“I always thought I loved food because of meat, but over time I realized it was because of fire” | We spoke with Harel Zakaim, the chef of Goli

When and how did you come into contact with gastronomy and cooking itself?

The most important thing to know about my childhood is that I was born into a Persian family, and that I was always very bored as a child. The only place where I found interesting things for me was the kitchen, so I tried to spend all my time there, I saw it as a real playground. On the other hand, my mother, being a very systematic and pedantic person, did not allow me to make a fuss there, so I usually sat in the corner and watched. I think that’s when I absorbed the love of ingredients and food, watching my mother move and live in the kitchen.

So he was essentially the first person you learned about cooking from?

I think I owe a significant part of my knowledge to him. I love food because of my family. It should be known that I come from a family and environment where it was not typical to show emotions either verbally or physically. We used to communicate through food, so for me food means connection with other people. I have some kind of heritage in my family that is connected to hospitality and cooking, but my first attempts in terms of work in the kitchen were in Australia.

How did you get from Israel to Australia?

We had to spend three years in the military, after which most young people want to relax and get to know the world, so many of them go traveling for a year or two – I did the same. I went to Australia, where I started working in a restaurant, initially as a dishwasher, and then I was able to cook in the kitchen. Practically from the moment I saw the first meal I prepared being put on the guests’ table and them eating it with a smile, I felt that I had arrived, this is what I want to do.

After that, you returned to Israel.

Yes, I saved money, started working as a cook and moved to Tel Aviv. Over the next seven or eight years, I worked at a lot of different restaurants, none of which I could last long because I always wanted something new, until I found what I thought was the best restaurant in town.

Did this restaurant have local cuisine? What exactly can be called local cuisine in Tel Aviv?

Many different cuisines are represented, many cultures and many different people are mixed. For me, local cognac is something that is fresh, simple, but still meaningful and memorable. Dishes that do not require many steps to prepare, do not require too many ingredients, yet contain very exciting and at the same time honest flavors.

You also had your own restaurant, in fact, the first vegan place in Tel Aviv can be linked to you.

Yes, it was a joint venture with my brothers, which one of my sisters originally intended as a cafe, but we thought, worked and developed it until it became a fairly significant restaurant. At that time, all three of us were living a vegan lifestyle.

Why did you decide on a vegan lifestyle?

One of my biggest passions was meat! Over time, however, I realized that it’s not the meat itself, but the fire that really fascinates me, the food I love has fire in common. This is the most exciting theater in life, which is good simply to watch or use. So I realized that I’m not necessarily attached to meat itself, but to animals and people all the more, which is why I decided on a vegan lifestyle. I feel that this is the best thing I can do for myself and others.

How much has this kind of lifestyle change changed your work?

I had to realize that I knew nothing about vegan food. However, I knew how to cook delicious, tasty food, and I transferred all the knowledge I gathered while preparing meat to preparing vegetables, and it worked exceptionally well. What I mean by this is that you don’t necessarily have to prepare different vegan dishes, but if you use vegetables and fruits as a basis, it’s very easy to come up with dishes about which you don’t necessarily think “oh, it’s vegan”.

This is what happens here at Goli as well, since there is meat in the kitchen, but you only use it for one or two dishes, and everything else is plant-based.

Yes, our guests used to say that they didn’t even notice that they had eaten an entire dinner without meat. In the long run, it would probably be possible to make the restaurant completely vegan, but I don’t think our guests are ready for that yet.

How did you meet the owners of Goli, Petra Saás and Péter Tausz, and what made you decide to move to Hungary?

I had a chef colleague who had never worked in a kitchen before, so he learned everything from me and our mutual colleagues. He worked here in Budapest and referred to me many times during his work. Thanks to him, Petra heard about me and called me with the idea that they would like to open a new place. He hired me to write the menu, help invent and develop the recipes, and supervise the processes for a month or two. Maybe I should travel here once or twice a year to make sure everything is going well.

Compared to that, you moved to Budapest, you’ve been running the kitchen at Goli for almost half a year, and essentially you spend most of your days here in the restaurant.

I have to say that the Petras reached out to me just when I needed it the most. I was just looking for my place in the world, in my profession, I felt that I needed some kind of change. After their inquiry, I came to Budapest, they showed me the place, I cooked for them, we sat down to discuss the work processes, how the restaurant would look, and what equipment would be needed. We spent a few days doing this, and at the end they asked if I knew someone who I thought would manage the place. And I said yes, I can: it would be me.

So can we say that it was love at first sight with Goli?

When I got off the plane and met Petra and Péter for the first time, I felt like I had returned home. They are a great couple both in and out of business, and I am very grateful to them for putting a lot of trust in me from the very first moment. They do everything for the success of Goli, but they do not want to limit or control any of us at all. I get a free hand in everything I can do, but they do all the tasks that I would be too small for, for example – I am thinking here, for example, of the business part of the restaurant. My job is to cook, that’s what I’m good at, that’s what I like to do. That’s why I think we’re a great team, we complement each other very well. Our guests probably feel this, that’s why they love us, that’s why they come back to us.

Photos: Áron Erdőháti

I read more:

“We don’t do anything else, we ‘just’ prepare the food” | Interview with Petra Saás, owner of Goli – Dining Guide

At the end of December last year, Goli literally burst into the public consciousness, the news spread like wildfire that a new restaurant representing Middle Eastern cuisine had opened in the capital, precisely on Arany János Street, on the site of the former Fruccola. The location is no coincidence, as the former breakfast place and the restaurant with an open kitchen, evoking an unadulterated Tel Aviv atmosphere, are both associated with the names of Petra Saás and her husband and business partner, Péter Tausz. We talked with Petra Saás about the differences and similarities between the concepts, the challenges of vegan restaurants and the secret of Goli’s success.

Dining Guide