Moroccan -Japanese, French-Trained Chef Danny Elmaleh

Executive Danny Elmaleh’s food is perfect for both the spiffy, high-end Cleo international sbe restaurants, including new establishments in the Bahamas and in Kuwait and in a more casual atmosphere, such as Mizlala.  His intriguing, bold menus feature sharing plates that also work alone to beautifully combine for a meal of veggies and protein;  kebabs; tangines, and desserts.

Congenial Chef Danny was born and raised in Haifa, Israel.  Hs is of Moroccan descent on his father’s side and Japanese on his mother’s side. At the age of 10, the family moved to Kobe, Japan (his dad is of Moroccan descent; his mom is Japanese).  There, Simon Emaleh was chef-owner of the town’s first Moroccan restaurant in 1985.

It was the the time of Japanese high rollers in the 1980s and early ’90s. Adventuresome Japanese diners were seeking out authentic experiences   So the Kobe-based Moroccan restaurant proved to be a hit as soon as it opened, serving classic dishes and dressing the waitstaff in traditional Moroccan garb.

It took the Great Hanchin earthquake that destroyed most of Kobe in 1995 to force Elmaleh out of business, and move to the U.S.    Synchronistically, the same scenario was going on in LA at the time, which had four thriving Moroccan restaurants with entertainment in the 80’s.  That number has now dwindled down from lack of interest to  Koutoubia in West L.A.

Meanwhile, Chef Danny earned his degree as a classically trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America in 1995.  He rounded out his training at Club Med in Israel, followed by work on an Israeli cruise line.  The chef became fluent in Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese and French.

When Simon moved to California, he opened a more modest restaurant in the Plaza d’ Oro mall in Encino, where Danny and his brother also worked.   It was here that Danny’s interest took root in his Moroccan heritage.   Simon’s Cafe moved to  Sepulveda in Sherman Oaks café in 2004, continuing to be a success for an additional ten years.

When Simon retired a few years ago, Danny took over and updated the menu. His own friendly wife, Justine is a proprietor.  Chef Danny revamped the menu and changed the name to Mizlala.   In  Hebrew, the name translates to “snack bar.” However, it comes from a word meaning “to eat a lot,” or maybe “to overeat”.   But the dishes on this menu are so light and filled with bold flavors, you can indeed eat a lot without overeating.

Some of the dishes overlap Cleo and Mizlala, although with variations.   The twist on a twist on brussel sprouts and fried chicken are two of them.

Elmaleh’s work honors the best of his associations with Los Angeles masters, French Josiah Citrin and Japanese.  Additionally, he put in considerable time in upscale kitchens such as Ristorante Giannino in Milan and Cleo in Hollywood.

 

We asked the chef what his favorite dishes were growing up. His answer,”My Moroccan grandmother would make cous cous from scratch, amongst other specialty dishes as I grew up in Israel. It was always a special family gathering to enjoy “meme’s” (grandma) cooking.

A Chef Elmaleh childhood favorite that he cooked in his father’s Haifa restaurant is the stand-out Duck Matzo Ball Soup at Cleo with fresh pasta, confit duck, consommé broth, fresh herbs and lime ($9).