Born in the village of G'nei Yehudah, outside Tel Aviv, Michael Solomonov has been championing Israeli cuisine as a chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. His restaurant empire in Philadelphia includes Goldie, a casual spot for authentic falafel sandwiches and tahina shakes; Dizengoff, a hummusiya where you can feast on creamy bowls of freshly made hummus with rotating toppings; and Zahav, the James Beard Award-winning flagship restaurant that put Israeli food on the map in the United States. His most recent cookbook, Israeli Soul, is a travelogue of his home country full of recipes, stories, and photographs that bring his love affair with Israeli cuisine to life.
Raised in the United States but now based in Tel Aviv, Adeena Sussman’s most recent cookbook, Sababa, was inspired by the Shuk HaCarmel, the bustling food market that Adeena is fortunate enough to live next to.
With the market in Tel Aviv and Solomonov’s restaurants in Philadelphia closed due to the pandemic, these chefs and friends are relying on their favorite pantry items to keep cooking at home interesting and delicious.
Join Michael Solomonov and Adeena Sussman along with food writer Gabriella Gershenson for a spirited conversation about what they’re cooking now that their routines have been disrupted. They’ll share the secrets of their pantries with you and Chef Solomonov will demonstrate his simple and economical recipe for 5-minute hummus.
Tickets for admission are available at three levels: Level One includes a reserved ticket, Level Two includes a reserved ticket plus a copy of either Israeli Soul OR Sababa, and Level Three includes a reserved ticket plus a copy of both books. Please note the cost of the book includes shipping and sales tax. Your purchase will support our partner, Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY. Books are not guaranteed to arrive before the event date and cannot be shipped to a PO Box.
GABRIELLA GERSHENSON
Gabriella Gershenson is a James Beard Award-nominated food journalist based in New York City. She has been an editor at Saveur Magazine, Rachael Ray Every Day, and Time Out New York, and is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal. Her work has been published In The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Tablet, Food & Wine Magazine, and many other publications. She is an editor of the recently published books The 100 Most Jewish Foods (Artisan) and the IACP Award-nominated Hummus (Magica), and moderates a series of food talks at Symphony Space and Temple Emanuel's Streicker Center.
MICHAEL SOLOMONOV
Michael Solomonov is a beloved champion of Israel's extraordinarily diverse and vibrant culinary landscape. He is the executive chef and co-owner of Philadelphia’s Zahav, the trailblazing restaurant that put the rich melting pot of Israeli cuisine at the forefront of dining in America today. He is the co-author of three cookbooks, and 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 business partner/co-author Steven Cook’s best-selling cookbook, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, and the 2017 “Outstanding Chef.” In 2018, Zahav was recognized by Food & Wine Magazine as one of "The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years" and 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, Chef Solomonov co-owns Philadelphia's Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Abe Fisher, and Goldie. In July of 2019, Solomonov brought another major slice of Israeli food culture to Philadelphia with K'Far, an Israeli bakery & café named for his hometown just outside of Tel Aviv. In November of 2019, Solomonov opened Merkaz, an Israeli pita sandwich shop, and in February opened Laser Wolf, an Israeli skewer house. Just this May, Laser Wolf was named a GQ Magazine "Best New Restaurant in America", 2020.
ADEENA SUSSMAN
Adeena Sussman is the author of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen, which was named a Best Fall 2019 cookbook by The New York Times, Bon Appetit, and Food & Wine. She is currently working on her follow up to Sababa.
The co-author of 11 cookbooks, her three most recent collaborations, including Cravings and Cravings: Hungry For More with Chrissy Teigen, were New York Times Best-sellers.
A lifelong visitor to Israel who has been writing about that country’s food culture for almost 20 years, Adeena became a citizen in December 2018. She cooks and writes in Tel Aviv, where she lives in the shadow of that city’s Carmel Market with her husband, Jay Shofet.
GASTRO OBSCURA
Gastro Obscura's mission is to inspire wonder and curiosity about the world through food and drink. Its articles and videos explore what food and drink reveal about the places where they’re made and the people who make them. And In partnership with chefs, historians, and other experts, Gastro Obscura helps travelers and curious people experience culinary wonders firsthand.
GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE
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