Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.
Spencer Horovitz, chef of the Hadeem pop-up who is cooking his own interpretation of modern Jewish food, is a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards in the emerging chef category. The Beard Awards are widely considered the Oscars of the culinary world. Hadeem also was named “pop-up of the year” in 2023 by Eater SF.
His popups have been wildly popular, with long lines. We first wrote about Horovitz in May 2023 when he started Hadeem, which means “echoes” in Hebrew. At the time, he was offering an egg noodle kugel with créme fraiche, aged French cheese and black truffles. He’s also known for his love of babka, making both sweet and savory versions.
Horovitz definitely leans into his Jewishness. On his personal Instagram account, he describes himself as an “alter kocker with a ‘rye’ sense of humor.” Meanwhile, the Hadeem Instagram promises some exciting pop-ups in February and March, so look there for announcements soon.
Ari Weiswasser, chef-owner of Glen Ellen Star in Sonoma County, is also a James Beard Award semifinalist, for best chef in California. Finalists will be announced later this year. Weiswasser also owns Park Avenue Catering, where in past years latkes have been among the offerings, Mazel tov to chefs Spencer and Ari!
While many restaurateurs have been holding fundraisers for those affected by the fires in Los Angeles, SFGate reported that Square Pie Guys founder Marc Schechter not only raised $2,500 for fire relief, but drove down to L.A. to make pizzas for people who lost their homes. The first time we wrote about him, back in 2018, he was making pizza for the homeless in Oakland, so this latest effort is not at all out of character for the Jewish pizza chef.
Anya El-Wattar will be competing on the coming season of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” EaterSF just reported. El-Wattar was chef-owner of the now-closed Birch & Rye, the highly lauded modern Russian restaurant in San Francisco that was a James Beard semifinalist for best new restaurant. It was on our radar, but we missed our chance to write about it in the two short years it was open. El-Wattar, who is Jewish, was born in Moscow. We’ll be watching to see how she does on “Top Chef,” which premieres on March 13. While there have been Jewish contestants on previous seasons of the popular cooking competition, we believe this is the first time a Jewish contestant from the Bay Area is in the mix.