Listener’s beware, this episode of the show is virtually guaranteed to leave you super hungry!

NJ native and former screenwriter Joel Haber made aliya to Israel in 2009. Looking to leave his former profession behind in the Old Country, Joe did what anyone would do and became a licensed tour guide and soon found himself escorting travelers from all over the world to discover and uncover the wonder and beauty that is the Land and People of Israel.

Joel grew up in a modern orthodox home with a mother who was a great home cook, and a cosmopolitan one, and through her kitchen ate many traditional foods of his Ashkenazi Jewish background as well as dishes from other segments of Jewish culture. Developing a diverse palate, Joel’s taste buds found their perfect habitat when he got to Israel and he quickly was able to enjoy the super-diverse variety that is today’s modern Israeli culinary scene (think everything from pickled herring and kugel to malawach, khachapuri, kuba & gondi).

Combining his passion for tours with his love of food, Joel is renowned for his incredible, one-of-a-kind tasting tours of Jerusalem’s iconic Machane Yehuda market and giving lectures on what our classic Jewish dishes say about Jewish culture. He is the author of the popular Jewish food blog, “The Taste of Jewish Culture” and author of the book “Chulent: How an Unassuming Sabbath Stew Traveled the World, Changed its Look, and Came to Embody the Jewish Experience.”

Links:

Joel’s popular Jewish food blog ‘The Taste of Jewish Culture’

Tour Israel with Joel Haber at Fun Joel’s Israel Tours

Shuk Tours with Joel Haber

New Passover Foods For Your Seder – by Joel Haber

Learn all about Schmaltz with Joel Haber

A selection of articles by Joel Haber at The Times of Israel

Joel Haber on Twitter, @funjoel

Joel Haber on Facebook

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#61 - Joel Haber, Food Blogger, Culinary Explorer, and Guide