Chef Moshik Roth Opens Up About Painful Exit From MasterChef Israel and New Culinary Venture

Moshik Roth, renowned Israeli chef and former MasterChef Israel judge, has shared his emotional journey following his unexpected departure from the popular cooking show. Roth, who moved from the Netherlands to Israel and founded the country’s most expensive restaurant, &Moshik, revealed that he learned about his exit from MasterChef through media reports rather than directly from the producers. This lack of communication left him and his wife, Shiran, deeply hurt and disappointed, particularly with fellow judge Assaf Granit, whom they believe knew about the decision beforehand but did not inform Roth.

Roth described the emotional toll of the dismissal, recalling a night of loss and helplessness, but emphasized his resilience by focusing on his culinary career beyond television. His wife Shiran expressed strong criticism of the network’s handling of the situation, calling it disrespectful and accusing the production team of orchestrating a deliberate surprise. She also voiced her disappointment in Granit, a longtime colleague, for not supporting Roth during the process.

Despite the setback, Roth continues to run &Moshik in Tel Aviv, a Michelin-level restaurant with a fixed-price menu of 950 shekels per guest. The restaurant employs 24 staff members to serve just 20 diners, maintaining high standards and relying on creative business models, including prepaid meal partnerships. Roth also shared his personal health transformation, having lost half his body weight from 208 to 106 kilograms due to fears of not being there for his children.

Balancing his demanding culinary work with family life in Ramat Hasharon remains a challenge, but Roth remains optimistic about his future. He is currently working on a thriller book and developing a new secret television format, signaling that while his chapter on MasterChef has closed, his presence in the culinary and media world is far from over.