About

Heeey I’m Estee.

Coming to you from a little Moshav in central Israel. Current life:

+naked toddler chasing our bunny rabbits in the yard

+baby screeching for more food(takes after his mamma)

+munching on banana muffins andddd

+thinking about what to make for lunch. and dinner…..and snacks!

Of course, the day slightly varies with two small children, but one thing is constant. I’m always thinking of food!

Raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, my diet was very different. Morning began with a fresh papaya drizzled with lemon juice. Lunch was an ahi poke bowl on the beach. Snacks were green coconuts we husked ourselves sitting at a rock in the afternoon sun. Yep, it was just like you imagined, I even wore a grass skirt and coconut bra! (To run in my yard, when I was little wink wink).

When I turned 18, I decided on a move that took me halfway across the world, and landed me smack in the middle of ….the Middle East. Cue beautiful Israeli soldiers and shwarma platters with a hundred dips. Fresh laffa and pitas, eggplant cooked in ways I never imagined, and chummus everywhere. Like- everywhere.

Veering from my original plan of “learning about my history” and then moving on, I ended up attending a girls school and falling head over heels with Judaism, and the religious, and kosher, life. At the same time, I also managed to fall in love with my house moms handsome younger brother- a man I now call my best friend and fabulous(he cooks!) husband. We got married as soon as he finished his army service in the IDF. I was 21. We honeymooned in Greece, had a couple kids, and moved out to the country.

Before starting this blog, I was working as a chef in Israels top kosher Thai restaurant, busy testing spicy chillies and eating way too much green curry. That’s where I found my love to cook.

I grew up baking- learning from lovely Kauai women as a teen and following that passion in Israel. I’ve held the position as head baker in some great bakeries across the Jerusalem area, and served in the Israeli Air Force for six months as a baker(I know- I too was surprised that such a position even existed!).

Since branching out into the world of real food- not just pastries and treats, I have found a love for, well, everything. World cuisine has so much to offer, so many combinations of spices, customs, ingredients, and techniques. I love finding those new favorites you don’t know how you were living without, and learning the secrets.

This is where I get to share them with you.

This blog is my journey- not just through food but through experience. Living, finding my Soul(&Streusel), raising children, and all the ups and downs in between.

Here we can connect and inspire each other, to love what goes into our bodies, and learn to cook the good stuff in our very own kitchens.

I love hearing from you and I LOVE seeing your creations, so tag um all with @estee_bestie. Feel free to send me a message, a question, or just to say hello and Aloha!