Chef Avi Shemtov’s vision of a warm, welcoming home for cutting-edge Israeli cuisine made with local, New England ingredients opens this week in Sharon. A pop-up project for more than a year, Simcha, Hebrew for “joy,” has a new home at 370 South Main St. in Sharon. Avi plans on bringing joy and “globally inspired Israeli soul food” to Greater Bostonians with classics such as shakshuka and baba ganoush, and some less-common cultural mash-ups—“alt” hummus made with locally grown heirloom bumble bee beans and (trigger warning: not kosher!) za’atar lobster rolls.
Avi’s personality is plainly evident in the new space—wallpaper that looks like Jerusalem stone has a graffiti-style portrait of his beloved grandmother, named, you guessed it, Simcha. The warmth you’ll feel isn’t just on the inside; there’s a wood-burning oven that produces what Avi says is the best pita this side of Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market.
Learn more about this exciting new restaurant as we talk to Avi and Kyle Crusius, executive chef of The Chubby Chickpea, Avi’s food truck and catering company.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
