Zachary Engel

Zachary Engel is the Chef de Cuisine of Shaya Restaurant in New Orleans. In 2009, he sought out his first kitchen position with Alon Shaya at Domenica during its opening. After graduating from Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business in 2010, he moved to Philadelphia to cook at Michael Solomonov's Zahav . He then spent a summer in Tel Aviv working at Meir Adoni's Catit Restaurant in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. Upon returning to Philadelphia, Zachary helmed the first two locations of Solomonov's Federal Donuts . In 2012, Zachary moved to Healdsburg, CA to work at the Michelin-starred Madrona Manor . Under Jesse Mallgren, he cooked with seasonal ingredients pulled from the estate's garden just outside the kitchen's doors. The attention to detail and seasonality of Madrona Manor are centerpieces of his own approach to cooking. In late 2014, Zachary joined on as Sous Chef at Shaya Restaurant to work alongside his former mentor, Alon Shaya. In 2016, as Chef de Cuisine at Shaya, he was named as one of Forbes 30 under 30 and was later awarded the James Beard Foundation Award: Rising Star of the Year in 2017. Zachary is happily married and with a baby daughter. They reside in Uptown New Orleans.