Ayesha Nurdjaja
AYESHA NURDJAJA, CHEF/PARTNER + CULINARY DIRECTOR
A Brooklyn native of Italian-Indonesian heritage, JBF Best Chef: New York State nominee Ayesha Nurdjaja’s entrepreneurial spirit first led her to pursue a business degree at Pace University. Shortly after receiving her degree, Ayesha realized food was her true passion and subsequently enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education. She worked her way up the ranks at various New York City restaurants including Lidia Bastianich’s Felidia, Bar Aristinal, Picholine and Missy Robbins’ A Voce as well as Il Bordello and Red Gravy in Brooklyn as executive chef before meeting Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer of The Bowery Group in 2015. Two years later, Ayesha opened Shuka in SoHo with the restaurant group, earning a devoted following for her vibrant Eastern Mediterranean fare. While stepping into the culinary director role for the restaurant group overall, Ayesha opened Shukette in 2021 as chef/partner, garnering recognition and reviews from the New York Times, New Yorker and more.
When she’s not at the restaurants, Ayesha enjoys a nice glass of scotch, traveling everywhere from the Amalfi Coast to the Aegean Sea and discovering antique pieces for her ever-expanding jewelry collection.
REVIEWS + ACCOLADES
The New York Times (Dec 2021)
The New Yorker (Dec 2021)
T, The New York Times Magazine (Dec 2021)
Eater NY (Dec 2021)
Time Out NY (Dec 2021)
Bloomberg (Dec 2021)
Resy blog (Dec 2021)
Eater NY, The 15 Hottest New Restaurants in Manhattan (Aug-Dec 2021)
The New Yorker (Nov 2021)
DuJour (Oct 2021)
The New York Times (Sep 2021)
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
Haaretz, Best Israeli Eatery in N.Y.C. Comes From This Gifted non-Israeli Chef (Jan 2021)
Resy blog, How America’s Chefs Celebrate Thanksgiving in 2021 (Nov 2021)
Resy blog, 20 Questions With Shuka and Shukette’s Ayesha Nurdjaja (Oct 2021)
Grub Street, Shukette’s Summer Cherries Are for Chile Heads (July 2021)
Eater NY, Inside Shukette, Where ‘Controlled Chaos’ Breathes New Life Into Mediterranean Favorite Shuka (July 2021)
WSJ, Get More From Your Grill: Recipes for Busting a Barbecue Rut (July 2021)
Vogue, 13 Chefs Weigh In on Their Number-One Kitchen Essential (June 2021)
Condé Nast Traveler, The Best Tinned Fish to Stock up on this Summer: Italian Sardines, Sea Urchin Caviar, and More (May 2021)
TV APPEARANCES & CLIPS
TODAY Show (Dec 2021)
VICE Munchies (Oct 2021)
NY1 (Jan 2021)
Frequent guest judge on Food Network (Beat Bobby Flay, Throwdown with Michael Symon, etc.,)
SOCIAL CHANNELS
@ayesha_rare
Website here
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