Michael Solomonov

Michael Solomonov (born 1978) is an Israeli chef and restaurateur known for his landmark Philadelphia restaurant, Zahav. 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.[1][2]

Michael Solomonov
Born1978 (age 41–42)
Savyon, Israel
EducationFlorida Culinary Institute
Home townPhiladelphia
Culinary career
Cooking styleJewish
Websitehttp://www.cooknsolo.com/

Career

Solomonov began cooking Italian cuisine at Vetri in Philadelphia. In 2003, his brother, David, was killed on Yom Kippur during a military campaign for which he volunteered. Solomonov decided to change his focus to Israeli and Jewish cuisine. After meeting with financier Steven Cook, they opened Zahav in 2008. During this time Solomonov had a hidden addiction to heroin, cocaine, and other substances.[3]

With his business partner Steven Cook, Solomonov is co-owner of several Philadelphia restaurants: Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, Percy Street Barbecue, and Federal Donuts, a fried chicken and donut chain. Having participated in the South Beach Food & Wine Festival in 2013, Solomonov was able to bring Percy Street Barbecue to South Florida. Bill Addison, writing for Eater Philadelphia, called Chef Solomonov "the Genius of Modern Jewish Cooking" after eating at Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, and Zahav.[4]

Solomonov also spent a period of time consulting for David Magerman's, now closed, and Citron and Rose, a certified Kosher meat restaurant on the Main Line in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.[5][6]

In 2015, Cook and Solomonov published a cookbook based on their restaurant Zahav. Zahav: A World of Israeli Cuisine was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award in the International cookbook category.[7]

References
  1. Bruni, Frank (9 August 2014). "Grief, Smoke and Salvation". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  2. Nathan, Joan (20 September 2011). "After a Killing, Michael Solomonov Turns to Israeli Food". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  3. Thomas Haas (2014-08-10). "Michael Solomonov Reveals That He's a Recovering Crack Addict". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  4. Addison, Bill. "Why Philly's Mike Solomonov Is The Genius of Modern Jewish Cooking". Eater. Eater Philadelphia. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  5. "Welcome - Philadelphia Magazine". www.phillymag.com.
  6. "Welcome - Philadelphia Magazine". www.phillymag.com.
  7. "The 2016 James Beard Award Nominees". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.