i. Biography
His cooking starts at Carmel Market, where the pace of the stalls, the seasonality of the produce, and the discipline of daily shopping shape the work on the plate. From that base, Elon Amir has developed a Modern Mediterranean style of market-driven Israeli cooking that reads as bright, alert, and closely tied to what the market gives on the day. The food avoids grandstanding. It is built with balance, freshness, and a controlled hand that keeps the ingredients clear. It is also cooking that is meant to sit with the wine program rather than compete with it, and that relationship gives the room its particular edge.
Coming Up
At Habasta, Elon Amir works as Executive Chef. The setting suits a kitchen where food and cellar have to speak to each other, and where the chef’s hand can stay direct, seasonal, and precise without tipping into fuss. In that framework, his cooking has room to function as part of the larger meal. The dishes are built to move with the wines, to echo them, soften them, and at points sharpen them, so the sequence lands as a coordinated whole rather than a set of isolated plates.
Where They Are Now
Responsiveness is the thread running through the current menu. It sits under the whole style and gives his Israeli cooking its shape. The work is market-led, so it shifts with the day and with the produce; Mediterranean in language, so it carries brightness, warmth, and herb-forward ease; and attentive to the wine program as part of the structure of service, so each element is placed with intent. That food-and-wine relationship is what gives the role its character. The cooking is not built to overpower the cellar. It is set alongside it, made to leave space for it, and designed to help the meal hold together around both what is poured and what is plated. In practice, that means the food arrives with clarity and poise, relying on texture, acidity, and seasoning rather than excess. The result is a style that feels considered but not forced, lively but composed.
Signature
Elon's signature dishes include crab bourekas, artichoke ravioli, Jerusalem Artichoke Masabacha With Lemony Green Beans, and Lali’s cherry salad. Each points to the same working method: familiar forms handled with freshness, market produce treated plainly and carefully, and flavors given enough lift to stand with the wines without crowding them. Taken together, they show a chef working from place, with restraint, responsiveness, and a clear view of the meal as a whole.
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Elon
What is Elon Amir's current role?
As of 2026, Elon Amir is Executive Chef.
What is Elon Amir known for?
Modern Mediterranean, market-driven Israeli cooking.
