Giving friends a taste of Israel

Stephanie Burns serves up culinary history through an itrek Microgrant

When Stephanie Burns traveled to Israel with the first of two scheduled Georgetown MBA treks in early 2020, she immediately fell in love with the country’s unique culinary offerings. From falafel to shakshuka, she was smitten.

“Before my trek, I didn’t know anything about the types of food you would find in Israel,” she says. “It’s very rich culturally and is a huge mix of influences.” 

Shortly after she returned, however, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the school’s second trek. Disappointed that more of her peers wouldn’t get to have the incredible experience that she had, Stephanie cooked up an idea: she applied for an itrek Microgrant to give them a taste of her most vivid memory of Israel—the food. 

The itrek Microgrants program is available to itrek alumni to suggest creative ways to introduce new people to Israel, and/or build partnerships with Israelis, Israeli companies, or NGOs—nonprofit, non-governmental organizations.

For Stephanie, she used her microgrant to plan, prepare, and serve an authentic Israeli meal to eight friends who had been unable to visit the country as they’d planned. “It was about bringing people that experience of eating the food and learning the history,” she says.

To kick things off, Stephanie created a list of her favorite new-to-her Israeli foods and ingredients. She pored over two Israeli cookbooks, learning the stories behind each dish, and planned a full menu that she cooked herself.

“By explaining the history of these dishes—like harissa, which is a North African ingredient that has been blended into Israeli cuisine—the takeaway for the guests was to be more aware of the food and culture of Israel,” Stephanie says. 

Stephanie originally put off applying for the microgrant because she wasn’t sure whether her idea fell under the grant guidelines. “Some of the suggested activities were very different from what I had in mind,” she says. Then she decided: why not give it a try? 

She and her guests are all very glad she did.

“One of my friends really liked one of the harissa dishes from the party. Last night, she sent me a picture of her and her husband making it. That made me so happy. That was totally the goal!” she says.

Of the application process, Stephanie adds: “The process was pretty easy. It took some work, but it wasn’t like a grad school application, either. Anyone with an idea should take the opportunity and go for it!”

Stephanie lives in New York City and works in consulting. She completed her MBA at Georgetown.