Chef
Spencer Horovitz
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Venue
- Hadeem · Restaurant
i. Biography
Spencer Horovitz’s cooking at Hadeem in San Francisco reads through California-Jewish cuisine, with the plate carrying a personal geography as much as a professional one. The line runs through family roots in Greece, Lithuania, New York, Poland, Russia, Miami, and Romania, and Horovitz uses that inheritance as structure rather than decoration. In the work, biography functions as frame, cadence, and pressure; it gives the food its terms.
The Climb
Early rooms set the basis for the kitchen language here. Horovitz began as chef at Itria, then moved on to chef at Al's Place, followed by chef at The Progress and chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood. Each stop added a different set of expectations, and each one gave his work another register to draw from. At Slug in Oakland, CA (from 2022), the through-line became clearer. The position did not change the essentials of the title, but it made the progression easier to read: accumulation, adjustment, and a style settling into sharper focus. Since 2023, Horovitz has been chef of Hadeem, carrying that prior experience into the present role. The move extends the same line of work rather than interrupting it, with the earlier kitchens still visible in the current one.
Today
Horovitz is chef at Hadeem in San Francisco. The role places California-Jewish cuisine in the foreground, with the family line behind it and the restaurant work in front of it. It is where those inherited references are turned into something immediate and present in the room.
Recognition
Spencer Horovitz has received James Beard Foundation Award, Emerging Chef semifinalist (2025). The current chapter is anchored in San Francisco, but the larger point is the progression: one kitchen after another, with each role adding another layer to the work. Horovitz’s résumé shows a steady build, and the result is a cooking language that has become increasingly legible on its own terms.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Spencer
Where did Spencer Horovitz work before?
Spencer Horovitz's earlier career included Itria, Al's Place, and The Progress.
What is Spencer Horovitz known for?
California-Jewish cuisine.
