Category Archive » SDM Events
TORONTO: Faith and Fusion Culinary Event
5 Chefs bring you a 5 Course Dinner and a lot of inspiration
Join us for a unique food and wine event that will showcase acclaimed chefs from Israel and Toronto, Muslim and Jewish, cooking for co-existence. www.chefs4peace.com
This inaugural five course culinary event will be launched in Toronto at Mideastro Bistro, located at 27 Yorkville Avenue starting at 6:30pm Kashrut/Halal observed. The event will be hosted by accomplished Food Critic and Author Bonnie Stern and Founder of Chefs For Peace Kevork Alemian. The roster of celebrity Chefs include; Pastry Chef Ibrahim Abuseir from The David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem, Executive Chef Yossi Elad from Mackneyada in Jerusalem, Executive Chef Abderrahman Khallouk from Kara Mia in Toronto, Executive Chef Benny Cohen from Midestro in Toronto and Executive Chef Eran Marom Marron from Marom Bistro Modederne in Toronto.
To Reserve or for more information contact Shirin Ezekiel by clicking here
CHEFS FOR PEACE a nonprofit organization, was founded in November 2001 to implement events using culinary arts as a strategy to facilitate coexistence between the two peoples.
CHEFS FOR PEACE will utilize the interest in food, cooking and professional culinary opportunities to provide experiences between people separated by partisan circumstances
CHEFS FOR PEACE believe that through using the vocabulary of the kitchen, and mutual understanding and practical cooperation, they will try to acknowledge the true one path, and that is PEACE.
Bonnie Stern
BONNIE STERN is one of Canada’s most popular food personalities. She is founder of the Bonnie Stern School of Cooking in Toronto which she opened and operated from 1973 to 2011. She has studied and taught cooking around the world, authored 12 bestselling cookbooks, hosted three national cooking shows, and appears regularly on various television and radio shows across Canada.
Bonnie writes a weekly column for the National Post and her articles have appeared in numerous magazines. She leads team-building classes for major corporations, has pop up cooking classes on many topics and instructs HeartSmart cooking seminars for health professionals. She has conducted popular workshops for the James Beard Foundation in New York City and leads culinary cultural trips to various delicious destinations. Bonnie is also the creator of a ground-breaking book club in which novelists are invited to discuss their work during thematic dinners.
Bonnie Stern is the recipient of many awards including ones from the Toronto Culinary Guild, the Ontario Hostelry Institute, Cuisine Canada and most notably she is the recipient of the 2007 Premier’s Award. Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking won the coveted International Association of Culinary Professionals’ award.
Chef Yossi Elad
Specializes in baking. Owner of the late café-bistro ‘Sak Kemach’ (Bag of Flour) in Mevaseret Zion for four years. In the previous decade he opened ‘Sardo’ in Tel Aviv with Hani Farber which was highly praised by those in the know, and then conquered the kitchens of ‘Oceanos’ and ‘Cacao’ in Jerusalem, ‘Aluma’ restaurant in Tarshicha and ‘Mitbach Shel Rama’ in Nataf. A member of the ‘Chef’s for Peace’ non-profit organization and the international ‘Slow Food’ movement, which supports the use of local ingredients. Heavy influenced by the Italian kitchen.
Machneyuda is an authentic Mediterranean market restaurant owned and managed by three Jerusalem chefs with impressive resumes: Asaf Granit, Yossi Elad and Uri Navon.
Machneyuda is an unusual collaboration between three chefs, gathering the styles of each one and bringing to bear a culinary creation belonging to each side of the triangle – a simultaneously complex and simple Jerusalem kitchen – pedantic, exact, straightforward and not unnecessarily sophisticated. During each service, one of the chefs takes the lead in the kitchen, with the others falling behind as cooks on the line.
The menu at Machneyuda is written on a huge board daily, and is based on select ingredients that were plucked by the three chefs from the nearby market stands. Everyday diners will find a different selection of dishes in four price categories with two fish dishes, two meat dishes and a selection of vegetarian dishes in each category.
The restaurant interior, another non-conventional element, is divided into two levels; the kitchen, the pantry and the dining areas meld together seamlessly, providing a theatrical and dynamic view and a joyous dining experience. The open kitchen testifies that ‘we have nothing to hide.’ With a cheerful and colourful porcelain tile canopy, the kitchen is located on the first floor taking up a large area without taking up serving space – the food here is the very site of the happening, and all that is left to do is sit back and enjoy the show. Diners are invited to sit at the small bar looking out at the kitchen staff (and also have chat with them, of course), to find a spot at one of the wood tables or take a load off at the low bar. On the second floor are additional spots – low and high, including a small bar overlooking all the happenings below.
Executive Chef – Abderrahman Khallouk- Kara Mia
A passion for food and a long-standing family tradition are what influenced Executive Chef Abderrahman Khallouk to pursue a career as a professional Chef. Interested in all aspects of the culinary art, Abdul has seen his cuisine develop throughout the years, traveling around Morocco, France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy & England learning about different cultures and their cuisine.
Abdul’s real affair with cuisine began in early 1980’s when he moved to England from Morocco to study at Croydon College, England, where he successfully acquired City & Guilds certification and National Vocation qualification for catering & hospitality food hygiene.
Eager to put his creativity to work, Abdul held various positions at several famous restaurants like The Nest, Villa Italia, Mama Angela Restaurant, Flombe Restaurant & Mediterraneo Restaurant in London, England.
Abdul then moved to Canada in 1997 and worked for famous Italian restaurants in the GTA; Via Ale Gro, Dimmi, & Canelli’s.
Abdul also had an opportunity to work with the late famous Italian chef Pasquale Carpino, also known as the singing chef.
In 2006, Abdul’s long-time dream came true when he opened his own restaurant Kara Mia offering modern Italian cuisine in the City of Vaughan.
Abdul’s boisterous personality leaves a definite impression on guests and a unique imprint on the cuisine at Kara Mia. He has created a distinct menu that showcases inventive and sophisticated yet approachable cuisine. Abdul’s culinary style focuses on bringing out the flavor of each element of a dish. Part of his process includes utilizing fresh ingredients from the best sources possible.
Chef Abdul has established a tradition at Kara Mia of serving the best steaks and seafood in town while providing the most attentive service imaginable to guests and patrons.
Chef Eran Marom
Chef Eran Marom was born in Haifa, Israel. At age 15, Chef Marom began his culinary studies and cooked through mandatory military service in Israel. At age 20, Chef Marom attended Ecole des Arts Culinaires et de l’Hôtellerie in Lyon, France (now the Paul Bocuse Institute) learning under the supervision of Chef Paul Bocuse. He later studied under world renowned chefs World Pastry Champion, Pascal Molines and Alain Le Cossec, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 1991.
At age 22, after two years in France Chef Marom was contacted by Chef Daniel Boulud of the restaurant “Daniel”. Over the next years Chef Marom was able to fine tune his talents and skills to the delight of discriminating patrons and his mentor Chef Boulud. Chef Marom later traveled through many parts of Europe and North America looking to expand and explore his culinary vision. This journey took Chef Marom to Toronto where he found a new home and would begin the challenge of starting his own kosher restaurant.
Today, Chef Marom is owner and chef to Marron Bistro a kosher fine dining restaurant located on Eglinton Avenue West in mid-town Toronto. Here he creates various succulent culinary dishes, combined with his unique style and careful attention to detail, that has gained him local acclaim.
Chef Benny Cohen
Chef Benny Cohen was born in Israel to French Moroccan parents. He graduated top of his class from the School of Culinary Arts in Tel Aviv as a Certified Chef in 2001. He was instructed, guided and inspired by the likes of Chef Ofer Gal and Chef Oren Giron.
Chef Cohen’s tour around the world exposed him to the varied cultures of Spain, Greece, Turkey, as well as South and Central America, re!ning his knowledge and developing his creativity. Among his overseas pedigree, one will !nd the critically-acclaimed Michelin star restaurant Messa, and NG and Bodega in Israel.
When he moved to Canada three years ago, Chef Cohen’s first foray into the gastronomic world of North America included creating a What-a-Bagel Eatery concept, a breakfast/brunch club, and heading up the kitchen at Shoom Shoom, a Mediterranean bistro. Chef Cohen initially joined the Mideastro team at its first location in Vaughn a year ago. He started by consulting and incorporating the flavours of the Middle East into a Mediterranean menu, resulting in a mouthwatering fusion. He then took charge of Mideastro’s second location, Mideastro Yorkville, becoming its Executive Chef. Although remaining true to Mideastro’s core concept of a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fusion, Chef Cohen brings his own expertise, ingenuity, and experience to every dish.
Experimenting with spices he sources from top locations overseas allows Chef Cohen to o”er a palate range exclusive to Mideastro. The intricate balances he imbues his creations with are sophisticated and diverse, the likes of which have yet to be tasted by the breadth of Toronto’s gourmands.
TORONTO: Jazz Performance – Ofir Shwartz Trio in Toronto
Performing at the University of Toronto’s Upper Jazz Studio
THURSDAY, MARCH 8 2012
12:30-1:30PM
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – NO FEE
90 Wellesley Street West
www.uoftjazz.ca/events
Ofir Shwartz – piano Simon Starr – bass Roy Oliel – drums Ofir Shwartz started his professional career as a pianist and composer in his early 20s with some of the finest jazz musicians in Israel. Ofir takes much inspiration from musicians such as Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau, Bobo Stenson, Dave Liebman and many more. Exploring the endless bounds of harmony and melody, he attaches great importance to creativity which results in the unique sound of his music. A progressive piano trio that performs music written and arranged by Ofir Shwartz, this trio has a unique approach inspired by jazz, rock, and drum and bass genres. The trio performances are very alive and energetic – changing rhythms, moving from mellow melodies to dissonance in the spirit of the moment. They create a very emotional and honest connection between themselves and the audience as part of the music creation experience. The Ofir Shwartz Trio currently tours the world in support of their 2010 album “Earlier in Time”.
TORONTO: Humanitarianism in Disaster-Stricken Areas || ISRAEL WEEK 2011
Presented by Israel on Campus (UofT)
Come hear Dr. Gil Gross share his story about volunteering in Africa and performing life-saving surgeries for children whose families could not afford it. Zaki Djemal, the North American rep. for IsraAid is flying in from Harvard to talk about his experiences on missions around the world, and IsraAid’s work in Haiti and Japan.
Zaki Djemal: http://www.linkedin.com/pu
Dr. Gil Gross: http://www.sickkids.ca/Abo
MONTREAL: Meet gay Israeli food/wine superstar TV personality Gil Hovav
The Consulate General of Israel in Montreal and Ga’ava invite you to an intimate and interactive culinary session with gay Israeli food/wine superstar TV personality Gil Hovav
Wednesday, November 9 · 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Loblaws Cavendish
6600, rue St-Jacques St.
Montreal, QC
Gil Hovav is Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and JK Rowling all rolled into one. We talk to the multi-talented chef known by Israelis as ‘Captain Cook’
If you have spent much time in Israel recently, you will be very well acquainted with culinary personality Gil Hovav. In fact, he was hard to avoid when his TV show, Captain Cook, was on screens every night on Israel’s Channel Two, and a supermarket chain used Hovav’s face on an advertising billboard towering over Tel Aviv’s highways. But Israel’s most famous television chef and cookery-book writer adores all the attention.
“Friends ask me if I’m embarrassed, but I love it,” says the youthful-looking but bald and bespectacled star. Where Britain has Jamie Oliver advertising supermarkets, bringing out recipe books and cooking on TV, Israelis have Hovav. He has been credited with changing the image of Israeli cuisine from a country of basic traditional foods into a “gourmet nation”.
The 48-year-old, who lives with his male partner in Tel Aviv, is a bit of a renaissance man — producing his own TV shows as well as writing fiction and even newspaper-editing. He was in London recently with the New Israel Fund, giving talks on modern Hebrew (he is the great-grandson of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the reviver of the Hebrew language), and performing cookery demonstrations. But of course he does not get the same attention over here as he does in his native Israel. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to be a celebrity worldwide,” he admits. “
First of all, my novels are all in Hebrew. I don’t think this will travel very well. The other rule is: cookbooks don’t travel well. We in Israel don’t have any foreign cookbooks apart from Jamie Oliver, who is on TV. I’m based in Israel. I’m good with that.” In his latest show, he sought to find Israel’s best dish by travelling round the country asking experts to judge two favourite dishes from a city, village or kibbutz, and then getting the nation to vote. For all its status as humble street food, falafel was the winner. “Israel is supposed to have gone beyond falafel, but I think we’re coming back to our roots,” he says.
“After the second intifada, and following a financial recession, the posh restaurants closed and we went back to restaurants serving simple Israeli food. Now the economy is doing well, but the food is getting more simple rather than chi-chi.” But he adds that falafel should not be made in the home.
“Personally, I never make falafel. It’s nice, but it’s a street food.” Instead, he talks about one of his signature dishes — butterfly soup. He has named it thus because the tomato-soup recipe — passed on from his grandmother — contains rice that opens up like butterflies. His Moroccan grandmother, whom he remembers as “educated, theatrical and funny”, never let him help her in the kitchen as a youngster, because traditionally it was bad luck for a man to cook. But he watched her like a hungry gannet, and was even allowed to skip school to spend time with her.
“As a kid, I’d much rather stay at home with her than go to school,” he confesses. “I used to tell my mother I didn’t feel well, and she knew I was making it up but she thought I’d learn more with her than with my teachers.” Later he would try out her dishes until he got them right. “I tried and tried for some time to make the soup.
Then one day I remembered she added two carrots, and immediately the soup had that sweetness.” Hovav talks about his love for simple, honest food, but one of his TV shows, Captain Cook, focused on the higher end of the gastronomic food chain by seeking out the best restaurants in the world. His team went to the US, Japan and, of course, Old Blighty, to check out the world’s best restaurants, including Locanda Locatelli and traditional British eaterie Rules. But one chef chucked him out, even though he had arranged to film in his restaurant in advance.
“It’s Gordon Ramsay, you expect that,” laughs Hovav, with more good humour than you would imagine to come from a certain Michelin-starred chef.
Source:
The JC
Meet Israel’s Jamie
By Alex Kasriel, April 24, 2008
TORONTO: The Economic Club of Canada presents Nir Barkat (The Mayor of Jerusalem)
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$79 Individual with tables of 10 available
Breakfast will be served
Advance registration is required
– numbers are limited
For tickets call (416) 306-0899,
visit www.economicclub.ca
OTTAWA: Hillel and the Israel Awareness Committee present: Sabra Sessions by DIWON
Come party with us as we dance to DIWON’s awesome beats at his Electro Hip Hop Israeli Dance Party . Get tickets through Hillel in advance for only $5 or pay $7 at the door. The event is 19+. It is going to be awesome. You don’t want to miss it!
free mixes at www.diwonmusic.com
free streaming at http://www.myspace.com/diw