Jerusalem's traditional bakery landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with French immigrants increasingly dominating the local culinary scene, according to kosher food influencer Jamie Geller. Geller, who also serves as Chief Media and Marketing Officer at Aish, noted that these immigrant-owned bake shops have "really taken over" the bakery sector in Israel, particularly over the last five years, introducing their distinct styles and "elevating the culinary scene."
Cultural Transformation of Local Commerce
Geller described the pastries from these establishments as "luxurious, decadent and rich," expressing her admiration for how "French immigrants have really taken over the bakery scene here in Israel." This shift has occurred "particularly in the last five years," with these family-owned bake shops each presenting "its own signature flavor and style."
One such establishment, Moulin Doré, identified as a "French bakery," was a stop on a recent cheesecake tour. Located in the Friends of Zion Museum, this bakery offered cheesecake slices for NIS 30 ($10) and flan for NIS 120 ($41), showcasing a specific foreign culinary influence within the city's commercial fabric.
Elite Palates and Imported Luxury
The tour, led by Geller for a "small group of journalists," commenced at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where cheesecake slices were priced at NIS 62 ($21) each, making them the most expensive items sampled. The hotel presented its "whole Shavuot collection" of five different kinds, including two Basque cheesecakes and three non-baked varieties, catering to a specific, high-end market.
This curated experience involved sampling 14 slices of cheesecake from seven kosher establishments across central Jerusalem. Geller stated the goal was to taste a variety of styles ahead of the Shavuot holiday, expressing a hope that the outing could "become a new Jerusalem tradition," drawing a comparison to the sampling of sufganiyot donuts during Hanukkah.
Various foreign cheesecake styles were highlighted during the tour. Geller detailed New York-style cheesecakes as "much heavier and richer," baked with cream cheese and thick sour cream. She also noted the Basque cheesecake, or San Sebastian cheesecake, as a "recent variation originating in Spain," often served with a "slightly burnt top." Geller observed, "It's fascinating to see how each of these cheesecake styles are so different."
Institutional Promotion of New Traditions
Historically, many Jewish communities have observed the tradition of eating dairy foods on Shavuot for centuries. As early as approximately eight centuries ago, Rabbi Elazar of Worms, Germany, referenced a custom of starting the holiday meal with cheese before transitioning to meat. Despite this long-standing tradition, the current culinary landscape shows a clear shift towards diverse, often foreign-influenced, offerings.
Economically, the Agriculture Ministry reported a significant increase in dairy product sales in Israel, rising more than 60 percent in the week before Shavuot last year. This demonstrates a substantial market response to the holiday, which is increasingly met with a range of gourmet cheese platters, cheesy pastas, and desserts like ice cream and cheesecake globally.
Other stops on the tour included Napoleon Patisserie, offering cheesecake for NIS 25 ($8.60) and a cheese mousse for NIS 42 ($14.50), described as "one of the best of the day." Helen Family Bakers, serving one kind of cheesecake for NIS 40 ($14), was deemed "the best cheesecake of the day." Yolo Bakery offered a creamy cheesecake for NIS 43 ($15), while Teller Bakery served Basque-style and berry cheesecakes for NIS 30 each. Marzipan Bakery, known for its rugelach, offered a crumb cheesecake for NIS 40 for a family-size cake, which Geller called "the quintessential Israeli cheesecake."
As the tour concluded, Geller articulated plans for "future food crawls," suggesting "cholent [a traditional Jewish stew] in the winter, maybe honey cakes before Rosh Hashanah." She emphasized, "Enjoying traditional foods together is one of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit," indicating a continued institutional effort to shape and define cultural practices through culinary experiences.