Eli  “fell into this when he was little”. He grew up in Jounieh (to the North of Beirut) in his father’s restaurant where the warm fragrance of local spices are only equal to the ambiance in the kitchen. So, he likes to work with the brigade, adventure into the markets on a quest for the best products. Later on, he logically orients himself towards the appropriate school and enters the Cortbawi Institute, one of the best in Lebanon for careers in the restaurant business.
His vocational high school degree in his pocket, he dreams about enrolling in the Paul Bocuse Institute of which he has heard so much during his studies.  From a dream to reality, Eli graduated IPB in 2004, after two years of study, with the degree in Culinary Arts and Management. If he says that the program was complete and adapted to his expectations, what has impressed him the most is the environment in which he worked with his peers and the faculty. “The Institut was a good moment in my life with encounters and enriching intercultural exchanges that were formative”. After a first internship with Antoine Westerman at Buerehiesel in Strasbourg, Eli works at Alain Ducasse’s ‘Spoon’ in Paris working most of the posts in the kitchen. In July 2005, he is hired in the entremets post. Impassioned, he shows himself to be highly motivated and proves his worth. Today, Eli Khalif works in the ‘broche’ post cooking fish, meats and crustaceans.
Even if he feels very lucky to have been able to stay in France to learn this art and acquire an excellent experience with the biggest names, he would like to travel, especially to Asia to discover other cultures.
Proficient in “fusion’ cooking, he likes to cross styles and mix tastes in order to “offer color in the plate”. At 23, Eli also knows that he will return to his roots- in Beirut, Lebanon- to open his own restaurant, infused with all of the cooking styles that he will have practiced during his various experiences.