Spreading Culture & Unity Through Jewish Food, Israeli-American Chef Michael Solomonov

5-time James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author Michael Solomonov is famous for his groundbreaking & wildly popular Israeli cuisine for American palates, all of which he dishes on with Jonah in this week’s episode. A child of both Israel and America, Solomonov has made it his mission to bring Israeli culture to the fore by showcasing its diverse and delicious food, a quest that’s grown more complex since October 7th and the anti-Israel sentiments that have followed - even from his own staff. In this raw and heartfelt conversation, Solomonov also opens up about the death of his younger brother while serving in the IDF, overcoming addiction, the unifying power of food, and expert culinary tips you’ll only find here, on this week’s episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. Stay Connected Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://beingjewishwithjonahplatt.transistor.fm/subscribe Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@BeingJewishPodcast Follow Jonah on Instagram @jonahplatt :https://www.instagram.com/jonahplatt/ Follow the Show on Instagram @beingjewishpodcast: https://www.instagram.com/beingjewishpodcast/ Join the conversation on Twitter: https://x.com/JonahPlatt TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beingjewish Threads: www.threads.net/@jonahplatt All things Jonah: www.JonahPlatt.com Connect with Michael Solomonov https://www.instagram.com/mikesolomonov/ https://www.instagram.com/zahavfoods https://www.instagram.com/jaffabar_philly/ Aviv Restaurant at 1 Hotel Southbeach https://www.instagram.com/1hotel.southbeach Host & Production Team Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew Jones; Story Producer: Sean Leviashvili; Editor: Patrick Edwards); Social Media Manager: Yuval Yosha; Designer Noah Bell Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, and Consulting Producers: Shield Communications (Ariella Noveck & Bethany Mandel). Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of Being Jewish! Mentioned in Episode The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1886941971?ie=UTF8&tag=… Dr. Ned Hallowell https://linktr.ee/DrHallowell https://www.tiktok.com/@drhallowell David Solomonov Obituary https://aaciremembers.org/fallen/david-solomonov/ Russ Cowan’s Deli: Radin’s Delicatessen https://www.radinsdelicatessen.com/ Pho 75 Restaurant https://phillypho.com/ Vetri Restaurant Philadelphia https://vetricucina.com/ Zahav Restaurant https://www.zahavrestaurant.com/ Federal Donuts https://federaldonuts.com/ Laser Wolf https://www.laserwolfbrooklyn.com/ Dizengoff https://www.dizengoffphilly.com/ Kfar https://www.kfarcafe.com/ Goldie Philadelphia https://www.goldiefalafel.com/ Protests Outside of Goldie Restaurant https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/pro-palestinian… United Hatzalah https://israelrescue.org Avi-Cue Shwarma https://www.instagram.com/avi_cue?utm_source=ig_web_butto… Saffy’s Los Angeles https://www.saffysla.com/ Jaffa Bar Philadelphia https://www.jaffabarphilly.com/ Aviv Restaurant Miami https://www.1hotels.com/south-beach/taste/aviv Seed & Mill Halva https://www.seedandmill.com/collections/halva?srsltid=Afm… Spice C Philadelphia https://spicecnoodle.com/SpiceC2159232222/index.html Hawaij Mixed Spice Blend https://www.pereg-gourmet.com/products/mixed-spices-soup?… Chef Aliza Sokolow https://www.instagram.com/alizajsokolow/?hl=en Zahav Home Cookbook https://www.harpercollins.com/products/zahav-home-michael… Gefilteria https://www.gefilteria.com/ Courage Bagels https://couragebagels.com/ Del Rossi’s Cheesesteak https://www.delrossismenu.com/ 00:00 Be Your Full Authentic Self 09:11 Interview with Chef Michael Solomonov 34:26 Struggles and Support: Overcoming Addiction 35:21 Exploring the Culinary Ventures 37:32 Introducing Jaffa: A New Culinary Concept 40:27 Navigating Political Challenges 44:16 Reflecting on October 7th 52:24 Comfort Food and Culinary Tips 57:42 Final Thoughts and Gratitude #beingjewish #jonahplatt #beingjewishpodcast #jewishpodcast #jewishfood #jewishculture #israel #israelifood #israelichef