Meet Michael Silverstein | Celebrity Chef & Bestselling Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Silverstein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
When I hit 300+ pounds, I knew I had hit rock bottom. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, I had already left his career as a chef, and had given up on myself completely. But that’s when everything changed. I decided that ‘enough is enough’. I lost over 80 pounds in one year while sharing my recipes online, and quickly realized that so many people struggle with their self-image, self-confidence, and self-worth, just like me. My life changed when I decided to finally love myself, and I work to help others do the same. Through openly sharing my journey to health and wellness, I’ve been able to connect with people all over the world. What started as simply sharing my recipes has turned into a much larger discussion with my community about food and health. I want everyone, at any size, shape, identity, age, or race, deserves an equal chance at living their best life. I want everyone to have access to healthy food that is affordable AND delicious! I push back on the idea healthy food is gross and boring, and create recipes, books, food products and more that prove that. I work to empower people, in and out of the kitchen, to find confidence and sustainability around healthy eating. We need to drip the shame and taboo associated with disordered eating, mental health, diabetes, and obesity. We need to build a support system to help folks live a full and healthy life, and I beleive that starts in the kitchen.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career has taken a few very unexpected twists and turns over the last 4 years. But there’s very little I am more proud of than my three cookbooks. I’ve never worked harder on anything in my life. I put myself on every single page of these books, from the food, the writing, the photography, and the design, each page reflects me and my vision. But my cookbooks have also allowed my food to end up on tables around the world. As a chef, cooking for my “customers” and watching their faces light up with each bit, is an incredibly rewarding experience. When I left the restaurant business, I assumed I’d never feel that again. But through my cookbooks, my food is now tasted by more people than I ever imagined, and it’s profoundly meaningful for me. And no matter how difficult the challenges of my business become, no matter how scared I am that I’ll make the wrong move, I remind myself of beautiful it is that I get to share my food and my heart through my work, and it keeps me going.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s be honest, there is no simple way to make a list of my favorite spots in LA. I could literally spend a day or two in Koreantown and be completely happy (and full!). But this is a big city with lots of sights, sounds, and flavors to explore. So here a few spots I like, but it’s certainly not a comprehensive list.

Day 1 – Westside:
Coffee – Motoring Coffee on the Westside
Brunch at Din Tai Fung for Braised Beef Noodle Soup and XLB
Beach day in Santa Monica!
Walk down Mainstreet for boutiques and Sunny Blue for a snack (SM)
Get some cocktails at Roosterfish (Abbot Kinney)
Happy Hour at Hermanito (Sawtelle)
Tapas at Teleferic Barcelona (Brentwood)

Day 2 – Central/DTLA:
Brunch – Republique
Walk around Farmers Market at the Grove or Grand Central Market (DTLA)
Snacks/Drinks at Casa Madera
Dinner – Baar Baar (DTLA)
Drinks & Singing – Tramp Stamp Granny’s (Hollywood)
Late Night – The Prince (Ktown)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s no getting around one very simple truth: I would not be who I am, or where I am, without my fiance Jacob. He has stood beside me as not only my fiance, but as my confident, my partner in crime, my business advisor, and my biggest cheerleader. He is the solid concrete foundation in my life, providing unwavering support and encouragement. We’ve been together for over 13 years, which means he’s watched me success and fail many times over the years. We’ve taken so many risks together, from moving across the country (twice), to living apart while I’ve filmed tv shows, to helping me navigate the precariousness of a career in television. And yet, he never stops believing in me and encouraging me to “keep going” even when I’ve run out of confidence. We are a team, in the truest sense, and I’m so keenly aware of how lucky I am to have him. So thank you, Jacob. I owe it all to you, sir.

Website: chef-michael.com

Instagram: @chefmichael

Youtube: youtube.com/chefmichael

Other: Tiktok: @chef.michael

Image Credits
Dan Galvan