Ayesha Nurdjaja

AYESHA NURDJAJA, CHEF/PARTNER:

A Brooklyn native of Italian-Indonesian heritage, JBF Best Chef: New York State nominee Ayesha Nurdjaja’s entrepreneurial spirit first led her to pursue a business degree at Pace University. Shortly after receiving her degree, Ayesha realized food was her true passion and subsequently enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education. She worked her way up the ranks at various New York City restaurants including Lidia Bastianich’s Felidia, Bar Aristinal, Picholine and Missy Robbins’ A Voce as well as Il Bordello and Red Gravy in Brooklyn as executive chef before meeting Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer of The Bowery Group in 2015. Two years later, Ayesha opened Shuka in SoHo with the restaurant group, earning a devoted following for her vibrant Eastern Mediterranean fare. While stepping into the culinary director role for the restaurant group overall, Ayesha opened Shukette in 2021 as chef/partner, garnering recognition and reviews from the New York Times, New Yorker and also recently landing on The New York Times’ “Top 100 Restaurants in NYC” list. When she’s not at the restaurants, Ayesha enjoys a nice glass of scotch, traveling everywhere from the Amalfi Coast to the Aegean Sea and discovering antique pieces for her ever-expanding jewelry collection.