Our Journey
“BOTANIC BURGERS Is Chef Boaz New Exciting Creation, Born From The Uncertain Time Of COVID-19 And Boaz’s Wish To Shift Away From Animal Products.
Over the last few years, Boaz has transitioned into a plant-based diet, a journey that started in solidarity with his wife’s and then two of their children’s compassionate decision to do so.
Revisioning classic recipes for the whole family lead Boaz to learn more about how planet-based has a better impact on the environment.
The passionate Chef started to reimagine his favorite American food.
Botanic Burgers melts together unique culinary influences from Boaz’s authentic childhood majestic experiences and adulthood travels into mouth-watering Burgers that are better for you, for today’s fast lifestyle, for our planet! We are excited and love to be part of that important movement.
The BotanicBurgers team is on a Kindness mission.
Here to continue serving wonderful customers of America’s Finest City.
Its proceeds will Pay It Forward, support major causes throughout the year, and other community benefits that close to heart.
ABOUT THE CHEF
Chef Boaz Zuzan’s 40-year career started at the young age of 15 when he decided to follow his passion and enrolled in the Culinary Arts School extension of the luxurious Dan Hotel on Mount. Carmel in Israel. After completing his three years serving in the Israeli Defense Force, Boaz built with his own hands and operated a family-style restaurant serving authentic Syrian dishes. He grew up spending hours helping and indulging on that delectable food his family made from scratch mixing fragrant spices and herbs with the freshest local ingredients magically creating the most delicious meals. Boaz’s successful journey led him to get recruited for the Grande Manager position at a 5-star hotel “Hasharon” in Herzliya, Israel, leading to a long career as head chef in various luxury catering and wedding venues.
In 1991, Boaz and his wife, Keren, immigrated to sunny California where they have since gratefully resided with their four babies now all grown up. Boaz catered hundreds of beautiful events from boutique family celebrations, luxurious weddings, bar mitzvahs, holiday getaways, and the most recent Place Cafe restaurant for 10 years in La Jolla.
Now, Boaz is excited to bring Botanic Burgers to America’s Finest City!
An important part of Chef Boaz’s life has always been giving. His generosity and hospitality are known in the community and are central to everything he does. A value his family shares wholeheartedly.
ABOUT THE BURGERS
HAMBURG (HAM-BERG) — CLASSIC BURGER
The origin of the classic hamburger we all know and love today dates back to Hamburg, Germany, where a patty steak with simple seasonings was popular, yet expensive, due to the high quality of the Hamburg beef. As German immigrants started arriving in cities such as New York, the Hamburg steak started appearing as an expensive item on local menus. One unknown cook came up with the idea of putting the patty in-between two slices of bread, as he noticed factory workers had a difficult time eating these “steaks” standing up. Though it can’t be confirmed, the birth of the “Hamburg sandwich” is rumored to have been formed in Hamburg, New York, inspiring the name of this classic American staple.
PIRAEUS (PIR-EI-UHS) — GREEK BURGER
The authentic feta cheese was meticulously crafted with sheep’s and goats’ milk in Greece. It was and continues to be an art form. These Mediterranean flavors were inspired by the ingredients that made frequent appearances in our home. The name, however, was inspired by Boaz’s dream vacation to the city of Piraeus. If you ask Boaz what his go-to music is, he will put on a Greek music station and start dancing around, especially while he is cooking.
WAIKIKI (WAI-KEE-KEE) — HAWAIIAN BURGER
Funnily enough, the origin of the widely-known “Hawaiian” pizza was born in Canada, with no connection to Hawaii with the exception of the brand of canned pineapples that was used by the chef, Sam Panopoulos. To elevate these flavors which harmoniously fuse sweet and savory, we present our version of the pineapple burger. While on a trip to beautiful Waikiki, Boaz and his wife, Keren, were looking forward to enjoying all of the amazing tropical fruit available on the island. Their favorite on the trip was the delicious pineapple. Although the origin of Hawaiian pizza does not have a connection to the Islands of Hawaii itself, their experiences on this trip inspired the name of this burger.
BIALIK (BEE-AH-LEEK) — FALAFEL BURGER
(CAN ALSO BE CALLED ‘BIALIK FALAFEL’)
This is not your typical burger. If you take a trip to Israel (which you should!) without knowing what falafel is, you might as well just get back on the plane and go home. Falafel is a staple food in the Middle East that is made from ground chickpeas and other aromatics, formed into a ball and fried. Our version takes a twist on the classic dish and forms the falafel ball into a patty instead. This burger gets its name from Boaz’s hometown of Kiryat Bialik, a district in the Northern region of Israel. He grew up constantly surrounded by family, bonding over making delicious meals together where he picked up a lot of skills from his mom and grandparents. From the Harissa paste to stuffed grape leaves, everything was expertly handmade. Talk about a labor of love.
MONOPOLI (MUH-NAA-PUH-LEE) — ITALIAN BURGER
Even a skilled detective like Sherlock Holmes would find it difficult to solve the mystery that is the origins of Eggplant Parmesan. The eggplant was introduced to Southern Europe during the 15th century when the Arabs brought it over from India. While there is much debate as to where exactly this dish was created, we can all agree that magic happened when Italy’s arguably most delicious cheese was sprinkled all over eggplant and tomato sauce. The richest archeological region in Italia, or the region that makes up the “boot,” Apulia, has inspired the name for this burger.
JERUSALEM (JEH-ROO-SALEM)
MIDDLE EASTERN KABOB BURGER
The city of Jerusalem holds a lot of significance to many of the world’s major religions. No matter the belief of tradition, the one thing the people of this beautiful city are bonded over is a fantastic culinary experience! Jerusalem is known for having the busiest market, or “shuk” in the region. From fresh produce to delicious desserts, restaurants, and gift shops, you can spend hours walking around and finding delicious ingredients that are staples in all Middle Eastern cuisine, such as the ones presented in this burger.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN (P-LIE-YA DEL CAR-MEN)
Playa Del Carmen, or “Playa” as it is referred to by locals, traces its roots to the Mayan civilization. In the Mayan culture, corn is considered to be one of the most important crops in terms of diet, religion, and medicinal properties. In addition to corn, our “Playa” burger combines the brightness of Pico de Gallo and the creaminess of avocado to highlight the fresh Latin flavors we enjoyed while on a trip to this enchanting city. Fun fact: the same flavors used in our burger are prominent in the popular Mexican dish, Tacos Al Pastor, which got its start when immigrants from the Middle East settled here. It is no surprise though, that the flavors of these two cultures perfectly complement one another.