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. Bill Addison, writing for Eater Philadelphia, called Chef Solomonov "the Genius of Modern Jewish Cooking" after eating at Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, and Zahav. [15] Zahav: A World of Israeli Cuisine was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award in the International cookbook category. In an interview with the New York Times promoting the film, Solomonov talks about some of the themes that the documentary explores. He told Eater, When I was nine, I entered an origami competition and created this sick flamingo that was awarded. The Sephardic dish is laced with warm spices, such as allspice and turmeric, rich with onion and garlic. Beyond the raves and accolades, here are five things you probably didnt know about Solomonov, straight from the star chef himself. Or my wife. Solomonov is expanding his. He has been widely featured and recognized for his many accomplishments on . Michael Solomonov (right) and Steve Cooke. Chef Michael Solomonov is a lot like Philadelphia: scrappy but flourishing despite some hard times. Michael Solomonov is the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur behind several restaurants in Philadelphia, including Zahav, Abe Fisher, and the Rooster. Since then, Cook and Solomonovs cookbook, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, has won two James Beard Awards. 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. Michael married Rachel Solomonov (born Turevski) . Cooks wife knew Solomonov from their childhood in Pittsburgh. [8], At the start of his career, Solomonov moved back to the United States to attend culinary school at the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, FL. Something about it was very honest, and I guess I liked that. Solomonov and Steve Cook shared the 2016 James Beard Award for Outstanding Book for the cookbook "Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking." California residents do not sell my data request. Were the busiest weve ever been, Solomonov told me in mid-May. Hes won several James Beard Foundation awards including the 2011 award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic and another in 2017 for Outstanding Chef. Who doesnt love to have their hard work and accomplishments recognized? Michael Solomonov, the winner of the 2017 James Beard Award for outstanding American chef, should probably not, by his own reckoning, be alive. His first restaurant Zahav, founded in 2008, has received national recognition including the James Beard Foundation "Outstanding Restaurant" in 2019. A wedding reception followed the ceremony at the Coronado Ballroom. 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. Now, its like the Beatles.. I broke up with my girlfriend. Before his death, David introduced Mike to many Israeli dishes when Mike would come to Israel for visits. . 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. My life is really fuckin boring. Michael Solomonov hosts an Israeli brunch in New York in October 2017. We used that extra time to pick up new hobbies and cook more at home. Read the interview with Joey Baldino of Restaurant of the Year winner Palizzi Social Club here. Not to mentionthough he mentioned it several timesyears of alcohol and drug abuse and the dangerous situations that those can entail. As Solomonov drove the car east across the state for his brother, his phone rang, somewhere around the town of Lebanon. 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. It's a fitting welcome to Brooklyn for the chef who introduced modern Israeli cuisine to American diners with his perennially popular Zahav . As the saying goes, they stayed away in droves. When Zahav opened in 2008, the Great Recession was just getting under way, and the resultant wallet tightening led to the new restaurant doing dismal business (via The Atlantic). Even after he dropped out of college, a decision fueled by drugs, he said, I thought I just did what every other kid did, and I took it a little bit too far.. Bourdain loses. Zahav is so successful right now that its easy to think it always was. On any given night, a customer who walks through the verdant, manicured grounds of I.M. [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. The critics liked the idea almost from the beginning, but patrons didnt. I didnt have a clear head about me when we were opening. There was no slapping or punching or anything like that in the breakup, Solomonov insists. I was skeptical at first, he said. Davids death changed my perspective about a lot of things, Solomonov says. He's also very inspired by the humble street food he eats during his frequent trips to Israel. 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. 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). I wasnt very good at accepting what happened to my brother or what was happening to myself. 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.. I probably should have [died] 100 times over, Solomonov said. He credits Terence Feury, who fired him from Striped Bass and then hired him back, with teaching him work ethic and technique. He attended the University of Vermont for three semesters where he studied art before leaving and moving back to Israel which is where he was born. For years, he was addicted to cocaine and and heroin, but it took him a while to realize that he he had a serious problem. It is no coincidence that my business partner is somebody whom I met through Squirrel Hill. He married a business analyst named Mary Armistead, and moved into a South Philly rowhouse. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 42 years old? Everybody was invested in one another, but I didn't appreciate it growing up. Though he wont be specific with the timeline, it seems obvious that this was the period when Solomonov decided to get sober. I was 19, and everybody thought I was going to be perpetually unemployed or a drug dealer or something like that. Although Mike Solomonov was born in Israel and is now one of the United States' most notable Israeli chefs, he took a circuitous path towards learning the flavors of his homeland. In the chefs life, one such event stands out. Two piles of crisp wingsgarlic soy and spicyare heaped on the table, along with a side dish of eel. How long can that last? Famed Philadelphia chef and restaurateur Michael Solomonov is mounting a comeback in New York City and this time, he's going all in on a full-blown restaurant. Though he wont be specific with the timeline, it seems obvious that this was the period when Solomonov decided to get sober. 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. I have those things with my partner, and Squirrel Hill is certainly a big reason for it. 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By submitting your email, you agree to our, The freshest news from the local food world, 5 Things You Didnt Know About Michael Solomonov, Sign up for the 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. I thinkback on that time after everything that happened there a few weeks ago. The village that it takes to raise a child is very evident there. 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. But it was in Israel that Solomonov had discovered his vocation in the kitchen. But he was about to find his mtier. It doesnt stop: Solomonov and crew also released a Federal Donuts cookbook last year, and the chefs second Israeli cookbook, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, is due out next fall. It was the only thing we based our decision on to work together. Michael soon returned to the U.S. to finish high school and start college, but David stayed and assimilated in Israel. To call it a fad minimizes everything that we put into it, Solomonov says one day. 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. Working in the restaurant industry means that Mike spends most of his time around delicious food. Excuse meIm sorry, the chef added, his tone somehow combining his general affability with zero tolerance for slacking, but WHERE THE FUCK are the amuse coming from tonight? When it comes to cursing, chefs are the new sailors. It's as rudimentary and as soulful as it gets. 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. And as the diners left the restaurant later, they would receive some marshmallows to take home, tucked into tiny bags with origami cranes. 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 ). We hadnt really seen much of each othermaybe once a year, Solomonov remembers. And chicken together with that just seems to make sense.. I was 19, and everybody thought I was going to be perpetually unemployed or a drug dealer or something like that. And it just didnt work. And hes going to have to figure out how hes going to deal with that. The dough is an Iraqi flatbread called laffa, and not long after it hits the bricks, it puffs up so fast that the process looks like time-lapse photography. The chef visits farms, bustling marketplaces, factories, and families' home kitchens in an effort to grasp what makes Israel's food scene so special. 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. He was maturing outside the kitchen, too. He had two and a half minutes to give a cooking demonstration and show off some of his dishes. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the garlic can mellow. As I stood in the midst of the frenetic Zahav kitchen midway through a Saturday-night service, Solomonov came behind me, crouched down, and opened an under-counter refrigerator. Still, for now, on most nights, Solomonov plants himself behind the hammered-copper kitchen counter at Zahav and shovels dough into the blast furnace. Mike has devoted lots of time an energy into his career, but hes also dedicated lots of time to building a happy life at home. His wife is Mary Solomonov (m. 2006) Michael Solomonov Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Jose Garces built a kind of Incan Empire, his restaurants all rooted in some sort of south-of-the-border cuisine. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Because of the complicated rules of kashrut, as Jewish dietary laws are known, Solomonov chose to only sign on as a consultant. Is Susur Lee still married? Itll all be for nothing. Then he shifted to the quieter kitchen of Vetri, who, he says, taught him to slow down and really pay attention. There are many talented chefs who achieve fame and open restaurants without ever having gone to culinary school. We were about halfway to Atlantic City, talking about our mutual disdain for the culture of gaming, when Solomonov said, Ive got one of the most compulsive and addictive personalities I know, but gambling has never been a problem. A little while later, after a shoreline survey of the paltry wave action convinced him that putting on his wet suit would be a waste of time, we were walking the Boardwalk, trying to find some coffee. It's a way for him to get back in touch with his birthplace while abiding by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. These wings are ridiculouscrazy good, bro, says Chef himself. But that next year was really difficult. Theirs is the context of no context. In the founding myth surrounding Federal Donuts, Solomonov is given credit for introducing the concept of twice-fried chicken into the product mix. 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. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on . The Untold Truth Of Mike Solomonov From Where Chefs Eat. 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. A lot of people think that when you are doing well its somehow easier, he said. Growing up, I envisioned myself as a photographer, not a chef. 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 business started in 1995 as the brainchild of Siddiq Moore, who was then a student at Philadelphia's Temple University. We were humbled to the point where we just had to cook and give great service, Solomonov says. 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. 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. The next day, I waited in line for chicken and doughnuts at a Phillies game. Although Israeli food made Mike Solomonov's reputation, it's not the only thing he's good at. Are they, as Food and Wine recently suggested, poised to helm the next Philadelphia restaurant empire? After an intervention by his then-wife and his business partner, Steven Cook, Solomonov went to rehab. Talking about food. His most recent book, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, was released in 2018. 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. When he isnt busy working, Mike loves to spend as much time with his family as he can. 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. When I first asked about spending time with him, the chef told me, I dont know what youre going to see. I was skeptical at first, he said. Mike Solomonov looked like a television pro when he gave Ted Allen a chef-centric tour of Philly on "Where Chefs Eat" (via Philly Voice). Tell us how your hometown shaped you. I would just freestyle when I was bored.. In 2019, Zahav took home the award for Outstanding Restaurant. 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. Michael Solomonov was born on 1978 in Savyon, Israel. [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. He said, I could believe the things that people constantly write, or let my head get big and get arrogant, and Id go right back out.. Between the long hours, the physically-demanding labor, and the constant mental stress, you have to give your all every single day. Im used to people saying Yes Chef this and Yes Chef that. When he opened Zahav, Mike Solomonov had to struggle with all of that while simultaneously dealing with twin addictions to crack and heroin (via NPR). Very, very picky. But Michael Solomonov's future challenges are no match for the ones he's already faced. It was awesome. I stopped being so choosy when I was about 17 or 18 right around when I became interested in cooking. I didnt have a clear head about me when we were opening. That is exciting. Something went wrong. In fact, he didnt discover his love for cooking until after he had dropped out of college. The chef has earned accolades as an author in addition to all the recognition he's received for his restaurant. Gabby Deutch. In addition to his duties at Zahav Chef Solomonov is a partner in Federal Donuts Dizengoff Goldie and Abe Fisher. Reading allows people to not only learn new things, but temporarily escape the stresses of daily life. Michael Solomonov is gleefully married to wife Mary Solomonov for almost 12 years and yet Michael is deeply and madly in love with her. Service is over, and the Zahav chefs are chowing down. Weve gotten praise from the Israeli press, the chef reports proudly. 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. 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. Theyre here, Chef, she said. 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. Michael Solomonov is really into origami. When I first asked about spending time with him, the chef told me, I dont know what youre going to see. We sort of talked him out of that, says Marc Vetri. At five oclock, dude, he told me, the curtains go up, and it is show- time every fuckin night.. I feel that the next five years are going to be a lot more active than the past five years. He also sings the praises of the produce and ingredients you can buy there. | 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. Its heading toward two a.m., and Solomonov has finally shed his apron and enlisted two of his top young chefs for a pilgrimage to one of his favorite restaurants, a Korean fried chicken wings joint in Cheltenham called Caf Soho. Oops. Over the next five years, Solomonov landed his first gig as a head chef, met and married his wife, Mary, and helped launch Zahav. Awesome, right? 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. Then he shifted to the quieter kitchen of Vetri, who, he says, taught him to slow down and really pay attention. With his business partner, Steve Cook, a onetime investment banker who transformed himself into a respected chef and then quickly went back to the business end of the restaurant business, Solomonov has interests in Percy Street Barbecue and Federal Donuts. In 2015, Cook and Solomonov published a cookbook based on their restaurant Zahav. There was no slapping or punching or anything like that in the breakup, Solomonov insists. After meeting with financier Steven Cook, they opened Zahav in 2008. 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. At 44 years old, Michael Solomonov height not available right now. I was just going through it a little bit. With surprise hits like Zahav and Federal Donuts, Philly's most iconoclastic chef seems poised for the big time. Are you ready, Chef?. With the support of financier Steve Cook, Solomonov opened Zahav in 2008. Its gone, its gone, he yelled. Just days after announcing the split, both Cook and Solomonov were talking about revisiting the concept of high-end Ashkenazi Jewish food on their own. Hes been named best chef in the region by the James Beard Foundation. 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. But he doesnt need me. One afternoon, Nathan talked to me in an affectionate and almost motherly way about the young chef. Pour the mixture through a . Just then, the four people who had reserved the chefs tasting counter were arriving. Solomonov was 27 now, scarred by loss and headed for a confrontation with his obsessive and addictive nature. During an interview with The Atlantic, Mike said that he doesnt like to get caught up in the accolades and allow them to feed his ego. The kind of business that Steve Cook, somewhat jokingly, predicts will pay his childrens college tuition? 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. How long can that last? Isnt that Mike Solo, as hes commonly known, cooking pungent chicken shashlik with Al Roker on the Today show? I would just freestyle when I was bored. To broaden things is okay, but we dont need to be doing that. Rebecca Anne Gans, daughter of Richard and Lisa Gans of Chesterfield, and Michael Solomonov, son of Ella and the late Yuri Solomonov of Chesterfield, were married April 16, 2011 at Congregation Shaare Emeth, where Rabbi Andrea Goldstein officiated. Remember the name Michael Solomonov, Maria Gallagher wrote in this magazine in 2006. Solomonov and his partners have opened seven branches of Federal Donuts, their highly regarded doughnut-and-fried-chicken joint operation; four hummusiyas in Philadelphia, Miami, and New York; and two falafel shops. 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. In fact, the foods he likes the best are often the simplest. He was able to finish the segment and talk about his food, which is quite impressive under those circumstances. Going to the beach. In addition to cooking, hes also written cook books to help others learn some of the tricks of the trade. Afterwards, Solomonov took a job as a chef at Marigold Kitchen, owned by businessman Steve Cook. All I do is work. Then he came back with an offer of an array of athletic activities: surfing, running (he was scheduled to do the 10-mile Broad Street Run the next day) and boxing. The Inimitable Michael Solomonov With surprise hits like Zahav and Federal Donuts, Philly's most iconoclastic chef seems poised for the big time. It was mandatory, and I like my job, Zahav manager Okan Yazici told me. Solomonov is an award-winning chef, considered a pioneer of modern Israeli food. Per Zahav's website, Solomonov's first James Beard Award came in 2011, when he won Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic. . [17], "Laser Wolf" redirects here. 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. I dont know if it was mandatory, but preferred, Solomonov said. Theres nothing that brings people together quite like a good meal. It was Yom Kippur, and three days before Davids release date from the Israeli army. Sitting down with a good book is one of the best ways to relax and decompress. ), 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. 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. 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. I cant imagine.. And as the diners left the restaurant later, they would receive some marshmallows to take home, tucked into tiny bags with origami cranes. Starting with the perennial Zagat Guide favorite Union Square Caf, Meyer developed a series of Manhattan restaurants (Tom Colicchios Gramercy Tavern was an early example), each more famous than the last. Just then, the four people who had reserved the chefs tasting counter were arriving. Michael Solomonov ( Hebrew: ; born 1978) is an Israeli chef known for his restaurants in Center City, Philadelphia. It was legitimate work, and it was fuckin hardlike, super-hard. Hes turning down requests to open Zahav restaurants across the country. Zahav: A World of Israeli Cuisine was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award in the International cookbook category. Michael Solomonov was born on month day 1898, at birth place, to Yakov Solomonov and Genya Solomonov (born Chalfina). Solomonov rose up like a boxer lifting himself off the corner stool to fight another round. The dough is an Iraqi flatbread called laffa, and not long after it hits the bricks, it puffs up so fast that the process looks like time-lapse photography. Of course, right now also happens to be smack in the middle of the age of the rock-star chef/entrepreneur, and Solomonov has already walked gingerly into that wave of heat. Talking about food. Excuse meIm sorry, the chef added, his tone somehow combining his general affability with zero tolerance for slacking, but WHERE THE FUCK are the amuse coming from tonight? When it comes to cursing, chefs are the new sailors. His latest triumph is the internationally expanding Shake Shack chain. The Federal Donuts in the stadium is actually run by institutional food giant Aramark, which has licensed the name. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Which is very cool. Marc Vetri, who gave Solomonov one of his early cooking jobs, calls Zahav one of the most interesting restaurants in America right now.. ), 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. Were a restaurant thats successfulafter five years, he said. He opened his now famous restaurant, Zahav, that same year. How could we improve it? I could believe the things that people constantly write, or let my head get big and get arrogant, and Id go right back out.. newsletter, Sign up for the And that is living, dude., Life is certain to change for Michael Solomonov. Emotionally, I was utterly fucked up. After a trip to Israel for his brothers funeral, he returned to the Vetri kitchen. Find Michael Solomonov's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. Its in the back, his grill chef told him. At the end of the year Eater Philly named him Chef of the Year in the annual Eater Awards. We wanted to be very casual and then have this high-end thing in a different room, which was me trying to show off. In a different season, snowboarding would be on the agenda. Solomonov is visibly fatigued. As I stood in the midst of the frenetic Zahav kitchen midway through a Saturday-night service, Solomonov came behind me, crouched down, and opened an under-counter refrigerator. Despite the two mens nearly diametrically different personalities, there was a certain kinship. Because of the complicated rules of kashrut, as Jewish dietary laws are known, Solomonov chose to only sign on as a consultant. He married a business analyst named Mary Armistead, and moved into a South Philly rowhouse. Meyer believes the first priority for success in the hospitality industry is happy, invested employees.