SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Evening with Israeli Celebrity Chefs – PRIVATE INVITE Open to AU students, invited faculty and guests, and Friends of the Center for Israel Studies (Friends are donors of $250+ by November 1)
Location: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

7:30 PM
Greetings:
Peter Starr, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Michael Brenner, Seymour and Lillian Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies

Program:
Keynote Address by Michael Solomonov, 2017 James Beard Chef of the year, followed by Chef’s Roundtable Discussion. Israeli chefs Einat Admony, Osama Dalal, Lior Lev Sercarz, Tom Franz and Michael Solomonov will discuss worldwide interest in Israeli cuisine, history and innovations in the cuisine and being a “food ambassador” with Bonnie Benwick, Deputy Food Editor, Washington Post.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Location: American University East Campus Constitution Hall

8:30-9:20 AM
Registration & Israeli continental breakfast

9:20 AM
Welcome: Laura Cutler, Managing Director, Center for Israel Studies

9:30-11:00 AM
Panel 1: “Living Off the Land from Biblical Times to Today”
Rafi Grosglik, University of California, Davis
Orit Rozin, Tel Aviv University
Abbie Rosner, Culinary Historian
Tom Franz, chef
Moderator: Michael Brenner, American University

11:00-11:15 AM
Break

11:15 AM -12:45 PM
Panel 2: “Cuisine as an Expression of Modern Israeli Culture”
Einat Admony, chef, Restaurateur
Yael Raviv, author of Falafel Nation: Cuisine and the Making of National Identity in Israel
Lior Lev Sercarz, chef/spicemaker/La Boite, NY
Michael Solomonov, Chef, Restaurateur
Yahil Zaban, Tel Aviv University
Moderator: Mitchell Davis, Executive Director, James Beard Foundation

12:45-2:00 PM
Israeli Lunch and Cookbook Signing

2:00-3:30 PM
Panel 3: “Israeli-Arab Food Politics”
Nir Avieli, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Osama Dalal, chef/restaurateur, Maiar
Ronald Ranta, Kingston University
Ronit Vered, food researcher, journalist
Moderator: Johanna Mendelson Forman, American University

3:30-3:45 PM
Break

3:45-6:00 PM
Panel 4: Film screening In Search of Israeli Cuisine
Followed by discussion with director Roger Sherman and producer Dorothy Kalins
Moderator: Susan Barocas