A grassroots initiative was developed last summer to promote tourism in the
western Galilee – Western Galilee Now – with a culinary emphasis that aims to
introduce visitors to some of the hidden gems in the area. I was invited to
participate in a guided tour of some of the hot spots.
Helen and Sara is
a restaurant located in the corner of a mall complex on Route 4 between Nahariya
and Acre.
The design of the restaurant is light and clean with vintage
touches. The high-quality cuisine – French combined with traditional local
dishes – is fresh and original. We sampled a variety of dishes such as soup,
fish, seafood and pasta. A dish that particularly tickled my taste buds was sea
bream on a bed of risotto with chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms and a tangy lemon
mousse that set the flavors off perfectly.
A little farther up the road
is
Alto, a kosher family-owned goat farm that sells cheese and yogurt. The
cheese selection ranges from soft to hard and mild to mature, including a blue
cheese, which I was told, is rare to find among goat cheeses. In April the
owners will launch an initiative, inviting visitors to learn about the
cheese-making process and, of course, to taste the
products.(www.altodairy.co.il)
Next, I visited the
Stern
Winery. Founded by Jonny Stern on Kibbutz Tuval seven years ago, it has
won countless awards in Israel and abroad.
The Brazilian vintner invites
visitors to the winery to sample his red wines, accompanied by an explanation on
wine-making. Of his five wines, blended and varietal, I particularly
enjoyed the smooth Cabernet Sauvignon, while my fellow wine tasters preferred
the more peppery Cabernet Franc. We agreed, however, that each wine was
delicious. Stern told us that several years ago he took a wine course, at the
end of which he brought his own homemade wine for his class to sample. His
teacher refused to taste it, telling him that he didn’t drink “bad wine.” Stern
took the slight as a challenge and went on to establish his winery. Three years
later, he tasted sweet victory when the teacher was a judge at a wine
competition where Stern won the gold medal. (www.sternwinery.co.il)
Aluma is a chef restaurant in the Jewish-Arab village of Ma’alot-Tarshiha. It
serves French and Mediterranean cuisine, combined with seasonal flavors of the
Galilee. The bistro has gained quite a reputation, with 80 percent of its
customers coming from Tel Aviv. The restaurant creates fresh, interesting dishes
from a menu that changes every three months according to the seasons.
We
sampled main courses of steak, fish, gnocchi and sashimi, and wrapped up with a
fresh and fruity dessert. The food was topnotch, down to the fresh bread baked
on the premises and the palate-cleansing sorbet served between
courses.
Next stop was the
Malka brewery, situated at the foot of Yehiam Fortress. There visitors’ center manager
Rachel gave us a tour. We sampled four types of boutique beer, from light blonde
made with orange peel, to dark Irish ale. Malka beer is made from natural
products and makes for a refreshing change from
Goldstar. (www.malkabeer.co.il)
Next door is the
Abaya boutique winery,
founded by Yossi Yodfat in 2006. After searching for his passion in life, he set
his sights on wine. He blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and
Carignan grapes to create two tasty red wines: MoonA and Le
Rouge. (www.abayawinery.com)
Tamar Vegefen is a beautiful guest house in
Mitzpe Hila. Comprising three suites, it was built and designed by owners
Tamar and Yaron. The couple struck the perfect balance, creating tasteful,
unpretentious suites that leave guests feeling delightfully pampered. The rooms
are decorated in a Mediterranean style with a Turkish influence. White is the
dominant color of the wooden cabins, which look out onto stunning views of green
oak forest. There is a rustic fireplace in every room, providing a warm, cozy
glow that central heating simply cannot match.
A Jacuzzi stands in the
pretty garden outside each suite, which makes for great winter fun, inviting
guests to defy the cold by plunging into the steaming bubbles. Tamar and Yaron
provide robes in which to wrap up, as well as films to watch on the flat-screen
TV before sinking into the white cotton sheets. The duo provides homemade sweet
treats and a refrigerator stocked with beverages in every room.
Guests
also receive a bottle of red house wine, produced on the premises by Yaron, from
grapes grown in Mitzpe Hila’s vineyards.
Tamar Vegefen also hosts
wine-tasting evenings with expert
Moran Asor. The wine is accompanied by a
delectable spread by the local
Brioche Cafe, which includes quiches, filled
rolls, smoked fish, salads and goat cheese. The workshop is fun, unique, and equips participants with a new appreciation for the world
of wine. (www.tamar-gefen.co.il)
Aya
Natural is a cosmetics company in the Druse village of Beit Jann. It
manufactures skincare products from olive oil. Jamal Hamoud, who founded the
company, works on the principles of ecology and health. He uses edible olive oil
to make his chemical-free products, living by the rule that what’s good enough
to put on your skin should be good enough to eat as well. Aya Natural uses
natural methods to retain the vitamins and nourishing characteristics of olive
oil. According to Hamoud, Britain’s Prince Charles took a liking to his line and
was sent a special delivery of his natural products. Hamoud invites groups to
visit the center, learn about his business and test his
products. (www.ayanatural.com)
Amnon Gofer, author of
Galilee Secrets,
threaded our trip together and regaled us each step of the way with
stories and
information. We visited sites including Napoleon’s Hill, an ancient wine
press,
a Baha’i palace and church ruins; some of which may easily have gone
unnoticed without Gofer's guidance. This is the beauty of his tours, and
indeed, of the western Galilee initiative as a whole. The team brings
visitors
to places they would never have known to go to, with a passion and
warmth that
lights up each corner of the region. (www.gofer.co.il)
For upcoming events,
visit
www.westgalil.org.il. ■
The writer was a guest of Western Galilee Now.