i. Biography
Co-owner and head chef Raz Rahav came into wider view through a single, decisive opening: OCD Restaurant in Tel Aviv, which opened in 2016. From there, his name became linked not to a scatter of projects, but to one kitchen where Progressive Israeli cuisine and zero-waste cooking could be built into the same daily practice. The line is direct, and that is what gives it weight. One restaurant, opened with partners, became the site where local culture, memory, history, seasonal ingredients, Israeli chutzpah, and personal experience could be worked into a food language that is contemporary without losing its grounding.
Coming Up
Today, Raz is owner and head chef of OCD Restaurant.
Where They Are Now
Since opening OCD Restaurant in 2016, Rahav has remained there as co-owner and head chef. That continuity is central: OCD Restaurant is not a stop on the way to something else, but the core of his public work, where cooking, ownership, and sustainability are allowed to sit in the same frame. In a field that often prizes constant movement, Rahav has instead tightened a single address into a clearer and more defined statement. The cooking is framed as Progressive Israeli cuisine rather than as a borrowed model. It draws on local culture and history, but also on seasonal ingredients and the more intimate register of personal memory and lived experience. The result is layered rather than decorative; the dishes are carrying more than flavor alone. Even chutzpah, in Rahav’s hands, reads as part of the working vocabulary—less ornament than driving force, giving the food its nerve and forward motion. The style stays open while remaining disciplined.
Signature
Raz's signature dishes include strawberries and beef with fenugreek, asparagus stalks, chickpea hummus miso, and olive oil marmalade. Read together, they show a method built on familiar ingredients being pushed into sharper, stranger, and more memorable combinations, with seasonality and transformation kept visible in the plate.
In Their Words “Our good food is our way of persuading the message and sustainability is our tool to make this world a better place.” “I'm not the best chef. I will maybe not be the best, but I'm the best dreamer.”
Honors
Raz's honors include Best Restaurant in Israel (2022) and Sustainable Restaurant Award (2023). Taken together, they point to the two pressures running through the work: recognition for the restaurant itself, and recognition for a sustainability-first approach.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Raz
What is Raz Rahav's current role?
As of 2026, Raz Rahav is Co-owner and Head Chef.
What recognition has Raz Rahav received?
Best Restaurant in Israel (2022).
What is Raz Rahav known for?
Waste-not, want-not sustainability and zero food waste cooking.
