January 21, 2026
Provided Image/Lucia Bell-Epstein
Award-winning chef and restauranteur Greg Vernick, a Cherry Hill native, will open Emilia on Monday in Kensington, marking his first business outside Center City.
The newest restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Greg Vernick will open Monday, marking his first foray outside Center City and his first establishment without his name on the front door.
Emilia, located in East Kensington at 2406 Frankford Ave., aims to bring the classic, authentic and homemade tastes of Italy to a warm and welcoming neighborhood space with the restauranteur’s first opening in over six years.
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In 2012, the Cherry Hill native opened the Michelin recommended Vernick Food & Drink in Rittenhouse, showcasing a rotating menu of modern American cuisine that has remained a critically acclaimed staple for Center City’s dining scene.
After 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 semifinalist for Outstanding Restauranteur.
Vernick said the 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.
“It’s our first [restaurant] that doesn’t have ‘Vernick’ in the name, which was an intentional choice since it’s been six years since our last opening and this felt like a new chapter,” he said. “It’s also our first outside of Center City in a neighborhood I’ve come to love.”
Vernick’s 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.
Emilia, located in East Kensington at 2406 Frankford Ave., will feature handmade pasta dishes.
Provided Image/Lucas Bell-Epstein
A mosaic tile entryway welcomes Emilia’s guests 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.
“We look forward to creating a welcoming neighborhood destination where great food and a beautiful space bring people together,” co-owner Henry Seibert said in a statement.
Medoway, whose Italian mother inspired her cooking style, studied abroad in Emilia-Romagna and cooked in Calabria, Italy, for three months, according to Resy. She also said she looked forward to infusing the new space with the type of hospitality that is common in the region.
“It’s how I think of food,” she told Resy. “Everything is comforting, even if it’s elegant. It makes you feel at home, even if you’re not at home.”
The restaurant will be open 5-9:30 p.m. on Sundays-Wednesdays and 5-10 p.m. on Thursdays-Saturdays. Reservations are available up to 30 days in advance and can be booked online via Resy.
