Charbel Hayek
{{Short description|Lebanese chef}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox chef
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| birth_place = Beirut, Lebanon
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| education = French School of Excellence
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| style = Lebanese, Levantine, and Eastern Mediterranean
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Charbel Hayek is a Lebanese chef based in Los Angeles, known for his appearances on the television series Top Chef. His cooking features Lebanese, Levantine, and Eastern Mediterranean influences, often with a California twist.{{cite news |last1=Reams |first1=Joey |title=Restaurant Hopes to Land in San Diego |url=https://whatnow.com/san-diego/restaurants/laya-restaurant-hopes-to-land-in-san-diego/ |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=What Now |date=13 February 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Klimek |first1=Sara |title=Top Chef Winner Charbel Hayek's Best Tips For Grilling Lamb Skewers|url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1638886/lamb-grilling-tips-charbel-hayek-top-chef/ |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Tasting Table |date=12 August 2024}}
Early life and education
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Hayek learned cooking from his mother.{{cite news |last1=Malec |first1=Brett |title=Get to Know Top Chef's Season 20 Contestants Before the World All-Stars Premiere |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1367364/get-to-know-top-chefs-season-20-contestants-before-the-world-all-stars-premiere |access-date=21 March 2025 |publisher=E Online |date=9 March 2023}} After graduating from high school, he left Lebanon and moved to Paris to study at the French School of Excellence.
Career
Hayek worked under Chef Josiah Citrin at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Mélisse in Los Angeles, for nearly three years.
In 2021 and at the age of 24, he won the Season 5 of the Arabic version of Top Chef.{{cite news |last1=Rosemberg |first1=Jasmin |title=Ladyhawk's Charbel Hayek Covers L.A. Magazine's Best New Restaurants Issue |url=https://lamag.com/food/ladyhawk-charbel-hayek-best-new-restaurants-issue-2025 |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Los Angeles Magazine |date=3 January 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Guzman |first1=Richard |title=Top Chef winner is bringing classic Middle Eastern food to a new Hollywood restaurant this summer |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2024/06/12/top-chef-winner-is-bringing-classic-middle-eastern-food-to-a-new-hollywood-restaurant-this-summer/ |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Daily News |date=13 June 2024}}
After winning his season of the Arabic-edition edition of the cooking series, Hayek was chosen to compete in Top Chef: World All-Stars, making him the youngest and least experienced chef among the contestants.{{cite news |last1=Bloom |first1=Mike |title='Top Chef: World All-Stars' Charbel Hayek on the Response to Highlighting the Crisis in Lebanon |url=https://parade.com/tv/top-chef-world-all-stars-20-charbel-hayekhttps://parade.com/tv/top-chef-world-all-stars-20-charbel-hayek |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Parade |date=2 May 2023}} However, he won the season's first Elimination Challenge. Although he was eventually eliminated, he had few setbacks throughout the competition.
He later relocated to Florida to work as a private chef, eventually making his way back to LA.
Hayek opened his first restaurant,{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Leslie |title=Top Chef’s Charbel Hayek Dishes His Secret To Ladyhawk’s Amazing Hummus |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliekelly/2024/02/11/top-chefs-charbel-hayek-dishes-his-secret-to-ladyhawks-amazing-hummus/ |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Forbes |date=11 February 2024}} Ladyhawk, a name inspired by his mother.{{cite news |last1=Holmes |first1=Mona |title=‘Top Chef’ Winner From Lebanon Opens His First-Ever Restaurant in West Hollywood |url=https://la.eater.com/2023/11/1/23940879/ladyhawk-restaurant-opening-west-hollywood-la-peer-hotel-charbel-hayek-mediterranean |access-date=21 March 2025 |publisher=LA Eater |date=1 November 2023}}
His second restaurant in Los Angeles, Laya, combines farmers market ingredients with California, Lebanese, and other Levantine flavors.{{cite news |last1=Holmes |first1=Mona |title=Gather Around for Wagyu and Octopus Skewers at Hollywood’s Vibey New Middle Eastern Hotspot |url=https://la.eater.com/2024/7/1/24189847/laya-restaurant-opening-chef-charbel-hayek-top-chef-middle-east-farmers-market-hollywood |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Eater Los Angeles |date=1 July 2024}} In 2025, a branch of Laya Restaurant was opened in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
In 2025, Hayek opened BarVera on Bedford Street in Stamford, Connecticut.{{cite news |title=Top Chef Winner to Open Open BarVera in Downtown Stamford |url=https://news.hamlethub.com/stamford-connecticut/top-chef-winner-to-open-open-barvera-in-downtown-stamfordhttps://news.hamlethub.com/stamford-connecticut/top-chef-winner-to-open-open-barvera-in-downtown-stamford |access-date=19 March 2025 |publisher=Hamlet Hub |date=4 February 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Kaufman |first1=Richard |title=BarVera, A Modern Mediterranean Restaurant, To Open In StamfordBarVera, A Modern Mediterranean Restaurant, To Open In Stamford |url=https://patch.com/connecticut/stamford/barvera-modern-mediterranean-restaurant-open-stamford |access-date=19 March 2025|publisher=Patch |date=12 February 2025}}
Restaurants
- BarVera in Stamford, Connecticut
- Ladyhawk in West Hollywood, California
- Laya in Hollywood and San Diego, California
References
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