About Brad

Brad Mahlof is a long-time resident of NYC, currently residing on the Upper East Side. By day, Brad is a Real Estate developer. By night, he is a passionate home cook that loves to host and entertain.

Born in New York and raised down the Jersey shore, Brad is of Libyan Jewish decent on his father’s side and of Ashkenazi decent on his mother’s side. Brad is an avid home cook, creating epic weekly shabbat dinners that often showcase his Libyan Jewish heritage, as well as Israeli, Ashkenazi and global culinary influences.

Brad manages a growing Instagram account, CookWithBrad, where he shares his cooking with his followers.

The Cook with Brad blog provides a platform where Brad can share his recipes and more about himself, his Jewish heritage, and his passion for food and entertaining.

Brad is passionate about representing his heritage through food, especially his Libyan roots, which, as a whole, lacks representation on a global scale. The majority of Libyan Jews left Libya in the 1950s with the last few leaving shortly after. Today, there are no Jews left in Libya, and this once thriving community now only remains through stories of the past. Brad’s grandparents left Libya and raised their 16 children in Be’er Sheba, Israel. The rich and beautiful history of the Libyan Jewish community can be told through food. 

Outside of work and cooking, Brad is a lover of the opera and a frequent patron of the Metropolitan Opera and the NY Philharmonic. He also has a strong interest in real estate, interior design, food, wine, travel and fitness. You will often find Brad hosting epic dinner parties or walking his adorable Labrador Retriever, Logan.