Meet the Team

  • Jeffrey Merkel

    FOUNDER & EXEC. CHEF

  • Darshan Dorka

    OWNER / MANAGING DIRECTOR

  • Leah Steduto

    HEAD CHEF

  • Stephanie Aroca

    FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER

Founded in 2016, Hawker began its journey as a humble food truck.

After many years of evolution, and many obstacles during the pandemic - we were reborn in 2022 with a new vision and dedication to what we call naturalist cuisine.

Our Head Chef Leah Steduto and our Front of House Manager Stephanie Aroca are the hearts and minds behind the day to day operation of Hawker. From our eclectic menu to our unique approach to service, Stephanie & Leah work together to balance the core elements of our guests’ experiences.

Dedicated to creating unique and memorable experiences through food & hospitality, our team is on a neverending journey to find new and innovative pathways to connection.

A big part of our philosophy is doing what we can to bring to light the incredible bounty of nature that surrounds us - the greatest cuisines have historically being built around localities. Their greatness is at least in part attributable to the harmonious nature with which ingredients exist in the same place.

Our menu features a wide variety of foraged ingredients that you may have never experienced before - despite their availability right in our own backyards.

 

“Hospitality was almost impossible before the pandemic. The pandemic completely stripped away all reason and sensibility. There was literally no logical or reasonable justification to continue doing what we do. The restaurant stopped being a business a long time ago. Hawker is the final form, which is paradoxically something more formless than ever.

Hawker was born out of a complete breakdown of the senses, a six-year-long exercise in repeated failure, a complete dissociation from what it is to be a human being and a rational agent.

We have thrown off every pretext, every assumption, every formality. We have discovered freedom in losing everything. I never wanted to cook again. I didn't want to think about it ever again. I never wanted to step foot into a restaurant ever again. I never wanted to step foot outside my house ever again.

I'm Jeff, the chef & owner at Hawker (formerly TVX). Many of you know me and know my face despite the fact that I usually have my head down and I'm an introvert. My greatest accomplishment in life is something that you will eat and it'll be gone forever after and you might not even like it. But I have absolutely poured my soul into every dish on the menu in such an intimate way that for myself, each bite might induce a state of complete emotional breakdown.

This is a good thing. You should try it. This food is not supposed to be an indulgence, a pleasurable sensorial experience, or an act of hedonism. I want it to just tear you to shreds and leave you wondering what just happened. I want to put you alone in a room with God for a long conversation.