CIA Alumni Bio
Born to travel-hungry Scottish and Israeli parents of Eastern-European descent, chef/owner Ilan Hall was exposed to international food from an early age.
Ramen and Hot Dogs
Ilan is the chef/owner of Ramen Hood located at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles. The stall’s menu is completely plant-based. “Our food isn’t only for vegans. Our underlying goal is to be creative, have fun with our food, and make it healthy and appealing to everyone,” he says.
In May 2018, Ilan became the Culinary Wingman at Dog Haus. The franchise restaurant operates in 13 states: CA, UT, AZ, IL, TX, NY, CO, TN, NV, KY, MD, LA, and MI. “Ilan has been an incredible friend and partner of ours in the past, and we’re thrilled to make him an official member of the Dog Haus family,” says Hagop Giragossian, Dog Haus Partner. “We are confident Ilan will be an instrumental part in Dog Haus’ future and we look forward to seeing his culinary vision come to life.”
Hyde Park and Greystone
Raised in Great Neck, NY, Ilan’s first job was at the local seafood store, Marine Fishery. At 17, Ilan went to Florence where he studied at the Lorenzo de Medici School’s Apicius program and cooked at the Al Lume di Candela restaurant. Then it was on to The Culinary Institute of America where he spent his internship at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole in New York City. After graduating the CIA with an associate’s degree, he went on to get his certification in baking and pastry arts at the school’s St. Helena, CA campus. While there, he worked at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. Back in New York, Ilan cooked for Tom Colicchio at Craft, and for Mario Batali at Casa Mono, under chef/co-owner Andy Nusser ’95.
In 2007, at age 24, Ilan won season two of Bravo TV’s reality competition, Top Chef.
The Gorbals
In August 2009, Ilan opened his first restaurant, The Gorbals, named for the neighborhood in Glasgow, Scotland where his parents grew up. Located inside The Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the restaurant served global immigrant cuisine. Ilan’s second Gorbals restaurant opened on July 29, 2014 in Space Ninety 8, the Urban Outfitters concept store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In 2015, Ilan closed The Gorbals and in December, 2015, Ilan replace The Gorbals in Brooklyn with Esh, an Israeli barbecue. “I’ve always wanted to instill more Middle Eastern and Israeli flavors into my food,” Ilan says. Esh closed in September, 2016.
Knife Fight
In early 2013, Ilan developed a television program called Knife Fight with executive producer, Drew Barrymore, for the Esquire Network. “The concept of the show started when I was working at Casa Mono and we had mise en place leftover that wouldn’t last for the next day. So instead of throwing it out, we would throw it down,” Ilan says. Debuting on September 24, 2013, the show was described as an underground, after-hours cooking competition, where talented chefs go head-to-head in front of a rowdy crowd of celebrities, critics, and die-hard foodies. Each episode has different contestants that face off in pairs. The show has a rotating cast of judges.
“I feel like the industry has embraced the show—they connect with it because it’s in a restaurant, and by having no prizes and nothing to win, people just let down their guard and go for the gusto,” explains Ilan. “Chefs that I know love it because it’s more their speed. The fights that came out best were when chefs were judging other chefs, because there’s a mutual respect that you can’t really replicate,” says Hall. Knife Fight completed its fourth season before NBCUniversal shut down the Esquire Network.
Chef Ilan Hall majored in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He is the executive chef and owner of Ramen Hood in Los Angeles, CA and is the culinary wingman at Dog Haus.