Conversations with Michael Silverstein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Silverstein.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I think most people would be pretty surprised to hear that I actually quit the restaurant business over ten years ago. Working in the restaurant industry quite literally got me through high school and college. But I always had a difficult relationship with it; I’m not sure I ever felt like I “belonged”. From the very first time (at 13 years old) I walked into the back of a restaurant, I was infatuated. The sights, sounds, smells, and energy of a professional kitchen is unlike anything else in the world. And yet, as a queer man, I’m not sure I ever really fit in. Add in the brutal working conditions, late-night hours, and low wages; ten years in the restaurant industry was enough for me. But sadly, this also meant I walked away from my true love: cooking.

After leaving the industry, I followed my other passion: interior design. After studying architecture and business at Carnegie Mellon University, I dove head first into real estate. I bought my first house for $80,000, renovated it myself over two years, and sold it in a bidding war. This was the beginning of my new career as a real estate designer and flipper. While building my real estate company, I developed some pretty unhealthy habits with food. By 30 years old, I was well over 300 pounds and diagnosed as pre-diabetic. More importantly, I was really unhappy; I had lost myself and it was terrifying. Hitting rock bottom was perhaps what I needed to realize that “Enough is enough”. I wanted, for the first time, to really love myself and my body. Emotional eating and binge eating had become my reality, and I wanted to change. I lost 80 lbs in one year, meanwhile sharing my journey (and of course, my food) on Instagram. One day, I was approached by someone on Gordon Ramsay’s team and invited to New York City to cook for Gordon’s culinary director. I drove 7 hours, with a cooler in my backseat, all for one shot to impress The Capital T, Gordon Ramsay. I presented my sous vide duck breast and waited for the words I’ll never forget, spoken very matter-of-fact-ly, “You knocked this out of the park.” I’m soon being flown to Hollywood for MasterChef Season 10. This was the start of an unexpected and dizzying journey in television.

Four years later, I’ve written three bestselling cookbooks sold worldwide; I’ve been featured across multiple national television and print outlets, cooked for A-list celebs, garnered 600,000 social media followers, and was just crowned the runner-up on the recent all-star season of MasterChef on FOX. My life changed when I decided I was worth it. And I’ve made it my mission to inspire other people to love themself too, through the kitchen and through their food. I loudly voice my belief that everyone, at any size, shape, identity, age, or race, deserves an equal chance at living their best life. I work tirelessly to help others find strength and confidence, both in and out of the kitchen. I want to prove that eating better doesn’t need to be complicated, expensive, or overwhelming. I want to empower people to make small but powerful changes in their lives, and it all starts in the kitchen.

I now live in LA with my fiance, Jacob, and our rescue dog and cat (who are generally much more famous than me on Instagram). I’m continuing my work in television and food media while fighting for LGBTQ equality through charity work, all while I continue to run my real estate and design business (Humble brag: my latest design will be featured by HGTV!) I can’t say I ever saw any of this coming, but I’ve embraced the unknown and the uncomfortable, and I’m just grateful I can keep doing what I love.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is there a smooth road in Los Angeles? If so, I ain’t seen one yet! 😉 In all seriousness, nothing about my journey has been smooth. Sure, on the surface, I’ve been handed life-changing opportunities to cook on TV. But that didn’t happen accidentally. I have never worked harder at anything in my life than when I was preparing for Masterchef. And it didn’t end there. Going through the process of filming reality television can break down even the toughest person you know. And after filming, the pressure only dialed up. I have had to hustle every single day, without pause, to create enough content, write the books, test recipes, beg for meetings, lose auditions, and get passed over on opportunities, all while holding on by a thread. Staying physically, emotionally, and creatively sharp enough, day in and day out, is not easy. Standing up after getting knocked down is not easy. Waking up every day wondering when, or if ever, your next paycheck will come is not easy. Feeling like your body and weight loss (or gain) is constantly being judged or noticed is not easy. The vulnerability and exposure my life has taken on weigh heavily on me, especially when I’m not feeling my best. But I fight for this because nothing feeds my soul like the work that I’m doing. The good days far outshine the bad. I was once told by a successful actor here in LA, “You’ll get 20 ‘no’s for every ‘yes’ in this town”. But we live for that one ‘yes’. We have to. So I keep fighting.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
After going through a weight loss journey, I’ve become most known for my healthy recipes. I’ve written three low-carb cookbooks too. I want to prove that eating better doesn’t require crash dieting or super restrictive eating. I want to show the food is not “the enemy” and that you can eat your way to health and wellness. So much of my food takes a healthier spin on our favorite foods (but without losing the yummy flavors we all crave). I resent this cultural expectation that healthy food is bland and sad, and want to fight the taboo around topics like mental health, diet, and weight loss.

Any big plans?
My goals are to continue growing my brand through more television, books, and social media. I’m also working on a [super secret!] product that will be launching by late 2023. Bigger picture, I’m working on restaurant concepts too. I just want my food and my work to touch as many lives as possible, so I’ll be staying busy for quite a while.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Chef-Michael.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/chefmichael
• Youtube: youtube.com/chefmichael
• Other: tiktok.com/@chef.michael

Image Credits
Headshots (sitting on bench, pink backgrounds): Daniel Galvan Headshots (both red chef’s coat): Brian Moore Headshot (White chefs coat w/ book)
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