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YAYA
WHY

CHOOSE US

Yaya food and Travel Group, Jewish Heritage and Culinary tours. Aya and Isaac Massias established the Yaya Food & Travel group, in 2008 and were guided by one dream: To expose Jews from communities around the world to the profound impact of the Spanish inquisition and the fascinating history and influence of the Jews throughout the Mediterranean – Spain, Portugal, Italy/Sicily, France, Morocco and Israel.

Our background as restaurateurs in Jerusalem and New York City prepared us for this journey. In Jerusalem we owned two award winning restaurants; ‘Taverna’ and ‘Montefiore’ , and in New York we established and owned the ‘Primavera Restaurants, also acting as consultants on several other fine cuisine projects.

From the beginning, our passion for fine food and travel made it clear to us that our tours would involve exquisite food, awesome cooking workshops, adventure, luxury accommodation and world-renowned tour guides who truly bring history to life.

Aside from educating Jews from around the world about their deep heritage, we’ve made a commitment to provide an unforgettable experience with the tour of a lifetime.

We hope you will join us in this wonderful educational and spiritual journey.

MEET

THE TEAM

AYA

MANAGING DIRECTOR AND TOUR LEADER

ABOUT AYA

City of birth: Jerusalem
Studied: High School at Midreshet Sde Boker in the Negev and Photography at Michlelet Hadassah School of Arts in Jerusalem
Projects (past and present): Served in the army before being assistant photographer to Chester Higgins Jr at the New York Times, Public Relation Manager at Mishkenot Sha’ananim -Jerusalem, owner of Montefiore and the Taverna Restaurants in Jerusalem and the Primavera restaurant in NY , But most of all – Bringing up 3 Beautiful and amazing kids and being a GRANDMA!
Claim to fame: Daughter of famous ceramic artist Naomi Bitter and legendary Israeli tour guide Benny Bitter
Likes: Hiking, sports, touring and exploring new destinations, photography, history, Jewish heritage, reading and painting,  art and food – But especially my life!
Dislikes: Wasting time
Favourite travel experience: Finding a hidden Mikveh in the centre of Coimbra, Portugal.
Proud moment: completing the London Marathon in 2014
Motto: To give thanks for what I have

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ISAAC

FOOD AND BEVERAGE COORDINATOR

ABOUT ISAAC

City of birth: Gibraltar
Studied: At the prestigious Jewish boarding school Carmel College in Oxfordshire he developed a taste for culinary excellence and fresh ingredients, which took him on to work and train with renowned chefs across the Mediterranean as well as the Savoy Hotel in London and the Hilton of Jerusalem.
Projects (past and present): Head Chef at Jerusalem’s landmark Mama Mia restaurant and established the Primavera restaurant in New York, Montefiore and the famous La Taverna in Jerusalem.
Claim to fame: Cooked for heads of State such as Michael Gorbachov, the late President Chaim Herzog and late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, US Secretary of States Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright and the Jordanian Royal family.
Likes: Excellent food and wines, Dressage riding and Mountain biking
Dislikes: Dirty kitchens
Favourite travel experience: Drinking mint tea and observing Berber women bake bread in a remote village in the Sahara desert.
Proud  moment: Grandfather of two
Motto: A little progress each day adds up to big results

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YAEL

PROJECT MANAGER AND LEGAL ADVISOR

ABOUT YAEL

City of birth: Jerusalem
Studied: LLM in UCL
Projects (past and present): Former Researcher in Columbia University Psychiatric Hospital, Social Navigation app inventor and a finalist in the European Court mooting competition.
Claim to fame: Completed the LLM in the fourth top university in the world with a newborn..
Likes: Adrenaline sports - Snowboarding, Kickboxing.
Dislikes: Mess!
Favourite travel experience: South Africa - Travelled for 6 weeks to volunteer in Durban with kids who are HIV positive and street kids.
Proud moment: Having my two boys!
Motto: Knowledge is power

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BAR

SECURITY AND LOGISTICS MANAGER

ABOUT BAR

City of birth: Tel Aviv
Studied: in the Wingate Institute; a worldwide and prize winning institute for sports.
Projects (past and present): Former partner in a Kickboxing company (Xen-do). We opened numerous clubs around central London and had more than 10,000 students. Krav-Maga and martial art specialist.
Claim to fame: Former British and Spanish Champion in Kickboxing
Likes: Psychology, Martial Art, Dancing and most of all; FOOD!
Dislikes: Wasting time!
Favourite travel experience: Rome; the first holiday I took with my wife!
Proud moment: Becoming the British and Spanish kickboxing champion! And the birth of my two beautiful boys!
Motto: If I can dream it, I can achieve it.

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EMANUELA

ITALIAN CHEF AND WINE CONNOISSEUR

ABOUT EMMANUELA

City of birth: Rome
Studied: Communication Science and a master’s degree in Agro-Food Marketing
Projects (past and present): Executive Chef and Kosher Wine Specialist  for Yaya Tours. 15 years’ experience in the wine tourism sector, management of the culinary schools of the famous Italian publisher Gambero Rosso in Sicily, Catania and Palermo as well as cooking and organizing tasting events for Gambero Rosso Wine Bar in Catania and organizing food lovers’ and professional classes, coworking with Michelin starred chefs. Creator of video culinary classes for local magazines and restaurant owner.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Favourite travel experience:
Proud moment:
Claim to fame:  chef at the Italian Ambassador residence, for some private clients, diplomats and as consultant for Italian restaurants as the famous brand Raffaello.
Motto:  Love and wine… better with time

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YEHUDAH

Private Chef, Food and Travel Writer

ABOUT YEHUDAH

City of birth: New York
Studied: Yehudah made Aliyah with his faimly in 1995 to Jerusalem. Went to the Yeshiva high school in Bet-El Israel where he discovered his love for cooking from his grandmother. After high schooled he learned at Yeshivat Hesder Beit Orot of Jerusalem where besideds learning the art of torah, he fed 100 Yeshivah boys on a daily basis. To become a proffesional chef he learned at the Jerusalem Culinary Institute and earned a Bachlors degree in Tourism Managment from the Hadassah College in Jerusalem. While studying in college he worked at many restaurants around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Projects: Master Sergant in the IDF reservesv in charge of 15 shefs who feed 500 hungry soldeirs when called up for reserve duty. Content Creator for the food magazine Joy of Kosher by Jamie Geller. Has traveled around Europe cooking kosher food for private families and groups in estates and hotels across Europe.
Claim to fame: Creator of the largest foodie group about food in Israel called Israeli Foodies with over 10k members.
Likes: Steak- Medium rare
Dislike: Overcooked meat
Favourite travel experience: Cooking for a kosher group on a yacht around the Aegean sea.
Proud moment: Becoming a father to two children
Motto: Everything always works out in the end.

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CAMILLA

WEBSITE AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ABOUT CAMILLA

City of birth: Cape Town
Studied: Multimedia Design
Projects (past and present): SotoGo.es, Vodafone, Marks & Spencer UK, Woolworths SA, Pernod Ricard, HSBC, Societe Generale, British Telecom and Roche Pharmaceuticals
Likes: All things foodie, entertaining and cooking Ottolenghi inspired dishes
Dislikes: illegible fonts
Favourite travel experience: Exploring Andalucía – so much to see, so much to love!
Proud moment: Becoming a mum of two!
Motto: I don’t want to look back and think, I could have eaten that!

CONTACT NOW

USA +19173103895 | EU +34678011585

aya@yayafoodandtravel.com

39 Irish Town Gibraltar

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