Chef Joseph Hadad in Bucharest: an Israeli chef's story

Chef Joseph Hadad: the short answer

Joseph (Yossi) Hadad is an Israeli chef who has lived and worked in Bucharest since the late 1990s. According to an interview with Revista Biz, he first came in 1996 for a few days, to plan the menu for the first wedding at the Casa Vernescu restaurant. A year later he returned with a two-year contract as the restaurant's chef, and he has not left since. Today he is also a Romanian citizen.

Along the way he became one of the familiar faces of Romanian food: a judge on TV cooking shows and the owner of restaurants bearing his name in central Bucharest. Israel's public broadcaster Kan 11 devoted a whole episode of its series "On the Napkin" to him.

In plain words: Hadad did not plan to emigrate. He came for a short trial, checked, and only after two years brought his family. That is a good model for any family moving from Israel that is considering Romania.

Before Romania: in the kitchen from age 16

According to Kan 11's series page from 2018, Hadad has worked in professional kitchens since he was 16. At 32 he became the youngest chef, and the first Israeli one, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

In a profile from July 2013, Revista Biz describes a family with North African roots: a mother of Moroccan origin and a Tunisian father who worked as a cook on a passenger ship. As a teenager he spent three years at a cooking school, and at 19 he began three years of army service. He then worked in restaurants in Jerusalem, Germany, the United States and France, including specialist training in Alsace.

Before the move, according to the same magazine, he ran a kitchen of 48 cooks in Haifa and cooked for celebrities and heads of state.

1996: "I knew nothing about Romania"

The first offer came through a friend from Jerusalem. "I knew nothing about Romania" ("Nu stiam nimic despre Romania."), he told Revista Biz, adding that he asked for a map to see where the country even was.

Landing at Otopeni airport in the mid-1990s was, in his words, a shock. But the Casa Vernescu building, about 200 years old, surprised him. "It is like the Élysée, I did not know Romania was like this, with such a strong tradition behind it" ("E ca la Élysée, nu stiam ca asa e Romania, cu traditie asa puternica in spate.").

The work was not simple. The kitchen had only basic equipment, and the ingredients for the complex dishes he planned were simply not on the market. According to the article, someone drove all the way to Hungary to buy them.

Two years of commuting, and only then the family

In 1997 he signed a two-year contract with full freedom to set the menu and the team. "Every cook's dream is an unlimited budget" ("Visul oricarui bucatar este sa aiba un buget nelimitat"), he said.

He did not move the family straight away. According to Revista Biz, for two years he flew home for one week in every three. Only after he decided that this was no way to live as a family did his wife come for three days to look at schools. She chose the Jewish kindergarten and school of the Lauder foundation, and only then packed up the house.

According to Wall-Street.ro, Hadad worked at Casa Vernescu for 17 years and led a team of 72 cooks there.

What he built in Bucharest

Joseph by Joseph Hadad. In 2013 he opened his first restaurant of his own, in a historic villa in the Aviatorilor area. According to Wall-Street.ro, he sees the first six months as the real test of a restaurant: "After six months you see whether your restaurant has value" ("Dupa sase luni de zile vezi daca restaurantul tau are valoare").

Caju. In December 2016 he opened Caju, a less formal brasserie at Nicolae Golescu 16, behind the Romanian Athenaeum. According to ZF, the name was chosen because the cashew is his favourite nut.

I talk about our country, Romania, because I cannot say 'this country'. My country is Israel. (Joseph Hadad, Revista Biz, 2013)

Mace. According to its website, a Mediterranean restaurant with international influences, at Benjamin Franklin 16.

His official website lists three restaurants today: Joseph, Caju and Mace.

Television. According to Wikipedia, he was a judge on the first season of Romania's Top Chef on Antena 1, in 2012–2013. In 2019 Revista Biz reported that he was one of the three judges of the new MasterChef edition on Pro TV. The Israeli channel i24NEWS also described him, in a Hebrew interview, as a judge on Romania's MasterChef.

How he sees life in Romania

Hadad speaks about Romania warmly, but not without criticism.

On his identity, he told Revista Biz in 2013: "I talk about our country, Romania, because I cannot say 'this country'. My country is Israel" ("Vorbesc de tara noastra, Romania, ca nu pot spune tara asta. Tara mea este Israelul.").

On the Romanian countryside: "Seeing the cows in the village was, for me, like being a child again" ("Sa vad vacile la tara era pentru mine ca pe vremea copilariei."). He said he had travelled in the mountains and to Cluj, Sibiu, Brașov and Sinaia.

On the language: he learned Romanian with his children's help, starting with the names of vegetables, fruit and spices. "It was important for me to be able to talk to my people, to get the professional message across" ("Pentru mine a fost important sa pot vorbi cu oamenii mei, sa transmit mesajul profesional.").

His criticism is aimed mainly at bureaucracy. Profit.ro reported that, in front of the tourism minister, he criticised the number of permits and the taxes that weigh on local restaurants.

And in an interview with Club Antreprenor in March 2025 he described how he approaches his team: "Skills can be learned, but attitude and the will to learn are what matter" ("Abilitățile pot fi învățate, dar atitudinea și dorința de a învăța sunt esențiale").

What a family moving from Israel can learn from his story

1. Try first, then move. Hadad came for a few days, came back with a two-year contract, and only after two years brought his family. Anyone considering relocation can do the same: a period of work or a short rental before a big decision. We wrote about this in rent or buy when relocating to Bucharest, and about the pros and cons in living in Bucharest.

2. The school decides, not the flat. His wife came for three days to look at schools, and only then did the family move. That is exactly the order we recommend: school first, then the neighbourhood. On today's options, see international education in Romania and our guide to international schools in Bucharest.

3. Start the language with the words of your work. He did not wait for perfect Romanian. He first learned the words he needed every day in the kitchen.

4. Prepare for bureaucracy. Even after two decades, permits and paperwork are his standing complaint. If you are opening a business or buying property, plan time and documents, and work with an independent lawyer. How to choose one: choosing a lawyer for a purchase in Romania.

5. Build a local team. According to Revista Biz, he worked well with Romanians and preferred young people he could train. An Israeli business in Romania succeeds when it relies on local people.

Frequently asked questions

Where are Joseph Hadad's restaurants in Bucharest?

Caju is at Nicolae Golescu 16, behind the Romanian Athenaeum, and Mace is at Benjamin Franklin 16. His official website also lists the Joseph restaurant. Before you visit, check the address and opening hours on the restaurants' websites, because details like these change.

Are his restaurants kosher?

We found no publication about kosher supervision at Hadad's restaurants. If you keep kosher, you can eat at Chabad's Bereshit restaurant; the details are in the Jewish community in Romania.

Where can I watch him in Hebrew?

In 2018 Kan 11 broadcast the episode "Bucharest with chef Yossi Hadad" in its series "On the Napkin", and it is available on Kan's website. i24NEWS has a filmed interview with him in Hebrew.

Does he still live in Romania?

According to his official website and reports from 2025, he continues to run his restaurants in Bucharest.

The bottom line

Joseph Hadad's story is not one of jumping in at the deep end. It is a story of small steps: a visit, a contract, two years of commuting, checking schools, and only then the move. Almost 30 years later, he is still here.

If you are also at the checking stage, book a 30-minute call with me. We will go through the questions Hadad asked himself: work, school, neighbourhood, and what to sort out before you bring the family.

Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania

Sources: Kan 11, "On the Napkin": Bucharest with chef Yossi Hadad, 10 May 2018 (Hebrew) · Revista Biz, The road from Haifa to Bucharest, 15 October 2013 · Revista Biz, Joseph Hadad profile, 22 July 2013 · Wall-Street.ro, How the Joseph Hadad brand began, 23 February 2015 · ZF, on the opening of Caju, 19 July 2017 · Revista Biz, The new MasterChef judges, 12 July 2019 · Wikipedia, Top Chef Romania · Club Antreprenor, interview, 19 March 2025 · Profit.ro, his criticism of bureaucracy · i24NEWS, The king of Bucharest (Hebrew) · Joseph Hadad, official site · Caju by Joseph Hadad · Mace by Joseph Hadad

Based on public reports and published interviews, correct as of 22 October 2026. Joseph Hadad was not interviewed for this article.

The complete guide: relocating to Romania

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This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.

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