Chef Ran Shmueli Sells Stake in Tel Aviv’s Claro Restaurant After 12 Years

After 12 successful years and tens of thousands of satisfied customers, Chef Ran Shmueli has sold his entire stake in Claro, his flagship restaurant located in the Sarona complex in Tel Aviv. The ownership has been fully transferred to Irit Kolber, one of the co-founders of Claro in both Israel and London. Shmueli explained that he received an offer he could not refuse and felt ready to move on after years of intense planning, creation, and operation of the restaurant that was the center of his professional life.

Shmueli was instrumental in establishing Claro alongside partners Irit Kolber and Zohar Maron, from vision and planning to making it one of Tel Aviv’s leading dining institutions. In recent years, he focused on launching and stabilizing Claro’s London branch, which led him to relocate to London over two years ago before recently returning to Israel. He described Claro as his "baby," a project into which he invested years of thought, creativity, work, and love.

The restaurant remains in trusted hands, with Chef Tal Feigenbaum, who has been Shmueli’s culinary partner for 11 years, and CEO Itai Buksbaum continuing to lead both the Tel Aviv and London locations. The Tel Aviv management team includes pastry chef Ofri Rahav and kitchen managers Or Weitzen and Assi Levi, while the London kitchen is led by Chef Shadi Issawi. The transition marks the end of a significant chapter for Shmueli but ensures the restaurant’s ongoing operation and development under its current team.

Shmueli expressed confidence in the new leadership, noting that the strong foundation allows him to move forward. The article concludes with well wishes for Shmueli’s future and hopes that Claro will continue to offer its distinctive, refined cuisine.