From Sign Language Interpreter to Culinary Entrepreneur: Elita Ofek's Inspiring Journey

Elita Ofek, a food blogger and content creator with 234,000 Instagram followers, has built a significant brand around Asian cuisine, but her ventures extend far beyond recipes. Under her own brand, she sells approximately 4,000 food products and related items, including imported sardines and anchovies, specialty pastas, balsamic vinegar, custom-made jams from France, Dutch cocoa, Japanese sake, a line of canned goods in collaboration with the luxury restaurant OPA, and custom spice blends. Her product range also includes essential oil burners, incense, tableware, storage, and cooking tools, with a milk frother being a major bestseller.

Ofek's loyal customer base is willing to pay 199 shekels for a monthly surprise box subscription without knowing its contents. She resides in a spacious duplex near State Square in Tel Aviv with her husband, real estate entrepreneur Daniel Ofek, and their four children. Recently, she hosted Avigdor Lieberman, announced her support for him before the elections, participated in a campaign for Ramat Aviv Mall, and launched her own olive oil in Greece. She is currently promoting her website with a campaign in Tel Aviv.

Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, to deaf parents, Ofek immigrated to Israel at five months old. Her family settled in a trailer on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, later moving to South Tel Aviv. Ofek, who knows how to prepare Caucasian food from her parents, states that sign language was her mother tongue before she knew Hebrew. She worked as a sign language interpreter for most of her adult life, from age 17 until six years ago, translating in various settings like universities, police stations, hospitals, and courts. She described the work as emotionally taxing, often involving difficult situations like child abuse or poverty, which took a toll on her mental well-being.

Following the October 7th events, Ofek became president of the Friends of the Purple War Room, a national aid center established by former Knesset member Shirly Pinto Kedosh, who is also deaf. The center provides assistance to people with disabilities who were affected by the war. Ofek explained that the organization acts as the ears, mouth, and sometimes hands and feet for individuals with disabilities, connecting them with relevant organizations and municipalities to find solutions, sometimes even using their personal funds.

Ofek's entrepreneurial journey began in 2019 after an accident left her temporarily wheelchair-bound. She started cooking and documenting her Asian-inspired dishes on Instagram. Initially gaining followers slowly, she eventually realized the demand for hard-to-find ingredients. She created a recipe booklet with a basic kit of dry ingredients, selling 400 boxes within 24 hours. This initial success grew into a full-fledged operation with 12 employees managing thousands of products. Recipes are now a bonus, serving as a marketing tool for her ingredient sales. She recently traveled to Greece to bottle her new organic olive oil, sourced from Amphissis olive trees, which will also be sold on her website.