Yochanan Lambiase is a man on a mission.

His dream? To make kosher food gourmet - Michelin-starred Mehadrin.

"I want to turn the kosher food industry into something global, which will reach the highest levels of gastronomy."

For 10 years - from 2003 - he furthered his cause as the founder and principal of the (now defunct) Jerusalem Culinary Institute (JCI) where he and his team trained men and women - separately - in the art of kosher cookery.

"The Charedi world is huge in terms of wanting to learn gourmet cooking," says Lambiase. "They are really into it."

His pupils were not limited to the Orthodox - so long as they were Jewish, all were welcome at the school.

He has not always been Orthodox. He was born Jon Renee, in Capri, to a Jewish mother and Italian father. His father was the fourth generation of a long line of qualified chefs. Lambiase (as he became) also studied for three years to be a chef, at Westminster Hotel School - Jamie Oliver's alma mater.

After qualifying, he cooked all over the world with top chefs, including Marco Pierre White, Paul Bocuse and Roger Vergé - the latter two of whom have been credited with inventing Nouvelle Cuisine - before a stint at London's King David Suite.

"That was my first experience with kosher cooking and it blew me away," recalls Lambiase. "I just saw it as this amazing challenge. This was really learning how to cook."

It was at this point in his career that Lambiase became interested in his religion, and in 1994, made aliyah.

Once there, he first worked at the Sheraton Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem, but soon moved into private client and consultancy work, on projects that included setting up a new kosher restaurant in Zurich.

It was after this that Lambiase - disappointed with the general standard and lack of creativity in kosher cooking in Israel - opened JCI. He closed the school last year.

"I found myself more out of the kitchen than in it, becoming distanced from my love of cooking. With the boom of the kosher food industry, and finding the novice home cook being influenced by food and culture especially how to play with products in kosher cooking, I wanted to be out there with them."

He had, by the time the school closed its doors last year, felt the message had started to get out there, but realises kosher food has some way to go.

"There's a bit of a stigma with kosher food. It's seen as all salt beef and chopped liver, but you can take kosher foods and give them a twist to bring them right into the 21st century.

"Kosher diners can now come to Israel and have a gastronomic week. There is good kosher food out here."

He explains that the kosher market has grown to such an extent that Israeli chefs - Jonathan Roshfeld and Meir Adoni - both of whom are considered part of Israel's culinary elite, have each recently opened kosher restaurants.

"They are the top chefs in Israel, but they are also businessmen, so they must see there is a market for kosher food. And they are not the only ones, there is a kosher meat restaurant also in Tel Aviv Port, Lechem Basar, where you have to queue to get in!"

According to Lambiase, more and more religious people are featuring in the lively Israeli food scene.

"Two years ago Tom Franz - a German converted Jew who kept kosher - won Israeli Master Chef. More and more kosher oriented people are coming into this level of modern cuisine."

Lambiase has continued to preach his message via social media, presents a weekly show on Radio Kol Chai - Israel's largest religious radio station and has a blog on JPost presenting cooking videos.

He is also about to return to the kitchen as a teacher.

"Bulthaup, the kitchen manufacturer, has three culinary schools worldwide. The largest is in Tel Aviv's port. It is a state-of-the-art venue in one of the trendiest areas of the city, and the kitchen is already under the certification of the Rabbinate of Tel Aviv. I will be teaching there.

"Tel Aviv is the place to be to promote kosher, and close the divide."

Lambiase feels Bulthaup is the right place to get his message across.

"It's the perfect way to perpetuate kosher food into this era."

That remains to be seen, but with names like Roshfeld and Adoni identifying the market for kosher food, perhaps Lambiase's energetic attempts are coming to fruition.