I had vivid dreams when I was six years old that are still engraved in my memory today. I dreamt of a restaurant in the middle of a lagoon, with its own aquarium where diners could choose the fish they wanted to eat. It was since that dream that I knew I wanted to be a chef. I cooked with my mum at home, making omelettes for the family and tomato pasta sauce, and started working in restaurants when I was 13.

Roast garlic. I could smell it from the end of the street coming back from school. To this day, whenever I start cooking something with garlic in olive oil, it always reminds me of home.

I started at 13 in an Italian restaurant in Tel Aviv where my dad had lunch every day. I began as a dishwasher, then continued as a cook during the summers after school. Once I graduated, I moved to New York to study professionally at the Culinary Institute of America. It was amazing – like Hogwarts for chefs, a picturesque old monastery that was converted into a cooking school in 1946.

The experience taught me the respect of being a chef. It instilled a sense of discipline and provided the tools to succeed. If you missed a class or were late, you failed and had to redo it. We had to be perfectly dressed: pressed shirt, neckerchief, shaven.

I got the job through the school – it started as an internship and then they offered me a position. What stood out was their emphasis on teamwork. Jean-Georges’ restaurants are the best at working together; it’s all about the team, not just the individual.

The chance to work with Assaf Granit. After spending seven years in a three Michelin-starred restaurant, I could have gone anywhere. I met Assaf on a cooking show where he was a judge and we immediately connected. Assaf gives chefs the freedom to be themselves. Each of his restaurants reflects the chef’s personality; he selects the chef before determining the character of the restaurant, making it a true collaboration. It will always be Assaf’s restaurant but it’s my menu, which is an amazing privilege. Our goal is to blend modern Jerusalem cuisine with British seasonal produce, creating a bridge between London and Jerusalem, and paying homage to Machneyuda, Assaf’s pioneering restaurant where it all began.

King’s Cross has a lot going on. We often walk to The Bar With No Name for drinks after service: a speakeasy cocktail bar from the group behind Bar Termini. For a quick fix, we go to Five Guys or for pints at The Lexington, which is filled with weird and wonderful characters. The area has a lot of hidden gems that might be underrated but definitely worth exploring.

Quality Chop House. The respect they pay to ingredients and their brutal honesty on the menu is something I really admire. Their hospitality is second to none. I go there for dinner on my own, with my wife on a night off, or take one of my team members.

Santiago Lastra from Kol. He uses local ingredients with Mexican techniques and flavours, bringing Mexico to London. It’s similar to what we’re doing at the Coal Office with Jerusalem cuisine.

I love spending time with my beautiful family. I take my son grocery shopping in Newington Green, where we visit my vegetable supplier, Newington Green Fruit and Vegetables. There’s also a small fishmonger called Oeno Maris and Stellas, an independent butcher. After that, we might go to Clissold Park’s petting area, grab a gelato at Romeo & Giulietta and take a walk around the West Reservoir.

Ana shuvi. It’s a take on a Spanish gilda. Whenever I go to Spain, I eat countless of these. One of my sous chefs Noa also loves them, so I gave her the freedom to create a Coal Office version. We serve it on Moroccan-style fried dough with in-house cured Cornish anchovies. Instead of Spanish peppers, we use Jerusalem peppers to create a pickle called shifka, mixed with labneh. This dish represents everything I love about the Coal Office: giving my team the independence to create their own dishes while bringing Jerusalem to London. It makes me proud, as it’s inspired by my chef.