Israeli Chef Eyal Shani Honored with Michelin Star Amidst Tragedy and Service

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani, renowned for his culinary prowess, faced a bittersweet moment as he received a coveted Michelin star for his West Village restaurant, Shmoné, on the same day he was flipping steaks for IDF soldiers near the Gaza border, as was reported by the New York Post. The achievement was overshadowed by the grim events of October 7 when Hamas terrorists unleashed a brutal attack, claiming the lives of 1,200 people and abducting 240, including infants, parents, and a Holocaust survivor, the Post report said.

In response to the devastating events, Shani, who gained notoriety for his $24 tomato appetizer at HaSalon, immediately closed his 16 restaurants in Israel, as was reported by the Post. Undeterred, he transformed three of them into food factories, producing 3,000 to 4,000 meals daily for IDF soldiers stationed in the south. The Post report added that amid the tragedy, Shani’s own staff faced the horrors of combat, with around 300 employees actively engaged in the war that Hamas launched on Israel.

Moreover, the Post report indicated that two of Shani’s waitresses were among the hundreds murdered at the Supernova music festival near the border on that day of the Hamas terror attack.

One of his restaurant managers has since been killed in Gaza after Israel enacted the largest mobilization in its 75-year history to root out Hamas once and for all, the Post reported.

“We closed our restaurants and immediately converted three of them into food factories, producing 3,000 to 4,000 meals a day and driving them to army bases in the south,” Shani, 64, told Side Dish.

“They are in the depths of Gaza. We are worrying about them so much, and you can’t make contact with them,”  Shani added, as was reported by the Post.

The Jerusalem-born chef, famous for popularizing Israeli street food through his Miznon line of fast-casual eateries, extended his efforts to cook for hospitalized terror survivors, displaced kibbutzim residents, and the tens of thousands of troops involved in Israel’s largest mobilization in 75 years, as was indicated in the Post report. Shani also operates 41 restaurants from Tel Aviv to New York, Las Vegas, Miami, London, Paris, Singapore, and the UAE, the report added.

Even as Shani received the Michelin star on November 7, marking the two-month anniversary of the brutal attack, he continued to serve meals to IDF troops. However, the Post report said that Shani’s achievements were tempered by the dramatic escalation of visceral anti-Semitism in New York, where he opened his new kosher restaurant, Malka, on the Upper West Side.

Despite the accolades and success, Shani remains deeply connected to the ongoing struggles in Israel and the toll it has taken on his staff and the nation at large. The chef’s commitment to both culinary excellence and service during times of crisis reflects his unwavering dedication to his homeland and its people, the Post added.

Shani’s efforts were met with a disturbing incident in New York, where he observed a couple hesitating to enter Shmoné. The Post report said that the man, upon realizing it was a Jewish restaurant, dissuaded his partner, illustrating the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism.

“That was something, to hear that. He didn’t say, ‘They are Israelis, they are supporting the war in Gaza,’ but he immediately converted it into Jewish people hate. It’s a small story but it made such a change inside to hear that,” Shani said, according to the Post report.

Returning to Israel, Shani has provided meals at the reopened Israeli police station in Sderot, a symbol of resilience after being destroyed in the Hamas terror attack, the Post reported. He plans to host a dinner for survivors from Kibbutz Be’eri, deeply impacted on the day of the massacre.

Despite the challenges, Shani has slowly reopened some of his Tel Aviv restaurants, initially for a few hours each night, offering residents a brief respite from the conflict, as was reported by the Post. Reflecting on the profound impact of the events, Shani expressed the deep sadness in Israel, where cherished values and ways of life were shaken, rendering previous pursuits seemingly insignificant.

Shani’s journey highlights not only his culinary excellence but also his resilience and dedication to community and service during times of crisis. As he navigates the changed landscape, the chef remains a symbol of strength and determination in the face of adversity.