Needless to say, this difficult period has been extremely challenging for the country’s restaurant sector. But it has also been a time when chefs and eateries have emerged as unsung heroes, volunteering tirelessly to cook for and feed thousands of soldiers and displaced civilians. Two recent annual events in Tel Aviv (both delayed from 2023 because of the war) – the American Express Israeli Culinary Excellence Awards and the national Restaurateurs’ Conference – paid special tribute to those who made exceptional contributions to society and the IDF in these troubling times.
6 View gallery American Express Israeli Culinary Excellence Awards ( Photo: Achikam Ben Yosef ) These first-time volunteerism awards were in addition to the traditional recognition given every year in established categories – for example, see the most recent previous American Express winners here . The awards ceremony is the culmination of the annual AMEX Israeli Cuisine Month, held in abbreviated fashion this year, for obvious reasons. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was HaAchim Group that swept the volunteerism awards, winning the top honor in this category from both American Express and the Restaurateurs’ Conference.
Chef Assaf Doctor and his brother Yotam – co-owners of the three-restaurant group HaAchim, Abie and Doc – basically mobilized their kitchens from day one into a culinary “war room,” working round the clock to churn out thousands of meals over recent months. The example they .
