Michael Solomonov was appointed as a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition on March 24, 2023, for a 2-year term.
Chef Solomonov is a beloved champion of Israel’s extraordinarily diverse culinary landscape, and the chef widely recognized for bringing Israeli cuisine to diners across the United States and around the world. He co-owns CookNSolo Restaurants with hospitality entrepreneur Steve Cook and is chef of the trailblazing restaurant Zahav, which has put the rich melting pot of Israeli cuisine at the forefront of dining in America today. Solomonov has co-authored 3 cookbooks and is the recipient of the following James Beard awards: 2011 Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic; 2016 Best International Cookbook and Book of the Year for his and Steve Cook’s bestselling Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking; and the 2017 Outstanding Chef. In May of 2019, Zahav was awarded Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation, making Zahav the first Israeli American restaurant to be awarded this great honor. In addition to his work at Zahav, Solomonov co-owns Philadelphia’s Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Abe Fisher, Goldie, K’Far, Merkaz, and Laser Wolf as well as Lilah, an event venue bringing together 15 years of culinary and hospitality wizardry. In 2022, CookNSolo expanded to Brooklyn with much acclaim, bringing grill house sensation Laser Wolf, as well as Israeli bakery and café K’Far, to The Hoxton Hotel in Williamsburg. Outside of the restaurants, you can often find Mike with Steve at Pho 75 in South Philly, working out the kinks in their Israeli village.
