Michael Rafidi

Michael Lee Rafidi (c. 1985) is a Palestinian American chef and restaurateur.^[1][2][3] Rafidi was named the 2024 the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef of the Year^[1][3] and also owns the Michelin star restaurant, Albi.^[4][5]

Career

Rafidi worked at Michael Mina’s restaurant RN74 in San Francisco, California.^[6][7] At RN74, Rafidi held the role of executive chef.^[7]

In 2017, Rafidi moved to Washington, D.C. and became the executive chef at Arroz, a Spanish restaurant owned by restaurateur Mike Isabella.^[8][9][10] He also became the executive chef at another one of Mike Isabella's restaurants Requin, which was located on The Wharf but has since closed.^[8][9]

In March 2018, Rafidi stepped away from his positions at Arroz and Requin several days after a lawsuit made public sexual harassment allegations against Mike Isabella and several associates; however, Rafidi did not explicitly state the lawsuit was the reason for his departure.^[9] In that same month, The RAMMY Awards nominated Rafidi as a finalist for Rising Culinary Star of the Year.^[11]

In February 2020, Rafidi opened Albi, located in Washington, D.C's Navy Yard.^[4]

In March 2022, Rafidi was named as a semifinalist in for the James Beard Awards in the "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)" category.^[12] In June of that same year, Rafidi’s restaurant Albi earned a Michelin Star.^[5] Also in 2022, Rafidi opened Yellow in Georgetown, a sister restaurant to Albi that also focuses on Levantine-inspired cuisine.^[4]

In 2023, Rafidi was nominated as a finalist for the James Beard Awards in the "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)" category.^[13]

In June 2024, Rafidi was named The James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef of the Year.^[1][3] He dedicated his win to “to Palestine and to all the Palestinian people out there, whether it's here or in Palestine or all over the world”.^[14][15] In July 2024, he opened a new and expanded 3,500-square-foot flagship and test kitchen forYellow located in Union Market.^[4][16] In September of that same year, Rafidi opened a third restaurant, La' Shukran that is styled after a French bistro and located in Union Market on top of his Yellow location.^[17][18][19]