Micah Wexler

The Path

Cornell University gave Micah Wexler the kind of structure that can turn inherited instinct into working method. From there, the line through Vincenti Ristorante, Craft, and Mezze shows a kitchen career built by accumulation rather than shortcut: Italian cook at Vincenti Ristorante, then sous chef at Craft, then executive chef at Mezze until 2012. Each role added another layer of technique and pace, building a range that now sits behind Wexler’s Deli in Los Angeles.

The Work Today

At Wexler’s Deli, the food is organized around Jewish soul food as a working memory, not a museum piece. Micah Wexler describes it as encompassing “the memories of growing up and being in their kitchens and cooking with them,” which places the craft inside family practice rather than restaurant theory. The deli setting matters here: it gives that inherited food a direct, everyday form. Technique, in his telling, stays close to touch. Wexler notes that his family “never measured or went straight off a recipe card. They cooked from touch and feeling and put a lot of themselves into the food.” That approach explains the register of the cooking now: grounded in tradition, responsive in execution, and built from felt knowledge as much as written instruction.

Signature

Micah Wexler’s signature dishes include Spiedini Siciliana, Micah Wexler’s Chopped Salad Pasta Salad, and Roasted Smokey Red Chicken. The range across those dishes points to a kitchen that can move between comfort and clarity without losing the center of the plate.

In Their Words “Jewish soul food encompasses the memories of growing up and being in their kitchens and cooking with them.” “I’m a big believer in the notion that food has to come from a point of inspiration and soul.”

Acclaim

His standard for the work is stated plainly: food has to come from “a point of inspiration and soul.” That is less a branding line than a rule of practice, and it frames Micah Wexler’s approach to Wexler’s Deli as craft rooted in memory, feel, and discipline.