Jonathan Silverberg was born in Philadelphia but grew up in Phoenix, and after graduating from the University of Oregon, attended culinary school back in Scottsdale, Arizona. He spent the first seven years of his cooking career in Arizona, at the James Beard Award–winning Roaring Fork. He eventually made his way to the Pacific Northwest, and after a few years at Seattle’s Pomegranate Bistro, he started Napkin Friends, a food truck whose latke pressed sandwiches paid homage to his Jewish heritage.

In 2019 Napkin Friends led to a modern Jewish deli in Ballard called Schmaltzy’s Delicatessen, where Jonathan served food that was “steeped in tradition, but never stuck in it.” Schmaltzy’s closed in 2022, but Jonathan continues to share his love of food with us here at the Pantry. When he’s not teaching in our kitchens, he’s out on the golf course with friends, or at home with his family, cooking delicious food that his kids may or may not decide to eat.