MEMBER OF THE TRIBE
QUESTIONS
Who's thinking what — and why?
WHAT BOOK, CD, MOVIE OR OTHER MEDIA
DO YOU LONG TO SHARE WITH OTHERS?
"I want people to feel like they're visiting Israel without
having to buy a plane ticket," says YOSSI BENJAMIN,
the owner of Yossi's Israeli Cuisine in West Bloomfield.
The Haifa native, 40, who now lives in Farmington Hills,
offers authentic Israeli fare at his restaurant on Orchard
Lake Road at Northwestern Highway at Robin's Nest
Plaza. "The spices I'm using are different [from other
Middle Eastern restaurants]," Benjamin says. "The
falafel is light and crisp — just like in Israel."
Lured to Metro Detroit in 2001 by a job opportunity
with an auto company, Benjamin, his wife, Lisette, and
their two sons, Dean, 10, and Jeremy, 7, fell in love with
the area. He and Lisette, who is Dutch, often can be
seen greeting patrons as they order kebabs, hummus,
shawarma, baba ghanoush and other popular dishes.
Benjamin owned three restaurants in Israel, but Yossi's
is his first since arriving in the United States. "The rea-
son I opened the restaurant is because the community
here travels to Israel and supports Israel in so many
different ways," Benjamin says. "I wanted to create a
place that would make people feel just like they did
when they were there." We ask Benjamin our version of
the Four Questions.
PLATIN
I have two books to recommend. The first
one is The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your
Dream by Paulo Coelho. In the story, Santiago, a
shepherd boy, falls asleep under a tree and dreams
that he'll find a hidden treasure where the pyra-
mids are in Egypt. So, he travels there to literally
follow his dream. The story is all about what he
has to go through to get to Egypt; and it's amaz-
ing, the journey he makes. But, the moral of the
story is "the treasure we're looking for is right
under our nose." We have it, but we don't look
hard enough to appreciate what we have. It's a
great lesson. The other book is Who Moved My
Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. It's about getting
used to a certain routine. Many people are stuck in
what they're doing, and they're doing something
they don't really like. They're missing the point of
having fun along the way.
IF YOU COULD HAVE BRUNCH WITH ONE
BIBLICAL OR HISTORICAL JEWISH FIGURE,
WHO WOULD IT BE?
Joseph. He was a dreamer. He understood Pha-
raoh's dream about the seven lean cows and seven
fat cows, and that it meant seven years of famine
after seven years of plenty. I also admire the fact
that he actually saved the lives of his brothers who
sold him to the Egyptians. I'm quite amazed he
could forgive his brothers and forgive his family
after that.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JEWISH FOOD?
Cholent with kugel. Cholent is a type of
lig slow-cooked stew. It has black beans and
meat, and it's cooked overnight in the oven. You
can eat it in the morning or in the afternoon.
It reminds me of Saturday afternoons when I
was young. We used to sit with the whole fam-
ily together, all the aunts, uncles and cousins and
have a wonderful time. It's delicious with kugel. I
also love really good homemade borekas. They're
philo-dough puffed pastries filled with cheeses,
potatoes, mushrooms, spinach or meat, and you eat
them with boiled eggs. [Yossi's serves cholent in
the winter; borekas can be special ordered.]
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE
SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I'd say people would be very surprised to
know who I really am and what type of business
I'd really want to be in — not in the area of food.
But I can't reveal it. I'll keep it as a mystery. ❑
JN lifestyle magazine
vT:711
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•SEPTEMBER 2006 • JNPLATINUM