Anya El-Watter
Hometown: Moscow
Current city of residence: San Francisco, CA
Occupation/profession: Chef at Birch & Rye
Born and raised in Moscow, Anya El-Watter's culinary education began with her mother teaching her about foraging, preserving and showing love through cooking. Anya emigrated to America at 18, earning an undergraduate degree at Columbia University before attending the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico to study the healing properties of food. She continued her formal culinary education at New York's Natural Gourmet Institute. In 2016, Anya launched Project Butterfly in San Francisco, a catering venture dedicated to providing meals for charity fundraisers.Read More
Hometown: Moscow
Current city of residence: San Francisco, CA
Occupation/profession: Chef at Birch & Rye
Born and raised in Moscow, Anya El-Watter's culinary education began with her mother teaching her about foraging, preserving and showing love through cooking. Anya emigrated to America at 18, earning an undergraduate degree at Columbia University before attending the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico to study the healing properties of food. She continued her formal culinary education at New York's Natural Gourmet Institute. In 2016, Anya launched Project Butterfly in San Francisco, a catering venture dedicated to providing meals for charity fundraisers. Anya later opened Birch & Rye, an ode to Russian gastronomy with a contemporary Californian twist. By the end of 2022, she had been named Eater San Francisco’s Chef of the Year with Birch & Rye earning a coveted spot in the Michelin Guide and a James Beard Awards semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant.