"You have to open a restaurant!"

​

That’s what I’ve been hearing ever since I started cooking and hosting for family and friends...

 

I’m Netta Bashan, married to Eli and mother to Ariel, who is about to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah. I grew up in Yokneam, a small village not far from Haifa, in a family of six children.

My mother (may she live to 120!) worked as a teacher, and cooking for the family was just a task that needed to be done quickly and efficiently.

 

That wasn’t enough for me!

 

I believed that food should be something more, with every detail deserving care and attention. That’s where my passion for cooking began.

 

From a very young age, I remember baking cakes and experimenting with different dishes. Over the years, I explored various cooking styles, flavors, colors, spices, and aromas, searching for roots in the foods of different cultures, and eventually, I found my unique style.

 

But it was never just about the cooking. Without the joy of hosting and seeing people enjoy the food and effort, it wouldn’t be worth it for me.

 

Then Eli came into my life

 

We met 13 years ago. Eli runs an off-road tour club, and during each trip, a lunch was served in the most stunning outdoor locations, chosen to match the route rather than the other way around. The travelers loved the food so much that they started hiring him to cater for their events.

 

When I entered his life, we decided to stop the meals during the tours and shifted our focus to outdoor dining experiences for tourists visiting Israel for special events, and for Israelis looking for a unique hosting experience. We put a lot of effort into creating new menus, introducing new flavors, and using high-quality ingredients. We prepare the meals on-site, cooking over a grill and portable stoves, without using any electricity.

 

When I finish serving a meal in the middle of nowhere, like at a viewpoint 400 meters above the Dead Sea, I receive compliments that make me blush: “You are a great chef,” or “I will remember this meal for a long time.” I often jokingly reply, “You can’t ruin such a beautiful view with a bad meal!” 😊

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​​

At one of the meals that took place during the war, last year, I approached the table and asked, "Does anyone need anything?" A nice woman responded, "Yes, we need you to come cook for us in New York!"

 

So, Chicago—you’re in luck!

​