By Ann Volkwein
Photograph by Eric Korenman

David Israelow pivoted from banking to the culinary world 12 years ago, pursuing his experiences with great intention. His curiosity took him from Japan to Hawthorne Valley, from baking at Bartlett House to butchering at New York’s Breslin and Osakana. His accolades include winning the Washoku World Challenge in Tokyo and helping to guide One White Street in New York to its Michelin star as Head Chef and Culinary Director. It’s an eclectic resume, but it’s packed with a passion for the craft, from farm to fork. He’s busy this summer with planning and renovations—in spring 2026, he’ll open Four Corners in the former Blue Plate in Chatham—but took the time to give us a taste of what’s to come, as he settles into life here.

What brought you into food, in the first place, from a career in banking?

I’ve always been interested in the idea of “where does it come from and how did it happen?” And that’s been my endeavor, in food, to learn to answer that question. And the first step of that was asking, “what does it mean to cook at the highest level?” So, I went to some of the best kitchens that I could find at the time, in New York City, to learn from amazing chefs. After The French Culinary Institute, my first externships were at ABC Kitchen and EN Japanese Brasserie, and then as a line cook at Betony.

Were you curious both about technique and what it took physically or mentally?

I meant more from a technical perspective. What does it really mean to cook at that level? I knew that it was physically demanding, that it was emotionally demanding. So, what I really meant was, what are the technical skills, approaches, systems, things that people do within this rigor. How do you actually train for this thing? How do you execute on a daily basis? What are the approaches, what are the tools? What are the systems, what’s the language?

“At the end of the day, cook delicious food that people love to eat. Approachable food and cocktails that you want to come back for, with a touch of refinement.”

And you can’t really read about that.

No, you can’t. It’s not a book thing. It’s a life. It’s a lifestyle.

So how did you address your other question—where does it come from and how does it happen?

That was what drew me to be a farm apprentice at Hawthorne Valley. How do I create an experience to learn more about the food system? I was there just for one season as a whole farm apprentice, but it opened my eyes, and that becomes the concept of farm-to-table cooking. It’s how you engage with the ingredient beyond just cooking it—understanding it, showcasing the virtue of the ingredient. And how do I, as a chef, show that and offer that. I think in its essence, whether it’s Mediterranean or Japanese cooking, the respect for the ingredients is there.

The historic property is full of memories. The cozy bar will remain downstairs, with music some nights, and dining—inside and out—on the first floor. The second floor will host a wine bar and lighter fare, with seating on the wraparound porch. It’ll be open 5 days a week—and will serve lunch, too! Israelow’s partner, architect Liz Burroughs, is heading up the design and renovation.

What brought you to this region?

My cousins moved up to Chatham from the city around 10 years ago, and they’re the ones that drew me into the area.

I know you’ve run pop-ups in the past out of your cousin’s barn and sometimes brought in guest chefs, as well. Can you describe one of these events?

I brought in this awesome chef, Kan Morieda from Tokyo, to collaborate on a dinner there. We spent the whole week getting ready. We went fishing, and those were the fish that we served at that event. We went to Hawthorne Valley to milk the cows at the dairy and we used their cheese. We went foraging…

Hyper local, threading the connection from place to plate. What is your vision for the style of food at Four Corners?

I haven’t fully landed on exactly the right answer, besides saying “New American,” but I think “new American” is right on the cusp of getting the reputation that “fusion,” as a vocabulary, had in the ’90s. But it is American food and what that means to me is that I take everything that I know, from a culinary perspective, and focus it on the ingredients that exist in this place that I am. My technical background is French and Japanese with additional experience at bakeries, pasta making. So, I’ll be utilizing all of the techniques that I’ve learned from restaurants, events, traveling, training, et cetera, all of those skills and then applying them to the things that are here in a context that makes sense. It will constantly evolve, and that’s the fun part.

You mentioned bringing in the community for some of the design elements.

We want to respect the history of the space and work as much as we can with local people. For example, a young guy named Jack Dolan, who grew up eating at Blue Plate, is making our steak knives. They’re influenced by a Japanese aesthetic and made from spalted birch from his family’s backyard in Chatham. It’s beautiful.