Yisrael Aharoni (; born July 3, 1950) :he:ישראל אהרוני (שף) is an Israeli celebrity

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

Biography

Aharoni was born in

Haifa, Israel Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel. It is home to t ...

, to

Bukharian Jewish Bukharan Jews, also known as Bukharian Jews, are the Mizrahi Jewish sub-group of Central Asia that dwelt predominantly in what is today Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. The group's name is derived from the Emirate of Bukh ...

parents. Aharoni served as a combat soldier in the

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade (, ''Hativat Golani'') is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Is ...

of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

. He saw action in the

War of Attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...

. Following his discharge, he moved to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

to study art in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, where he discovered Chinese cuisine. Upon his return to Israel, he lived in kibbutz Hulata and worked as a counselor for at-risk youth for two and a half years. He then left Israel to study cooking abroad, where he studied Chinese cuisine in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

before apprenticing at upscale restaurants in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Culinary career

In 1981, after he returned to Israel, Aharoni opened his first restaurant, "Yin-Yang," a Chinese restaurant on

Rothschild Boulevard Rothschild Boulevard (, ''Sderot Rotshild'') is one of the principal streets in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, beginning in Neve Tzedek at its southwestern edge and running north to Habima Theatre. It is one of the most expensive streets in the ...

, and it became a success. Later, he opened another restaurant in Tel Aviv, "Tai-Chi" in Gan HaIr. In the late 1990s, he opened "Tapuach Hazahav" (The Golden Apple), a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have ...

restaurant which closed after several years. He owned the "Pat-Qua" Chinese-Thai restaurant in

Herzliya Herzliya ( ; , / ) is an affluent List of Israeli cities, city in the Israeli coastal plain, central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it had a populatio ...

. He has participated in the preparation of gala meals with leading international chefs. In 2019, he opened a butcher shop on Tel Aviv's iconic Sheinkin Street with his son, Uri.

Media career

He has hosted a number of television shows in Israel. He developed and hosted a 32-episode series on the foods of Israel's different ethnic groups. The show was purchased by the Italian Television Authority. A sequel series on different national cuisines was filmed abroad. He also hosted three seasons of a cooking show called "Private Lesson" and currently hosts "Aharoni Cooks for Friends". Aharoni writes a culinary column for "Seven Days," the weekend magazine of the newspaper

Yedioth Ahronoth (, ; lit. "Latest News") is an Israeli daily mass market newspaper published in Tel Aviv. Founded in 1939, is Israel's largest paid newspaper by sales and circulation and has been described as "undoubtedly the country's number-one paper."

. He has traveled extensively throughout the world covering different cuisines and food trends. As of May 2013, the

Union List of Israel The Union List of Israel (ULI), or Israel Union Catalog, is a public online union catalog in Israel containing over eight million bibliographic records based on the catalogs of the major research libraries in Israel - including all university lib ...

lists 32 Hebrew cookbooks which Aharoni has authored or coauthored, including several in separate kosher and non-kosher editions. This includes 19 cookbooks he authored on his own, all bestsellers in Israel. In 1999, he coauthored "Eating Alfresco: The Best Street Food in the World." In 2012 Aharoni began working on a book about the foods of the Silk Road. Aharoni is a judge on MasterChef Israel and has worked as a guest disc jockey at Tel Aviv nightclubs.

References

External links

Website of Aharoni's cooking show

Website of the restaurant "Yin-Yang" on the Restaurant Portal of ROL.co.il

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aharoni, Yisrael 1950 births Living people Israeli television chefs Israeli expatriates in the Netherlands 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews Bukharan Jews People from Haifa