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Star Chef Mike Solomonov Is Opening Three New Restaurants in Philly Michael Solomonov - Hazon Blessed with two kids, the power pair Michael Solomonov and Mary Solomonov have, however, maintained a secret low-key profile of their private life. There are many talented chefs who achieve fame and open restaurants without ever having gone to culinary school. Before his death, David introduced Mike to many Israeli dishes when Mike would come to Israel for visits. 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. 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. I asked Marc Vetri what he thought of the FedNuts phenomenon. There is just something crazy that happens in your psyche when you enter an airplane knowing that youre going to open a window and jump out of it, Solomonov said. Boxing is everything but that. The resulting Citron & Rose garnered . [15] Zahav: A World of Israeli Cuisine was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award in the International cookbook category. Imoved to Pittsburgh when I was 3, so my formative years were in Squirrel Hill. A true kitchen pro, the chef immediately wrapped his thumb in a towel and hid his gory hand behind his back. Solomonov said he wanted to tell me something off the record. Weve gotten praise from the Israeli press, the chef reports proudly. I was just going through it a little bit. The latter is the counterintuitive (or perhaps completely and brilliantly intuitive) combo coffee shop/designer doughnut house/fried chicken shack thats become as much a cult as a franchise, demonstrating the new willingness of serious food hounds to stand in line for what was once considered little more than junk. And unlike most years, he wasn't able to travel to Israel to visit the people, places, and land that he loves. In terms of more dignified media, Solomonov has signed up to star in a PBS documentary about the foods of Israel, which should start filming this fall. According to Eater, the chain was an instant success, inspiring huge lines and selling out of product almost instantly when it first opened. Now, the likelihood of my getting eaten by a shark, Solomonov said. It was mandatory, and I like my job, Zahav manager Okan Yazici told me. California residents do not sell my data request. Jose Garces built a kind of Incan Empire, his restaurants all rooted in some sort of south-of-the-border cuisine. . During this time Solomonov had a hidden addiction to heroin, cocaine, and other substances. Solomonov's second recipe, lamb sofrito, traces his family's roots even deeper into the Jewish culinary diaspora. So I did it. He doesnt think hed do it again. We sort of talked him out of that, says Marc Vetri. So its great to go to the gym and say Yes Coach and fuckin shut my mouth. Service is over, and the Zahav chefs are chowing down. newsletter, Sign up for the 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. FedNuts, as devotees like to call it, now has three locations and counting, including the frequently mobbed counter in the stands behind left field at Citizens Bank Park. Over the next five years, Solomonov landed his first gig as a head chef, met and married his wife, Mary, and helped launch Zahav. Hed jumped out of bed for the fruitless surfing expedition. Reading allows people to not only learn new things, but temporarily escape the stresses of daily life. Despite his numerous accolades, however, he's still not one of the most famous celebrity chefs around. Get yours now. As told to Abraham Gutman. Mike enjoys sharing his talent with the world. You see what my day is like every day at work. Everybody was invested in one another, but I didn't appreciate it growing up. I dont know if it was mandatory, but preferred, Solomonov said. You cant listen to all the positive things that are being written about you when youre going to your parents and asking for 10 grand so you can make payroll. He has been widely featured and recognized for his many accomplishments on . Despite a clean and successful ending, Solomonovs story remains a harrowing, cautionary tale of the dangers of drug addiction. Davids death changed my perspective about a lot of things, Solomonov says. The kind of business that Steve Cook, somewhat jokingly, predicts will pay his childrens college tuition? Cook, who is uncomfortable in the public eye, describes his partner as chief marketing officer for the brand. [3][4] In 2021, The New York Times named his restaurant Laser Wolf as one of "the 50 places in America we're most excited about right now. Oops. The public elementary school was just down the street from where I lived, and when we weren't inschool,we were on ourbikes running around the woods all day long. Over the course of his career, Mike has made several TV appearances on shows like The Chew, Iron Chef America, and Beat Bobby Flay. Hes taking meetings in New York in preparation for shopping around a cookbook concept. At the time, he says, I was eating a shitload of wings at Caf Soho. The unlikely pairing of chicken with doughnuts never seemed unlikely to Solomonov. Zahav's Mike Solomonov takes his Israeli cuisine outside of Not to mentionthough he mentioned it several timesyears of alcohol and drug abuse and the dangerous situations that those can entail. Poor Steve. To broaden things is okay, but we dont need to be doing that. Your brother was going to leave all that and come over here. We put the kibosh on that idea.. As Solomonov drove the car east across the state for his brother, his phone rang, somewhere around the town of Lebanon. He credits Terence Feury, who fired him from Striped Bass and then hired him back, with teaching him work ethic and technique. We lived in a pretty small house on top of a big hill. Regardless of emotional state, a 1999 study found that over 40 percent of heroin and crack users relapsed after treatment. Solomonov decided to change his focus to Israeli and Jewish cuisine. He was driving under the influence almost daily. Still, Solomonov emphasized that his success doesnt mean that he doesnt have to think about his addiction anymore. Esquire called Zahav one of America's best new restaurants, and the resultant publicity turned the Philadelphia eatery's fortunes around almost overnight. Michael is going to be a star, says Roger Sherman, producer and director of the planned PBS documentary. On any given night, a customer who walks through the verdant, manicured grounds of I.M. 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. The latter is the counterintuitive (or perhaps completely and brilliantly intuitive) combo coffee shop/designer doughnut house/fried chicken shack thats become as much a cult as a franchise, demonstrating the new willingness of serious food hounds to stand in line for what was once considered little more than junk. According to The Atlantic, at the same time he was struggling to get Zahav off the ground, he was regularly smoking crack behind the wheel of his car and driving while high. Solomonov credits his wife, Mary who became aware of his addiction on a family vacation a few months after the Zahav opening and enlisted his business partner, Steve Cook, in an intervention . At all., We were getting all the accolades that you could get, but we were doing, like, 30 covers on a Tuesday. I was a talented actor, Solomonov said. The Federal Donuts in the stadium is actually run by institutional food giant Aramark, which has licensed the name. He and Cook reworked the Zahav concept, making the menu less didactic and the restaurant friendlier. He is known for his extraordinary skill at transforming simple foods into artful culinary masterpieces and is widely regarded as one of the country's top chefs and entrepreneurs. But will what seems a boy-band-esque foodie fad become a lasting venture? On the way back from the Shore, hed stopped at the original Federal Donuts (where some customers recognized him from TV and the fresh doughnuts were sublime), and after that came a visit to Percy Street Barbecue. And there he is again, whipping up some of his newly famous FedNuts fried chicken for actress Nia Vardalos (of Big Fat Greek Wedding fame) on VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live. The chicken recipe is based on Korean fried chicken, and has the same shatteringly crunchy exterior as its inspiration. Solomonov later agreed to talk publicly about his addiction, but only in general terms. Chef Michael Solomonov is a lot like Philadelphia: scrappy but flourishing despite some hard times. Michael Solomonov - Wikipedia Fortunately for Solomonov, he had a strong support system of people who loved him and were able to get him out of this situation. So we hung out for three weeks together. And hes going to have to figure out how hes going to deal with that. When, years earlier, hed dropped out of the University of Vermont (he once told a writer hed majored in smoking pot and snowboarding; it was actually studio art), Solomonov slunk back to his birthplace, landing a job in a bakery and later becoming a short-order cook in a cafe. Michael soon returned to the U.S. to finish high school and start college, but David stayed and assimilated in Israel. He's also very inspired by the humble street food he eats during his frequent trips to Israel. 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. Per his biography on Zahav's website, Solomonov's family left his birthplace, G'nei Yehuda (which according to StarChefs is near Tel Aviv), when he was a baby. Mike loves to read, but due to his busy schedule, he doesnt always get as much time to read as he would like. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. MICHAEL SOLOMONOV - Zahav He won one for International Cooking in 2016, and one for Outstanding Chef in 2017. In 2008, the year Solomonov got clean, the DEA made more than 12,000 arrests for cocaine-related charges, and an additional 3,000 for heroin. Are you ready, Chef?. But there's so much more to Solomonov than just one restaurant. He was 21. At Caf SoHo, the leftover wings are wrapped to go. When reservations went live on Thursday for Michael Solomonov's first restaurant to open outside of Philadelphia, the first several days of spots were gone within minutes. Then business at the CookNSolo office behind Zahav, a quick visit with his wife and son at home, and then about seven hours of service. Pour the mixture through a . It makes my head spin. He pushes it onto a plate to be served with hummus. Solomonov has strapped his surfboard (it otherwise hangs over the living room sofa of his Old City loft) to the roof of his new Subaru sedan. I just thought it would be good to jump out of airplanes together, he said. Overcoming fear, Solomonov told me, is an important part of life: Right now Im working on my fear of sharks. To that end, he had a large shark tattooed on his torso. He lived here for five years, and it's here where he had his affair with the married Maria . Michael Solomonov Biography | Booking Info for Speaking Engagements But it was in Israel that Solomonov had discovered his vocation in the kitchen. In addition to cooking, hes also written cook books to help others learn some of the tricks of the trade. 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. Solomonov is co-author of three cookbooks, and the recipient of the following five James Beard Awards . He's A Family Man Mike has devoted lots of time an energy into his career, but he's also dedicated lots of time to building a happy life at home. Although neither item is particularly Israeli, Solomonov can't help but include a nod to his culinary heritage in Federal's food. He and Cook reworked the Zahav concept, making the menu less didactic and the restaurant friendlier. His celebrity will be that hes going to be one of the most respected chefs in America., The documentarian connected with Solomonov through Joan Nathan, a veteran cookbook author and an expert on Jewish and Israeli food. [10] He then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to cook Italian cuisine at Chef Marc Vetri's upscale Italian restaurants. In an interview with the New York Times promoting the film, Solomonov talks about some of the themes that the documentary explores. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Michael Solomonov ( Hebrew: ; born 1978) is an Israeli chef known for his restaurants in Center City, Philadelphia. The couple has two sons together. Cook's wife knew Solomonov from their. Theirs is the context of no context. His idea to update the refreshing Philly treat (that you may know as Italian ice) with real fruit instead of artificial syrups has been a runaway success, and his business now has a street named after it. Thanks for reading! A receptionist leaned over the kitchen counter and looked to where Solomonov crouched with his energy drink. So its great to go to the gym and say Yes Coach and fuckin shut my mouth. I like when people come to Philadelphia to have dinner.. He grew up in Pittsburgh, but his family moved back to Israel when he was 15. The critics liked the idea almost from the beginning, but patrons didnt. Now, the likelihood of my getting eaten by a shark, Solomonov said. 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. Despite the two mens nearly diametrically different personalities, there was a certain kinship. Solomonov is an award-winning chef, considered a pioneer of modern Israeli food. He pushes it onto a plate to be served with hummus. 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. But he doesnt need me. Theyre here, Chef, she said. Maybe we just had a good feel for each other at the beginning, Cook says. Who doesnt love to have their hard work and accomplishments recognized? Theyre here, Chef, she said. The press doesnt fucking matter at that point., Nowadays, the press for Zahav is only more effusive, and the customers are waiting to get in. Although an original CookNSolo employee is present at every game, the product isnt exactly the world class-level fare that New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells gushed about after his visit to the original FedNuts. It was mandatory, and I like my job, Zahav manager Okan Yazici told me. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Just weeks before this, the brothers had spent time together in Israel, where the family had repatriated when Michael was 15 and David 12. With his ability to embrace high and low and still make dining fun and delicious, his energetic and idiosyncratic enthusiasm for both ends of the spectrum, Solomonov may have whipped up his own secret sauce for success. In 2015, Cook and Solomonov published a cookbook based on their restaurant Zahav. Though hes suffered his share of burns on the way to this point, its all happening lately for Michael Solomonov. We didnt listen, Solomonov says. [13][14], In 2015, Cook and Solomonov published a cookbook based on their restaurant Zahav. Michael Solomonov transforms simple foods into artful culinary masterpieces and is widely regarded as one of the country's top chefs and entrepreneurs. With surprise hits like Zahav and Federal Donuts, Philly's most iconoclastic chef seems poised for the big time. In the chefs life, one such event stands out. I hesitate to report this, because it may be the last remaining chef-competition concept that hasnt been produced for television and I dont want to give anybody ideas; the two James Beard Award winners sometimes spar in the ring. These wings are ridiculouscrazy good, bro, says Chef himself. He has been married to his wife, Mary, since. But Michael Solomonov's future challenges are no match for the ones he's already faced. I stopped being so choosy when I was about 17 or 18 right around when I became interested in cooking. Im used to people saying Yes Chef this and Yes Chef that. Dude, I was not a good person to work for at all. . Doughnuts definitely arent. Tell us what's wrong with this post? I lived in the office at the restaurant for a few months. His celebrity will be that hes going to be one of the most respected chefs in America., The documentarian connected with Solomonov through Joan Nathan, a veteran cookbook author and an expert on Jewish and Israeli food. 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. Read the interview with Joey Baldino of Restaurant of the Year winner Palizzi Social Club here. The donuts are all of the cake variety, and they come in a rainbow of interesting flavors. On any given night, a customer who walks through the verdant, manicured grounds of I.M. How would you rate this article? The chef visits farms, bustling marketplaces, factories, and families' home kitchens in an effort to grasp what makes Israel's food scene so special. There was no slapping or punching or anything like that in the breakup, Solomonov insists. David Solomonov was three days from being discharged and had volunteered for duty that night to give a more observant member of his battalion leave for the high holiday. Working in the restaurant industry means that Mike spends most of his time around delicious food. The Untold Truth Of Mike Solomonov From Where Chefs Eat Boxing helps the crickets and monkeys in your head, Solomonov told me. Solomonov was insistent throughout the interview with Goldberg that he does not consider himself the best chef in the nation, nor his restaurant the best in Philadelphia, in part because he is all too aware of the risks of hubris. Ten careful courses lay before him, from the Negev olives to Fred Flintstone-sized rib-eye steaks and kiwi sorbet. Meanwhile, they were hinting that an Israeli street-food joint that wouldnt compete with Zahav is a distinct possibility. And be humbled.. [7][8] He was raised in Pittsburgh,[8] where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School. Food has the ability to break language and cultural barriers all while putting a smile on peoples faces. I asked him if such extreme field trips were his version of Outward Bound, which uses physical challenges and hardship to build teamwork. In the late summer of 2005, Solomonov met Steve Cook, who was trying to replace himself as chef at the popular West Philadelphia BYO Marigold Kitchen. I will help make him a star a little quicker. The next day, I waited in line for chicken and doughnuts at a Phillies game. I definitely drank too much and went off on a couple different tangents, which is obviously a mistake that doesnt help you deal with anything., At one point, Solomonov got the idea of moving back to Israel and joining the army himself. Add the lemon juice and teaspoon salt. There was more attention last year when the pair engineered the much-buzzed-about opening of a high-end kosher restaurant on the Main Line, Citron and Rose. I feel that the next five years are going to be a lot more active than the past five years. She is the granddaughter of Gil and. I dont know what thats a product of, but I think its because were doing well every night, having good services back-to-back.. After the 2008 debut of Zahav (one of the 38 most essential restaurants in America, according to Eaters national critic), Solomonov and business partner Steven Cook went on to open Abe Fisher, multiple locations of Dizengoff, and, with Felicia DAmbrosio, Tom Henneman, and Bob Logue, the hit Federal Donuts chain. 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. The place is an institution at this point, and it's incredibly difficult to get a reservation there. I had more responsibility at Vetri, he says. Isnt that Mike Solo, as hes commonly known, cooking pungent chicken shashlik with Al Roker on the Today show? . ), 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. As the saying goes, they stayed away in droves. Steve Cook, my partner and cofounder of CookNSolo, grew up in Miami and Detroit, but I grew up with his wife,Shira, in Squirrel Hill. Theres no decisions. At Caf SoHo, the leftover wings are wrapped to go. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 42 years old? He's also a recovering drug addict, something he's talked openly about for the past six years. Weve gotten praise from the Israeli press, the chef reports proudly. To call it a fad minimizes everything that we put into it, Solomonov says one day. He initially felt like an outsider there, partially. Over the next several months, well be publishing a feature story on each of the winners. Like at a shipudiya in Israel, the meals at Laser Wolf are served family-style and include an array of appetizers as well as dessert. Id work harder than I ever had to work before and nobody gave a shit. Find Michael Solomonov's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. His day began early with his toddler son, named for his brother David, waking him. Emotionally, I was utterly fucked up. After a trip to Israel for his brothers funeral, he returned to the Vetri kitchen. He started shoving food aside and cursing. When I first asked about spending time with him, the chef told me, I dont know what youre going to see. I broke up with my girlfriend. Solomonov's breaking point came when his younger brother, David, was shot to death by Hezbollah snipers while he was patrolling Israel's border with Lebanon. With the support of financier Steve Cook, Solomonov opened Zahav in 2008. As Solomonov drove the car east across the state for his brother, his phone rang, somewhere around the town of Lebanon. And chicken together with that just seems to make sense.. His business partner Steve Cook and his wife intervened and sent him to rehab. We didnt listen, Solomonov says. He also sings the praises of the produce and ingredients you can buy there. On the way back from the Shore, hed stopped at the original Federal Donuts (where some customers recognized him from TV and the fresh doughnuts were sublime), and after that came a visit to Percy Street Barbecue. As time passed, It became clear that that was the way I was going to attach myself to Israel, he says, and in some way, even, with Judaism, and certainly with my brother.. Blend on high for a few seconds until you have a coarse pure. 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. This is something Mike Solomonov understands completely. He isnt shy about revealing his inspiration. Mikes journey through life hasnt always been easy, but his love for food has helped him find a positive path. That is exciting. Three dishes that he highlights in the NPR interview are shawarma, falafel, and sabich, a pita sandwich filled with fried eggplant, eggs, tehina, and pickled mango. I didnt think I was a drug addict, Solomonov told The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg in a recent podcast episode of The Atlantic Interview. Good things and bad things are all triggers for recovery and I still have to be really disciplined. Positive emotional states and celebrations have indeed been identified as high-risk situations that could trigger an addiction relapse. Chef Michael Solomonov was born in G'nei Yehuda, Israel and raised in Pittsburgh. For many years, this celebrated cook and restauranteur was addicted to crack cocaine. 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). We were just sort of friends.. Michael Solomonov's net worth I was 19, and everybody thought I was going to be perpetually unemployed or a drug dealer or something like that. (It didnt work. Meyer believes the first priority for success in the hospitality industry is happy, invested employees. These wings are ridiculouscrazy good, bro, says Chef himself. The chef told NPR that the transition was tough for him, as he didn't understand Hebrew and hated having to move so far from the only home he could remember. And at one point she said gently, Frankly, I think hes doing so much these days., I asked Solomonovs partner whether so much could be too much. 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. The press doesnt fucking matter at that point., Nowadays, the press for Zahav is only more effusive, and the customers are waiting to get in. Or my wife. He then told a story of spiraling into alcohol and drug abuse and how people close to him pushed him into detox and rehab. Michael Solomonovs income source is mostly from being a successful . 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. You would expect that any earth-shattering innovations in milkshake technology would have already been developed by now, but it seems that culinary progress can happen at any time. I dont think coffees going out of style. Like most of us, award-winning Chef Michael Solomonov has been cooking at home a lot this year, much more than he would normally find himself doing as an owner of multiple restaurants.