Roger Sherman
Served Israeli Food Up to the Silver Screen
When filmmaker Roger Sherman, 65, began his revelatory 2016 documentary “In Search of Israeli Cuisine,” average Americans asked to name Israeli dishes might have come up with hummus and falafel — if they thought about Israeli food at all. Sherman shot the film in 2013, just before a wave of recognition of — and appreciation for — Israeli food would swell in Philadelphia thanks to Michael Solomonov, New York by way of Einat Admony, Los Angeles through Tal Ronnen, and New Orleans, where Alon Shaya had yet to open his popular namesake eatery.
Hot off a best-documentary win at the 2013 James Beard Awards for “The Restaurateur,” about Danny Meyer of Union Square Café and the Shake Shack, Sherman set out to paint a cinematographic portrait of the Israeli people through the foods they eat. With Solomonov as guide, Sherman traveled to more than 100 locations throughout Israel, visiting home cooks, chefs, food and wine producers, farmers and street vendors in the film’s portrait of an exciting culinary revolution taking place against the backdrop of a contentious political climate.
Since January 2016, when the film premiered at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, “In Search of Israeli Cuisine” has been shown at more than 50 film festivals across the U.S. and worldwide. There are screenings scheduled for more American cities and internationally — in London, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia — through April 2017.
Sherman’s previous films include the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning “Alexander Calder.” With “In Search of Israeli Cuisine,” the filmmaker shares the delicious, diverse nature of Israeli food today with those who might not make it to a Solomonov, Admony or Shaya joint in person.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!