Intl. Kremlin Culinar Cup Gold Medal
Yud, me in a nut shell
I was born in Luzern, Switzerland, and have lived in Israel since I was 7 years old.
I raised a wonderful Israeli family, while my Swiss roots have remained deeply ingrained in me.
My name is Judith Zer-Aviv, and to my friends and acquaintances I am called YUD, a nickname derived from my Swiss childhood nickname - Yuditli.
After a long career in marketing, advertising and administration I went "back to school" and studied pastry art at the Tadmor Hotelier School . I undertook further studies in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, England and the United States.
I have won a number of prizes and medals for for food art creations in culinary competitions in Israel and abroad.
I developed Yud's Training Center for Pastry Art, and have the pleasure of mentoring the next generation of pastry artists.
Pastry Art allows me to fulfill my artistic inclinations and incorporate my Swiss roots into the endeavour by preserving the tastes of my Grossmama (Mamama) Dora Meyer's kitchen, who was a wonderful cook. As such, I mainly work in Konditorei (Pastry in German) a field typical of the Austrian, Hungarian, German and especially the Swiss kitchen. It is quite conservative compared to the French patisserie, but its recipes are simple and its ingredients and equipment are accessible to all.
To the culinary heritage of the Spanish descendants of my father's side, I was exposed only after we arrived in Israel and although I miss the Borequitas, Yaprakes and Fijones made by my Israeli Grandmother Savta Clara and Israeli Aunt Doda Esther, I grew up in Mamama's kitchen, and this is the culinary heritage that left its mark on me.
I learned as much from my family [mom Hanna Levy (Mariette Meyer), aunt Lotti Meyer (Magierkiewicz) aunt Susie Hoffman (Meyer) and aunt Rutli Kripor (Meyer) and cousins Shmuel (Sami) Meyer and Michel Holtz, if not more, than I did from any official institution I studied at.
The love for art and precision came from Uri Levi - my Israeli Dad - a man of science and spirit, a physician, researcher and philosopher, a wonderful violinist and illustrator who brought me up to be true, kind and generous and to aspire for excellence no matter what.