Chef Alon Shaya: How A High School Teacher Changed His Life

Born in Israel, Chef Alon Shaya's parents moved to Philadelphia when he was 4, a hard adjustment for Alon. But home economics teacher, Donna Barnett, saw Alon's potential and encouraged him to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. Shaya's Pomegranate Hospitality Group includes Saba and Miss River (New Orleans), Safta (Denver), Silan (Bahamas), and Safta 1964 (Las Vegas). Shaya and his former teacher cofounded the Shaya Barnett Foundation to provide resources to support culinary education. The Connected Table is broadcast live Wednesdays at 2PM ET and Music on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). The Connected Table Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.