Jonathan Roshfeld: The Israeli Chef and Restaurateur

Biography

Roshfeld was born and raised in Kibbutz Ruhama, a communal settlement in Israel. His mother, Orly (Arlette), emigrated from Morocco, while his father, Zev (Wolf), immigrated from France in the 1960s.

He pursued culinary studies in Cannes, France, and worked for three years at the Michelin-starred restaurant "La Palme d'Or" in Cannes, under the renowned chef Jacques Chibois.

Upon returning to Israel, Roshfeld served as the deputy chef at Israel Aharoni's "Tappuach Zahav" restaurant, where he worked for four years. Following that, he briefly worked as a chef at the "Mul Yam" restaurant and spent a year in Jacques Lameloise's Michelin-starred restaurant in Chagny, France, before returning to Israel to open his own restaurant.

In 1998, Roshfeld opened his eponymous restaurant located in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center complex. The restaurant quickly gained recognition for serving upscale cuisine inspired by southern French gastronomy.

Roshfeld gradually built a loyal customer base, and in 2000, he opened another restaurant within the same complex, which became his flagship establishment, while the original restaurant served as a bistro.

In 2002, due to the challenges brought about by the Second Intifada, he closed both of his restaurants and started working as a private chef for businessman Adam Shneiweis.

In May 2007, Roshfeld opened "Herbert Samuel" restaurant in the Tel Aviv Carlton Hotel. The website Mapa awarded it the title of the best chef's restaurant in Israel for 2010. In November 2009, he launched a new tapas restaurant called "Tapas Achad Ha'am" on Achad Ha'am Street in Tel Aviv.

At the end of 2010, he opened "Yavne Montefiore" restaurant, which closed in June 2013. His restaurants are owned by a management company with partners Roshfeld, the Erlich brothers, Tamir Barkanu, and Gil Gavoa. Roshfeld planned the menu for the "Katzin Club" restaurant on Hahashmonaim Street in Tel Aviv.

From 2011 to 2016, Roshfeld served as a judge on the reality TV show "MasterChef" alongside chefs Haim Cohen, Eyal Shani, and Michal Ansky.

In November 2012, "Alma" restaurant opened in a new boutique hotel in the center of Tel Aviv, in partnership with the Erlich brothers and Tamir Barkanu. The restaurant featured a daily changing menu based on fresh seasonal ingredients, markets, and culinary trends. The restaurant closed in 2015.

In December 2013, Roshfeld closed "Yavne Montefiore" restaurant. In the same year, he opened a kosher branch of "Herbert Samuel" in the Ritz Carlton Hotel near Herzliya Marina. In 2015, he stopped working at this restaurant.

In 2016, he closed "Tapas Achad Ha'am."

In 2017, Roshfeld sparked controversy when he posted a photo on his Instagram account on the night of Tisha B'Av with the caption "Luckily, the Temple was not destroyed on Dizengoff." Roshfeld was supposed to begin filming a new cooking reality show for Keshet 12 in 2018; however, his participation was canceled following an incident that occurred during a production meeting.

In January 2022, he joined as a judge in the first season of the reality TV show "The Next Israeli Restaurant," which airs on Channel 13.

Dishes from "Herbert Samuel" restaurant: