Michael Israel
Corporate Executive Chef
Arby’s

Kitchen Collaborative is a recipe-development initiative formed by Summit F&B and Flavor & The Menu. To fuel flavor innovation, a group of talented chefs partnered with sponsor brands and commodity boards to create recipes that showcase the passion and potential of our industry.

“My heart and soul live in the world of recipe development,” says Michael Israel, Corporate Executive Chef for Arby’s. “Whether it’s the pursuit of a new dish or finding ways to make an existing dish shine in a refreshed way, that is the most exciting part of my job. It’s the part of my brain that never turns off, and I love the challenge of pushing myself and my team to continually achieve excellence in this arena.”

In fact, Israel is so passionate about his craft that he admits to centering many of his life choices around food exploration. “Case in point: My wife and I planned our wedding around truffle season in Italy,” he says. And he credits one memorable meal with “changing my life.” The Bone Marrow & Oxtail Marmalade, still on the menu at Blue Ribbon Brasserie in New York, was a revelatory experience. “I had never tasted bone marrow or oxtail before,” he recounts. “It is a simply presented dish that embodies everything that I believe makes food unforgettable: the richness of the bone marrow, the sweet-savory flavor of the marmalade piled on toast with coarse salt. It’s still one of the most perfect bites I have ever had.”

That dish remains an inspiration, pushing Israel to let flavor lead the way in creating delicious foods. Contrasts and complements are at the heart of many of his recipes, including those he created for Kitchen Collaborative: Chile-Lime Tropical Shake, Korean Fire Chicken Taquitos and La Brea Bakery^® Ciabatta Crab Dip Bread.

Chile-Lime Tropical Shake

Photo: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley

You’ll hear no complaints from Israel about being assigned Chobani^® Oatmilk for a recipe ideation project. “It’s a product that I know and love,” he says. Charged with creating a shake, he found inspiration in an unforgettable dessert. “The best cake I have ever eaten was layered with creamy, rich layers of coconut cake and cream, bejeweled with tropical fruits, including pineapple and mango.” The memories of this dish clearly live large, as he praises the contrasts of rich cake and cream with sweet, bright pops of tropical fruit that made every bite irresistible. “I wanted to create a similar experience with a shake that you can’t stop drinking.” The result is the Chile-Lime Tropical Shake.

To create the base, Israel blends diced, frozen mango and pineapple with Chobani^® Oatmilk, whipped cream of coconut, Tajin and hibiscus syrup. “The tart and sweet flavor of hibiscus makes it incredibly thirst-quenching when consumed in a beverage,” he says. “It’s also a hypnotic aromatic that adds a level of complexity and allure. Tropical flavors should provide a fantasy of escape, living life in an exotic locale. Hibiscus is the perfect gateway to that escape through food.”

Once the shake base has frozen, it’s then combined with vegan vanilla ice cream, blended into a purée and poured into glasses rimmed with Tajin spice. The shake is topped with more whipped cream and garnished with pieces of dried mango dipped in sugar and chile. “There is an incredible push-pull of flavor in this shake,” says Israel, citing, “the rich and unctuous coconut, bright bursts of tropical fruit sweetness and a surprising complexity that comes from the aroma of hibiscus and the savory quality of chile. The overall experience should feel like a trip to a far-off place with every sip.”

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Korean Fire Chicken Taquitos

Photo: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley

In his Korean Fire Chicken Taquitos, served with a kimchi salsa, Israel marries two global flavor pantries in a contemporary union designed to make new taste experiences more accessible to diners. “Korean fire chicken is an amazing Korean dish that is unusual in the way it pairs spicy Korean flavors with cheese,” he says. “By recreating this authentic experience in a taquito, I believe diners will be more willing to try something unknown, but presented in a familiar way. I’m hoping that those who know and love Korean Fire Chicken will crave it in this new format, and those who might be hesitant will find themselves excited to give it a try.”

The dish gets a flavor punch from Custom Culinary^® Korean-Style Sweet Heat Sauce, applied generously in the chicken mixture, the taquito filling and the kimchi salsa. “The sauce has great upfront sweetness that then quickly transitions into a very savory heat full of umami,” Israel explains. “Its balance of sweet and savory makes it a versatile ingredient, delivering craveable flavor.”

Given that the dish has “fire” in its name, what can guests expect of its heat level? “This dish is very spicy, but not to the point where anyone will win a free T-shirt for eating it,” Israel assures. “But it is hot and likely would push the boundaries of heat for most large-scale restaurant brands.” That’s part of his job, he contends. “I think boundary-pushing is an important part of our role as corporate chefs.”

In building the kimchi salsa with tomatillos, Serrano chiles and lime juice, Israel found another opportunity to highlight cultural connections. “One of the most craveable aspects of authentic Mexican food is in the pairing of hot, spicy meat and cheese dishes with fresh salsas that add contrast in flavor and temperature,” he notes. “Korean food has a similar approach, where cold fermented condiments are used to create a more dynamic eating experience when indulging in spicy meats. This kimchi salsa is intended to spotlight the brilliance of Mexican cuisine while staying true to how kimchi is used in classic Korean dishes.”

Israel wants guests to revel in the flavor play that results when opposites attract. “A bite is full of contrasting flavor and textural experiences: the sweet heat, the crispy tortilla, the soft, creamy cheese, the hot chicken and cheese and the cool, fresh salsa. These opposite, but complementary, characteristics are at the core of craveable food,” he insists. “I hope you love them as much as my wife does!”

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La Brea Bakery^® Ciabatta Crab Dip

Photo: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley

“I love bread, and I love the shareable nature of bread,” Israel says. “La Brea Bakery^® makes exceptional bread, and I wanted to create something that elevated the ciabatta visually and created a shared experience.” While some might draw comparisons between his Crab Dip Bread and a dip-filled bread bowl, the chef says his specific inspiration was the Maryland crab pretzel, a dish he calls “arguably the most craveable bread dish ever invented.”

To prepare the dip, Israel combines lump crab meat with whipped cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded Monterey jack and mozzarella cheeses, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces and Old Bay seasoning and lemon juice. After the par-baked ciabatta loaves have been baked and cooled, Israel cuts an “X” halfway through each, piping the crab dip into the openings. Each is baked until the dip begins to brown and then served warm with a drizzle of garlic butter and more plated for dipping. “The double-bake process is fantastic,” he says. “The initial bake sets the crust, giving the bread great color, texture and flavor, while providing structure that keeps it from getting mushy or pasty once it is stuffed and reheated.

Israel likens the result to comforting clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. “The way the ciabatta and crab mix play off each other both by way of texture and flavor should tap into nostalgic memories of that and other classic craveable foods.” He believes diners seek out new twists and riffs on iconic favorites. “We have come a long way from fusion, where the novelty was the mash-up. A well-done twist is not about novelty so much as it is about finding ways to turn up the dial on deliciousness and showcase iconic foods in new ways.”

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Project Management: Summit F&B
Photography: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley