Elad Shoham is a wine and beverage professional based in Tel Aviv, with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He spent a decade as Beverage Director for R2M—Israel’s leading restaurant group – where he was responsible for developing beverage programs, importing exclusive labels, recruiting and training bar managers and junior sommeliers, and overseeing the production of the company’s annual private label wine. As Israel is a young country with an even younger wine market, Elad was one of the key players in the development of the country’s wine culture. He was the first to offer Jura wines on a menu, the first to have a natural wine category, and helped support many young and boutique local winemakers. Elad has been teaching wine with WSET Tel Aviv since 2019, and has gained WSET Diploma with merit from WSET London.
Elad’s long passion for sake led him to Japan, where he completed the Advanced Sake Sommelier certification, followed by a in depth field trip visiting breweries across different regions of the country. This immersive journey allowed him to explore sake not only as a beverage, but as a cultural and an emotional expression—building the foundation for how he pays forward the story of sake in his teachings today, giving him an holistic approach to his sake education.
Like with wine, he believes teaching should be highly professional yet down-to-earth, with the goal of igniting curiosity while making the world of beverage more approachable. Through tastings, guided sessions, and certified SSA courses, Elad is committed to opening Israel’s doors to sake and sharing its beauty with a wider audience.

White Heart — named after the pure core of the rice grain revealed in sake making—is Elad’s company through which he sharing the essence of Sake with curious drinkers, professionals, and anyone drawn to the beauty of this ancient drink.