MORE:\u00a0With a major snowstorm on the horizon, Philly opens warming centers<\/a><\/p>\n In 2012, the Cherry Hill native opened the Michelin recommended<\/a> Vernick Food & Drink in Rittenhouse, showcasing a rotating menu of modern American cuisine that has remained a critically acclaimed staple for Center City\u2019s dining scene.<\/p>\n \nAfter winning the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2017, Vernick expanded to Vernick Coffee Bar and Vernick Fish on the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in 2018 and 2019, respectively. As he’s expanded his business, the accolades have kept rolling in, with Vernick recently being named a James Beard Award\u00a0semifinalist<\/a>\u00a0for Outstanding Restauranteur.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vernick said\u00a0the name Emilia was not chosen as a nod to the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, but was rather from a list of baby names that he and his wife, Julie, never ended up using.<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt\u2019s our first [restaurant] that doesn\u2019t have \u2018Vernick\u2019 in the name, which was an intentional choice since it\u2019s been six years since our last opening and this felt like a new chapter,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s also our first outside of Center City in a neighborhood I\u2019ve come to love.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nVernick\u2019s longtime partner Meredith Medoway, also a Cherry Hill native, will step in as chef de cuisine of Emilia and will take the opportunity to curate the menu with handmade pasta dishes inspired by food tours in Italy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Emilia, located in East Kensington at 2406 Frankford Ave., will feature handmade pasta dishes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A mosaic tile entryway welcomes\u00a0Emilia\u2019s\u00a0guests to a 60-seat dining room, with intentionally minimalist design choices that allow the food to do the storytelling. Another 31 seats at the bar and lounge are available for walk-in customers.<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe look forward to creating a welcoming neighborhood destination where great food and a beautiful space bring people together,\u201d\u00a0 co-owner Henry Seibert said in a statement.\n<\/p>\n \nMedoway, whose Italian mother inspired her cooking style, studied abroad in Emilia-Romagna and cooked in Calabria, Italy, for three months, according to Resy<\/a>. She also said she looked forward to infusing the new space with the type of hospitality that is common in the region.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt\u2019s how I think of food,\u201d she told Resy. \u201cEverything is comforting, even if it\u2019s elegant. It makes you feel at home, even if you\u2019re not at home.\u201d\n<\/p>\n![\"Emilia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot_2026-01-21_at_12.55.05PM.width-704.png\")
Provided Image\/Lucas Bell-Epstein<\/p>\n