The Chef's Cut

Michael Solomonov on Zahav, Addiction, and Why Philly is the Best Food City!!

Monday · 31 min
0:00-31:18

Streams straight from the publisher. PodNod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

Adrienne and Joe are joined by acclaimed Chef Michael Solomonov to talk his award-winning restaurants, the thriving Philadelphia restaurant community, and the realities of addiction and recovery in the industry.

In this episode, we also discuss:

  • The origins of Zahav and the inspiration of Israeli food culture

  • Opening a restaurant during the 2008 recession

  • Why Philly’s food scene thrives: affordability and community

  • Moving beyond traditional French and Italian fine dining

  • Ingredient integrity: prioritizing substance over hype

  • Addiction, recovery, and rebuilding a life in the kitchen

  • Building healthier kitchen cultures and leaning on partners

  • Walk In Confession: Cooking out of a neighboring bodega to keep service alive during a power outage.

Follow Michael: @mikesolomonov

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham 

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm