An unexpected source of inspiration - what inspires you?

I have an unusual source of inspiration these days – It’s Masterchef Israel.

You may think it’s a cooking show but actually it’s a show about communication and human insight.

Masterchef Israel has been running for 9 season with 4 hosts, each of them a talented chef and “philosopher”. What they are able to do, which I have never seen before, is read people through their food.

It begins with the auditions where the Masterchef “wannabes” present a dish for blind tasting. If the dish passes, they invite the person into the studio to cook a second dish. Before this person comes in, they begin guessing who is going to walk in – age, gender, place of origin, occupation, family status and other factors. It blows me away how often they get the most obscure details right.

And then the person walks in and begins to tell their story – some sad, some uplifting, some funny – but they always ask questions, listen deeply and get to know the essence of the person in front of them – what drives them, why they’re there, how authentic they are in expressing themselves through their food. They are bold with their questions and manage to pull out the hardest stories. Each participant is seen and heard in a way that you don’t usually see. This is the part that usually has me in tears because every person comes with a story – one more touching than the next.

They are also kind. There is no screaming at contestants or putting them down. Yes, they give honest feedback – always with compassion. When someone doesn’t make it through the audition (or to the next stage), they give words of encouragement, show them how to get even better, how to evolve in their journey and send them on their way with a smile (and a hug – pre-covid).

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