Rafi Adar - A Multifaceted Israeli Artist

Biography

In the mid-1960s, Adar ventured to Italy to study medicine, following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Uri Adar, who was initially the head of the Department of Reception and later the head of the internal department at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

However, Rafi Adar shifted gears and pursued a career in filmmaking in Rome. He starred in "Shalom," an independent short film by Yaki Yosha, in 1968. Adar returned to Israel in 1972.

Adar was a co-producer of the television series "Loul 4" and the films "Nesher Haba'razel" (The Vulture of Braslav), "Sababa," and "Roman Za'ir" (A Small Romance).

In 1976, he directed the short film "Baderch Lod" (On the Way to Lod), based on a story by Dan Ben Amotz. The plot takes place in 1939 and follows two young students from Bnei Shemen who embark on a trip to the neighboring Arab city of Lod.

In 1986, he co-directed and co-wrote "Kafafot" (Gloves) with Yehudit Solah, based on a novel by Dan Tzalka. The film received negative reviews, performed poorly at the box office, and was pulled from theaters after just two weeks.

In addition to his film work, Adar directed numerous music videos and appeared in Eitan Green's film "Until the End of the Night" in 1985.

In January 1989, Adar opened the "Pronto" restaurant (the word means "ready" in Italian) in Tel Aviv. The restaurant serves classic Italian cuisine. Although it initially received mixed reviews, it eventually became a popular meeting place for Tel Aviv's bohemian crowd.

Since 2005, Adar's partner in the restaurant has been the musician Ofer Zamir, who has worked there since 1994. The restaurant is known for its Antipasto dish, named after Shalom Hanoch. For many years, it was located on Nachmani Street in Tel Aviv and moved to Hertzel Street at the end of 2010.

The restaurant's head chef, starting in March 2011, has been David Frankel. In 2011, Adar opened "Prontostarda," an Italian delicatessen next to Pronto. However, it closed shortly afterward. Another venture, "Pronto Kiosk," a fast-food restaurant, also failed commercially and closed after a brief period.

"Pronto" was selected as one of the ten best restaurants in Israel by Daniel Rogov, the restaurant critic of Haaretz. In March 2017, Adar sold his stake in the restaurant to his partner of recent years, Victor Shmarik.

In 1993, Adar ventured into the fashion business and became the Israeli representative of Italian fashion designer Romeo Gigli, opening a boutique in Tel Aviv.

In 1997, Adar received the "Ristorante – Italiano" award from the chambers of commerce of Italy, awarded by the President of Italy, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, at the presidential palace in Rome. In 1998, he was awarded the title "Cavaliere dela Republica Italiana" by the President of Italy for his contribution to promoting Italian culture abroad.

The Time Out Tel Aviv magazine selected Pronto as the best Italian restaurant in the city in 2007, 2008, and 2011.

In 2009, Adar served as a judge on the Israeli television show "Restaurant Champion." In 2010, he was one of four judges on the first season of the reality TV show "MasterChef," alongside Haim Cohen, Eyal Shani, and Michal Ansky, but he was eliminated from the show after several episodes.

Since 1988, Adar has been recording music. In 1994, he released an album titled "Halev Hamale Shel Konketa" (Konketa's Full Heart) with Helicon Records. In 2007, he recorded another album with the same label, performing songs by Italian musician Paolo Conte, titled "Mezaif Kmo Kulam: Rafi Adar Sings Paolo Conte."

In 2010, Kinneret Publishing released "Pronto: Food, Culture, Love," a cookbook featuring recipes from Pronto, co-authored by Italian writer Ari De Luca.

In 2016, he released his fourth album, "The Golem."

Personal Life

In 1972, Adar married actress Yehudit Solah. The couple has two sons, Daniel, a director, and Roni, an actor and musician, who both work in television. In September 1991, the couple was arrested for three days on suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking after cannabis and cocaine were found during a search of their home. After admitting to drug use, Adar received a suspended sentence.

Rafi Adar's life and career have been marked by a diverse range of artistic pursuits, from filmmaking to music and the restaurant industry, making him a notable figure in Israeli culture.