Around the Table: Chef Shai Fargian Brings Israeli Flavors to Charlotte

The Charlotte Jewish News, November 2022

By Charlotte Rouchouze

The Jewish community of Charlotte knows Shai Fargian as the head chef of Yafo Kitchen and as an involved parent of three little girls who are moving through Charlotte’s Jewish schools. It was at my son’s preschool, Jewish Preschool on Sardis, where I first met the Fargians and heard about Yafo Kitchen, which has since become one of my favorites in SouthPark. During COVID, Shai even walked our preschool community through an authentic hummus recipe over Zoom, and of course, I followed along studiously, churning out the best hummus I ever made — almost as good as Yafo according to my kids.

Shai grew up in a small town in the Northern Galilee region of Israel called Karmiel. Like Israel itself, his family is a blend of Eastern European Holocaust survivors and immigrants from elsewhere in the Middle East, in his case Iran. On his mother’s side, both of his grandparents reached the end of World War II with devastating losses, his grandmother having lost a husband and his grandfather a wife and young son. After the war, they picked up the pieces and built a new life in the United States, where they raised Shai’s mother, Miriam, in Portland, Maine.

After attending Brandeis University, Miriam decided to make Aliyah, and it was in Israel that she met Shai’s father who was from an Iranian Jewish family. His father’s parents moved from Tehran in the mid-1950s and settled on a moshav specializing in stone fruits. Shai grew up about ten minutes from the moshav and remembers visiting his grandparents there often. Some of his earliest culinary memories are of cooking Iranian-style dishes alongside his grandmother: various grilled kebabs; stews; lamb dishes; a drink called faloodeh, which combines shredded apple and rose water and is traditionally served at the end of Yom Kippur to break the fast; and variations of the famous tahdig, a uniquely Persian way of serving rice in which an oily bottom layer, occasionally lined with potatoes or even matzo, is brought just to the brink of burning. The goal with tahdig is to achieve a double delight of fluffy rice on the bottom (once the whole thing is flipped) and a shell of crunchy, browned rice on the top. Shai also remembers a distinct fusion way his family had of making chopped liver, using the more Middle Eastern lamb fat instead of schmaltz.

After finishing high school, he began a seven-year military career and reached the status of major, serving in both infantry and special forces in the IDF. While he never officially cooked for his unit, he recalls a time while stationed in Gaza when the team got in a bit of a jam between dwindling chametz supplies and not-yet-delivered kosher for Passover provisions. For that night’s dinner, they had little more than some flour, eggs, and a hot water urn. Shai recalls improvising a homemade pasta dish that he cooked right in the Shabbat urn and then sauteed with soy sauce to make an impromptu chow mein that was enjoyed by all.

When Shai decided to leave the military he began a university program in economics at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan. Around this time, he also worked for Birthright Israel Excel, a program that offers students specialized fellowships in business. While out to dinner at the swanky Tel Aviv restaurant, Adora, Shai made contact with a hometown friend who was the manager of the restaurant and decided to take a job there. This job allowed him to get his foot in the door of the restaurant scene and to get to know Israeli celebrity chef Avi Biton, whose cuisine at Adora was French/Middle Eastern Fusion. At this point, however, there was a new factor in his planning — his wife, Sharon.

When Sharon was accepted into UNC business school in Chapel Hill, Shai applied to a variety of high-end restaurants in North Carolina. Over the next few years, starting as a line cook, Shai worked his way up the restaurant ladder. At the same time, he sought out any opportunities to meet and learn from experienced chefs and restaurateurs including Jamie Lynch, David Burke, and Balaboosta’s Einat Admony. It was a connection with Frank Scibelli, however, that ultimately led to the creation in 2016 of Yafo Kitchen, where Charlotteans now enjoy his Israeli cuisine in a fast-casual setting.

When I asked Shai what it has been like selling Israeli food to North Carolinians, he said at times there is a tricky balance between authenticity and familiarity. But he has found that sometimes a simple name change can help bridge the gap. Where a customer might be intimidated by schnitzel with laffa, they feel more at home with a hot chicken sandwich, even though the sandwich itself is the same. “I will sometimes see a customer who waits in line for 20 minutes only to ask what a falafel is.” “It’s a hush puppy!” he answers, “a Middle Eastern hush puppy.”

At the end of the day, everyone understands the language of delicious food, and Shai knew he could deliver that. Charlotte has proved an enthusiastic home to his food, and as Charlotteans, I would say we are lucky to call this dynamic culinary personality our own.

Charlotte Rouchouze, PhD is a local French teacher, food blogger, and beaded jewelry designer. Her blog about food traditions from around the world can be found at www.thechildrenstable.com. Contact her at charlotte.rouchouze@yahoo. com.

Shai’s Chopped Liver

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken liver

• 3 eggs

• 2 quarts of boiling water

• 2 lb. onions

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• ½ cup schmaltz or lamb fat

• 1 tbsp. kosher salt

• ½ tbsp. black pepper

Over medium/low heat, caramelize the onions with half of the fat until golden brown. This should take 45 minutes to an hour. It's low and slow but that makes all the difference. Once done, cool down with the fat.

Add the eggs to the boiling water and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Place into ice water and cool down for 10 minutes. Peel and set aside.

Heat up a heavy large pan and add the olive oil. When the oil starts to smoke add the liver and sear on one side. Add half of the salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes and flip the livers in the pan. If you need more oil, you can add more of the chicken/lamb fat. Cook for another 3-5 minutes and cool down.

In a food processor, puree the eggs, onions, and the rest of the salt and pepper until smooth. Add the cooked livers and the rest of the fat. Pulse until the livers are chopped but not completely pureed. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.