaul Evron and he was the undisputed king of the Israeli culinary scene.  He was also a man very dear to my heart.

I was a newcomer in the foodie world in 1998 when I interviewed him for the Jerusalem Post. Actually, the whole concept of foodie hardly existed then, and when it did start to emerge, it was because of Shaul’s influence. He was a man without children, yet many of the countries top chefs thought of him as “Aba”.  The eulogies at his funeral, the comments in the news and the looks on people’s faces all point to the great loss that is felt.

If you are lucky, you will have a few mentors or muses in your life. People who have touched you, made you feel good about yourself, people who have left an indelible impression. Shaul did that for many, including me.

He would have been embarrassed to hear all the things being said about him. As was joked at his funeral, he would have told everyone to stop it and get on with their lives. He might have said, “Oh, just go eat a good steak somewhere and forget all this nonsense.” Or more likely he would have poured you a glass of wine and asked your opinion about something.

Shaul grew up in Tel Aviv with a Russian mother who excelled in French and Belgian cooking (“In the 1950’s, she used her ration stamps to buy butter, to cook the meat in!”). He traveled extensively and ate his way through myriad cuisines. A career in journalism led to writing about food, which led to co-authoring several cookbooks. He wrote about meat and kosher Italian food, he introduced food photos in the newspapers, he served up the topic of cuisine to the Israeli public and it has been expanding ever since. At last he found his place at Yoezer Wine Bar, which he opened in Yaffo, 1995, with his childhood friend Tzippie Asaf. It was at Yoezer where everyone gathered the night his death was announced. The chair at the end of the bar was Shaul’s and his presence will always be felt there.

I had my first glass of Beaujolais with Shaul, and I did not care for it. He understood. I also had the most delicious glass of Chablis with him and I loved it. He smiled at my reaction and sent me home with a bottle. He fed me plate after plate of food during our interview and I could see his enjoyment as I sampled salmon tartar in a soy, wasabi and saki sauce; gravlax with a sweet dill sauce; country pate slathered on chunks of warm bread, foie gras; Salad Nicoise with fresh tuna and anchovies; slow-cooked lamb stew; cold sliced lamb with a pepper crust; corned beef as they make it in New York.  He would not let me skip dessert so there was Belgian chocolate cake, cream caramel and a fresh fig tart with cream.  I’m not a demur eater – and he loved that.

He was not a man of many words, he could easily sit silently. Perhaps that is why when he spoke, you drank up every word.

It looked as if he did not take care of himself – he was a large, barrel-chested man who smoke and drank and coughed a lot. In recent years he forfeited the smoking but the drinking? Never! I always wanted to caution him, to ask him to please take care of himself but I couldn’t , no one could.

We once made a date to tool around Jaffa, so that he could introduce me to the little hole-in-the-wall places on Jerusalem Street known for their Bulgarian food. I picked him up at Yoezer in my car, and he refused to put on the seat belt. You think I could argue with him? He lit up as soon as he got out of the car and the cigarette came out of his mouth only when re-entering the car. He kindly asked me what I would like to eat, and spoke to me about how the different courses were made.  I felt like the luckiest woman in the world – Shaul Evron was taking ME out to lunch! Shaul Evron was talking to me about Bulgarian food! Shaul Evron was spending time with me, a nice Jewish girl from New York whose Hebrew was pretty broken and whose knowledge of food left much to be desired.

I’ve taken the opportunity here to memorialize this extraordinary man. I hope, that when you come to Israel, you’ll visit Yoezer and drink a toast to Shaul’s memory. L’chayim!

She left an incredible mark on this world – her personality, her joie de vivre and her kitchen and writing skills.

I had the honor of meeting her and the fabulous Jacques Pepin some years ago at a convention of the International Association of Culinary Professionals in Providence Rhode Island.

She signed my copy of her and Jacques’ book (which I treasure and still use) and wished me well. I hope she’s stirring up lots of yummy food wherever she is today!

There will be courses for foodies, and courses for budding writers, and courses for cooks…

Just check out Gourmet Culture Club on the Casa Caesarea site and see what’s happening! And keep checking in – we’re adding more great stuff all the time!And there’s one more thing… If you want not only a fun course where you’ll learn to cook fabulous dishes, hang with great people and wine and dine on delicious goodies but also something more….

Come stay at Casa Caesarea! An overnight, sleepover for a bunch of girlfriends? A pre-wedding night for only your close girlfriends? A day with your fellow workers in a relaxing, luxurious atmosphere? How about an anniversary present for a really wonderful couple? A special birthday for a beloved friend? A treat for your hubby or wife? Book a night or two at Casa Caesarea and make the experience of the Gourmet Culture Club the best ever!

Casa Caesarea, a boutique Bed & Breakfast, is now a reality. It’s in my home and that makes me the host – the innkeeper so to speak. The first guests have come and gone and it was pure joy. I actually felt sad when they left. So if it keeps up like that – it was definitely worth all the hard work.

I joked about opening a B&B over the years – ever since my husband and I built a home on the golf course in Caesarea – close to Israel’s shore line and in one of the most beautiful places in the country. It was a dream to live here for many, many years. And although he (husband) said there was no way he was “shelepping” all the way to Caesarea to get home, he changed his mind when he saw what there is here. Views of the Mediterranean, wild bougainvillea everywhere, beautiful homes, beaches, archaeological ruins, fascinating port … how could anyone resist?

I laugh now when I think back to what people said to me. “Caesarea? But it’s so far!” I always retorted  “Far from what, exactly?” That move was in 2002 and life has only become better. In 2004 we decided to build our home, in 2005 we started construction and in 2006 we moved in. So its been six years and I guess I was ready for some new action.

When my husband said yes to the idea of opening a little bed and breakfast (tzimmer, as its called here) I was more than shocked. Who knew! And within what seemed like no time at all (perhaps it was two months) we did it all – entrance door, new furniture, custom made linens, the thickest plushest white towels, the soaps, the gels, the shampoos, the sewing kits, the slippers, the robes, the keys to the suites, the garden, the garden furniture, the new beds, mattresses, an antique piece to serve the buffet breakfast on and …

What was most special was the help I received from people. Like Lenora Genovese who stepped up to the plate and designed the logo, Zidra Grigonyte who not only advised on the interior design, but shopped with me and whipped up a new sofa cover, Moti of Binyamina Antiques who stripped, waxed, polished and fixed a magnificent Art Deco piece and an old gate leg table that I had lying around, and Dovy the gardener who made miracles happen around here, Shy the Guy who hooked up the house, suppliers who came through when they were crazy busy with Passover orders and most of all my wonderful friends who encouraged and supported me throughout the process. I could not have done it without all of you out there!

So here’s to Casa Caesarea, the new business, and a new direction in my life. Please come visit!

To my humble opinion, there is no fruit on the planet (including Planet Pomegranate) that is as versatile and fabulous as this gift of nature.

Don’t you agree?

Since my first days of getting to know the perfect pomegranate, I’ve developed an intense love affair with it. Don’t tell anyone  – but I’m in love with a fruit. Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but its true!

The gorgeous color, the elegant crown, the glittering arils encased so lovingly in their white protective pith, and the taste! Whether its the juice, the syrup or the crunchy, yummy arils themselves, there is so much to enjoy in this globe of goodness.

Want to join me on this adventure? If you have any amazing photographs, or delicious recipes that you’d like to share, do send them to me. Who knows – maybe you’ll get to be in the book!

And never forget – don’t take anything for pome-granate!

Marcom English puts together everything I love and have been doing since I could hold a pen. Writing, editing and working with graphics. 

I’d been doing some work for a company overseas – helping them with the English on their website. Then, the co-owner asked me to take a look at another site of hers, and spruce up the language there. No problem – I like coming up with slogans, clever expressions, saying the right thing in the least amount of words. That’s what marcom is all about -  marketing communications.

As I was reading and thinking about her website, going over in my mind how I could improve the language, a trickle of a thought popped up. I did this once full time. And I loved it. Why did I stop? My partner moved overseas, my interest turned to journalism and cookbook writing and it faded into the background.

As I worked on the website, I found that it answered a need of mine – to make something wonderful out of something okay. To make content sparkle, which should in turn make the reader perk up, which in turn should help my client sell services. Playing with words, creating slogans, finding tag lines – it’s all about being creative.

The best thing to come out of the project was the realization that I had missed the field of marcom. I love writing, and this way of writing for others was so satisfying. Why don’t I do more of it? Why don’t I open a company and promote it? Why don’t I create a website? Its logo designing time! (My husband, and a few close friends who know me too well, used to tease me about my inclination to start new businesses. They knew that deep down, I just wanted to design another business card. And they teased me about it plenty.)

But now we live in the age of the Internet. I’m no longer into business cards – websites are the way to go. Choosing a website, designing it, adding content, changing colors and fonts, inserting photos and videos, cruising the options – the possibilities are endless.

Marcom English focuses on improving the written word (the English written word, that is). And hopefully it promotes the written word in a way that is friendly, approachable and clear.

I’ll keep you posted as to how its going!

Every November the fruit shows up on the lawn – gracefully dropping from the tree. The cute little green fruit is cute to look and yummy to eat!

Stay tuned for some exciting news about fejoias and other Mediterranean fruit.