Zachary Engel
Zachary Engel is the Chef/Owner of Galit, a Michelin-starred Middle Eastern Restaurant, and Cafe Yaya, a more casual sister restaurant, bakery and wine bar in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Previously, Zach was Chef de Cuisine at Shaya in New Orleans, leading a talented team to the 2016 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
In 2017, he followed with the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award. He cooked in the kitchens of Zahav (Philadelphia), Catit (Tel Aviv) and Michelin-starred Madrona Manor (Sonoma). Zach’s time growing up in a Jewish household and many trips to Israel are the grounding elements of his Middle Eastern cooking. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
Related Event
Cafe Yaya is a neighborhood cafe for life’s pleasures: good food, coffee, wine and friends. By day, a selection of house-made pastries and coffees. By afternoon and night, a curated menu of Mediterranean and French flavors with intriguing wines and cocktails. For this 90/90 event, Cafe Yaya will offer an evening celebration with a four-course dinner and beverage pairings. The menu will feature Chef Zach Engel's cuisine, with nods to the influence of Chef Jacques Pépin's cookbooks on his early culinary career. Silent Auction items available as well.