Hadeem x Burdell

Hadeem, meaning “the echoes” in Hebrew, draws a parallel between the diverse culinary traditions of the Jewish diaspora and fond memories of Chef Spencer’s multicultural Los Angeles upbringing. After working at acclaimed restaurants like Itria, Al's Place, the Progress, The Restaurant at Meadowood, and others, Chef Spencer embarks on his own project to explore California-Jewish food. In 2023, Hadeem was awarded “Pop-up of the Year” by Eater SF.

On March 28th, Hadeem shares a tale of two bubbes: Chef Spencer’s Yiayia Naomi and Grandma Judy.

Yiayia’s love language was always stocking a can of dolmades for my visit (and sorry to anyone who dared to eat them). My maternal grandmother of Greek heritage was the keeper of recipes passed down through generations. Every family holiday, including the Jewish ones, was not complete without Yiayia’s cooking. Her natural intuition has greatly inspired many of your favorite Hadeem dishes like the spanakopita, baklava, and dolmades. So for this event, we’re unveiling a few of her hits that haven’t yet made it to a Hadeem menu!

Grandma Judy’s approach to food relied on her strong sense of community and was born from necessity. My paternal grandmother was a working single mother with 4 kids; dinners included boisterous potlucks with visiting relatives, or were whipped together with help from the family-owned Jewish deli down the street. Although she can sometimes be a frugal alter kocker (IYKYK), her ability to gather people around good food is what we aim for with each Hadeem meal.

We’ll be cooking a deeply personal – yet fearlessly inauthentic – menu in tribute to these matriarchs.