Spencer Horovitz

Hadeem | San Francisco, CA

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September 2026

Spencer Horovitz grew up in Los Angeles, gleaning early cooking inspiration from both the Jewish and Greek sides of his family. Early in his career, Horovitz worked the line at Chef Ilan Hall's The Gorbals while pursuing a hospitality management degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. In 2014, he continued his education at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. After graduating in 2015, a stage at The Restaurant at Meadowood turned into a full-time position, where he learned to be detailed, precise, and fast while cooking under Rising Stars alum Christopher Kostow. He then joined the team at Chef Richard Reddington's Redd in Napa Valley, cutting his teeth at the high-energy New American restaurant before moving to the Bay Area in 2017.

Horovitz, eager to delve deeper into California cuisine, joined the team at Rising Stars alumni Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski's The Progress, where he embraced their bold, convention-defying approach to seasonal cooking. In 2018, he took a sous chef position at Chef Aaron London's Al's Place. For Horovitz, who is vocal about living with ADHD, the experience proved to be an important catalyst for learning how to work with his neurodivergence. Horovitz briefly ventured into pop-ups during the pandemic but returned to restaurants in 2021. He helped open Chef Daniel Evers' Itria as a sous chef, where blending coastal California cooking with simple Italian technique taught Horovitz how to refine and edit his cooking.

In 2023, Horovitz started his pop-up Hadeem, which means "the echoes" in Hebrew. Drawing on his upbringing in Los Angeles, Horovitz's take on "California Jewish cuisine" focuses more on the multicultural landscape of Jewish identity than the religious, with dishes like his matzah ball gnocchi with black trumpet mushrooms that reflect personal experiences and broad collective memory. With plans to open a brick-and-mortar in the near future, Horovitz continues to pop up across San Francisco, collaborating with restaurants like Rich Table, The Morris, and Burdell while contributing to organizations like the Southern Smoke Foundation and World Central Kitchen.

2026 StarChefs San Francisco-Oakland Rising Stars Award Winner

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