Interview with Orly Dahan Hermesh
Interview with Orly Dahan Hermesh
Orly Dahan Hermesh is a pastry chef who shares her Moroccan roots and love of baking through her blog Brown Sugar, where she’s posted 300+ recipes. She also leads baking workshops and draws inspiration from her heritage and the Galilee.
"We have been hurt, but we have not been defeated—we will grow stronger and return to doing what we love. This is life, and it is strong."
Orly Dahan Hermesh grew up in a Moroccan immigrant family, where the kitchen was the heart of the home, filled with homemade dishes passed down through generations. She studied pastry-making at Dan Gourmet and has spent the past 12 years sharing over 300 cherished recipes on her blog *Brown Sugar*, preserving family traditions and memories. Inspired by her roots and the Galilee, Orly now leads baking workshops and develops recipes that reflect her deep passion for baking.
Can you tell us how you first got into baking and what sparked your passion for it? What has kept you dedicated to this craft over the years?
I grew up in a small, simple kitchen that was the heart of our home. My parents, who immigrated from Morocco, filled it with homemade dishes like matbucha, harissa, stews, and even pizza, falafel, and burgers—things every kid loves, but always homemade. My mom cooked from the heart, making practical meals for six children, while my dad was more focused on complex, precise dishes. My older sister baked constantly, and my grandmother was a legendary cook whose recipes are still talked about today. Naturally, I was drawn into the kitchen at a young age, learning from them all. I later studied pastry-making at Dan Gourmet – Baking and Pastry and continued to teach myself a lot along the way.
For the past 12 years, I’ve been writing my baking blog Brown Sugar, where I share over 300 recipes that my family and I love. Sometimes I include recipes tied to childhood memories, like a cookie my grandmother used to bake, keeping our family’s stories alive. The blog has become like a diary that I’ll leave for my children, preserving our family’s recipes for everyone.
I draw inspiration from my Moroccan roots and from the beautiful Galilee, where I live. I also lead baking workshops and develop recipes for food companies. Baking is truly who I am, and I feel proud that my blog reflects my passion and offers something for everyone.
If you had to choose just one, what would be your favorite thing to bake, and why does it stand out to you above everything else?
Without a doubt, it’s sourdough bread. I've taught myself the art of sourdough and have been nurturing a starter in my fridge for years. After baking hundreds of loaves, I can recognize when the dough is ready for proofing or baking.
While there are recipes, success relies on all the senses: smell, touch, sight, and taste. It might sound exaggerated, but it’s pure love and dedication. There’s nothing more fascinating than bread. Every time I place a sourdough loaf in the oven, I feel a mix of excitement and nerves, and when I pull out a warm loaf, it brings me joy—it’s like magic. A slice of good bread with butter and a pinch of salt is everything to me, sometimes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I’m definitely addicted to flour and gluten, and my Instagram followers know it well!
Living and working in the Galilee during such challenging times must be difficult. How has the ongoing conflict impacted your life and business, and how do you continue to find inspiration for your baking amid these challenges?
The security situation and new reality in the country and the Galilee deeply affect me, as they did all Israelis. The sorrow and shock from the horrors, the worry for the hostages, the soldiers, and the fragile, threatening reality have impacted my drive to create. It’s hard to think about baking, photography, or creating in such times. This is a battle for survival—for our country, our home, and our lives. Something in me feels lost, frozen.
It’s hard for me to bake something delicious, to take beautiful photos, to match music beautifully, and to share it when every day our hostages are in Gaza, our soldiers are in danger, or there are sirens warning us to take cover from rockets in the Galilee.
There are good days when suddenly the motivation returns, and I take advantage of it to create something tasty. But there are days when it feels disconnected from reality.
Still, I am optimistic. Better days will come, the hostages and the residents will return home, life will return to its course. We have been hurt, but we have not been defeated—we will grow stronger and return to doing what we love. This is life, and it is strong.
With the opening of the new Galilee Culinary Institute, how do you envision it transforming the culinary landscape in northern Israel? What positive changes do you think it will bring to the community and aspiring chefs in the region?
I’m very excited about the new institution opening in the Galilee. In general, anything that helps advance the Galilee, in any field, excites and makes me happy. The Galilee is my home, and I’m glad to see things happening here. There’s flourishing agriculture, wineries, dairies, and perfect weather, and I don’t think this region gets enough appreciation. People haven’t yet discovered how magical the Galilee is and how much potential it holds. Our country is small—the Galilee isn’t that far from the central region, and we need to change our mindset and invest more here in every field. There are so many talented people here with a lot of potential and motivation. The culinary institution that’s opening will employ locals, attract students from across the country, be influenced by the Galilean cuisine of northern residents and local agriculture, but most of all—it will put the Galilee on the culinary map, and that excites me.
What’s a fun culinary fact about you?
There are quite a few funny culinary facts about me… One of them is that I can dream up an idea for a pastry or dish, and it wakes me up at night, and the next day I just have to try what I dreamed of. Another one—when something turns out really, really good, I dance in the kitchen! :)