Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel

Last updated
Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel
Born
Tomball, Texas
EducationUniversity of Houston, Culinary Institute of America
SpouseArjav Ezekiel
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • Birdie's
Award(s) won
    • Food & Wine Restaurant of the Year 2023

Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is an American chef and restaurateur. In 2023 her restaurant Birdie's in Austin, Texas, was named by Food & Wine their Restaurant of the Year.

Contents

Early life and education

Malechek-Ezekiel was born and raised in Tomball, Texas, near Houston. [1] [2] She spent summers on her grandparents' sheep and goat ranch in west Texas. [3] [2] Her grandfather, Phil Aiello, moved to Brooklyn from Calabria when he was twelve. [4]

She graduated from the University of Houston. [5] She graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. [3]

Career

After graduating from the University of Houston, Malechek-Ezekiel worked in Spain; in Chicago, where she worked at Lula Cafe; and in New York City, where she worked at Cru, Del Posto, Blue Hill, Gramercy Tavern and Untitled. [5] [2] [4]

In 2021 she and her husband, sommelier Arjav Ezekiel, opened Birdie's, a counter-service wine bar in Austin, Texas. [6] [7] The restaurant's service model, which Austin Monthly calls a "new take", maintains a minimal front-of-house staff; it takes no reservations, all diners stand in line to place their initial orders and seat themselves, and further service is not assigned to a single server. [3] [2] [8] [9] It closes for two weeks in August and two weeks in late December/early January to provide staff paid time off. [8] The restaurant was named to The New York Times 2021 Restaurant List. [10] The Austin American-Statesman named it Austin's best new restaurant of 2021. [11] It was named Food & Wine's 2023 Restaurant of the Year. [12] [3] [4] The couple also run pop-up Italian restaurants called Aiello's after Malechek-Ezekiel's grandfather. [1] [4]

Reception

The New York Times in 2021 called her food "bright [and] graceful" and said she was on "the leading edge of what makes eating great in [Austin]". [10] The Austin American-Statesman in 2021 called her food "straightforward food executed flawlessly". [11] CBS's Jamie Wax, describing himself as a lifelong fan of beef tartare, called her version "the best tartare I've ever tasted"; [3] the Austin American-Statesman's Matthew Odam also called out the dish, saying, "If there’s a better beef tartare in Austin,...I haven’t had it". [11] In 2024 she was a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef:Texas. [6]

Personal life

Malechek-Ezekiel married Arjav Ezekiel in 2018. [7] The couple met in 2015 while both were working at Untitled in New York City, she as sous chef and he as dining room manager. [1] They have a son. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Duttweiler, Darcie (2023-05-24). "Inside Birdie's Journey: A Tale of Evolution and Culinary Innovation: How a Power Couple Brought East Coast Vibes to Texas". Tribeza . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sharpe, Patricia (2022-01-18). "Are You Ready for Fine-Casual Dining?". Texas Monthly . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Dish:Birdies". CBS .
  4. 1 2 3 4 Martin, Richard (2023-10-02). "How Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel Created Hit Restaurant Birdie's". Appetito . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  5. 1 2 "Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel". Southern Smoke . 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  6. 1 2 Mayhugh, Jess (2024-04-03). "One Austin Chef Is a James Beard Award 2024 Finalist". Eater Austin . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  7. 1 2 Asimov, Eric (26 August 2024). "Now an Acclaimed Restaurateur, He Long Concealed a Secret". New York Times .
  8. 1 2 Jennings, Lisa (30 June 2023). "This restaurant closes for 4 weeks every year to give its workers a vacation". Restaurant Business . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. 1 2 "The 2021 Restaurant List". The New York Times . 2021-10-11. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  11. 1 2 3 Odam, Matthew. "This is the best new restaurant in Austin in 2021 (so far)". Austin American-Statesman . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  12. ↑ Shah, Kshushbu (15 September 2023). "Birdie's in Austin Marries Destination-Worthy Dining With a Sustainable, Supportive Workplace". Food & Wine . Retrieved 2024-09-28.
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