Tali Friedman is the guru of kosher cooking for politicians and celebrities – in the event that they know who to ask.
“I do not advertise or market,” said the mother of 4, who lives in Jerusalem. “People find me word for mouth.”
Last summer, she was seen guiding Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who’re Orthodox Jews, through the bustling city of Jerusalem. Machane Yehuda Marketwhere the cooking instructor keeps you well equipped culinary studio teach how to cook kosher.
But her business was born out of dark times in Jerusalem.
Friedman, now 46, founded the atelier during the Second Intifada, a violent Palestinian rebellion that lasted from 2000 to 2005, during which Machane Yehuda was the scene of many deadly terrorist attacks.
“The market was principally empty at the time,” she said, “people were running out and in” because they were so scared.
Eventually, things calmed down and Friedman’s company went live.
Intimate and personalized tours – which start at NIS 1,000 per person ($285 USD) – are preceded by a cooking class and a multi-course meal at her atelier using produce and produce from the market. All dishes are kosher, meat and fish.
“There isn’t any butter, no cream, no dairy,” according to Jewish tradition, Friedman explained. As an alternative, her kitchen is anchored in local olive oil, which “I take advantage of almost as a condiment,” she said. “My tours, while focused on food, are really about flavors and flavors.”
“Most of my first clients were Israeli,” she said of day-trippers from Tel Aviv and the surrounding suburbs. That is, until Martha Stewart called in 2011, “tweeting your way” nationwide.
Friedman, who guided the star on an in depth market tour followed by a light meal in her atelier, said she was impressed by Stewart’s sheer curiosity. “She was very interested by ‘suggestions’ – akin to removing the seeds from a pomegranate we found. She wanted to find solutions to on a regular basis culinary challenges.”
This visit provided Friedman with international exposure, which quickly attracted other adventurous clients. Mitt Romney toured and dined with Friedman during his 2012 presidential bid. Billionaire and co-owner of the Recent Jersey Devils David Blitzer and former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper were on Friedman’s tour. The presidents of Israel and Cyprus, and various mayors, ambassadors, ministers and secretaries – in addition to traditional tourists – have all attended Friedman’s tours, longing for her experience in the insider market.
The incontrovertible fact that the operation is fully kosher actually appeals to people like Trump and Kushner, “but most customers aren’t necessarily observant,” Friedman said.
The entire family prepared a meal together, including freshly baked focaccia prepared by the three Kushner children.
“We ate ceviche, branzino, and Jerusalem artichokes,” Friedman said.
Born in Tzfat, a hilltop town that is the center of the mystical Kabbalah, Friedman is a professionally trained chef who studied in Jerusalem and Paris Lenotre School of Culinary Arts. She has cooked at famous Israeli restaurants, including Le Regence at the iconic King David Hotel, and with chef Eyal Shani, who opened Israeli-style restaurants in Recent York and around the world.
But Machane Yehuda Market, a hundred-year-old maze of spice stalls and produce vendors, hummus and pastry shops, at all times beckoned to her.
“I used to pass by it every single day on my way home from school,” said Friedman, who moved to Jerusalem from Tzfat in elementary school. As she moved from conventional kitchens to the market itself, she began organizing first-of-its-kind tours featuring her favorite manufacturers and retailers.
Today, as the market prepares to have fun its centenary, Friedman is busier than ever. She was elected to first female president of the Machane Yehuda Merchants’ Association, supporting over 1000 suppliers. She is also busy cooking for personal clients in Recent York, Europe and South Africa.
“It looks like Tali is at all times doing the unattainable,” Orly Segal, Israel’s leading culinary press and marketing agent, told The Post. “Especially during the pandemic, she fought extremely hard for the interests of her suppliers.”
In 2023, Friedman will accompany an Israeli modern dance troupe Katamon — whose headquarters are Mahane Yehuda — to Recent York, where they plan to perform, and she is going to host a series of pop-up dinners.
As for the market itself, Friedman says Machane Yehudah is now full of buyers, sellers and tourists and removed from where it was when it first opened.
“Today people have finally discovered Machane Yehuda,” Friedman said, “because the market is the beating heart of any city and it symbolizes and reflects the larger community around it.”