We’re bringing together a panel of guests to discuss where to try the best street food, finding out how top chefs are pushing boundaries with flavours and locations, discovering how the country has become one of the world’s top vegetarian destinations and exploring the vast and versatile array of fresh ingredients produced around Israel.

Our expert panel will include travel writer Emma Thomson and founder of Delicious Israel Inbal Baum, food and travel writer Debbie Kandel and moderated by National Geographic Traveller’s Connor McGovern.

From the vegan hotspots of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv to the cool bars, restaurants and live music at Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market, food is at the heart of Israeli life. We’ll talk about the best the cities have to offer, the thriving wine estates of the wild north, Arabic and Mediterranean fusion food in small towns around the country and everything in between.

We’ll explore the colours, flavours, sights and smells of Israel’s culinary scene, city by city, uncovering top tips, inspiring itineraries and getting you in the mood for travel once more.

Join us from 19.00 on Tuesday 19 January. Travel Geeks is just an hour long and offers you the chance to hear from our experts and join in the lively debate.

Our Panel:

Emma Thomson is an award-winning travel journalist and regular contributor to National Geographic Traveller and British broadsheet newspapers. She visited Israel on assignment for National Geographic Traveller just prior to lockdown at the start of 2020, to cover the newly promoted Yam-el-Yam (or Sea to Sea) walking trail from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee. She can be heard on BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent and she is currently the BGTW Travel Writer of the Year.

Inbal Baum is a former attorney and yoga instructor who founded Israel’s leading culinary tourism company, Delicious Israel, 10 years ago. After working as an attorney in New York City, years of Jewish and Israel-related organizational work and consulting in the private and public sectors, Inbal left behind the office jobs and immigrated to Israel to follow her entrepreneurial heart and passion. For over 10 years, Delicious Israel’s intimate culinary crusades have become one of the country’s most enticing ways to explore Israeli cuisine. As a serial entrepreneur, Inbal’s latest global venture, Delicious Experiences, is a platform that connects food enthusiasts with the world’s top chefs through private, virtual culinary workshops.

Debbie Kandel is a food and travel writer and blogger in Israel. She is a self-proclaimed foodie who grew up in London and moved to Jerusalem in 2008. She loves discovering local cafes, restaurants and wineries, with the added bonus of showing visitors the great choice of restaurants her city has to offer. She is passionate about helping others plan their own adventures in Jerusalem and around Israel. debbestfood.com

Connor McGovern is the commissioning editor of National Geographic Traveller. He is happiest when on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean with a drink in arm’s reach. He’s a fan of Middle Eastern food, and the best thing he’s ever eaten was in Tel Aviv: sabich, a soft pitta crammed with eggs, potato, aubergine, tahini and spicy pickles that’s almost impossible to eat elegantly.