Our Story
Chef Michael Hackman
Chef Michael Hackman has been a fixture on the Palm Beach culinary scene for almost 20 years--having worked his way through the kitchens of the most prominent hotels and restaurants in Palm Beach. Hackman’s drive to be a chef began in high school. Realizing he liked “playing with food†and was naturally good at it, he embarked on a culinary career. In 2001, he enrolled at the Florida Culinary Institute. Armed with the basics, Hackman was hired by The Breakers, Palm Beach. Hackman continued his training at the Five Star, Four Diamond, L’Escalier. After that he added Cafe L’Europe & The Four Seasons Palm Beach to his resume.
Chef Michael, established and equipped with an impressive client roster, transitioned into a private chef entrepreneur and restaurant consultant. The “chef in residence†role is quite successful and pleasing for his clients, where he partnered with them in their homes for a very intimate and personal dining experience. After cooking up success for other venues, Chef Hackman forged his own territory and opened Aioli in West Palm Beach. Aioli specializes in casual, locavore foods and gourmet to-go. Opened in Fall, 2014, the West Palm Beach, industrial-chic eatery and bakery caters to the locals’ lunch crowd. Building on his years of achievement, creativity and relationships that have been cornerstones to his ongoing success. Involvement in the community is important to Michael. Through his dedication to support charity he continues to find time to be involved with numerous local organizations.
In 2015 Michael expanded his Southend location to include a scratch bakery that has artisan bread production. Additionally in 2015 Michael opened his second aioli location in the urban backdrop of downtown West Palm Beach. Michael lives locally with his wife, Melanie, and their three daughters.
In March of 2020 as the industry changed, Chef Michael began to incorporate pizza Pop ups at aioli. Three years later pizzaioli opened. Pizzaioli is a scratch sour dough pizza joint with a simple menu that incorporates the freshest ingredients.