Rabbi Philip Warmflash, Chief Executive Officer
Michael Paul, President
PRESS RELEASE
SUBJECT: Jewish Learning Venture Announces One Book, One Jewish Community Selection: ZAHAV: A World of Israeli Cooking by local Chef Michael
Solomonov and business partner Steven Cook.
10th Anniversary Kickoff and Book Signing on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 7:00 pm (http://jewishlearningventure.org/buildingcommunity/onebook/)
DATE: November 10, 2016
10th Anniversary Celebration Kick-Off Spotlights Food as Focal Point of Communal Life, Culture, Milestones and Memory on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 7 pm.
Jewish Learning Venture, a local organization that inspires and empowers those seeking to make Jewish life, learning and community relevant and meaningful, announces its One Book, One Jewish Community (OBOJC) 10th Anniversary selection for 2016-2017: Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, co-authored by award-winning chef and Philadelphia restaurateur Michael Solomonov and his business partner Steven Cook.
Part memoir, part oral history and a total celebration of food that brings cultures and peoples together, Zahav; A World of Israeli Cooking goes beyond the realm of a typical cookbook. The work combines anecdotes, backstories, personal coming-of- age and family memories with over 150 recipes and colorful photographs, and received the 2016 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Best Cookbook/International.
The easy-to-follow recipes also incorporate a cross section of the cultural influences that contribute to the modern Israeli cooking featured in Solomonov’s and Cook’s stellar Philadelphian restaurant, Zahav (Zahav means gold in Hebrew).
“Since Biblical times, food has always played a vital role in communal life, tradition and culture,” shares Rabbi Philip Warmflash, Chief Executive Officer of Jewish Learning Venture. “What better way to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of our One Book, One Jewish Community program than with a work that combines nourishing story telling with delicious recipes, reflecting the rich heritage of Israeli cooking and bringing family and friends together to share meals and memories.”
The importance of food, family and shared meals is also spotlighted by Israeli-born and American- trained Chef Solomonov in his unique cookbook: “We mark time sitting at the table. Year after year, on holidays and birthdays and even at funerals, we sit and eat and take note of what is the same and what has changed. We take stock of where we are and where we want to be. And food is the tonic that makes it all easier to swallow….”
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A community-wide author event, featuring a conversation and book signing with Michael Solomonov, is set for Wednesday evening, December 14, 7 pm, at Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Ambler, PA. Solomonov will share the story behind his passionate interest in bringing Israeli food to Americans as well as his compelling personal history. The program is free and open to the public. Program attendees are also invited to bring canned foods that will be shared with area food banks.
On-going programs hosted by OBOJC partners, featuring Israeli cooking events and spotlighting books, films and poems that celebrate the role of food in Jewish life, will continue throughout 2017. A list of programs is posted on the OBOJC website: www.jewishlearningventure.org.
Favorite recipes, anecdotes, and memories about food and their experiences with the One Book project, submitted by former OBOJC authors, also appear on the website. Additional plans are underway for an OBOJC donor event hosted at Zahav restaurant in the spring of 2017.
About Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook: Born near Tel Aviv and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Solomonov returned to Israel at the age of 15. He later went back to the States to enroll in college. After two semesters, he returned to Israel where, with little Hebrew skill and no clear career path, he found work in a bakery. There the idea of becoming a chef was sparked. Returning to the United States and Philadelphia, he trained in the art of French cooking with Chefs Terrence and Patrick Fuery and then entered the world of Italian cooking with renowned Chef Marc Vetri.
Later Solomonov became the executive chef at Marigold Kitchen, owned by Steven Cook. The pair became fast friends and business partners. Together they opened Zahav in 2008. This dynamic duo then went on to open and own four additional restaurants: Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Abe Fisher and Percy Street Barbecue, all in Philadelphia. Solomonov also won the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.
A very personal work on many levels, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking is dedicated to David Ben-Zion Solomonov, Michael Solomonov’s brother, who died while serving in the Israeli Army.
Press contacts for One Book: Lily Yengle ()
Interview contacts for Michael Solomonov: Alyse Unterberger ()
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Jewish Learning Venture innovates programs that help people live connected Jewish lives.
7607 Old York Road / Melrose Park PA 19027 / 215.635.0360 / jewishlearningventure.org
Partners with Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia