Chef Joseph Hadad was born in Jerusalem into a family with a gastronomic tradition, with a Moroccan mother and Tunisian father. He went to cookery school at the urging of his father, the Israeli Prime Minister's chef, and has since enjoyed a successful career in the kitchen, which began in 1996 in Romania.
Chef Joseph Hadad tells us what his favourite dishes are and what an ideal plate should look like from his point of view.
"A lot of people ask me what I eat. Hadad eats very simply. At home I eat some feta cheese with toast, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and a little garlic. I also like fish a lot. I've lived with fish. My father taught me to eat fish 3, 4 times a week. If I have fish I'm very, very happy. An ideal plate doesn't have to be stuffed. Rather than a lot and bad, better a little and good. Lots of vegetables, good meat, fish. There should be a balance between taste and appearance. If appearance and taste are on the same level, I'm very satisfied. Of course, the taste comes first, but the plating should also be close to the taste, to what we taste."
Chef Joseph Hadad says he is honoured to be part of the jury and looks forward to meeting the contestants.
"Competitors must be talented. You don't necessarily have to be a chef, but you have to be passionate. I prefer to work with passionate people and not cooks, because you can get a lot of energy out of a passionate person. That's what I'm looking for."
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