One of the things we love about Israel is the amazing diversity of cultures we have here — which we feel so often through the food, but not only. This country is home to Jewish immigrants and their descendants from literally all over the world, a large Arab minority, and a population of refugees and migrants from even more countries. While we celebrate Israeli diversity in all its colors every day, we want to highlight black-owned businesses we love and support.

Please send us a message if you have recommendations for other businesses that you believe we should add to this list.

Caked and Baked

Designer Cakes

One of the very few drawbacks of living in Tel Aviv is that despite an incredible bakery culture (babka, challah, croissants and rugelach galore — to name just a few!) it isn’t always so easy to find a traditional American-style birthday cake. You know, those layer cakes with crazy decorations and layers of frosting, or even just some good old sprinkles? Well, thanks to Lee’at Gentely of Caked and Baked, we don’t have to miss these any longer. Bonus points—like so many of our favorite female business owners, Lee’at is also a former lawyer.

Caked and Baked makes incredible designer cakes (and cupcakes!) that are as delicious as they are beautiful, which is no small feat. Lee’at’s creations are perfect for birthdays, weddings and any special occasion, and can be customized to whatever your heart (or stomach) desires. Caked and Baked also offers workshops so you can learn from the best.

Check out Caked and Baked’s Instagram to see their beautiful designs and their website for orders.

Balinjera

Ethiopian Food

Tel Aviv is host to a slew of incredible Ethiopian restaurants, but Balinjera is probably our favorite of all! This delicious restaurant is run by Fanta Prada, an Israeli lawyer-by-training (yup, like we said, we love our lawyer-turned-business owners) of Ethiopian origin who touts the health benefits of her traditional cuisine and wants to share it with others. This is probably the only restaurant in Tel Aviv that can accommodate just about any dietary allergy (down to the ability to exclude salt, sugar and oil with advance notice) — vegan, healthy, gluten-free, and Kosher — and downright delicious.

Traditional Buna Ethiopian coffee ceremony, available at Balinjera — Traditional *Buna* Ethiopian coffee ceremony, available at Balinjera

Located in the Yemenite Quarter neighborhood just next to our unofficial office (the Carmel Market), Balinjera is somehow both cozy and hip, and we can’t recommend it highly enough, both for experienced Ethiopian food lovers and for those looking to try it for the first time with a few Israeli touches like our insider tip: off-menu shakshuka with traditional Ethiopian injera bread instead of pita or challah.

Visit Balinjera at 4 Malan St., Tel Aviv-Yafo or on Facebook

Kuchinate

Home Decor and Social Business

Kuchinate is Tel Aviv’s African Refugee Women’s Collective—a unique project tasked with the goal of the psychological, social and economic rehabilitation and empowerment of women, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan, who are seeking refugee status in Israel. Among their other projects, they are best known for their beautifully-designed home decor products, such as baskets, stools, ottomans and more.

If you buy their products, you’ll know your money will truly be put to a good cause. We particularly love their African fabric masks, which will certainly look a lot more stylish than those disposable ones and support these hard-working women along the way.

Because we can’t stop talking about food, we also want to note that Kuchinate can perform traditional Eritrean meals and coffee ceremonies!

Visit their online shop and read more about Kuchinate at https://www.kuchinate.com/.

Alemnesh

Jewelry

While many of us love Israeli jewelry designers, few of us are familiar with Ethiopian styles, especially Ethiopian-Israeli ones. Alemnesh is here to fix that with modern takes on traditional styles and minimalist, Ethiopian-inspired Israeli jewelry coming out of Jerusalem. The best part? They ship all over the world. If you’re looking for a truly different gift after many years of buying more mainstream Israeli jewelry, Alemnesh is the perfect place to start.

Gorgeous Magen David necklace with Africa insert by Alemnesh

Run proudly by Keren Rada, an Ethiopian Israeli woman, Alemnesh produces jewelry with African and Ethiopian symbols, and among other items, can make custom necklaces and bracelets with names and writing in Amharic script (English and Hebrew too!) In fact, they’ll custom design just about anything, including for those with allergies or sensitivities.

Visit Alemnesh on Facebook and on Instagram

NàLaMode

Handbags

While Israel is notoriously casual, sometimes the right special occasion offers a chance to truly dress up. While there are gorgeous dresses and shoes here, a high-quality and formal handbag or clutch can be much harder to find. Enter Robin Nahum, the founder and owner of NàLaMode, who brings over 15 years of experience operating a successful business in Miami’s wholesale fashion district to central Israel. NàLaMode’s online boutique shows their fantastic selection of handpicked and designed products ranging from casual to formal, which can all be delivered directly to your doorstep.

Visit NàLaMode’s online shop at https://www.nalamode.com/

Ethiopian Spice Shop (“Tekoro Enbasa”)

Spices and Specialty Products

This shop is one of the very few Ethiopian spice shops in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market, run by a charming Ethiopian woman, but chances are you will find her son there most of the time. It does not only sell Ethiopian spices; you can find most of your routinely used Israeli ones, including za’atar, cumin, or regular paprika. But they have an endless amount of spices you will not find anywhere else. But what is so special is how welcoming this family is. They will definitely take the time to show you around and teach you about what they have, where they bring it from and how to use it, because it can be somewhat overwhelming if you’ve never heard of or seen any of these products. If you’d ever like to try your hand at making Ethiopian food at home, head to this shop to stock up on Berbere blend (a must for Ethiopian cuisine!), Shiro powder, Teff flour, and so much more.

Get your spice fix on HaShezif St. between Etz Hayyim and Machane Yehuda (the two main market streets)

Teva Deli

100% Vegan Food

Teva Deli is a perfect example of an idea whose time is come! Teva Deli is owned by African Hebrew Israelites (also known as Black Hebrews), a minority religion in Israel largely concentrated in the southern city of Dimona, who follow a strictly vegan diet as part of their religion. The Black Hebrew community of Neve Shalom (“Village of Peace”) , was founded by adherents of the religion originally from Chicago, and many descendants primarily speak English today. When they arrived in the small city in Israel’s south in 1969 (and for many years after), they could not find necessary vegan products like tofu or soy milk, and were resourceful enough to open their own factory in Neve Shalom for vegan products. They were following a vegan diet and producing meat replacements long before being vegan was all the rage.

The factory later rebranded as Teva Deli, and with veganism catching on all over Israel, their products have become wildly successful in recent years. Teva Deli makes delicious vegan products, including many imitation meat products especially helpful for ex-carnivores trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Their seitan and veggie burgers are some of the best we’ve had.

Visit Teva Deli online at https://www.tevadeli.co.il/english or at your local supermarket

Cover photo via Caked and Baked Instagram