Jul 6, 2023

Why we’re fascinated: Because this born-and-raised Bay Ridger is a gracious host who knows how to throw a party —his restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, Al Badawi, is one of the borough’s best big-group hangs — but also isn’t afraid of pissing people off, if need be, by being loud and proud about his heritage as a Palestinian American. “After opening Ayat I realized a lot of people didn’t really know what Palestine was,” Elenani tells Brooklyn Magazine. “Was it a country? Was it a country at war with other people? So I want to make it obvious and clear to people that Palestine does exist, Palestine does have a culture, Palestine does have beautiful traditions and Palestine does have very good food.”

— Scott Lynch