The Danger of Haste

Shabbos in Yerushalayim

As this volume is the fulfillment of a dream that's been years in the making. But first, a little about myself: I've been working as a chef for over thirty years. I began my training at one of Israel's leading culinary schools, followed by stints at various eateries. Gradually, I advanced to positions in exclusive restaurants in Israel and Britain, eventually becoming a chef in my own right in one of Herzliya's most successful restaurants. After I became frum, I began writing for a range of food publications and I discovered that I was no less a journalist than I was a chef. Since then, my main professions have been writing and teaching the subject that I love most-cooking. Besides a regular column in a frum publication that's been running for over twenty years now, I've authored twenty-five cookbooks, all of which, baruch Hashem, have been very warmly received by the religious Israeli public. Out of a desire to share everything I've learned over the years, I've mentored novice chefs and helped them launch their careers. My reputation as a chef has spread throughout the religious community, and I've been privileged to guide many women, to deliver lectures throughout the country, and to meet Jewish women around tables laden with traditional Jewish food. For years, I've dreamed of publishing a cookbook in English, but I every dream has its time. It was obvious to me that my first English cookbook would be about Shabbos food, because that's where my heart lies. Despite my work as a chef, our daily fare is perfectly ordinary. But cooking for Shabbos is a different matter entirely. Almost miraculously, although these activities repeat themselves over and over, I am moved every week anew, and every week I begin cooking for Shabbos from a totally different place. Perhaps it's because Shabbos food is so much more than a sensory experience, and it's more than just being skilled in the kitchen. It is, above all, soul food. Shabbos food tastes different; it has the scent of Gan Eden and it's scrumptious, better than any restaurant food l've ever tasted. And that moment when everyone comes home from shul and takes their first bite of warm, fresh challah is a guess moment of pure bliss that can never be captured in a recipe. So you could say that this book has almost written itself; it encapsulates twenty years of cooking for Shabbos. Twenty years of overflowing love for that moment, that bond between family members sitting around one table, the precious pause from the routine of life accompanied by delicious food-no, make that holy food. With this book, I am pleased to present you with the inimitable taste of Shabbos in Yerushalayim, a Shabbos that combines different traditions, tastes, aromas, and customs. A Shabbos of love, sanctity and peace.