A Taste of Israel with
Joan Nathan
You're Invited
Join Joan Nathan for an exclusive culinary tour of Israel. Learn about the importance of different foods in the region across time as you tour a modern vineyard that first grew grapes more than 1,500 years ago and meet leaders of an innovative food lab at the cutting edge of Israel’s start-up ecosystem.
Share home-cooked meals with Ethiopian, Druze, Bedouin, and Ashkenazi Jewish families, who all call Israel home. Visit a botanical garden and date plantation, an agricultural research center, and an olive oil factory, all parts of making Israel’s desert into a food-producing region.
With Joan Nathan, a James Beard award-winning cookbook author and a cultural expert, taste Israel differently.
Trip Details
Dates
March 5-13, 2023
Duration
9 days, 8 nights
Prices Per Person
$7,995 double occupancy
$9,870 single occupancy
Deposit
$1,000 per person
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Bruchim Haba’im (Welcome)
Arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport and transfer to your hotel on the Tel Aviv waterfront. Enjoy an evening with Joan’s friends Colette Avital, Israeli diplomat and politician and Nathan Hevrony, Chairman of the Board for Tzora Vineyards in the Judean Hills for a private welcome dinner and reception. Nathan will be accompanied by Tzora’s master winemaker who will lead a wine tasting and share the history of the vineyard. (R, D)
Day 2: Past, Pastries & Personalities
After breakfast, visit the Museum of the Jewish People for an exclusive tour. Meet with the Museum’s CEO and Executive Vice President to learn more about the Museum and its mission to celebrate multiculturalism and diversity among the Jewish people over time. Celebrate this diverse history as you learn about different ethnic influences in Jewish cooking. Then, roll up your sleeves for a pastry workshop and learn some secrets of light, delectable pastries. This afternoon, enjoy a tour, curator welcome, and private rooftop reception at Asif, a nonprofit organization and culinary center dedicated to celebrating and cultivating Israel’s diverse and creative cuisine. Join Culinary Director Chef Ayelet Latovich and philanthropists for a tour of the site’s culinary exhibition and urban rooftop farm, learn about Israel’s diverse cuisine and cutting-edge food technology, and enjoy light bites of seasonal food from the test kitchen with Chef Latovich. Dinner is on your own. (B, pastries, R)
Day 2: Past, Pastries & Personalities
After breakfast, visit the Museum of the Jewish People for an exclusive tour. Meet with the Museum’s CEO and Executive Vice President to learn more about the Museum and its mission to celebrate multiculturalism and diversity among the Jewish people over time. Celebrate this diverse history as you learn about different ethnic influences in Jewish cooking. Then, roll up your sleeves for a pastry workshop and learn some secrets of light, delectable pastries. This afternoon, enjoy a tour, curator welcome, and private rooftop reception at Asif, a nonprofit organization and culinary center dedicated to celebrating and cultivating Israel’s diverse and creative cuisine. Join Culinary Director Chef Ayelet Latovich and philanthropists for a tour of the site’s culinary exhibition and urban rooftop farm, learn about Israel’s diverse cuisine and cutting-edge food technology, and enjoy light bites of seasonal food from the test kitchen with Chef Latovich. Dinner is on your own. (B, pastries, R)
Day 3: Druze Hospitality
Start your day with a drive up the Mediterranean coast to Kibbutz Magal for a tour and tasting at Masik Kibbutz Magal, recognized for the fifth consecutive year as the leading olive oil brand in Israel. Meet employees, learn about the growing and production process, and taste olive oil and almonds. Tour the greenhouse innovation center and learn about Israel’s use of drip-irrigation technology to conserve water in the desert. Then, visit a local Druze family in their home for a hands-on cooking experience and lunch, an opportunity to make your own stuffed grape leaves and learn about Druze culture. Druze people follow a monotheistic religion that incorporates bits of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and other beliefs, with a focus on mindfulness and truth. Return to Tel Aviv, stopping to view the historic port of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great in the first century B.C. This evening, you can explore the Tel Aviv dining scene on your own. (B, L)
Day 4: Ancient Paths & Modern Vineyards
Depart Tel Aviv early this morning and drive into the Negev desert. En route, visit Avdat National Park, a station along the Nabatean incense route between 37 B.C. and A.D. 70 , now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a tour and taste the wines at the Carmey Avdat winery, a modern-day vineyard on the grounds of a 1,500-year-old agricultural settlement. Learn how its owners have preserved the property’s archaeological remains and ancient terraces to produce wine today. After, break bread in a Bedouin tent. Arrive in Mitzpe Ramon this afternoon and settle into the Beresheet Hotel. Tonight, enjoy dinner in the hotel’s Rosemarine Restaurant, which sources ingredients from local farms. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Ancient Paths & Modern Vineyards
Depart Tel Aviv early this morning and drive into the Negev desert. En route, visit Avdat National Park, a station along the Nabatean incense route between 37 B.C. and A.D. 70 , now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a tour and taste the wines at the Carmey Avdat winery, a modern-day vineyard on the grounds of a 1,500-year-old agricultural settlement. Learn how its owners have preserved the property’s archaeological remains and ancient terraces to produce wine today. After, break bread in a Bedouin tent. Arrive in Mitzpe Ramon this afternoon and settle into the Beresheet Hotel. Tonight, enjoy dinner in the hotel’s Rosemarine Restaurant, which sources ingredients from local farms. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Cooking in the Crater
Descend by jeep into Makhtesh Ramon, or mortar, named for its resemblance to a grinding mortar. The world’s largest erosion crater measures 24 miles across and is roughly 1,300 feet deep. After your guided jeep tour, join the owner of Lasha Bakery for lunch and an outdoor workshop connecting earth, water, fire, and wind in a unique bread-baking experience that links to the history of the Israelis who journeyed through the desert. Next, visit David Ben-Gurion’s desert tomb overlooking the Zin Canyon and learn why Israel’s first prime minister chose to be buried in the heart of the Negev Desert. As you journey north to Jerusalem, stop at an agricultural research center where you will sample vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and see — and taste — how Israeli innovation has made the desert bloom. Dinner is on your own in Jerusalem this evening. (B, L)
Day 6: Shabbat Hospitality
Explore the many facets of the different quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem this morning on a guided tour. Begin with the Jewish Quarter and a visit to the Western Wall, which once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. After, enter the extraordinary Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains two of Christianity’s holiest sites and where multiple denominations share responsibilities and ownership. Next, taste your way through the Arab Quarter with a hummus tour — learning about the importance of hummus in Jewish tradition and during biblical times. This evening, welcome the Sabbath with a home-cooked meal in the home of the legendary Ashkenazi chef and food historian Shmil Holand. Many of his dishes are inspired by his grandmother’s recipes from Eastern Europe. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Shabbat Hospitality
Explore the many facets of the different quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem this morning on a guided tour. Begin with the Jewish Quarter and a visit to the Western Wall, which once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. After, enter the extraordinary Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains two of Christianity’s holiest sites and where multiple denominations share responsibilities and ownership. Next, taste your way through the Arab Quarter with a hummus tour — learning about the importance of hummus in Jewish tradition and during biblical times. This evening, welcome the Sabbath with a home-cooked meal in the home of the legendary Ashkenazi chef and food historian Shmil Holand. Many of his dishes are inspired by his grandmother’s recipes from Eastern Europe. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Fortress in Masada and Floating in the Dead Sea
Depart early this morning for the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea, to the palace complex of Masada. Herod the Great built two palaces on the mountain between 37 and 31 B.C., and the fortress was besieged by Roman soldiers in the first century A.D. This archaeological site offers a superb example of opulent architectural design, elaborately engineered and constructed in extreme conditions. Then take a short drive to Kibbutz Ein Gedi for home-cooked date cakes and tea with several of its residents. Learn about life on the kibbutz and see its botanical gardens and date plantation. Experience the buoyancy of the Dead Sea, one of the most hypersaline water bodies in the world. Return to the city for dinner on your own this evening. (B)
Day 8: A Taste of the Market
After breakfast, drive to Iza Pziza, a family goat farm and dairy, for a cheesemaking workshop and tasting. Next, meet with members of the Ethiopian Jewish community and visit the community farm. Attend a Buna (coffee) ceremony and traditional vegan meal to include spongy injera, a type of flatbread, and savory cabbage, potatoes, carrots and chickpeas with members of the community. Later this afternoon, tour the Mahane Yehuda open-air market, where ancient and modern collide in a kaleidoscope of flavors, aromas, and colors. Tonight, join award-winning cookbook author Adeena Sussman to toast your adventure with a biblically inspired farewell dinner at prize-winning chef, Mitch Basson’s “The Eucalyptus” restaurant, where each dish incorporates spices and herbs that were grown in ancient times in the hills surrounding Jerusalem and Judea. (B, D)
Day 8: A Taste of the Market
After breakfast, drive to Iza Pziza, a family goat farm and dairy, for a cheesemaking workshop and tasting. Next, meet with members of the Ethiopian Jewish community and visit the community farm. Attend a Buna (coffee) ceremony and traditional vegan meal to include spongy injera, a type of flatbread, and savory cabbage, potatoes, carrots and chickpeas with members of the community. Later this afternoon, tour the Mahane Yehuda open-air market, where ancient and modern collide in a kaleidoscope of flavors, aromas, and colors. Tonight, join award-winning cookbook author Adeena Sussman to toast your adventure with a biblically inspired farewell dinner at prize-winning chef, Mitch Basson’s “The Eucalyptus” restaurant, where each dish incorporates spices and herbs that were grown in ancient times in the hills surrounding Jerusalem and Judea. (B, D)
Day 9: Shalom!
After breakfast, transfer to Ben-Gurion International Airport for your individual flights home. (B)
Call to Inquire
Accommodations
Set on Tel Aviv’s marina, this five-star hotel has a rooftop terrace with pool and views of the sea. Rooms have flat-screen televisions and free Wi-Fi.
The five-star Beresheet is perched on a cliff on the edge of the Ramon Crater with unparalleled views of the desert landscape below.
Enriched by the capital city’s unique ambience, vibes and spectacular views, the prestigious Inbal Jerusalem Hotel offers a doorway to the city’s grand culture, tradition and history.
What's Included
- All accommodations and meals with drinks as outlined in the itinerary
- All ground transportation within the itinerary unless otherwise indicated
- All sightseeing as specified in the itinerary
- Comprehensive educational program by professional on-site guides
- Entrance fees
- Gratuities to porters, guides, drivers, wait staff in restaurants during group meals, housekeeping at group hotels
- The assistance of an ATA tour manager
- Quietvox listening devices to facilitate audibility and social distancing while touring
- The assistance of an ATA professional travel team to assist with pre-trip questions, travel arrangements, including flights, extra hotel nights and other services
- Comprehensive pre-departure mailings and materials with information about the destination and what to expect on tour, including a suggested reading list.
- Emergency evacuation insurance
- Fully vetted program that meets COVID-19 health and safety protocols
