How could we improve it? Its something that I think about, Cook said. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Federal Donuts in the stadium is actually run by institutional food giant Aramark, which has licensed the name. And I was not a good person to work with. The first episode, which aired in December 2021, was set in Philly, and Allen's tour guide was none other than Mike Solomonov (via Philly Voice). I had more responsibility at Vetri, he says. How long can that last? With his business partner Steven Cook, Solomonov is co-owner of several Philadelphia restaurants: Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, Percy Street Barbecue, Laser Wolf, and Federal Donuts, a fried chicken and donut chain. Maybe we just had a good feel for each other at the beginning, Cook says. It is no coincidence that my business partner is somebody whom I met through Squirrel Hill. In addition to cooking, hes also written cook books to help others learn some of the tricks of the trade. Then he shifted to the quieter kitchen of Vetri, who, he says, taught him to slow down and really pay attention. Philadelphia restaurateurs Michael Solomonov, 37, and Steve Cook, 42, have the sort of empire that culinary school grads dream of: a James Beard award, a critically acclaimed fine-dining. Peis Society Hill Towers and into the restaurant called Zahav will likely see its young salt-and-pepper-haired chef and co-owner, Michael Solomonov, flipping a pie-sized floppy disk of bread dough onto a flat paddle and shoveling it, with a quick shrug, into a brick oven thats been fired with compressed hardwood to a blazing 800 degrees. Theres plenty of people who can do that.. Only five to 10 photographers in the state get selected to go, and I was one of them. Rebecca Anne Gans, daughter of Richard and Lisa Gans of Chesterfield, and Michael Solomonov, son of Ella and the late Yuri Solomonov of Chesterfield, were married April 16, 2011 at Congregation Shaare Emeth, where Rabbi Andrea Goldstein officiated. Once, he rounded up a dozen of his employees and took them to Bucks County to jump out of an airplane together. They even once made a go at Mexican. But he doesnt need me. Solomonov rose up like a boxer lifting himself off the corner stool to fight another round. Talking about food. Though hes suffered his share of burns on the way to this point, its all happening lately for Michael Solomonov. Then Solomonov steps back into the blast zone of the open oven, slips the paddle under the dough thats now charred and crunchy, and pulls it out for a quick sprinkle of olive oil and a dusting of the Middle Eastern spice mix called zaatar. He's also a fan of Middle Eastern-style grilled meats, including a grilled mixed offal sandwich that's a specialty in Jerusalem. It was awesome. But he was also a rising star in Philadelphias restaurant scene, and he was blazing a trail across America for haute Israeli cooking. One need he identified was an area kosher restaurant, and in a fortuitous turn of events, chef Michael Solomonov was looking to do kosher at the same time. Hes won several James Beard Foundation awards including the 2011 award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic and another in 2017 for Outstanding Chef. Hes been named best chef in the region by the James Beard Foundation. Find Michael Solomonov's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. Mike is so high-energy, says one friend, who helped teach him to surf. Just days after announcing the split, both Cook and Solomonov were talking about revisiting the concept of high-end Ashkenazi Jewish food on their own. Read the interview with Joey Baldino of Restaurant of the Year winner Palizzi Social Club here. It was mandatory, and I like my job, Zahav manager Okan Yazici told me. In addition to his cookbooks, his appearances on the small screen, and his web show, he also made a movie celebrating Israeli food. Hes been named best chef in the region by the James Beard Foundation. As Solomonov drove the car east across the state for his brother, his phone rang, somewhere around the town of Lebanon. According to StarChefs, he honed his skills at culinary school in West Palm Beach, Florida, before moving up to Philadelphia to work in restaurants. Get yours now. There he is on the Travel Channel, greeting Anthony Bourdain and his cameras as they arrive for dinner at Zahav, and hanging out afterward (still on camera) with Tony at the Pen & Pencil Club, where he challenges the TV star to a game of rock-paper-scissorsthe loser having to down a shot of the brackish water from the clubs crockpot of free hot dogs. Afterwards, Solomonov took a job as a chef at Marigold Kitchen, owned by businessman Steve Cook. Then Solomonov steps back into the blast zone of the open oven, slips the paddle under the dough thats now charred and crunchy, and pulls it out for a quick sprinkle of olive oil and a dusting of the Middle Eastern spice mix called zaatar. Boxing is everything but that. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Everything You Need to Know Before the Eagles NFC Championship Game, Everything You Need to Know Before the Eagles Play in Super Bowl LVII. Jose Garces built a kind of Incan Empire, his restaurants all rooted in some sort of south-of-the-border cuisine. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Its gone, its gone, he yelled. On a busy night, this happens several hundred times, and the whole processthe pounding rollout, the quick puff, the intense heat, the crucible quality of it allprovides some convenient metaphors for the life, up till now, of the 34-year-old hot-shot chef who still calls himself a dirt-bag line cook even though he stands on the verge of becoming a brand-name culinary star. Are you ready, Chef?. I feel that the next five years are going to be a lot more active than the past five years. Finally, Chef found what he neededhe pulled a can of Red Bull out of the cooler, cracked it open, and drank it quickly, staying out of sight behind the counter. Mike Solomonov's life was indelibly shaped by the influence of his brother David, who was tragically killed at age 21 by a sniper while he was serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (via Pittsburgh Magazine ). Then he laughed. And chicken together with that just seems to make sense.. We were about halfway to Atlantic City, talking about our mutual disdain for the culture of gaming, when Solomonov said, Ive got one of the most compulsive and addictive personalities I know, but gambling has never been a problem. A little while later, after a shoreline survey of the paltry wave action convinced him that putting on his wet suit would be a waste of time, we were walking the Boardwalk, trying to find some coffee. A lot of people think that when you are doing well its somehow easier, he said. After meeting business partner Steve Cook, he was able to open his dream Israeli restaurant, Zahav, in 2008. In an interview with the New York Times promoting the film, Solomonov talks about some of the themes that the documentary explores. In January 2008, he ceded the Marigold kitchen to Erin OShea and took the leap into ownership and a full embrace of his native countrys cuisine with the 3,000-square-foot place in Society Hill (it later doubled in size) named for the Hebrew word for gold. Read the interview with Joey Baldino. He then told a story of spiraling into alcohol and drug abuse and how people close to him pushed him into detox and rehab. After watching him apply spices, the actress tells the chef, on live TV, Now I know exactly what kind of lover you would be.. With the owners approval, he pivoted toward the Middle East. Theres no decisions. That meant that he had to come up with a creative solution if he wanted to put a milkshake on the menu, as regular milkshakes are obviously heavy on the dairy. As we hinted at earlier, Mike Solomonov wasn't always destined to become a chef who specializes in Israeli cuisine. We used that extra time to pick up new hobbies and cook more at home. Im used to people saying Yes Chef this and Yes Chef that. Michael soon returned to the U.S. to finish high school and start college, but David stayed and assimilated in Israel. Service is over, and the Zahav chefs are chowing down. Despite the two mens nearly diametrically different personalities, there was a certain kinship. ), The concepts weve chosen are more an expression of our personalities than some sort of calculated empire-building strategy, Cook told me one afternoon, sitting in a new private dining room at the recently expanded Zahav. The foodie phenomenon is reaching its postmodern phase, and the hive mind of serious diners seems to swing wildly in its passions between the extremes of rococo molecular gastronomy on one hand and street food savored off a truck on the other. Like cooking, its also a way for him to express his creative side. We wanted from the get-go to have the best kosher restaurant in the country. California residents do not sell my data request. The Inimitable Michael Solomonov With surprise hits like Zahav and Federal Donuts, Philly's most iconoclastic chef seems poised for the big time. Im scared to death of mayo. Michael Solomonov hosts an Israeli brunch in New York in October 2017. But Im not ready to do that right now. In a world of graphic addiction memoirs written by teenagers, Solomonovs reticence is refreshing. Lately, as they slouch toward empire, Cook and Solomonov have been reading Danny Meyers book Setting the Table. What's your hometown story? To call it a fad minimizes everything that we put into it, Solomonov says one day. Its just a question of how much and how quickly. Now, the likelihood of my getting eaten by a shark, Solomonov said. In that role, the voluble Israeli-born, Pittsburgh-bred total-high-energy dude has started to have his ticket punched on the celebrity-chef ride. Michael Solomonov is the Eater Philly Chef of the Year for 2017. I asked him if such extreme field trips were his version of Outward Bound, which uses physical challenges and hardship to build teamwork. At some point in my life, Ill be very upfront about it if I can find a way to make it helpful, he told me. The chicken recipe is based on Korean fried chicken, and has the same shatteringly crunchy exterior as its inspiration. I dont know what thats a product of, but I think its because were doing well every night, having good services back-to-back.. He isnt shy about revealing his inspiration. With charcoal-grilled meats and vegetable-centric small plates, Laser Wolf embraces the "shipudiya" style of dining. And to me, when you say fadwhats going to go out of style? He married a business analyst named Mary Armistead, and moved into a South Philly rowhouse. He lived here for five years, and it's here where he had his affair with the married Maria . Solomonov and Steve Cook shared the 2016 James Beard Award for Outstanding Book for the cookbook "Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking." But will what seems a boy-band-esque foodie fad become a lasting venture? Im more likely to get struck by lightningtwice. He then listed any number of mundane daily activities, like driving a car (and sometimes, for him, a motorcycle), that are more dangerous, statistically speaking. Citron and Rose opened to strong reviews, but Cook and Solomonov walked away from the restaurant within a few months, when owner David Magerman decided to broaden the appeal and try, in effect, to make the restaurant into his own suburban Jewish community center. Boxing helps the crickets and monkeys in your head, Solomonov told me. For many years, this celebrated cook and restauranteur was addicted to crack cocaine. If Vetri's name sounds familiar to you, it might be from his appearance on "Iron Chef America," or because he famously partnered with Urban Outfitters. As the saying goes, they stayed away in droves. He said, I could believe the things that people constantly write, or let my head get big and get arrogant, and Id go right back out.. Then he laughed. During this time Solomonov had a hidden addiction to heroin, cocaine, and other substances. However, despite Zahav's current rarified place in America's culinary scene, the restaurant's success wasn't a forgone conclusion. Its the latest in a tat collection that includes a string of elephants on his biceps (he cant remember the inspiration); a rooster on the other arm, laced with a Hebrew prayer and his brothers name; and another on his shoulder that reproduces his brothers army insignia. He's also a recovering drug addict, something he's talked openly about for the past six years. Its a big challenge to come., But for now, most nights, hes there in the heat at Zahav. Certainly not every user is winning James Beard Awards. Sometimes we would skip school and go to Pamela's, a diner in the neighborhood that has the best pancakes in the universe. Somewhere in all that activity, Solomonov picked up a 2017 James Beard Award for best chef in the country, to go with his three previous James Beard wins. Solomonov is co-author of three cookbooks, and the recipient of the following five James Beard Awards . He told Eater, When I was nine, I entered an origami competition and created this sick flamingo that was awarded. Though Solomonov believes in the genetic basis of addiction, any amateur psychologist could point to triggers, life events that can lead a person toward addiction. The pandemic also left him unable to travel to Israel, a place he misses dearly. Zahav is so successful right now that its easy to think it always was. His unique Israeli-inspired restaurant has four bells from the Inquirer and raves from this magazine, and has been the object of adulation in the national press, ranging from the New York Times to Bon Apptit. The pair had a big year in 2017, adding Rooster Soup Co., which gives all its profits to Philadelphians in need through the Broad Street Ministry, and vegan falafel shop Goldie, which quickly gained a cult following for its tehina shakes and expanded. Were a restaurant thats successfulafter five years, he said. If you're not lucky enough to live in Philly and can't visit Goldie, you can make your own tehina shakes at home with the recipe Solomonov shared with The Splendid Table. Talking about food. Michael Solomonov was planting the seeds of a restaurant empire even as he was spiraling into addiction. It wasn't that long ago that Israeli cuisine was barely a blip on the radar of the American dining scene, particularly in fine dining circles. Michael is going to be a star, says Roger Sherman, producer and director of the planned PBS documentary. A receptionist leaned over the kitchen counter and looked to where Solomonov crouched with his energy drink. Imoved to Pittsburgh when I was 3, so my formative years were in Squirrel Hill. Talking about life. Meyer believes the first priority for success in the hospitality industry is happy, invested employees. Are they, as Food and Wine recently suggested, poised to helm the next Philadelphia restaurant empire? He won the James Beard Foundation awards for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2011, Cookbook of the Year in 2016, and Outstanding Chef in 2017. As I stood in the midst of the frenetic Zahav kitchen midway through a Saturday-night service, Solomonov came behind me, crouched down, and opened an under-counter refrigerator. Michael is going to be a star, says Roger Sherman, producer and director of the planned PBS documentary. And unlike most years, he wasn't able to travel to Israel to visit the people, places, and land that he loves. I believe that you are as successful as the people you choose to have in your life and the people who have chosen to have you in theirs. Let's try to take a step to correct that by delving into the untold truth of Mike Solomonov.