Reena Pushkarna, a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee, said the Israeli Prime Minister’s mention felt like “culinary diplomacy”, recalling that Table No 8 hosted his first date with Sara.
File image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu during a ceremonial welcome in India. (File Photo | IANS)
A warm personal moment slipped into diplomacy when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly thanked Indian restaurateur Reena Pushkarna, recalling that his first date with wife Sara was at her Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv.
The remark came during the India-Israel Exchange of MoUs and press statements with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a lighter aside, Netanyahu said he owed India a “great personal debt”, linking his family story to an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv.
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Speaking to ANI, Pushkarna, a noted restaurateur and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee, said she was touched by the mention. “I thank our Prime Minister Bibi (Benjamin) Netanyahu that for him India and Indian cuisine hold a lot of importance,” she said. “It is a very close relationship, and their whole family has been visiting me for the last 30 years. For me, it is culinary diplomacy. He (PM Modi) thanked me. My wish was granted.”
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Netanyahu shared that when he first met Sara, one of their earliest dates was at an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv, owned by Pushkarna.
“First of all, the food was unbelievable. Sara was introduced to it for the first time. It made for a great first date. Not only was the food excellent, the date was excellent too. Obviously, I am indebted to you, as are my children,” he said.
He added that it was Sara who chose the Indian restaurant as the venue. The evening, he recalled, turned out to be memorable for more than just the cuisine.
Sara married Benjamin Netanyahu in 1991. The couple have two sons, Yair and Avner.
Pushkarna had earlier spoken about the connection in a 2022 interview with ANI. Referring to her restaurant, popularly known as ‘Tandoori Tel Aviv’, she had said, “The first date of PM Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu was on this, Table No 8.”
She also noted that Netanyahu is fond of Indian food and places orders at least twice a week. Among his favourites, she said, are butter chicken and karahi chicken.
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