The reality ink has not yet dried on the end of the last season of Master Chef (we will skip the VIP season, with your permission), and the winner Hillel Gardi is already doing the baptism of fire in the real world. The location: Mitzpe Hamim, close to the organic vegetables grown on the hotel’s farm. From the beginning of the season, Gerdy stood out as the antithesis of a home chef – the target audience of Master Chef. He brought to the studio fire and smoke, herbs and spices that he collected and familiarity with the local flora and fauna that he absorbed while being a shepherd and a caretaker with goats.
Given all of this, the connection between it and the luxury resort no longer sounds far-fetched: the Mitzpe HaHaim kitchen relies almost exclusively on the produce of the adjacent agricultural farm, from seasonal vegetables and fruits to a dairy that produces cheeses and an adjoining pastry shop. The hotel’s chef, Ronen Veldman, assists Gardi, who serves four dishes at the special meals: tabon bread with Maggi tomato salsa, zitra and feta from the farm burnt in tabon, a personal dish with the taste and aroma of nature; Kobjana passes on yogurt, tomato seeds and a blush cracker, an interpretation of Kobjana of the Atmana landscape that he presented in the program; Bud salad from sunflower, radish and broccoli sprouts, with root vegetables and pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, orange juice and thyme leaves; And lamb confit in Tabon with pita shreds, confit garlic and dried thyme in honor of the harvest season.
From reality to reality. Hillel Gardi (Photo: Time Out)
“It was interesting to take the dishes out into the real world and it’s fun to receive such warm feedback,” Gerdi said after the first meal in the series that took place yesterday (Monday, 11.14). “In moments like these you can understand those who choose cooking as a profession.” The guests, for their part, feast on the dishes in the buffet, which are served in addition to the regular dinner at the hotel. The less shy among them approach Gardi, who is standing behind a large cart in the center of the hall preparing a kobanya and asking for a selfie. The young chef surrenders himself with an embarrassed smile and enjoys the attention, but he openly admits that he does not intend to convert the open spaces and the communication with the goats in the kitchen of a restaurant. At the same time as meals at the hotel, he began to have meals in nature at the Ein Kemonim farm, where he lives. “After the madness of Master Chef, I was looking for a place to put it back to pasture. Before Shay Seltzer’s farm closed, I worked there, so it was natural for me to consult with family members. They recommended Ein Cummins and I’ve been here ever since.”
For bread that just came out of the fire – call it a shepherd’s sandwich. Hillel Gardi cooks in nature (Photo: Time Out)
The meal in nature reflects the strong connection between Gerdi and the land. He points out trees and bushes, explains the properties of grains and herbs, offers to taste when permitted, picks and collects. For the first course, he prepares a shepherd’s sandwich, a kind of rolled-up flatbread filled with Philardon cheese made from cumin seeds. The rolls go into the grid he places over a fire, and the taste is wonderful. Also on the menu (there is no menu, of course, it all depends on the soil and the season) fresh salads, goat meat and root vegetables cooked in a pit in the ground for several hours, vermouth seasoned with plants from nature and a dessert of apples in Tabon and homemade ice cream. The meals are held in a group of 25 people at most, and for city dwellers like us, this is the closest experience to nature you can ask for.
The meals at the Mitzpe Hayam are held on 23.11, 28.11, 11.12, 13.12, and 18.12. Price from 1463 NIS, based on half-board accommodation. A meal without accommodation is possible by prior arrangement only at a price of 220 NIS, the price of the meal in Teva has not yet been determined. For orders on the website