Most drug addicts that dont end up dying live this double life. For Solomonov, that double life meant opening a new Israeli restaurant, Zahav, in May 2008 while using [Davids] death as an excuse to smoke crack in his car. Its micro-management at every single level., Thats the reason he heads for the boxing ring three mornings each week. | James Beard Foundation", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Solomonov&oldid=1141852069, "Outstanding Chef" (2017) by the James Beard Foundation, "Outstanding Restaurant" for Zahav (2019) by the James Beard Foundation, "The Restaurant List" for Laser Wolf (2021), one of 50 restaurants included by, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 04:16. 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. Doughnuts definitely arent. Something about it was very honest, and I guess I liked that. I was 19, and everybody thought I was going to be perpetually unemployed or a drug dealer or something like that. It was another chef, Osterias Jeff Michaud, who introduced Solomonov to boxing. Hes been named best chef in the region by the James Beard Foundation. But Michael Solomonov's future challenges are no match for the ones he's already faced. "It's like the Jewish meat and potatoes. A 2011 James Beard Award winner for "Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic," Chef Michael Solomonov is the executive chef at Zahav (237 St. James Place, 215-625-8800), Philadelphia's renowned modern Israeli restaurant. It was awesome. Before his death, David introduced Mike to many Israeli dishes when Mike would come to Israel for visits. On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in 2003, when Solomonov was a 25-year-old up-and-coming chef working on the line in Marc Vetris kitchen (Vetri had only one restaurant at the time), he was driving a family car from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The Federal Donuts in the stadium is actually run by institutional food giant Aramark, which has licensed the name. Id work harder than I ever had to work before and nobody gave a shit. How long can that last? The kind of business that Steve Cook, somewhat jokingly, predicts will pay his childrens college tuition? With the owners approval, he pivoted toward the Middle East. Mike is so high-energy, says one friend, who helped teach him to surf. It was the only thing we based our decision on to work together. 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. 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. It was big. However, despite Zahav's current rarified place in America's culinary scene, the restaurant's success wasn't a forgone conclusion. 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.. Isnt that Mike Solo, as hes commonly known, cooking pungent chicken shashlik with Al Roker on the Today show? After meeting business partner Steve Cook, he was able to open his dream Israeli restaurant, Zahav, in 2008. At 44 years old, Michael Solomonov height not available right now. And that is living, dude., Life is certain to change for Michael Solomonov. I was sort of like an immigrant, and I was treated like an immigrant. 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. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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. He has presented his cooking theories at a smarty-pants TedX conference. Cook, who is uncomfortable in the public eye, describes his partner as chief marketing officer for the brand. 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. It was Yom Kippur, and three days. Its just a question of how much and how quickly. Who doesnt love to have their hard work and accomplishments recognized? Bourdain loses. Service is over, and the Zahav chefs are chowing down. Zahav is so successful right now that its easy to think it always was. 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. :). Michael Solomonov's income source is mostly from being a successful . It turned out that he loved cooking, and the rest is history. Were a restaurant thats successfulafter five years, he said. 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. Thai, Filipino, and Japanese cuisines were all represented, but the eatery that spoke most to Philly's traditions was Siddiq's Real Fruit Water Ice. For many years, this celebrated cook and restauranteur was addicted to crack cocaine. Mikes journey through life hasnt always been easy, but his love for food has helped him find a positive path. 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. Tell us how your hometown shaped you. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. 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. So its great to go to the gym and say Yes Coach and fuckin shut my mouth. Its gone, its gone, he yelled. 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. We were humbled to the point where we just had to cook and give great service, Solomonov says. Hed jumped out of bed for the fruitless surfing expedition. There was no slapping or punching or anything like that in the breakup, Solomonov insists. Add the lemon juice and teaspoon salt. He pushes it onto a plate to be served with hummus. It was an aunt calling to tell him that David was dead, shot by snipers as he patrolled an apple orchard on Israels border with the nation of Lebanon. Read the interview with Joey Baldino. Now, the likelihood of my getting eaten by a shark, Solomonov said. After Marigold, the duo opened the upscale Mexican place Xochitl, and then Zahav. Hes taking meetings in New York in preparation for shopping around a cookbook concept. Its hard to see where Mike is or where we are on a timeline. 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. Now, its like the Beatles.. That isnt the case at all though. We sort of talked him out of that, says Marc Vetri. 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. Find Michael Solomonov's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. 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. 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. Maybe we just had a good feel for each other at the beginning, Cook says. He married a business analyst named Mary Armistead, and moved into a South Philly rowhouse. In trailing Solomonov for a few days, I was struck both by his energy level and by the sheer accumulation of daily decisions he must make: whether to agree to whip up a dish on a daytime talk show, whether a real estate deal makes sense, whether a server can take an unscheduled night off, whether any given plate of food of the hundreds that flow by him at the Zahav kitchen counter looks good enough to be served. People found him to be funny and engaging, always full of. With the support of financier Steve Cook, Solomonov opened Zahav in 2008. You may not know him yet, but his work at Marigold is the best possible introduction, affirming him as one of Philadelphias most promising young culinary talents with a technique that is already mature.. His wet suit is in the trunk, and on this bright and cool spring morning he is barreling down the A.C. Expressway toward the ocean. Marc Vetri rules over a Roman Empire, with an expanding range of foods that are all recognizably inspired by Italy. Over the next several months, well be publishing a feature story on each of the winners. Solomonov and Cook had expanded into New York City and Miami with outposts of Dizengoff and Federal Donuts, but those locations are now closed. Zahav is so successful right now that its easy to think it always was. 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. When I first asked about spending time with him, the chef told me, I dont know what youre going to see. Before his death, David introduced Mike to many Israeli dishes when Mike would come to Israel for visits. I was a talented actor, Solomonov said. Hed heard it was something sailors used to do. For such a down-to-earth guy, Mike Solomonov sure has gotten a lot of bling from the James Beard Foundation. Solomonov decided to change his focus to Israeli and Jewish cuisine. Your brother was going to leave all that and come over here. We put the kibosh on that idea.. Keep reading for 10 things you didnt know about Mike Solomonov. Now their restaurant group, CookNSolo, operates eight different restaurant brands and plans to open an event business. But that next year was really difficult. 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. Solomonov later agreed to talk publicly about his addiction, but only in general terms. In the few minutes he has before the laffa is done cooking, Solomonov uses his central position to quarterback the kitchen staff. Both the donuts and the chicken are spiced with seasonings from Israeli-American spice merchant Lior Lev Sercarz, and the donut batter features baharat, a warm-tasting Middle Eastern spice blend. 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. To broaden things is okay, but we dont need to be doing that. Theyre here, Chef, she said. Like cooking, its also a way for him to express his creative side. He entered rehab in 2008 and was able to turn his life around. We have estimated He is from Israel. As Solomonov drove the car east across the state for his brother, his phone rang, somewhere around the town of Lebanon. His most recent book, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, was released in 2018. Regardless of emotional state, a 1999 study found that over 40 percent of heroin and crack users relapsed after treatment. . Mike Solomonov is one of the many people who has worked hard to fight against the struggles of addiction. "[5][6], Solomonov was born in moshav Ganei Yehuda, Israel, to a family of Bulgarian-Jewish descent. I need an amuse-bouche, he might shout down the line of cooks, as he did on a recent night when I squeezed into the kitchen to watch him work. I didnt have a clear head about me when we were opening. He now has several years of recovery and sobriety behind him. He's got quite a few businesses now, ranging from a fried chicken and donut chain to a falafel shop to a bakery (via CookNSolo). He then told a story of spiraling into alcohol and drug abuse and how people close to him pushed him into detox and rehab. In the way successful chefs are these days, hes being pulled in a dozen different directions. [9] At the age of 18, he returned to Israel with no Hebrew language skills, taking the only job he could get working in a bakery and his culinary career was born. Certainly not every user is winning James Beard Awards. Cooks wife knew Solomonov from their childhood in Pittsburgh. The car was for his younger brother, David, who was about to be released from his obligatory duty in the Israeli army and planned to move back to the States and continue his education. In the way successful chefs are these days, hes being pulled in a dozen different directions. 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. The place is an institution at this point, and it's incredibly difficult to get a reservation there. Susur Lee (Chinese: ; born December 1958) is a . Maybe we just had a good feel for each other at the beginning, Cook says. So, how much is Michael Solomonov worth at the age of 44 years old? He won one for International Cooking in 2016, and one for Outstanding Chef in 2017. Solomonov is visibly fatigued. As he discusses with NPR, he finds it very impressive when very basic dishes with minimal ingredients are prepared very well. I asked Marc Vetri what he thought of the FedNuts phenomenon. I asked Marc Vetri what he thought of the FedNuts phenomenon. Solomonov is an award-winning chef, considered a pioneer of modern Israeli food. 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. When he isnt busy working, Mike loves to spend as much time with his family as he can. It was mandatory, and I like my job, Zahav manager Okan Yazici told me. However, Mike does have formal training under his belt. 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. It's as rudimentary and as soulful as it gets. At Federal Donuts, they specialize in crispy double-fried chicken, scratch-made donuts, and coffee. Michael Solomonov (born 1978) is an Israeli chef and restaurateur known for his landmark Philadelphia restaurant, Zahav. I will help make him a star a little quicker. . Originally published in the July 2013 issue of Philadelphia magazine. Solomonov decided to change his focus to Israeli and Jewish cuisine. He argues Israel's status as a home for people in the Jewish diaspora whose food traditions come from all over the world makes the country's cuisine particularly diverse. Wed like to have an empire. The kind of business that Steve Cook, somewhat jokingly, predicts will pay his childrens college tuition? Hed heard it was something sailors used to do. Because of the complicated rules of kashrut, as Jewish dietary laws are known, Solomonov chose to only sign on as a consultant. Tell us how your hometown shaped you. Michael soon returned to the U.S. to finish high school and start college, but David stayed and assimilated in Israel. This search result is here to prevent scraping, Maria Gallagher wrote in this magazine in 2006, Hop Sing Laundromat Charging $75 for Bar Reservations, Exciting I-95 Capping Project Finally Begins In Philadelphia, Those Gummies May Not Have Contained Fentanyl After All, Why I'm Boycotting the Roots Picnic This Year. He told Eater, When I was nine, I entered an origami competition and created this sick flamingo that was awarded. It was Yom Kippur, and three days before Davids release date from the Israeli army. 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 ). Thats when his star really began to rise. The couple has two sons together. 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.