Chef Fariyal Abdullahi is firing on all cylinders. She is running Hav & Mar in Chelsea, which is quickly gaining the attention of many; she makes television appearances as a guest or judge; but more importantly, she is creating a community in her kitchen that best reflects our world and values today.
James Beard Semi-finalist. Forbes 2023 All Star Eatery. New York Times’s 12 Best. Observer Social Impact Nightlife & Dining Power List. It could easily feel like a dream and yet, Abdullahi has worked incredibly hard to garner the attention she is receiving these days. “My family and closest friends make it a point to remind me to pause and truly take in what’s happening. In those moments, it does feel like I’m dreaming. And, the accolades and attention are new, but it doesn’t feel foreign. I guess when its something you know you deserve, even if you weren’t expecting it, it doesn’t come as a surprise.”
All in all, she has a restaurant to run. But not just any restaurant. Hav & Mar is a 140-seat New York hotspot boasting a lot of firsts—that were a long-time coming—so people are watching. When beloved celebrity chef and owner Marcus Samuelsson handed Abdullahi the reigns, to a restaurant he envisioned would celebrate diversity in food and in business, he must have known that pass was an industry-altering move that would break a few ceilings along the way. And he certainly sensed that Abdullahi could not be a more perfect fit for the task, as she had already broken a few of her own before leaving home.
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