"Chef Alon Shaya was in the kitchen in 2016 when the restaurant that still carries his name won the award for Best New Restaurant. After parting ways with the restaurant, chef Shaya and his wife Emily founded Pomegranate Hospitality, which includes his Israeli and Mediterranean restaurants Saba and Miss River in New Orleans; Safta in Denver; Silan in the Bahamas; and SAFTA 1964, a pop-up in Las Vegas. Chef Zachary Engel won the 2017 Rising Star Chef of the Year award during his tenure as chef de cuisine at Shaya — these days, the restaurant is under the stewardship of Lebanese-born chef Fariz Choumali, who serves a considered menu of falafel in silky green tahini, gulf shrimp kebabs with Moroccan couscous, and date cinnamon babka king cake." - Beth D'Addono
