Michael Chernow, New York (Rest.)

*****
The Meatball Shop has slowly but surely taken over New York City, having just opened its fifth location and still growing. Chernow, who runs the front of house operations, not only has a background in modeling (can't you tell?!), but is also changing the game in the restaurant industry. Along with his Le Bernardin-trained partner, Chef Daniel Holzman, Chernow seems to be unstoppable, as their Meatball empire expands across Manhattan and maybe soon to a neighborhood near you.

Date-night dinner: I keep it real simple. I love cooking whole fish on the grill. I season with nothing more than salt and olive oil. I stuff the fish with fresh herbs and crushed garlic. As an accompaniment, I typically roast some squash (summer or winter), sometimes I’ll toss it with arugula or kale, a squeeze of lemon, toasted walnuts, and some mint—tasty, healthy, and pretty sexy.

Favorite way to sweat: I've been training in Muay Thai kickboxing for years. It’s the best way to sweat and take out some aggression.

Food splurge: A burger from Spotted Pig and a creamy Abita Root Beer on tap.

http://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/top-25-hottest-chefs-america

http://themeatballshop.com/

Rising Star Restaurateur Michael Chernow of The Meatball Shop - Biography
New York, NY
April 2013

Born and raised in New York City, Michael Chernow got his start in the restaurant business at the ripe age of 13. Only a year later, he met a young Daniel Holzman, and the pair worked side by side as restaurant delivery boys. Though they soon went there separate ways, Chernow planted an idea early on that they would open a restaurant together.

Chernow transitioned from bike runs to drink slinging at New York City nightclub, Life. He learned quickly and moved up the ranks to become the youngest bartender on staff in just two years, alternating his seasons between Life and The Tavern in the Hamptons. He next signed on to launch Woo Lae Oak in the city and then took a position at the Los Angeles original in 2001. Returning to his native New York, Chernow opened Punch & Judy and then took a post behind the bar of Frank Prizanzano’s Frank on Second Avenue, where he worked for seven years and gained a large, loyal following.

Even with his success at Frank, Chernow still craved a place of his own. And to make it happen, he pursued degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management from the French Culinary Institute, graduating in 2008. Armed with a degree, he contacted his old crony, Daniel Holzman. Together, the duo formulated a fast-casual meatball concept and opened the first Meatball Shop on the Lower East Side in 2011. Today, Chernow and Holzman run four Meatball Shop locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and on top of building a booming meatball empire, they’re building community, souring locally, sharing their kitchens with upstart businesses, donating their time and resources to charities, and serving victims of Hurricane Sandy. In 2013, Chernow was named 2013 StarChefs.com Community Rising Star.

The Meatball Shop
84 Stanton Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 982-8895
www.themeatballshop.com