October 23, 2026
Provided Image/Gab Bonghi for Emmett
Evan Snyder, the chef behind Emmett in Olde Kensington, shared his thoughts on what makes Philly's dining scene special and how his critically acclaimed dishes go over with his kids.
After almost two years in Olde Kensington, Emmett chef Evan Snyder said the Levantine restaurant has changed from its original plan, but that's not a bad thing.
"We've become more of a tasting menu, special-occasion kind of restaurant, which is not necessarily how we envisioned opening, but it's what we've become," Evans said. "There's nothing wrong with that, there's an anniversary or a birthday every day, every year. So, it's not the worst thing in the world."
The rotating menu at 161 W. Girard Ave. features pastas, crudos and fired meats from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Snyder, 34, opened the restaurant named after his son with managing partner Julian van der Tak in January 2025, and the spot has received multiple accolades including a mention on Esquire's best new restaurants list and being a James Beard Award finalist.
But before all of that, Snyder was a latchkey kid who got a little bored of the takeout options in his hometown outside New Hope. Snyder's professional culinary roots began in Orlando, where he attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He bounced around at restaurants in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., and eventually returning to the region to lead the kitchen at Redcrest Kitchen in Queen Village.
Next month, he's hosting a collaborative dinner on Nov. 8 with Manny and Gina Ocasio, the co-owners of Mira in Buffalo, New York. And he and van der Tak have plans to launch Jean, a chef's counter, fine-dining spot in the upstairs above Emmett, although there's still no official opening date.
Ahead of those new ventures, he spoke to PhillyVoice about some of his favorite South Philadelphia spots, the "no rules" culture here and why soups are the most soulful form of cooking. These answers have been edited for length and clarity.
It started off with both of my parents working multiple jobs. Being an only child, there was $20 left on the counter to get myself something to eat. And it was like, how much pizza or Chinese food can you actually eat every single day? So I started using that money to go buy groceries and make simple things. It's stupid now, thinking about it, but I was making grilled cheese. But it was pretty much attributed to fending for myself.
I was 10 or 11, but I never thought about it as a career, it was more so just doing it and liking it. Eventually, I started making my own pasta. This was all pre-TikTok and all those videos, so it's not like I was learning through my phone or anything, it was just reading a book and trying to figure it out that way.
I think it starts off that you enjoy cooking, and then it morphs into the true reason you get into it, the nurturing part of it and trying to make people happy. I think that's the ultimate, core crux of why industry people are what they are, just attempting to make people happy and it just so happens that we cook food and that makes people happy. The hospitality part of it has become more and more something that I enjoy. The food part I always love, it's fun. But being able to make someone's day and then they think about it for years on end, those things are more exciting to me now as I get older. But the food part never goes away.
At Emmett, I find myself more maturing through it. I get to have the time to do the whole process of research and developing something. I have a staff that can handle service. I find myself actually getting to do the dishes and working them out properly versus putting it on a menu after like one day and then using the guest as a guinea pig, which is not great when they're spending that much money. So I get to take the time and work stuff out, which is nice.
I have two small kids, so I don't get to go out as much. But when we do go, Pietramala is one of my favorite places to eat. Ian Graye is so talented and super creative. Mawn is a great restaurant. I like going to places that are the same vibe as Emmett, where it's like mom and pop, supporting the little guy cause we are the little guy. Something about people that can kind of cook at their free will, I find that they're doing the best food.
Ian does this this honeynut squash dish that pretty awesome. It's like a seeded mole which I think he has on the menu right now. Phila Lorn's soups are fantastic and the soft-shell shrimp is pretty special. Soups are the most soulful cooking you can do, it just takes time and it doesn't really require a recipe because they're not always the same. It's kind of like playing an instrument, you just have to know the tune.
We also eat too much pizza. I live right here by the stadiums, so Avenue Steaks & Pizza is pretty common at our house. And we eat at Tom's Dim Sum pretty often.
We're trying to feed a 4-year-old, so I tend to try to chef stuff up for him sometimes and then, he's just like, 'I don't like this.' So I'm like, 'Well, let's get the chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese out.' He's a pretty good eater most of time, but it's pretty simple in my house just because of the kids.
We meal prep a lot. It's a lot of chicken breasts and shrimp and have rice already made or pasta already cooked up and sweet potatoes already roasted, so it's super easy and there's no waiting for water to boil or things like that. We do a lot of, I don't want to say shortcuts, but we do shortcuts to try to get our meals up.
I think everybody has the grand ideas of going to New York or California, working in those big cities because it's "better." And I did all that stuff and I came back and there's something about Philadelphia, I can't really explain it. But cooking Philadelphia food is like no rules, you do whatever you want. There's something that I genuinely love about that.
The chefs here actually care about each other. I got two messages this morning from other operators and chefs just checking in, making sure we're good because at the end of the day, it's not an easy business to be a part of. There's a great support system. I can always ask questions to people if I don't know something. It's easy for me to shoot three messages off and be like, 'Please somebody help me here.' And I normally get it back pretty quick, so there's something to be said about this place. I don't know, I find it to be pretty special.
