Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Michael Silverstein

Chef Michael Silverstein is revolutionizing the culinary world with his debut cookbook New Keto Cooking. Putting his mastery on full display, Michael has created healthy, Keto-friendly recipes that are exciting, flavorful, and satisfying. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Michael about his career, New Keto Cooking, and what’s ahead for him.

PC: How did you discover your passion for food?
Michael: Great question. I’ve cooked my entire life. I remember being a little kid on a stool to see over the countertop at home. Food’s always been a passion. Then I got my first restaurant job when I was thirteen before I even had a work permit. I was working in an Italian restaurant, so I’ve always been drawn to it. I found myself in and out of the food industry my entire life.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Michael: Wow. I really look up to my parents a lot. My mom’s an amazing cook. She sparked my love for cooking. My parents have always pushed me to challenge myself all the time in whatever I’m doing and give everything a hundred percent. More recently, I would say Gordon Ramsay. He’s been a huge mentor and somebody that I looked up to. He’s been really there for me to push my food to new heights. I really admire his passion.

PC: You recently competed on MasterChef. What was the biggest lesson you learned from that experience that you’ve been able to apply to your career moving forward?
Michael: Growth will not happen in your comfort zone. That’s the easiest way I can say that. I found the entire experience of MasterChef, from auditioning all the way to post-competition, very uncomfortable but in amazing ways. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone. It pushed me to work harder than I’ve ever worked before, not only with cooking but really taking a look at who I am and what I want to be doing and where I want to be. MasterChef did that for me in new ways.

PC: If you had to make a dish that could encompass your entire experience on MasterChef, what would it be and why?
Michael: I would say it would be the original dish that I auditioned with. This hasn’t been seen on TV. But I was put under extreme circumstances where out of the blue I received a phone call inviting me to New York City to cook a dish of my choosing for one of Gordon Ramsay’s chefs. I wouldn’t have a kitchen to cook in. I had to not only come up with a dish within two days’ time, but I would have to present it to Gordon Ramsay’s staff. I had to bring it in a cooler and drive it six hours by cooler to Times Square. It was the most emotional dish that I’ve ever cooked because I felt like my whole life was on the line and it wouldn’t even be hot! It wouldn’t be fresh. It would be sitting in a cooler. That would determine a whole new path for my life.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that dish. What I made was a sous vide and then seared duck breast with roasted beets, goat cheese with mousse, and a strawberry coulis. I’ll never forget that moment. They weren’t supposed to talk to us, but he leaned in when no one was looking and whispered, “You knocked it out of the park.” I don’t think there has ever been a moment in my culinary career or in my life that felt so good. The weight I was putting on that moment came to fruition. It changed my life.

PC: You’ve got a new cookbook out now. Tell us about New Keto Cooking and the inspiration behind it.
Michael: New Keto Cooking is an expression of the food that I love to eat. When you look around the keto space, there’s a lot of repetition and a lot of uninspired food. When I decided to make a change for myself, I knew I wasn’t going to do it by eating plain grilled chicken breast and a salad. I knew that I wanted to eat real food and food that was exciting, flavorful, and satisfying. What I set out to do with this book was create food that I would love to eat—the kind of food that I used to help me find health and wellness within myself—and hope that I could share and help somebody else.

I took a very different approach to this keto book. Unlike all the other keto books or even diet books, it’s really not diet food. If you took keto off the cover and you just flipped through it, nobody would think to themselves, “Oh, this is a keto book.” It’s really just delicious restaurant-quality food that anybody will like, whether you’re keto or not.

PC: What was the process like putting together the cookbook? Did anything surprise you?
Michael: The process was absolutely all-encompassing day and night for me. It took the better part of a year. Not only was I writing the recipes, I was also doing my own photography for the book, which isn’t as common in the industry. Having to wear the various hats involved was a really surprising challenge. So it wasn’t good enough that I’m a good cook or even a good recipe writer. I also had to be a writer in a new way that I’ve never done before. The written word and the supplement chapters and all that. I had to be a photographer. I felt like I had to do the job of three people. I converted my guest bedroom into a full-time photography studio and challenged myself at every level to create a product that was really professional and really high end.

It was surprising how challenging it was to wear all those different hats every day. I’m really proud of it. It was a really cool challenge. It forced me to hone my skills as a photographer, a chef, and as a writer. I feel I came out of the book-writing process even better than I started. It’s really exciting to me to come to this point where I feel like I’ve really been able to practice and create this whole new career that isn’t just cooking anymore. It’s writing and sharing my food in a new way. Pre-COVID, especially as a chef, the typical modality for which I share my food is serving them.

Another surprise that I’ve become really passionate about is how the power of the recipe is another way to share my food with people but in a new platform. Now, instead of me handing somebody a plate of food, I’m seeing photos of them making my food for their family at their kitchen table. It’s so rewarding. It’s satisfying as a chef, which was really surprising to me.

PC: The book has been incredibly well received. What has that response meant to you?
Michael: Oh my gosh. It’s meant the world. First of all, to say that I ever thought there would be a day where I’d be sold out on Amazon, it wasn’t even in my wildest dream. I’m incredibly grateful. I feel that over the last couple of years on Instagram, I’ve connected with a real community of people who really seem to respond well to my food and connect on a very human level. I try to talk to everybody. I answer every DM. I tried to build a real community around what I do. That’s really, really special to me. Seeing that come to light in this way—seeing people’s responses and the photos and videos of my recipes on their home kitchen tables—is incredibly soul-satisfying. It’s really rewarding.

If I can bring a smile to someone’s table—if I can help someone feel better—that’s the ultimate goal for me, especially in a year like 2020. This is not an easy year to find joy. If I can be a small part of that, I feel like I’ve done my job. I’ve gotten a couple of messages with people saying, “My kids won’t eat anything, but they went back for seconds.” That always brings a big smile on my face.

PC: As we look ahead to 2021, what does the year hold for you?
Michael: If everything goes well, I would love to start working on another book soon. I really want to keep cooking. What got shut down in 2020 was the ability to do in-person events. There’s a side of me that will always love cooking in person and sharing my food in that format. I’m hoping to do that next year and maybe a small book tour where I can connect with people face to face around the country.

To keep up with Michael, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up your copy of New Keto Cookbook today.