“…but we did it.”
Meet Aliya and Shaendl, the sisters behind Tel Aviv cooking studio Citrus and Salt (@citrusandsaltcooking). This unstoppable duo turned their business into Citizens Kitchen, a volunteer corps that involved over 1000 people, and that has provided over 35,000 meals to those in need across Israel since the war began.
This duo originally hails from Northern California, but after witnessing how the world turns against its Jewish community whenever Israel is at war, they felt the need to be in an environment that is protective of its Jews – and that can really only be said of Israel. Aliya led the charge in 2010, with Shaendl following in 2014. With professional experiences spanning the board, along with culinary training, the sisters began their business teaching cooking classes out of their apartments. Eventually the sisters built a studio in south Tel Aviv, which they quickly outgrew, as tourists wanting to learn Israeli staples made Citrus and Salt a must-visit on their trips to Israel.
October 2023 was set to be a record month. The studio was loaded with classes, which were booked in advance. The sisters bet on themselves and signed a lease for a new studio space on October 4th.
Aliya and Shaendl finally got into a good groove of life, things were going really well. “We were crushing it.”
And then October 7th happened. As luck would have it, on the night of October 6th, Shaendl slept over at Aliya’s while Aliya’s husband was working overnight at the hospital. They awoke in the morning to the sounds of the air raid sirens, but were initially unphased as so many Israelis are, having placed their faith in the Iron Dome to intercept any rockets being fired into Israel’s civilian centers. However, they quickly realized that this wasn’t any normal situation. News began to break about Nova, about the kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope, about the border being breached and about Israel now being at war.
The sisters immediately took themselves to the hospital to donate blood, because it’s all that could be done at the time. They were greeted with a lineup of Israelis – and to know Israelis is to know that they do not line up, ever. The lineup lasted for hours, even after Blood Services announced that they were only taking type O blood. Local restaurant chains like Aroma and Abulafia (a Jewish chain, and an Arab chain) began to cater to the crowds of volunteers that descended up on the hospitals. And thus began the citizen army’s response to the atrocities of October 7th.
On October 8th, the sisters cooked and delivered meals for Adopt-a-Savta, an organization that takes care of Holocaust Survivors. Aliya started a WhatsApp group that was intended to direct different people seeking to help with organizations that could use extra sets of hands.
People from abroad were desperately looking for ways to help in Israel’s time of need, and donations began to flow.
On October 9th, Citizen’s Kitchen was born. At the start, things were chaotic. The sisters partnered with Hamashbir (a local restaurant/bar) and chef Alon which gave them the space and extra equipment necessary to scale their operations. Orders began coming in from different organizations that catered to the needs of soldiers, evacuees, and survivors, suitable drivers were found to handle the deliveries, and immediately Citizen’s Kitchen was providing 500-600 meals daily.
They created menus of things that could easily be created in large batches. Before any sort of supply chain could be created, volunteers were sent to grocery stores to buy ingredients. Many volunteers paid for these hauls, and in some very touching instances, the cashiers would take out their credit cards and cover the cost of goods. As word spread, proper supply chains were created, but people still donated when they could (shout-out to Sergei who donated 100kg of chicken). A team of bakers around the city would bake cookies and brownies to add to meal packages.
The rabbinic authority in Tel Aviv granted an emergency kosher certification so that the food could be served on military bases. The city authorities didn’t issue fines for infractions that would have, under normal circumstances, halted operations. A committed team of volunteers -both experienced and inexperienced in the kitchen – showed up daily, despite being a fair distance from a bomb shelter. Volunteers coordinated,cooked, chopped, packed, prepped, wrote letters and recorded videos to accompany the food. They babysat. They came for a sense of community. Volunteers showed up daily, from 9 to 5 each day. Eventually the team of bakers moved in house after hours to ensure that each meal ended with a little sweet treat.
Aliya and Shaendl had an initial goal of providing meals for the entire duration of the war. And now, as the war machine has found it’s stride they continue to provide meals as international volunteer groups continue to flock to their studio to be able to do their small part in helping all facets of Israeli society. Meals are regularly sent to the hospital, to Hostage Square (where the families of those being held hostage sit, awaiting the return of their loved ones.
As life slowly returns to a new normal in Tel Aviv, the sisters have seen their business grow in ways they couldn’t have predicted. The reputation they gained since October 7th has brought in many more locals who are interested in learning different cuisines. They still spend at least two days a week with volunteers to give back.
“Volunteering and community helps you process trauma. It helps honor what has happened by giving back. And it helps strengthen morale of those on the receiving end when they know that people around the country, from around the world, are doing something for them with love. The love is important as the food itself.”
Looking back at this time Aliya and Shaendl are beyond proud of what they have been able to accomplish.
“Now we have an answer to the question of ‘How would I react to a war?’ It was a time of stress, exhaustion, but you get up every morning and go to work. There’s no time for sitting around. Something had to be done and this is what we did. Take your pre-war life and turn it into the war edition…. But we did it.”
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