The small kibbutz cafe: a temple of carbohydrates and a salad that brings joy
Amidst the stunning landscape of the Alona settlements, we discovered a space of art and food: a beeswax candle workshop, a Fimo kingdom posing as sweets, and a cafe full of yeast delicacies.
Vineyards, orchards, rolling hills, and oak trees that refuse to surrender even to the yellow of August extract from almost everyone who descends towards the Alona settlements the exclamation: "This is our Tuscany." In the eyes of Anat Gafni, the creator who led the art tour we joined, Toscana Art Tour, this cliché image is not just an expression of the landscape, but also a symbol of a space that invites creation.
Gafni found herself at age 50, like many others, in an identity crisis. After years of working in design, she returned to her first love, art. She began leading tours among female creators in the Pardes Hanna area, where she lives, and even branched out to the Alona settlements.
Toscana Art Tour
10:00 | Something to eat: coffee and brioche pastries among the cards
She starts the morning in a circle at the Glixon Cafe in Kibbutz Kfar Glixon. Ten women participating in the tour sit around a wooden table, cards pass from hand to hand, hearts open under the auspices of excellent coffee and soft brioche pastries, and we capture a piece of tranquility.
Neria Pelesh, the owner of the place, decided after years of managing catering to slow down the pace, and today she cooks, bakes, roasts, and assembles every dish in the small open kitchen.
On our table landed two types of spelt pretzels that Neria baked herself: one filled with an egg salad bursting with goodness, the other with goat cheese, sardines, tomatoes, olives, and onions, on which a little honey was added to unite the flavors. Along with them came a salad called "Joy of Life," which combined sweet potatoes, sprouts on a bed of tahini and silan, beet slices, and artichoke on a white plate.
But it was the two plump yeast cakes — one cinnamon and nut, the other chocolate — that slowed down the conversation around the table. Pieces of dough were torn by greedy hands, and the sweet and salty in the cinnamon cake mixed with the personal stories that opened up one after another.
11:00 | Something for the soul: when plants invade the house
The house of Nirit Oren in Givat Ada, the first artist we met on the tour, tells the story of the earth. Already at the entrance, it is difficult to distinguish where the garden ends and the house begins. Plants invade inside, branches become objects, and stones, seeds, and leaves take on new life. The couple built their breathtaking home from the concept that nature is not just the domain of the outdoors. Every shutter, light fixture, table, or frame was collected over the years, renovated, and given a new life.
In her studio, Nirit demonstrates magic skills with the raw materials that nature gave her. A cactus leaf becomes a map of Israel, dry leaves are framed like jewelry, thorns, seeds, and flower heads become works of art. She does not try to force a new shape on the material. She only reveals the beauty that was already embedded in it, and suddenly we too begin to look differently at what lies under our feet.
12:00 | Something to do: creating candles among bubbling pots
We arrive at Givat Nili, where under a shed that was once used for packing fruit, hides the "Mekor HaMelacha" workshop of Dolev and Leon Elitzur. Six years ago, in partnership with her spouse, Dolev began making candles for her own pleasure. The hobby turned into a small factory that produces candles from natural beeswax only.
In the workshop, pots of bubbling wax are placed on the stove, cotton wicks are hung to dry, and a delicate scent of beeswax fills the space. Besides selling candles, Dolev holds a workshop using the traditional dipping method. We dip the wick into the hot wax again and again, and each layer adds thickness and shape to it.
13:00 | Something to see: donuts and Krembo that only look real
Yaarit Buknat welcomes us in a Hawaiian outfit and a glass of chilled rosé with a cake she baked herself, and immediately after opens a door to a world that looks like a treasure box: dozens of miniatures, shirts, jewelry, and other items that she creates with her own hands. But the highlight is: the colorful plates on which are placed donuts, Krembo, popsicles, and chocolates made of Fimo, which look so real that you want to take a bite.
Behind the colorful success story hides a painful story: for years she heard again and again that nothing would come of her, until one day she decided to stop believing it. Since then, she creates with feverish intensity, exhibits her works in hotels and galleries, and continues to invent more and more worlds for herself. One of the participants in the group looks around and says quietly: "She simply brings joy." It seems there is no more accurate way to describe this place.
