Dana Llewellyn brings authentic Israeli flavours and kosher catering to Leeds with her new venture, Gefen Catering.
In recent years, Leeds’s Jewish community has had to look beyond the city for kosher catering options, often turning to Manchester or London-based companies for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and celebrations. But that’s changing. Dana Llewellyn recently launched Gefen Catering under the Beth Din with help from Rabbi Anthony Gilbert, and her very first event was catering the LJWB Pride Awards.
“It went really well,” Dana says. “I got some really great feedback. It was very busy – a lot of preparation involved. But from what I’ve heard, everybody enjoyed the food.”
An auspicious debut, but Dana comes to the role with impressive credentials having spent seven years working at Taste & Colour, one of Israel’s biggest catering companies, where she honed her skills at large-scale events; Israeli weddings are known to be grand affairs with 400 to 600 guests as standard.
“So, I definitely know what I’m doing,” she laughs. “But the Pride Awards was my first big kosher event in England, working at Etz Chaim Synagogue with Rabbi Gilbert as my supervisor.”
Gefen’s approach is all about abundance and joy. Rather than formal plated dinners, Dana specialises in what she calls a ‘feast buffet’ – long tables filled with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, designed for gatherings from 40 to 300 people.
“It’s mainly fresh, colourful, happy food,” Dana explains. “Obviously we do fried stuff, but it’s really important to me to also show that salads and fruits can be tasty. It looks good and it makes you feel greater after you eat it as well.”
The menu features plenty of salads, breads, dips, and main dishes, all based on fresh ingredients. Whether it’s an anniversary, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or a wedding, she tailors the spread to the occasion.
“First I talk with the customer and see what they’re looking for,” she says. “We customise the menu for each event. It’s all based on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food.”
As the only kosher caterer currently operating in Leeds, Dana is conscious of her responsibility to the community. She’s committed to keeping prices reasonable, despite kosher ingredients often being more expensive, particularly meat: “I want to be as fair as I can and not overcharge people. My focus, honestly, is to make people happy. I just like to feed people and see people enjoying my food. That’s what Gefen is all about.”
Dana has managed to capitalise on a gap in the market but acknowledges Gefen Catering won’t be the only game in town for long: “I know it’s going to change really soon, which is not a bad thing. Competition is always good.”
The response has been encouraging. Dana’s diary is already filling out, with bookings extending into summer 2026. Many in the community may already know Dana from Shouk, her Israeli street food venture which has operated at various festivals and venues, recently at Trinity Kitchen in Leeds. The business has built a loyal following, particularly for its authentic Tel Aviv-style falafel – made to Dana’s secret recipe.
While Gefen Catering is keeping Dana busy, she has bigger ambitions: “I’m hoping in the future to open a cafe so people can just come and enjoy the food whenever they want,” she says. “They don’t need to wait for some kind of celebration. I want to slowly build the brand. People know me already so it’s a great foundation.”
