Israel's culinary ambassador Eyal Shani expands to south Florida with new kosher hotspot

It’s that time of year again: post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas, and South Florida is filling up as snowbirds descend from the chilly Northeast in search of sunshine. This season, Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani has a bold new offering for the crowds - Malka, a high-end kosher meat restaurant that opened this week in West Palm Beach.

The new venture is the first Florida location for Malka, Shani’s kosher concept, which already has two popular New York City spots and one in Tel Aviv.

But opening a kosher eatery in this quieter part of West Palm Beach, just across the bridge from the posh island of Palm Beach, is a gamble. Most of the area’s observant Jewish population resides 30 miles south in Boca Raton.

Yet Shani, 65, believes his combination of high-quality Israeli cuisine and stunning design - the space spans 10,500 square feet and was crafted by a renowned Israeli architecture firm, with all materials shipped directly from Israel - will attract diners from all walks of life. And so far, it seems he’s right.

“In its first week, they are fitting something like 150 people and there’s a waiting list of 300 people every night,” Shani told Jewish Insider on Wednesday. “I think that we are doing a very beautiful thing.”

Malka’s signature dish is no ordinary schnitzel. Inside its golden, fried crust lies mashed potatoes alongside the chicken, creating what Shani dubs “the most famous Malka schnitzel.” The rest of the menu is playful and inventive, featuring items like “Hummus ragu, might be even closer to perfection,” and “Whole fish roasted on a terrifying fire,” a nod to Shani’s passion for open-flame cooking.

Shani, known for his unruly white curls and round spectacles, is no stranger to success. He has launched 40 restaurants worldwide, including hotspots like Miznon, which introduced whole roasted cauliflower as a main course, and Hasalon, a restaurant-nightclub fusion with locations in Miami, New York, and Las Vegas. His fine-dining New York eatery Shmoné earned a Michelin star last year.

Of his global empire, only five restaurants are kosher: the four Malka locations and one kosher-certified Miznon in Times Square. Shani said he was inspired to offer kosher dining after witnessing Orthodox Jews longing to experience his food.

“They used to stand and look at my restaurant with eyes that want to swallow my restaurant. But they couldn’t because they are Orthodox and they are eating kosher,” he explained. “Then I said to myself, my purpose in life is to cook for my people. And these are part of my people.”

* The Jewish Insider contributed to this article.