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ABOUT CHEF ANYA EL-WATTAR 

Anya began her education in the kitchen with her mother in her native Moscow. Summers took her out of the city to her family’s rural home or dacha, where she spent her days cultivating produce and foraging for mushrooms. She would savor the abundance of the growing season and help preserve the extra fruits and vegetables for the rest of the year. Over time, she grew to see cooking as a way of expressing love—a common experience in a culture that emphasizes hospitality. “Whenever you would visit someone in Russia, regardless of the occasion or time of day,” she explains, “they would be sure to feed you.” 

She moved with her family to the United States at age 18 and began studies at Columbia University, earning a dual degree in Russian literature and philosophy. Afterward, she studied the healing properties of food—first at the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, and later at New York’s Natural Gourmet Institute. Upon relocating to San Francisco, she worked in the kitchen at Greens. Those experiences gave her the skill set to create dishes rooted in classical technique and imbued with her personal creative touch to nourish both body and soul.

The more she cooked, the more she understood that, for her, cooking was about nourishment and creating and feeding community. In 2016, she launched Project Butterfly, a catering company focused on events for nonprofit causes. 

Six years later, in 2022, she realized her dream of operating her own restaurant and opened Birch & Rye in San Francisco’s Noe Valley. A highly personal project, Birch & Rye served her interpretations of modern Russian cuisine. It offered contemporary takes on classic Russian dishes viewed through a California lens, with elevated, bold preparations and an exploration of fermentation techniques and premium ingredients. By the end of 2022, Anya had been named Eater San Francisco’s Chef of the Year, and Birch & Rye was added to Michelin’s California Guide and named a James Beard Award semifinalist® for Best New Restaurant.

Wanting to demystify Russian cuisine for a larger audience, in 2025, Anya joined the cast of Bravo’s Top Chef Season 22. Her participation gave her the opportunity to represent Russian culinary traditions on a legendary national stage.

Beyond her culinary endeavors, Anya is dedicated to promoting unity and cultural exchange through food. She participates in and launches events and gatherings aimed at fostering community and collaboration among chefs, exemplifying her belief that creatively imagined food can connect cultures.