My father always said to me: "Find something you love and try to give your best in it. That is the key to success: If you don't love what you're doing, you will fail." So I asked myself what else I loved besides music and came to the gastronomy. My role model was my mother. She was a homemaker all her life. She raised us children and took care of the household. Through her, I had a connection to cooking and discovered my passion for it.
Through a lot of luck, I had contacts with a very eminent chef and was able to work for six years in his establishments in high-end cuisine. During this time, I focused on baking and became a baker, although without formal training.

Since I wanted to leave the country anyway, I followed her wish. Paris, for me, is the capital of baking and European culture. Therefore, I took an eight-month course at a cooking school – a very old institution where some of France's best chefs pass on their craft to the next generations. Afterwards, I did four-month internships in various establishments. After some time, however, I found Paris to be far too expensive and crowded, and my lifestyle didn't fit this city. So I left Paris, lived in other places for four months, and eventually decided to come to Berlin. In 2010, I first came to Berlin with my brother and his band. One of my first impressions of Berlin was snow. Everything was covered in snow. At Schlesisches Tor, I threw myself on the ground and made my first "snow angel." I found Berlin impressive, mainly because of the people and their natural way of interacting with each other. The people here moved with an energy that fascinated me. I found them to be relaxed and had many opportunities for interesting conversations.
Language is a powerful tool for me, and speaking it actively is very important to me. My mother is Romanian; she also fled from communism. Therefore, I grew up multilingual with Hebrew and Romanian. Through my grandfather and father, who both come from present-day Latvia, I could also understand some Russian. Additionally, I had a good education in English.
I find it difficult to take an interest in German politics. The reporting requires very good and specific German language skills, which are hard to learn, but my interest is slowly growing. I am becoming more sensitive to my environment. I have always remained true to my general political views.
At the moment, I see myself and my place in Berlin. Even though I don't know how long I will stay here in Berlin, I see my future here for now.
For me, the feeling of home is something I always try to create and generate around me. Friendships and relationships are what I perceive as home. When I think of Israel, I certainly miss the food the most. Not necessarily the quality, but the significance that food has there. The beautiful memories of eating with my family in Israel have greatly influenced me. That's why it is important to me today to continue this in my environment. In Berlin, I didn't expect a distinct food culture. But in recent years, a lot has started to change in this regard in Berlin. I want to actively contribute to this process and help shape the city.
I had long dreamed of becoming a good baker and leaving my amateur level behind. I achieved this dream with a lot of patience and practice. For a long time, I have been baking for my neighbors and friends, traveling across the city to share my baking skills with people, making a name for myself and bringing joy to others. I have extensive experience and creative ideas and want to start my own business here. The biggest challenge for me is the bureaucracy, in my case, the Chamber of Commerce. Without degrees, certificates, or qualifications, it is not easy to build something or start a business in Germany. My ten years of experience are often not considered sufficient. So I have to make sure I approach it in the right way for the authorities.
It is important to me to give something back to Berlin after the city has given me so much. I feel comfortable here because I have the feeling I can be who I am, and no one minds. This form of free development has made me who I am today, and I am very grateful for that.
My bass guitar, which has always accompanied me from Israel to Berlin, has a special meaning to me. I love this instrument and would never sell it. Even if I should no longer play it, I would always take care of it. It will always accompany me. I think it reminds me of who I am. I love making music, having interesting conversations and acquaintances – performing. Berlin provides the perfect stage for this.
I find it typically German that there are relatively few gray areas here. Everything has to be best clearly defined, that’s my impression.