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A cheerful and relaxed throng of expectant diners can be found waiting for the doors of Ouzeria to open on most balmy Tel Aviv evenings. Located in the hip heart of the city's vibrant Levinsky spice market, the informal and popular Mediterranean restaurant has been drawing in the crowds for a decade - a reason to celebrate in an area where restaurants come and go overnight.
“I take a lot of the vibes from the market – it’s very outgoing and easy going – you can easily come for a family dinner dressed up, or from the beach. We don't care for formalities," says chef and Ouzeria's co-owner Avivit Priel Avichai. Inside, slick and friendly service and a team of well-trained cooks pump out a colourful array of dishes inspired by the ouzerias of Athens and Spanish tapas bars, alongside a potent selection of cocktails and anis-based drinks, to a backdrop of catchy tunes and chatter.
Photo: Mussels in ouzo
'Avivit's cauliflower', a dish made with Cesar sauce, is “kind of famous here in Israel,” she says. Alongside that, her beetroot ravioli - thinly sliced beetroot stuffed with goat cheese mousse - and a dish of very thinly sliced rump sautéed with Padron peppers and served on almond cream, make up her top three favourite dishes, which have been there since the beginning. All dishes are served to share. “I really like the idea of the people in the Med eating family-style, all together, sharing, and getting to taste everything. It brings everything together,” she says. This winning formula has been refined over three decades of running restaurants in Tel Aviv.
Photo: Avivit's cauliflower in Ceasar sauce
Unlike some chefs who quit the industry as a result of the pandemic, the challenge has been cathartic for her. From the fear of losing her restaurant during the second lockdown, to running a kitchen with a depleted team, she's never been more sure that she's chosen the right career.
“I’m really happy that we’re back. For me it was really hard, it was a mental crisis - one day as a chef my restaurant was taken away from me. I was busy with philosophical questions – I was thinking what am I without a place to do my thing?”
Despite rising quickly through the ranks in her own career, and her determination to become her own boss, she knows that being a chef is not an easy choice. “I know there was a price that my family paid. But on the other hand, they gained a lot of independence and knowledge, especially my daughter. My daughter knows that a woman can do whatever she wants to do.”
Coming through the other side, she's stronger than ever and certain that her place is in a professional kitchen: “It showed me how much I chose the right place for me. I learnt that I really love what I’m doing.” Now celebrating a decade of running her own restaurant, she enjoys the freedom of not pandering to purchasing managers or working with business partners who don’t share her goals.
Never one to stand still, she's already embarking on future projects. If all goes to plan she'll open another Mediterranean restaurant in Eilat, where she’ll be able to put her decade of experience and business acumen to play once again.
Photo: Grilled octopus with beetroot cream and turkish kaimaki (left), ceviche of yellowtail with fresh green almonds (right)
“I’ve learned a lot about economic ways – how to run the restaurant properly and not lose money. It’s really easy to feed a lot of people and not survive economically because of bad management. Running a business is very complex – it’s not as shiny and attractive as it looks from the outside."
Considering the success and longevity of her restaurant in a fickle market, she says: “I think I give the guests a combination of fair prices, good quality and excellent vibes.” This challenge is made all the more difficult given the current financial climate. "We get a lot of criticism from customers and from the media sometimes, so I'd just shed a light on how we ourselves are struggling."
“I find myself every month sitting with the numbers and realising that I need to raise the prices, and I really struggle with it and I don’t want to. I want my restaurant to be available to everybody. Difficult times. That’s the situation, that’s reality. We can’t survive unless we raise the prices,” she says.
Having already proven herself, she’s keen to nurture the skills of the younger generation. She looks after her cooks, who she chooses for their passion for the profession, and she has the sense that the role of the chef has become more valued in Israel in recent years. “For me the younger generation is more than just employees, they’re the future of the world. It’s exciting to see the future generation, what they bring with them and what’s coming next."
Photo: Gray mullet escabeche with 'levinsky market salsa' and yogurt
As a judge in the forthcoming South East Europe and Mediterranean final of S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy 2022/23, she is perfectly placed to mentor and share her wisdom garnered over her career, at both a practical and creative level.
“Work a good few years before you open your first restaurant. I didn’t. I opened my first restaurant when I was too young,” she says of her first venture, which she opened as an ambitious 30 year old. Also, she warns of choosing business partners carefully - chefs needs people who complement their skills to ensure success.
When it comes to what young chefs will be producing on the plate, she has this advice: "You don’t have to show everything that you know. Give the ingredient the spotlight and not yourself."
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