The Gili’s Kitchen Story

Gili's Kitchen » The Gili’s Kitchen Story

A Vision Of Culinary Excellence

The story of Gili’s Kitchen begins with the vision of co-founder Ricki Ben Simon. Having attended an amazing dinner party prepared by her brother-in-law Chef Gili, Ricki started a series of conversations which led to Gili making several trips from Israel and showcasing his take on kosher (and amazing cooking skills). As Gili’s reputation continued to grow, they began to talk about opening a restaurant.

It was in 2017 that their dream would become a reality. Chef Gili agreed to move to Jacksonville and together they opened Gili’s Kitchen. The goal? To bring the freshest, most flavorful kosher cooking to the Jacksonville area and Jewish community.

Flavors That Transcend Communities

It wasn’t long after opening their restaurant in Downtown Jacksonville that Ricki and Gili started seeing success beyond the Jewish community. With locally-sourced ingredients and flavors never before seen, Gili’s Kitchen has rapidly become one of the most sought-after lunch spots. As they continue to grow, Gili continues his rich tradition of catering services.

About Chef Gili

At the root of the Gili’s Kitchen phenomenon is Chef Gili’s culinary training, which began more than 20 years ago. Having trained at Tadmor, the most prestigious cooking school in Israel, Chef Gili would go on to work with the most renowned catering companies in the country.

Then in 2005, he helped found the catering company Eat Events. He and his partner would grow the company to be a national presence, catering more than 4,000 events with attendees from 10 to 3,000. As a result of this success, Chef Gili traveled the world, learning new and interesting ways to prepare food. His travels would take him from Ho Chi Mihn City to Bangkok; Thailand to Bologna; from Paris to Singapore.

Upon returning from his travels, Chef Gili would go on to collaborate with legendary Israeli chefs, including Chef Johnathan Roshfeld (judge for Master Chef Israel), Ran Shmoeli, Doron Baron, and more.

The result of all of this is a menu unlike any seen before. For those who love kosher to those who just love amazing flavors, Gili’s Kitchen provides fresh tastes with ingredients of the highest quality.

We Welcome You To Love Our Food

For those who have yet to try Gili’s Kitchen, we are excited for your first time. Stop by your local Gili’s Kitchen restaurant in Downtown Jacksonville or Ormond Beach!