A Hanukkah Tradition with Butcher & Bee

Celebrate the holidays with Hanukkah recipes from a Nashville institution.

This month marks 10 years since Butcher & Bee opened its doors in Nashville. The original location, opened by owner Michael Shemtov in Charleston in 2011, closed in 2023, but the Nashville location, opened December 2015, continues to dish out Mediterranean-inspired favorites while also serving as a bastion of community and shared space. 

Going back to the original location, Butcher & Bee has a long tradition of celebrating Jewish holidays; Shemtov is originally from Israel and moved to the US when he was 10. Growing up, he notes that Hanukkah, especially in Israel, was not celebrated in big ways like it might be here. “There really are no decorations and we definitely didn’t do presents,” he says. But his wife’s family is blended and so the two have set out to create their own traditions, which include celebrations at the restaurant.

“We often host an event after the first night of Hanukkah, which is a holiday that’s all about the miracle of a little bit of oil lasting eight days,” he says. The menu often revolves around items fried in oil. “There’s always sufganiyot, which are jam-filled donuts covered in powdered sugar, traditionally. There’s always latkes. We started serving latkes in December going back all 10 years but because people loved them, they’re now on the Bee’s menu all year.”   

This year, Butcher & Bee will offer a celebratory prix-fixe menu December 20 to 22 with a four-course “Hanukkah Feast.” The ticketed event takes place in the private Rose Room and starts with challah and dips followed by small plates, brisket, and, of course, sufganiyot for dessert. Tickets are available on Resy. 

To celebrate that 10-year anniversary, they’ve also rolled out a menu of some of their original favorites, bringing back dishes and cocktails that were on the opening menu. Head back in for crispy brussels sprouts, n’duja fried chicken, and seared oyster mushrooms, and standbys that haven’t left the menu like the avocado crispy rice and whipped feta. As a team, they’re celebrating 10 years with executive sous chef Scott Littman, who started there prior to the opening. (Not to mention Shemtov’s first child, born just about a month before the restaurant opened.) “We’ve had amazing consistency in the kitchen, starting with Bryan [Lee Weaver] who got us open and on up to Scott,” Shemtov says. “That and the support from the community,” have been the secret to the restaurant’s success, he adds. 

As for Shemtov, he and his family typically travel this time of year—a new tradition that allows his family to celebrate in exploration. If you’re looking to break up your own routines (besides a Hanukkah feast at the Bee), he adds: “I’d say think about what your family did and honor it. But also as you build your own family and your own community, don’t be shy to start new traditions.” 

Try These Hanukkah Recipes From Butcher & Bee

Sweet Potato Latke

Lamb Stew

Braised Napa Cabbage 

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