On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Chico Menashe, the CEO of Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel in Tel Aviv. Founded in 2021, Asif is a non-profit organization, dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture.    “It's an Israeli food culture, not specifically Jewish culture,” Menashe says. “We have influences from all over the world.”   Menashe talks about Israeli food and cooking with chutzpah. He also shares stories from Asif’s Open Kitchen Project, where Israeli locals open their homes to people who have been displaced by the war and need a place to cook. The Open Kitchen Project connects individuals, families and communities.    “The [recipes and stories] that we recognize that bring special cultural, traditional value we put on our website,” he adds. “It's an online treasure box of families’ unique recipes with their stories, with their traditions, with their heritage.”   Get the recipes for Sylvie Atias’s Stuffed Artichokes and Lizi Ezra’s Veal Sweetbread Stew, along with the highlights from the conversation, at JewishJournal.com/podcasts. To learn more about Asif’s initiatives and read more recipes and backstories, go to Asif.org. Asif is a partner organization of the Jewish Food Society. For more from Taste Buds, follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.