I had the pleasure of seeing this film this summer; if you’re at all interested in food, travel, history, and/or Israel, In Search of Israeli Cuisine is a MUST-SEE! It’s being shown as part of the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, but trust me…you don’t need to be Jewish to appreciate it. I think it’s also being shown in Toms River in early November, and eventually it will be on PBS.
Here’s the link to the Rutgers showing, where director Roger Sherman will be in attendance:
From that link, you can also see where else it’s being shown. Post if you go! I really thought it was wonderful.
Curlz
Curlz, Thanks so much for posting about this film! I’m definitely going to make every effort to see it on Tuesday, in New Brunswick.
I visited Israel way back in 1965 and, as someone commented in the film’s trailer, the food was horrible – with the sole exception being salads composed of the excellent fresh vegetables being grown. Obviously, things are radically different now.
I’m a big fan of Michael Solomonev. When we were in Philadelphia in 2008, we had a stellar meal at his flagship Zahav and had the opportunity to spend some time chatting with him. A few months ago we enjoyed his seriously delicious hummus at Dizengoff, in NYC’s Chelsea Market.
I had the pleasure of meeting Michael prior to the showing and Q&A when I saw the film at the end of July…what a humble, sweet guy. When you learn his full story (if you don’t know it already), you’ll love him all the more. I can’t wait to get to Zahav; between the cookbook and the film, I’m SO excited to try some of those dishes!
Yes, Michael’s story is quite amazing. And the cookbook is fabulous.
Our visit to Zahav pre-dates when I began taking food photos. But we were there with our dear friend Bonjwing Lee (aka ulteriorepicure) who took these photos. (He has since gone on to become a well-known food photographer and writer.) The interesting thing is that when we first sat down, the lighting was so low that even with his excellent camera, he was having difficulty getting good shots. Michael noticed, had the lights turned up, then came and sat at our table chatting. I’ve really wanted to return to Zahav but have not yet managed to do so.
Dizengoff is, of course, much more convenient since we go back and forth regularly from NJ to our apartment in the city. His chef de cuisine Emily Seaman is now doing Thursday & Friday evening dinners there. We haven’t done one yet. November is sold out. Tickets for December go on sale on November 1st, so I may try to do it then.
