About Chef Zach Engel

Chef Zach is the Executive Chef and Owner of the Michelin-starred Middle Eastern restaurant Galit and Café Yaya. Growing up in a Jewish household as the son of a rabbi, and through his many trips to Israel, Zach’s modern Middle Eastern cooking is deeply rooted in these experiences. Previously, Zach was the Chef de Cuisine at Shaya Restaurant in New Orleans, where he led a talented team to win the 2016 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, a culminating triumph after a year of many “Best New” accolades. In 2017, he was honored with the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year. In 2025, Galit was nominated as a semifinalist for “Outstanding Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation. Café Yaya, the latest concept from James Beard Foundation award-winning Chef Zach Engel and partner Andrés Clavero, opened in spring 2025 in the heart of Lincoln Park at 2431 N Lincoln Ave.

Our dinner parties take place in the Firehouse Loft, the second-floor event space of our new headquarters in the former Logan Square firehouse at 2737 W Diversey Ave. For this special evening, Chef Zach will take over the open kitchen, cooking just steps away from guests seated around the long marble counter. Expect an intimate night of great food, drinks, music, and lively conversation as Chef Zach shares the stories behind each dish, what it’s like running two acclaimed restaurants, and much more along the way.