Bret Thorn

🍴 Zach Engel and Andrés Clavero opened Cafe Yaya last week in Lincoln Park, Chicago, adjacent to their restaurant Galit. It's an all-day café offering Middle Eastern favorites and global cuisine, with pastries by Mary Eder-McClure and morning beverages from Sparrow Coffee Roastery and Rare Tea Cellar. Engel, a James Beard Award winner, brings experience from Shaya in New Orleans and Zahav in Philadelphia. Prices range from $10-$15 for dips, $9-$29 for snacks, and $24-$60 for larger plates. The café, designed by Siren Betty Design, features a Parisian and Tel Avivian sidewalk bistro style with natural materials, murals, and artwork by Ilana Engel. Community events and private dining will be held upstairs. The menu includes Middle Eastern-inspired items alongside dishes like pimento cheese and roasted Bulgarian feta. Beverages curated by Scott Stroemer consist of 20 wines, signature cocktails at $14, and a tahini-washed Italian vermouth. Brunch and takeout services are planned for the future.

🍽 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, previously wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), lived in Thailand (circa 1994-1999) writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times. He's a Tufts University magna cum laude history graduate (1990), studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986), and worked for ABC News during the Tiananmen Square protests (1989). Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, joined Disciples d’Escoffier (2014), and authored entries in food encyclopedias (2012, 2015).

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn," wrote "Kitchen Dish" for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008, and contributed to Manager magazine and Asia Times in Thailand from 1992 to 1997. A magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. His work on food and beverage trends won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award. Inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, he's a Colorado native currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, covers F&B trends and guides coverage. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast, he also wrote "Kitchen Dish" column for The New York Sun (2005-2008). Prior to joining NRN, Thorn lived in Thailand writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times. A magna cum laude Tufts University graduate (BA in History), he studied French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and Chinese culture at Nanjing and Beijing Universities. His work includes contributions to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2012) and Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (2015). Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and was inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014. Native of Denver, he resides in Brooklyn, NY. His expertise spans French cuisine and Asian culinary trends, restaurant operations, and service trends. Email: [email protected], active on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (@foodwriterdiary), and Instagram (@foodwriterdiary).

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor at Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, tracks F&B trends. He hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast, wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), and contributed to Manager magazine and Asia Times in Thailand (1992-1997). A Tufts University history graduate (1990), he studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986) and in China during 1988-1989, including witnessing the Tiananmen Square events. Thorn won the Jesse H. Neal Award (2006) and joined Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Contact at [email protected]