Michael Solomonov, the Israeli Chef of Philadelphia's Zahav, Nominated for James Beard Award
It’s no secret that Israeli restaurateur Michael Solomonov is a darling of the culinary world—and he’s got the hardware to prove it. With three James Beard Foundation Awards under his belt, including, most recently, a 2016 Cookbook of the Year prize for Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, Solomonov is in the running for a few more Beard Awards this year.
Consider yourself lucky if you’ve eaten at one of his Philadelphia restaurants—the hallmark Israeli eatery Zahav, the Jewish diaspora-inspired Abe Fisher, the hummusiya Dizengoff, the philanthropic-minded Rooster Soup Co., and Federal Donuts, a shop serving gourmet fried chicken and doughnuts that really just sells transcendent moments of indulgence. (The strawberry lavender doughnut is heaven on Earth, don’t argue with me on this one.)