Eyal Shani

The Climb

Eyal Shani began in Israel as chef and owner at Ocean in Israel (from 1989), a first post that established the movement and instinct that would mark the rest of his career. He later worked as a restaurant consultant before returning to the line as head chef at HaSalon in Tel Aviv and Givatayim, Israel (from 2008), where his ideas met a larger platform. That reach expanded again with co-opening roles at HaSalon in New York City, New York, USA (from 2019) and HaSalon in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (from 2023), each opening carrying the same focus on immediacy, theatricality, and the force of simple ingredients handled with conviction. Today, Eyal is founder of Miznon (since 2011), judge of MasterChef Israel, and co-opener of Malka (since 2024). Those roles show a cook moving across formats while keeping a consistent point of view. Whether building a concept, judging talent, or helping launch a new room, he works with the same restless energy.

Today

Miznon remains a current project, and Shani leads Miznon NYC in New York City. There, his cooking is pared to a form that is easy to enter and hard to mistake for anyone else’s. The food is built for pleasure and speed, but it carries enough personality to stay with the diner. Different rooms, same pulse: Israeli street food presented with confidence and a clear point of view.

Signature

Eyal's signature dishes include whole-roasted cauliflower and folded cheeseburger. The first treats a single ingredient as enough on its own, pushed to full expression through restraint and heat. The second shows his ability to take a familiar format and make it legible by shape and handling. Together, they map a sensibility that favors directness, play, and bold simplicity.

In Their Words “When I judge on MasterChef, I’m searching for genius.” Those lines point to the tempo of the work: long hours, exacting standards, and a search that goes beyond correctness. Shani is looking for something with force, something that cuts through. That preference runs across Ocean in Israel (from 1989), HaSalon in Tel Aviv and Givatayim, Israel (from 2008), HaSalon in New York City, New York, USA (from 2019), HaSalon in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (from 2023), Miznon (since 2011), and Malka (since 2024). The common thread is a belief that food should do more than feed; it should reveal something.