Interview with Russell Robinson, CEO of Jewish National Fund - USA

Interview with
Russell Robinson

CEO of Jewish National Fund - USA

“Food has the power to change the narrative and to bring people together in conversations around the table.”

This month we caught up with Russell Robinson, CEO of Jewish National Fund - USA, to learn more about how the Jewish National Fund decided a culinary institute was needed in Northern Israel.

I’m sure a lot of people have asked this question, but why build a culinary institute in the north of Israel?

The GCI by JNF is an essential catalyst in changing the narrative in the upper eastern Galilee. This area has been out of the spotlight for too long because of the complicated economic and security situation. Through the work of JNF, we will be adding new housing sites, a new medical Center, a food technology center, and a food incubator.

We will be collaborating with Tel-Chai college and Macom communities as well as supporting teen leadership programs like Green Horizons, an organization that offers outdoor educational activities for youth in Israel. Our crowning jewel, the GCI by JNF, and the Rosenfield Culinary School of Arts. It’s an honor to create a new narrative and new food and culinary capital in the greater Kiriat Shmona area.

How do you think that GCI by JNF will have the most significant impact?

Israel has always been known as the land of conflicts, issues of co-existence, and even considerable advances in technology, the narrative of the nation seems to stay the same.

Food has the power to change the narrative and to bring people together in conversations around the table. Food can break walls, change views, and open up hearts, as we open up kitchens.

The culinary Institute will allow us to display Israel’s positive angles and the power of connections, including the depth that can only be found in a country with over 80 different cultures, all influencing the food and the people. The conversation is universal, a dialogue that has not been processed before.

How did you meet Co-founder, Lior Lev Sercarz, and realize you wanted to start the GCI with him?

I believe that dreams and visions are lonely conversations unless you have others alongside who are big dreamers and can see horizons, not as an ending but as a beginning.

Lior's love of the area, in-depth knowledge of culinary, and his love for food were an easy match for the JNF. He is the ultimate mover and shaker. It all fits perfectly.

What’s your favorite culinary experience so far in Israel?

There are so many great restaurants throughout Israel, but one of the most memorable meals that I ever had was in Ofakim at a woman named Ossi, who catered events out of her home.

I have been to many five-star restaurants in my life, but her cooking and kitchen were among the most exceptional culinary experiences I have experienced here in Israel. The warmth and love in her food were apparent in every bite.

What’s a fun culinary fact about you?

As a young boy growing up in El Paso, Texas, I always dreamed of going to the Culinary Institute of America and becoming a chef. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but I am so happy to be building the Rosenfield Culinary School of Arts. GCI will make me just as proud, and my dreams will be fulfilled as I see how many students will benefit from attending the best culinary Institute in the world.