"Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together." – Guy Fieri.

Back in my comfort zone. 

The holidays are extremely hard for me. I was not born with this beard, nor did I grow up observant, so this is all still very new to me. I believe I am in my eighth year of observing the holidays, and every year there is something new that I learn or a challenge that changes the dynamic of the holidays. 

This year was a mixture of two kids, and the holidays fell in the middle of the week, which means we also have Shabbat, which is like a mini holiday. Then, each year I try and add something to my prayer, intentions, or good deeds. As I always say, to become comfortable, you first have to become uncomfortable. So, this year was a good one being that it was hard and uncomfortable. Family time was amazing when we had it, and watching the kids shake the lulav and dance with Torah captured my heart. It was a great holiday season, but I am ready to get back to work. 

I am not sure if I will ever get used to a month of holidays. I enjoy work and a routine, but it is good for me as I need to take spiritual breaks even if I am not the most spiritual of people. I had the same feeling with Shabbat in the beginning. I will never forget the first Shabbat that I observed. There was nothing harder than spending 25 hours disconnected from the world while focusing on prayer, friends, and family. The day felt like it would never end, and I was counting the seconds until I could check my phone again. Today though, I couldn’t imagine not having Shabbat.  What a blessing! 

Tiffany Shlain put together this video in 2013, which rings even truer today; more now than ever, we need a day to disconnect and recharge. I challenge everyone to take a day to disconnect.  Feel free to message me here and let me know how it went if you were up for the challenge 😊 .

Now the GCI is making moves. First, I am excited to announce that demolition has begun, and we are recording our first podcast episodes as I write this. You will love our guests, and I do not want to ruin the surprise, but one of our guests had one of the top five restaurants in the world, ranking number one in Asia. Another guest of ours is a leading food media personality who is quickly climbing the charts in popularity.  We are also working on some video content with the lively and Israeli TV personality Chef Barak Yehezkeli. Learn more about Barak in his interview this month; he is a fantastic guy. 

We are also working on our product strategy for additional programs alongside our flagship program and tourism experiences outside of the great content coming. It looks like Israeli borders are opening soon, and we cannot wait to get more people back to Israel. 

Last, we are meeting great people and companies throughout Israel and loved learning about a company called Zuf Globus. They create nutritional supplements in a unique way: bees are fed unique plant extracts that help issues around the immune system and the supplements provide energy, balance, and much more. Take a look at the article we wrote about the company here— just another example of technology and products that our future culinarians will be able to work with. I have been using their energy blend and so far, it has been a great addition to my morning routine. 

Back to work, looking forward to more exciting updates very soon.  

L’chaim (To life) 

Nathan