In celebration of Israel's 65th Independence Day, Suzanne Tracht will open her kitchen to Assaf Granit and Uri Navon, chef-owners of Machneyda restaurant in Jerusalem, at Jar for a collaborative one-night dinner on Saturday, April 13.

Tracht was approached by the Consulate General of Israel with the possibility of coordinating a dinner with the chefs. The idea appealed to her in part because she had heard about Machneyuda and the accolades it has received.

“Their restaurant in Israel is so hard to get into,” she says. According to The Guardian, Machneyuda gets booked up to six weeks in advance.

Plans for the dinner has been a joint effort, which began with Granit and Navon sending Tracht their Mediterranean menu; Tracht then selected dishes that she felt would best transport Israel to Los Angeles. At its current stage, dinner features dishes like a roasted aubergine for an appetizer and basbusa, a semolina cake, for dessert; however, the menu is still in the process of being finalized.

“As they're in a marketplace in Jerusalem, they go out everyday and buy what they're going to serve in the evening. We're going to the Santa Monica farmers market on that Wednesday and then we'll determine the menu,” she explains.

Tracht will guide the visiting chefs at the market on what's fresh and local. As she told Squid Ink in one interview, she gets inspired by farmers market trips in Southern California. She has received critical acclaim for Jar's seasonal chophouse menu.

The multi-course dinner is $125 per person with wine pairing, and will begin at 5:30 p.m; reservations are accepted throughout the evening. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit Ultimate Peace, a non-profit organization in Israel designed to bring Arab and Israeli youth together over the sport of ultimate frisbee.

And in related news:

– Jar: 99 Essential Restaurants 2013

– 55: Duck Fried Rice at Jar

– Q & A With Suzanne Tracht, Part 2: The Jar Chef on the Importance of Keeping Things Simple, Heading to Abu Dhabi, and NOT Eating Dog

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