For Eyal Shani, food, like life, is poetic. The Israeli chef has built a global culinary empire, with restaurants in New York, Singapore, Miami, Tel Aviv and Los Angeles. On September 1, Shani and his team celebrated the opening of a new outpost of his elevated kosher restaurant, Malka, in Beverly Hills, bringing his famous fluffy pita and fresh Mediterranean fare to the 90210. “The West Coast of the United States is like a magnet,” Shani tells Observer. “It’s a symbol of freedom, and represents an entirely new way of life and civilization, one that is far more removed from Europe’s influence on the East Coast.” Though he has seen plenty of success in L.A. with his fast-casual Miznon locations, the Malka opening marks a new era for Shani’s California footprint.

Shani is a master at romanticizing daily life; the type of creative who tells stories with his hands, and finds beauty in the mundane—a quality reflected in his deceptively simple cuisine. Malka is entirely kosher, but Shani’s ultimate goal is not just to cook for members of the Jewish community; instead, he’s here to cook for everyone. “I want to touch as many people as I can, all around the world, from different cultures and different backgrounds.” 

Lizethography Chef Eyal Shani at Malka, his newest restaurant in L.A.

If you’ve been to an Eyal Shani restaurant, then you know about his fascination with tomatoes. At Miznon, juicy, fresh tomatoes are placed on each table as decor, and during the Malka opening party, they were used to create a vibrant display at the entrance. This love of tomatoes (and produce in general) is a driving force in Shani’s desire to expand throughout Southern California. His first visit to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market cemented his excitement and reminded him of the bounty available to him in Israel, during the country’s best days. “In New York, you are working with fresh ingredients, but not with freshness,” he explains. "There's a big difference. Here, you can work with living things.” In the midst of his latest restaurant launch, Shani sat down with Observer to share the essential rituals, philosophies and ingredients that give his life flavor, both in and out of the kitchen. 

About two years ago, I moved from Tel Aviv to northern Israel and bought a place by the sea. I have a beautiful ceiling window above my bed, so with the first light, I wake up naturally. It's usually around half past five in the morning. Immediately, I go to my garden to see if everything is all right with my turtles. I have a lot of turtles, and I absolutely love them. They're a huge part of my life. I need them to live. I need their energy; their faces in front of me, greeting me each day. 

Then, I make a black coffee for my wife and me. She likes to sleep in, but I want to drink my first coffee with her, so I usually wake her up. We sit in front of the sea, sip our coffee, and then we go to the sea. I like to run on the sand barefoot for around one hour. We then return home and enjoy a very special local yogurt made from goat’s milk. Last year, my wife learned how to make the best granola in the world, so we also add that. Finally, I take a shower, get in the car and head to Tel Aviv.

First and foremost, tomatoes. Without tomatoes, you cannot balance the acidity of anything. They're also like containers of sunlight. Even at night, when they go to sleep, they keep that warmth inside like a battery, and in the morning they're bursting with this bright, tangy freshness. 

But equal to tomatoes is olive oil. I pour olive oil over everything in the kitchen, and I can't imagine cooking without it. Losing olive oil would be like losing a piece of myself. It’s the backbone of my cooking style, so much so that I might need it even more than a tomato. One of my go-to brands is Kibbutz Magal, made from Greek Koroneiki olives.

I have this Japanese tool called a Vermicular Musui. It’s sort of like a three-dimensional rice cooker that uses heat induction with a cast-iron pot. It’s constructed in a way that completely locks in moisture and allows you to cook without added liquids or oils. 

Let’s say you want to make an Italian minestrone. You follow the recipe and chop your veggies, but you don’t put any water inside. You close the lid on top of the pot, plug the instructions into the computer, and 45 minutes later, you take off the lid and find the pot filled with savory juices from the vegetables. The results are amazing, and it produces the best rice you’ll taste in your life. That is the instrument that I appreciate the most at home. And of course, my Thermomix, the most ingenious blender ever.