Overall Programme and Goals

• To experience being a sous chef.
• To explore the broad spectrum of the professional Culinary Arts field in Israel – from traditional spice markets to elite restaurants.
• Learn from Israel’s top professionals what it takes to become a top chef.
• To explore Israel’s rich culinary scene.

The Year Course Culinary Arts Track is an addition to the traditional Year Course programme, offering Community Volunteering, Jerusalem Studies, and the Israeli Experience sections. Each component features extended opportunities for volunteering, learning, and cultural enrichment.

The YCCA track is designed to give chanichim a well-rounded basic knowledge of various cooking techniques that are used in a professional kitchen .Chanichim will learn a broad spectrum of world cuisine covering the tastes of  France, Italy, Morocco, Japan, and of course – Israel.

After completing the basic course chanichim will internship in hotels and restaurants to gain work experience and a taste of the real world. The enrichment programme that is offered on this track includes: meeting with top chefs of Israel such as Mika Sharon and Haim Cohen, dining in exotic restaurants, and getting familiarised with ethnic Jewish food.

No prior experience is needed in order to be a participant in this programme only the willingness to learn from scratch without being afraid of the heat of the kitchen! The programme is appropriate for all food lovers that wish to explore a future culinary career and examine different aspects of the food industry.

No special Hebrew level is required.

Jerusalem Academics (September – November)
The Jerusalem studies section will be the same section as referred to in the Year Course brochure. However all chanichim will have to take a number of additional courses.
On top of the regular courses, chanichim will take a special course, once a week for 4-5 hours in the afternoon in a professional cooking school, teaching basic skills in the kitchen, examples of courses are:

Knife Skills - Before you can guest-host for Jacques Pepin, you'll need to be able to cut.  A good knife is a cook's best friend!

Stocks - Most soups and sauces start with a flavourful, well-made stock. Learn to create rich, aromatic stocks that will become the foundation for all cooking.

Breads and Pizza - Learn the techniques and the chemistry behind bread-making so that you can create breads such as foccacia, pizzas, burrito wraps and Indian Nan.

Grilling, Broiling and Smoking - Learn to marinate, smoke and create perfect grill marks. Learn how to make your own sausage and develop proper smoking techniques.

Market Grocery shopping - Visit a traditional Israeli shuk (market) and learn to how and what to shop – spices, meat and fish.

During and after the course, chanichim will be sent out to different hotels and restaurants in Jerusalem, practicing what they have learned, and seeing how a real kitchen operates.

Israel Experience (December – February)
Living in apartments in the city of Ramat Gan (15 min. from Tel Aviv), 6 participants in each apartment, chanichim will receive stipend money to buy food and supplies and practice in their own home what they have learned in Jerusalem.

Most of the day will be dedicated to volunteering: cooking for soup kitchens in the Tel Aviv area, helping the less fortunate to have one hot meal a day. Some chanichim might choose to internship with cooking schools or recently established businesses volunteering and learning at the same time.  

Once a week there will be a group activity with the madrich/a.  Some examples are:

Community Volunteering (March – May)
Living in Bat Yam chanichim will participate in the regular CV programme. Chanichim may choose to volunteer with the regular CV participants. However, some volunteer placements will be unique to the Culinary Arts track such as: volunteering with Fat Meir’s soup kitchen; a place  that cooks 200 lunches daily for children from low socio-economic backgrounds, or teaching Home Economics in schools.

Once a week there will be a group activity that will include hearing amazing lectures from dieticians, naturopathies and others, all of which will contribute to chanichim’s full culinary education.

Order your FREE Year Course brochure and DVD.

Includes all the
latest information
on all FZY Year Course programmes for 08/09.