The Conversation Issue: Michael Solomonov and Marc Vetri Talk Celebrity Chefdom

Marc Vetri and Michael Solomonov. Photograph by Dustin Fenstermacher

The November issue of Philadelphia magazine is all about conversations. Stephen Starr and Pierre Robert talk rock music, Chris Matthews and Ed Rendell talk politics and Michael Solomonov and Marc Vetri talk being celebrity chefs in Philadelphia.

Marc: The goal is to make the diner have a really amazing experience. I’ve sat in on a lot of these chef-y sort of advice-panel things, and a lot of chefs say, “You know, you open a restaurant and the curtain raises up and it’s theater. And the show goes on.” And I’m thinking to myself, That is just the dumbest advice you can give. It’s not a show; it’s not buying a ticket to an event. You don’t walk into a theater and they’re in the middle of a scene, and you stand up and say, “Hey, I don’t like that scene, do you think you can actually do the other one again?” No. That’s art and theater. This is dining at a restaurant, and I want to make you happy. Yes, there is a line where I have a certain style of food that I make, and yes, you want to see it, but I don’t want to force you to eat things that you don’t like. I want to make a memory happen for you.

Read the entire conversation between Michael Solomonov and Marc Vetri »