“What would you like to learn how to make?” I asked last month on Instagram. And you answered in droves—kubbeh and mafrum, kubaneh and babkas. But in first place, one stood out—lemon meringue tart.
On one hand, I was so happy. It’s my favorite dessert in the world. That timeless combination of a crisp, buttery crust, a lemon filling that isn’t afraid of real tartness, and a mountain of meringue that melts in your mouth. On the other hand, very few serve it in restaurants or pastry shops—and even fewer make it the way it should be.
So this time, I asked you again, a more specific question—where is the best lemon meringue tart in Israel? The truth is, I should have guessed the answer.
Kadosh Café, established in 1967, has long been a pilgrimage destination. A place no one dares skip when visiting Jerusalem—even if it means waiting in line for over an hour. And yes, you wait.
“The first dessert to sell out is the one that went up on Instagram that day,” Keren Kadosh tells me when I call to share the compliments her tart received, and to ask how much Instagram plays a role there.
She’s 43, married to Itzik (49), whose father founded the café, and together they have four sons. “He’s in charge of the dough and I take care of the creams and display desserts. But there’s a lot of overlap between us.”
Those overlaps—and their deep love for sweets and for Jerusalem—made their way into their TV show “Banu Le’efot.” A show that brings small Jerusalem businesses to the fore, alongside tradition, innovation, and techniques the Kadosh family brings to their recipes.
They walk through Machane Yehuda Market and Beit Safafa, through Baka and Mea Shearim, tasting the most unique city in the world, then return to the kitchen with those ingredients to play—combining local ingredients like black tahini and kadayif with French and Austro-Hungarian techniques.
“Itzik is the star of the show,” she says about her husband. And he absolutely is articulate, talented, and charismatic but if you ask me, the one who has been shining here for years, long before the show, is Keren.
Full of energy, as if she just stepped into the pastry kitchen for the first time. A woman who moves mountains and provides a place that is both completely Israeli and somewhere else entirely. Jerusalem and Paris. Jerusalem and Budapest. Depending on what just went into the display case.
Keren may not say it about herself, so I will—but in recent years she has been leading the pastry scene here. Her Instagram has long been a huge source of inspiration. Add to that her incredibly successful online workshops (you really should sign up for her masterclass), and you have a true queen.
Years ago, when I tried to convince her to step forward so the world would know who she is, she hesitated. Today—with a TV show, a strong Instagram presence, courses, and a café with a line down the street—it’s clear she belongs front and center.
“There aren’t enough women on television,” she tells me before we hang up. And she’s right. Luckily, she’s helping change that.