Alon Shaya (born 1979) is an
Israeli-American
, native_name_lang =
, image =
, caption =
, population = 110,000–150,000
, popplace = New York metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Miami metropolitan area, and other large metropolitan are ...
celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in printed publications. While television ...
and restaurant owner. He is the author of several cookbooks and the owner of a hospitality and restaurant consulting business, Pomegranate Hospitality.
Early years and education
Shaya was born in
Bat Yam
Bat Yam ( he, בַּת יָם or ) is a city located on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, on the Central Coastal Plain just south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area and the Tel Aviv District. In 2020, it had a populat ...
, Israel and raised in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, where he moved at the age of four.
He attended Harriton High School and the Central Montco Technical School. He trained at the
Culinary Institute of America
Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs ...
.
Career
Shaya began his culinary career as an intern at the
Rio Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
. He also cooked in restaurants in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. He moved to
New Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,[New Orleans]
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
.Top Chef
''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional che ...
''.Galilee
Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Gali ...
.
In 2020 he presented at a Blackberry Farm event. He is a brand ambassador for Camellia Brand.
In mid 2021, Pomegranate Hospitality and the Four Season Hotel & Private Residences New Orleans will open the hotel’s signature restaurant and lobby bar. The restaurant, Miss River, will represent Alon & Emily’s love letter to Louisiana.
Awards
In 2010, Shaya was named one of ''Esquire Magazine
''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst Communications, it also has more than 20 international editions.
Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under ...
''’s “Chefs to Watch” and in 2012 he was named Chef of the Year by Eater New Orleans.
He listed as one of the “50 People Who are Changing the South” by Southern Living Magazine in 2015. He was also listed as one of the “50 Most Influential Jews in America” by the Forward
''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...
.
Publications
He has contributed to KITCHN magazine. In 2018 he published ''Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel'' (Knopf).
Philanthropy
In 2016, Shaya partnered with his high school home economics teacher, Donna Barnett, to form the Shaya Barnett Foundation, which brings culinary education to high schools.
During the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, Shaya turned his closed restaurants into soup kitchens offering free meals to furloughed hospitality-industry workers. He also partnered with chef Edward Lee in founding the Restaurant Worker Relief program.
He is a chef fundraiser for ''No Kid Hungry
Share Our Strength is a national organization working to end childhood hunger and poverty in the United States. Share Our Strength holds culinary events, solicits individual donations, and uses social media to raise funds, which are then used to ...
, Alex’s Lemonade Stand'', and ''DC Central Kitchen/ Martha’s Table''.
Personal
Shaya is married to Emily Ostuw,