Spencer Horovitz is the chef behind Hadeem, a San Francisco pop-up devoted to what he calls California Jewish cuisine. Raised in Los Angeles, Horovitz found early inspiration in the Jewish and Greek cooking traditions of his family and in the city’s multicultural food landscape.
Horovitz studied hospitality management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, while working at Ilan Hall’s The Gorbals. He later attended the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, graduating in 2015. A stage at The Restaurant at Meadowood led to a full-time position under Christopher Kostow. Horovitz went on to cook at Redd in Napa Valley before joining several prominent Bay Area kitchens, including The Progress, Al’s Place, and Itria. He also served as executive chef of Oakland wine bar Slug.
In 2023, Horovitz launched Hadeem, a name that translates from Hebrew as “the echoes.” Through the project, he draws on the many strands of his family history and the wider Jewish diaspora while grounding his menus in Northern California ingredients. His dishes resist a narrow definition of Jewish food, moving freely among traditions and personal memories. Past creations have included scallion pancake knishes, matzo ball gnocchi, and dolmas seasoned with elements associated with Sichuan cooking.
Horovitz was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Emerging Chef and a 2026 StarChefs San Francisco-Oakland Rising Star.
