THE BEGINNING
Nadia Ellis was born and raised in Milan, Italy. After earning her Master’s degree in Foreign Languages and Literature in 2002, Nadia moves to Paris where she lived for six years. There, she begins her career as a Product Manager in the Jewelry and Fashion world. In 2008, she decides to follow one of her biggest dreams, and she moves to Tel Aviv, where she works for the first two years as a Business Developer for one of the local largest Fashion brands. The year 2011 marks another big change in Nadia’s life: she decides to enroll at Tel Aviv University to pursue a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Political Discourse Analysis, which Nadia earns with success in 2017. In parallel, Nadia works as researcher for the prestigious Jerusalem-based JPPI (Jewish People Policy Institute) for which she carries out a number of political analysis and research. At the same time (2013-2019), Nadia starts working for the international News Channel i24news, for which she provides weekly political discourse analysis during the live 8PM News broadcast.
2014: THE TURNING POINT
It is during the summer of 2014 that Nadia researches for the first time the conditions of animal factory farming. It is a shock and a revelation, and within three months she decides to change her lifestyle... NADIA GOES VEGAN!
ALL BY MY SELF
While in 2014 Veganism is already on the rise in Tel Aviv, Nadia needs no more than a few weeks to realize that her decision will not only impact her day-by-day lifestyle, but most of all, her culinary habits. Being both an Italian and a Foodie, Nadia goes in search for proper Italian vegan food in Israel only to discover that... there is none! This is when Nadia decides to study - on her own - traditional Italian cuisine, while trying to reproduce it in a vegan version that recreates and conveys, as much as possible, its original flavors, colors and textures.
ECCOMI! I'M THE VEGAN ITALIAN CHEF
After many experiments and countless dishes, Nadia gets in touch with Eatwith, the prestigious international culinary platform that connects Foodies and Chefs all over the world. After a selection process that lasts over two months, Nadia makes her official debut on Eatwith as the first Vegan Host in Israel on August 2015. From that moment on, the rumor quickly spreads and thousands of guests (tourists and locals), mostly non vegans, reserve their seat at Nadia’s table. In the past four years more than 4,000 guests have had the opportunity to taste the vegan version of the most traditional Italian dishes that our Chef offers during her dinners. Today Nadia lectures on Rhetoric and Discourse Analysis at Tel Aviv University, while continuing to host two to three Eatwith dinners a week in her Tel Aviv living room.
