Israeli Chef Ruthie Broudo Opens Up About Motherhood and Life Choices
Celebrated Israeli chef and restaurateur Ruthie Broudo opened up about her personal life on Keshet 12, discussing her past choice not to have children and the emotional healing process that followed.
Renowned Israeli chef and restaurateur Ruthie Broudo, owner of the successful R2M hospitality group, recently opened up about her deeply personal life in a new television project on Keshet 12. In a candid conversation with host Assi Azar, Broudo discussed her past separation from her ex-husband Matti Broudo and the poignant realization that she missed the opportunity to become a mother.
Life Choices and Emotional Turmoil
Having married during their military service, the couple consciously chose not to have children, pouring all their energy into building their business empire instead. They ultimately parted ways in 2007. Broudo shared how a wave of grief hit her years later when her former husband had his first child with a new partner, triggering a profound existential crisis.
"I can say that after Matti brought his first daughter into the world, I went through a kind of shock, like, what have I done? I told myself: 'I'll adopt a child.' It was a year and a half of being in a frenzy," Broudo confessed during the interview.
To overcome the heartbreak, the prominent MasterChef judge turned to alternative therapy. She described a powerful session where an energy healer instructed her to place her hands on her heart and womb and utter the primal scream of bereavement: "I will never have a child."
Moving Forward and Current Endeavors
Broudo emphasized that she no longer harbors regrets about not having children, having successfully navigated the emotional storm. Since 2008, she has been in a relationship with Guy Polak, a chef and manager within her restaurant group, whom she originally hired in 2003.
Today, Ruthie Broudo remains one of the most influential figures in Israeli culinary culture, steering iconic Tel Aviv establishments such as the Coffee Bar, Brasserie, Hotel Montefiore, and the Bakery chain, alongside her television career.
