Arjav Ezekiel
Arjav Ezekiel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987 or 1988 (age 36–37) New Delhi, India |
| Education | Kenyon College |
| Spouse | Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel |
| Culinary career | |
Current restaurant(s)
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Award(s) won
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Arjav Ezekiel is an Indian-American restaurateur and sommelier. He and his wife, chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, own and operate Birdie's in Austin, Texas, which was named Food & Wine's 2023 Restaurant of the Year.
Early life
[edit]Ezekiel was born in New Delhi, India. In 1999, when he was twelve, his family emigrated to Portland, Oregon, on tourist visas and became undocumented after their visas expired.[1][2] He has described the stresses of living undocumented; when he was in high school, his school choir toured Europe, and he "had to come up with a creative excuse for not going".[1] His parents could not return home for their own parents' funerals.[1]
Ezekiel attend Kenyon College.[1]
Career
[edit]After graduating from college, Ezekiel was offered a job as a paralegal but was unable to accept it because of his undocumented status.[1] He started working in restaurants in Washington DC, including Komi and Wolfgang Puck's Source, starting as a waiter and eventually becoming captain, and decided to make hospitality his career.[1][2] He worked in New York at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled, both restaurants owned by Union Square Hospitality Group.[1] He staged at French Laundry and Meadowood.[1]
In 2021, Ezekiel and his wife, chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, opened Birdie's, a counter-service wine bar, in Austin, Texas where he manages the wine program.[1][3] In 2023 Food & Wine named it their Restaurant of the Year.[3][4]
Personal life
[edit]In 2012, he received documentation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).[1] Ezekiel married Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel in 2018; the couple met in 2015 while working in at Untitled New York City and decided to move to Austin to open a restaurant together to enable a better work-life balance.[1][3][4] The couple have a son born in 2022.[3]
Ezekiel received a green card after his marriage and in 2023 became a US citizen.[1] Before becoming a citizen, he never visited a wine region outside of the United States.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Asimov, Eric (26 August 2024). "Now an Acclaimed Restaurateur, He Long Concealed a Secret". New York Times.
- ^ a b Hughes, Chris (2021-10-22). "The Powerhouse Duo Behind Birdie's Brings a Refreshing New Take on the Wine Bar". Austin Monthly. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
- ^ a b c d Shah, Kshushbu (15 September 2023). "Birdie's in Austin Marries Destination-Worthy Dining With a Sustainable, Supportive Workplace". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
- ^ a b Martin, Richard (2023-10-02). "How Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel Created Hit Restaurant Birdie's". Appetito. Retrieved 2024-09-28.