New York, NY… March 12, 2010: A delegation of leading American culinary experts will be visiting Israel next week on a weeklong seminar organized by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL), in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The delegation includes reporters, chefs, and culinary critics from the most prestigious print and electronic media outlets, including Joan Nathan, author of ten cookbooks and a regular contributor to The New York Times; Mark Furstenberg, owner of three Washington, DC restaurants (G Street Food, Marvelous Market, and The BreadLine) and a 2005 and 2006 James Beard Foundation nominee as best chef in the Mid-Atlantic; Beverly Stephen, executive editor of Food Arts Magazine; Jennifer Reese, food writer for Slate, Doublex, Food & Wine, Saveur, Salon and Sunset, and former Entertainment Weekly book critic; Leah Koenig, a regular contributor for New York Times Magazine, Saveur, Hadassah Magazine, Gastronomica, My Jewish Learning, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and Culinate; Thomas Head, former Washingtonian Magazine executive wine and food editor and editor of the Southern Foodways Alliance newsletter; and Roger Sherman, Peabody and Emmy Award recipient, Academy Award nominee, and founder/co-owner of Florentine Films, which produced the documentary film The American Brew (A&E), an American history told through beer.

The AIFL program includes meetings with top culinary figures, the most widely known Israeli chefs, as well as learning about the country in such areas as politics, economics, and scientific innovation. Among the highlights of the seven-day seminar are a roundtable with culinary writers from leading newspapers and journals as Haaretz, Yediot Acharonot, and Laish; dinner at the King David Hotel with Dan Hotels’ Corporate Director of Food and Beverage Procurement; and visits to Yad Vashem, holy sites in Jerusalem, Massada and the Dead Sea.

The America-Israel Friendship League’s (AIFL) mission is to strengthen the ties between the people of the United States and Israel; bridging distances to reveal the beauty, the humanity, and the modern democratic values that define both nations.

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For more information, please contact Guy Billauer at 212-213-8630 or gbillauer@aifl.org