When you think of Israeli cuisine, how would you describe it? And how, if at all, has it changed for you since October 7th?

Israeli cuisine kicks against —breaking conventions and traditions, full of dominant flavors, and shaped as a meeting ground of food cultures brought here, alongside the local Palestinian cuisine.

I don’t feel that anything changed for me in my cooking on 7/10; what did strengthen for me, however, is the understanding that food cannot be a tool of war.

If you had to choose one dish that tells our story as Israelis right now—what dish would it be and why?

It must be a dish that is home food. There has been so much detachment in the Israeli story over the past two years; a pot of meatballs gives me more than anything else that feeling of home, family, a hug through food.

The TLV restaurant scene has always been about so much more than food; it’s energy, connection, and a sense of vitality. After the past two years, do you feel that spirit has changed? When you cook or host, do you offer people an escape from reality, or hold up a mirror to who we’ve become?

Ouzeria is an oasis of joy. I hold onto this feeling, because I have hosted here families of kidnapped people, families of soldiers, and soldiers themselves. Again and again, they told me how much disconnecting from daily life helped them—how important it was to have a place where, for a moment, they could step away from the harsh reality outside. I admit the dissonance is sometimes hard for me. But I believe we have a mission: to keep creating joy for those who need this break most, and to continue offering them a space of ease when so much else is difficult.

Avivit Priel Avichai is a chef and co-founder of Ouzeria in Tel Aviv. She is known for bold Mediterranean flavors and award-winning creativity.