There is no single recipe for success. But if there were, Michael Solomonov, the James Beard award-winning chef, created, tested, and mastered it. Of course, there were unique ingredients to his story: Solomonov’s success was hardwon, and marked by loss, failure, and his ability to recover.

Solomonov is known for his acclaimed Philadelphia restaurant, Zahav. He’s also written bestselling cookbooks, and has expanded his restaurants to include, among others, a bakery, pita shop, and the newly opened Brooklyn skewer house, Laser Wolf. On today’s episode, storymark℠ host Gil Galanos joins the chef in his restaurant to talk about his journey. Solomonov’s story begins when he was a teenager with a foot in two different worlds, the US and Israel, and how he fell into his first restaurant job — scrubbing dishes at an Israeli bakery.

You can explore Solomonov’s portfolio of restaurants and cookbooks on his website or follow him on Instagram: @MichaelSolomonov