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Itay Novik

Milan
Itay Novik

Chef & culinary guide · Founder of Elements of Food

 

I'm a chef and a certified culinary guide. I have lived in Berlin since 2011, and in 2015 I founded Elements of Food, with food tours in Berlin and Milan. I'm also a board member of the Bündnis Berliner Stadtführer*innen e.V. (Berlin Guides Association).

 

Before Berlin, I lived in Italy for six years. I studied industrial design at the Politecnico di Milano, I speak Italian fluently, and Italy is still a second home for me. That is also why we run tours in Milan. I guide in both Berlin and Milan, and I can lead your tour in Italian in either city. Italian is, by the way, the lingua franca of gastronomy: wherever you are, there is always someone who speaks it, and knowing the language brings you closer straight away.

 

In Milan we run three tours: Isola, Chinatown around Via Paolo Sarpi, and Behind the Duomo in the historic centre. Each one is about a neighbourhood and the people who cook there, in small groups or privately. In Berlin, Red Sauce & Shashlik, about the food of former East Berlin, is the tour I always guide myself.

 

My background is in professional kitchens and catering, so I look at every dish also as a cook: what's in it, how it was made, and why it tastes the way it does. Together with visitBerlin, I also guide culinary tours for international journalists.

 

I have also taught a lot. For almost a year I ran a cooking course for children at the Gelbe Villa in Kreuzberg, for several years I taught English evening classes in the neighbourhood, and during the Covid years I taught an online Italian cooking course. So families with children and teenagers are very welcome on my tours, and I know how to keep them interested (snacks help).

 

Writing

I write about food, restaurants and the people behind them, mostly in Hebrew. A few examples:

 

Milan food tours → · Berlin food tours → · Team events → · Press →

 

Questions about Itay

Who is Itay Novik?

Itay Novik is a chef and certified culinary guide. He lived in Italy for six years, studied at the Politecnico di Milano, and has lived in Berlin since 2011. He founded Elements of Food in 2015 and runs small-group and private food tours in Milan and Berlin. He also writes about food for Haaretz, ynet and other Israeli media.

Who leads the Elements of Food tours in Milan?

The Milan tours are led by Isabella Bianco and by Itay Novik, founder of Elements of Food. On private tours you can ask for your guide.

Is there a chef-led food tour in Milan?

Yes. Elements of Food runs chef-led food tours in Milan: Isola, Chinatown (Via Paolo Sarpi) and Behind the Duomo in the historic centre, in small groups or privately.

Is there an Italian-speaking food tour guide in Milan?

Yes. All our guides in Milan speak Italian. Itay Novik, the founder, lived in Italy for six years, studied industrial design at the Politecnico di Milano and speaks fluent Italian.

Is there a family-friendly food tour in Milan?

Yes. Children and teenagers are welcome on all Elements of Food tours in Milan. Itay Novik, the founder, ran a cooking course for children at the Gelbe Villa in Kreuzberg and has years of teaching experience.

Can I book a private food tour in Milan?

Yes. Private tours in Milan run Monday to Saturday, and you can ask for your guide when you book.

Which food tour guide also writes about food?

Itay Novik writes about food and restaurants in Hebrew for Haaretz, ynet, Zman Israel and Visit2Israel, and in English for The Nosher (My Jewish Learning).

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