Rip, Dip And Drop The Mic With Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja

If you Google Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja right this minute, you will see the Mic Drop dessert from her restaurant Shukette in Chelsea, is having a moment. Again. As the craving for cold things ramps up, the soft serve middle eastern dessert made up of tahini ice cream, halva floss, hazelnuts and pomegranate was just featured Friday at an all-ice-cream-all-the-time-shop, Caffè Panna, in Gramercy. When folks say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” this just might be the most literal, and delicious, take on the common phrase. And guess what, Nurdjaja was pleased with their interpretation. On the same day, Nurdjaja and her mom were featured guests in a segment on the Today Show about all things Spring, and her take on delicious dishes for Mother’s Day.

In brief, the chef—-the only one we know with her own GIFF—is hot, hot, hot, right now for her beautiful, vibrant food that just might be as bold and vibrant as her personality. From Instagram posts and podcast spots to being a regular guest on various television shows, at food festivals, and charity events, Nurdjaja is making a name for herself with the media as she has done in kitchen across New York City for nearly two decades.

With accolades behind her name (namely, James Beard Best Chef New York 2022, finalist; 2023, semifinalist; and NYT 100 List) while running two very popular restaurants, under one of the most popular restaurant groups in New York City (The Bowery Group), what more could she want?

Well, she told us. It is time for her own television show. A two or three-minute segment is nice, of course, but it’s just not long enough for what Chef Nurdjaja would like to do. She is incredibly passionate about her restaurants—Shuka in the West Village and Shukette in Chelsea—and the food she makes—but adding a culinary-chef-focused, late night show would be like....well, halva floss on top of a tahini soft-serve treat. Those who’ve spend any time with her will likely agree. She is used to doing big things in tiny spaces; making the extraordinary out of the ordinary; fitting a lot of things into a small moment in time; all while the camera loves her, being quick on her feet; and, last but not least, actually being quite funny.

Food Firsts

Nurdjaja grew up in Brooklyn in a house where three generations of her family lived in the same brownstone. Her parents—mom is Italian and dad is Indonesian—opened her eyes to the bold cuisines of their ancestry. Both great cooks, Nurdjaja says, “It was like Chopped in our house, with the two of them out-cooking one another.”

It was her grandmother though who took her on a global tour of the neighborhood, so to speak. They’d walk in and out of shops, like the legendary Sahadi’s, with its rows and rows of spices, as if they were taking a trip to a different part of the world when entering each door. Despite the exposure at a young age, and her appreciation for cuisine, however, her calling for it as a profession came later.

She recalls being completely mesmerized by watching Lidia Bastianich on PBS growing up. “There was something about her hands,” she mentioned on the FT Life & Art podcast from April 23. “Watching her was magical. And she had a language for the food she was cooking.” Not only did watching the show make her realize she should pursue cooking more seriously and professionally, she actually proclaimed she wanted to do so at Felidia, with her idol. It took a little time, and a lot of determination after being turned away, but as you can imagine, she made it happen.

After a continued love affair with Italian cuisine at Filidia, she diverted a bit to French food at former eatery, Picholine, then moved through the ranks at former restaurants A Voce, with mentor Missy Robbins, then Red Gravy in Brooklyn. Soon there was a match made in culinary heaven when meeting restauranteurs Vicki Freeman and Mark Meyer of the Bowery Group. Nurdjaja took the reigns in 2015 at their Hundred Acres restaurant, which flipped in 2017 into Shuka, a popular hub in the West Village for Mediterranean food.

But as the pandemic was about to hit, so was Shukette, Shuka’s wilder, little sister in Chelsea. Despite the success with Shuka, they were not estranged from the challenges that most new openings faced. Being thrown for a loop, when otherwise so ready to bring their new venture to light, they had to wait it out. Meant to open in March 2020, Shukette finally opened 15 months later in the summer of 2021. After waiting so long to open, the energy of wanting to go out again surrounded Shukette and it has been electric, packed, and very successful ever since.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would take off the way it took off,” mentioned Freeman in a podcast with Nurdjaja on Radio Cherry Bombe in 2022. Take off it has. With neon signs, loud music, and a packed house night after night, Nurdjaja indoctrinates everyone with her Rip & Dip sensibility, wanting everyone to fall in love with the “mezze” style of eating she is so passionate about.

She believes it loosens the reigns on course-style eating that can sometimes feel restrictive. After traveling to places like Israel and Morocco, she says “the essence of community, and convivial style of eating there,” —where plates are bright and vast and shared—really appealed to her.

Highlights at Shuka

Everything was delicious, but particularly flooring was the Whipped Feta with Pistachio and Cilantro; the Beet Moutabel with tahini, cumin, Nigella seeds, and oregano; Fried Halloumi with spiced yogurt and Za’atar; Fattoush Salad; Dates finished with lime as a sweet, bright, unexpected finish.

Highlights at Shukette

The music and packed bustle of her space instantly feels like a party. Along with plates passed left and right, Nurdjaja at the counter and pass, and the Hummus with bang, bang shata; the Labneh with rhubarb, celery, and black pepper; Smoked Arctic Char; Scallop Crudo; Tunisian Egg Salad; Turkish Cigar; Shrimp Skewer; the frena—the breads of breads—which is difficult to share and not shy with oozing garlic; and lastly, the Mic Drop, tahini soft serve with halva floss, hazelnut, and pomegranate.

Nurdjaja says, with Shukette, a different part of her was born, giving her a sense of freedom, and frankly, a groove that is felt by all of us walking through the door. As a chef today, she is finding herself at rock star status with hardly a week to go by that she is not featured on a tv segment, podcast, or culinary celebrity function. It is not much of a stretch to fathom as her personality is as vibrant as the splashes of every herb and spice found in the dishes at each restaurant. “At the end of the day, I just love to cook and feel lucky to do everyday what I love to do.”

Networks? Are you listening? She quite possibly could drop mics with her own show too.