Inside Emilia, Greg Vernick’s Next Pasta-Driven Chapter in Fishtown

1. A bit of context first, on chef Greg Vernick — or why you should be hyped for this new opening.

When it comes to culinary lineages in Philly, Greg Vernick stands right alongside chef Marc Vetri (Vetri Cucina), chef Michael Solomonov (Zahav), restaurateur Ellen Yin (Fork), and restaurateur Stephen Starr (Parc) – all of whom have shaped the city’s dining culture and continue to influence new generations of chefs and owners.

After years working in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s New York kitchens, the chef opened Vernick Food & Drink in 2012, just ahead of Philly’s most recent restaurant renaissance, and the timing was no coincidence. The restaurant helped put Philadelphia on the national dining map, earning widespread acclaim for its balance of precision, warmth, and quality. The Cherry Hill, N.J., native won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2017 and his flagship just landed on Michelin’s Recommended list.

Vernick waited six years before opening another restaurant. When he did, he debuted two projects. First, Vernick Coffee Bar, followed by Vernick Fish on the ground floor of The Four Seasons hotel, and the addition of Vernick Wine to Vernick Food & Drink.
Alumni of Vernick’s kitchens have gone on to open respected restaurants, including Hearthside (Dominic Piperno) and Corio (David Feola, James Smith, and Ryan Mulholland).

2. The name is personal.

It’s been six years since Vernick opened a new restaurant, and this one, like all of his previous openings, is personal. While some might presume the restaurant is named for the iconic Northern Italian food region of Emilia-Romagna, it actually hits closer to home. “Julie [Vernick, Greg’s wife] and I had filed Emilia away for our kids’ names,” he says. “It’s been in our family for a while. This was a nice way to bring it out, without having more kids.”

Though his other three restaurants are rooted in Center City, Vernick has been spending more time in Fishtown and Kensington, exploring the area’s dining scene with friends from Fiore Fine Foods and Defined Hospitality (Suraya, Kalaya, Pizzeria Beddia, Picnic and more). “I fell in love with this pocket of East Kensington and Fishtown,” he says.

Kismet intervened when longtime regulars Michael Dinan, Ryan Kalili, and Henry Siebert approached Greg and his wife Julie about opening an Italian restaurant in their new apartment development on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown. “We always take meetings, but we pass on a lot for myriad reasons,” Vernick says. “There’s value in patience and taking your time. This was an opportunity that aligned with where we were — and where Meredith Medoway, [Vernick’s longtime chef de cuisine] was going.”

3. It spotlights a longtime Vernick chef.

Once Vernick knew Italian would be the focus at Emilia, he knew exactly who he wanted to run the kitchen: Meredith “Meri” Medoway, Vernick Food & Drink’s current chef de cuisine. A fellow Cherry Hill native, Medoway worked every station at the restaurant early in her career. She then went on to help open Hearthside in Collingswood, N.J., spent three months cooking in Calabria, Italy, and then returned to Philadelphia to help open Vernick Fish, eventually finding her way back to the group’s flagship.

“It’s been incredible to watch a young cook grow into the role of a chef,” Vernick says. “Her ability to retain information and train people has been top tier.”

Over the years, Vernick noticed Medoway’s love of Italian cooking, especially whenever she had the chance to create something new. “That’s essentially how it started,” he says. “We’d be on the line, she’d make a dish, and I’d say, ‘This belongs in its own restaurant.’”

Many of Medoway’s favorite foods come from Emilia-Romagna, where she studied abroad in college. “I love salumi, gnocco fritto with prosciutto, tortellini,” she says. Medoway jokes that, as someone partial to pork in all its forms, she can’t make the Emilia menu too pork-heavy. “It wouldn’t be good for guests!” she explains.

For Medoway, who grew up eating Italian American food at home and later lived in Italy, Emilia is a chance to cook the food she’s long loved without tying it to a specific region. “Italian is what I like to eat,” she says. “It’s what my mom always cooked, and I learned to cook from her.”

4. This is classic, yet inspired, Italian cuisine.

Italy has long had a hold on Vernick. He’s even led food tours there with chef Jeff Michaud, owner of Osteria Philadelphia. “Every time we go, we stay at his mother-in-law’s house in Bergamo,” Vernick says. “Our first meal is always tortellini en brodo.”

That dish became a natural anchor for Emilia’s menu. Medoway’s version is based on a handwritten family recipe from a friend whose relatives live in the farmlands surrounding Modena. At Emilia, she’s making subtle adjustments — a touch of warming spice, for example — to give it a personal stamp, but otherwise keeps it classic: a deeply savory broth made from roasted pork and chicken with aromatics, paired with tortellini stuffed with pork shoulder, mortadella, and cheese.

A trip to Rome inspired another centerpiece of the menu: Emilia’s chicken ragu bianco. While Vernick, Medoway, and culinary director Drew Parassio worked through dining recommendations from nearly every chef and food lover they know, their most memorable meal in Italy came during a staff meal at the American Academy of Rome — a tip from Philly native Hope Cohen, who lives in the Eternal City. The dish featured hand-diced chicken, including hearts and livers. “It was simply prepared, not super rich, but just the right amount of gaminess,” Vernick recalls. “The pasta hugged the sauce.” At Emilia, it’s served with house-extruded rigatoni.

Beyond those highlights, the menu includes a handful of other housemade pastas, each shaped by the team’s travels, and the Italian dishes that have stayed with them over the years.

Much of the menu at Emilia is cooked on a 48-inch charcoal- and oak wood–fired grill, lending a rustic char to dishes like rabbit cacciatore, bread that comes with small plates, and a grilled cabbage salad tossed with anchovy-based colatura dressing. Vernick describes the results as “simple but punchy and strangely addictive.” Think hearty grilled vegetables (potatoes and mushrooms for the winter), a nightly steak special, and grilled fish and shellfish. And do take note of a dish pairing tilefish with ribollita, the classic Tuscan winter stew.

In traditional Italian fashion, each table receives complimentary bread service. That includes housemade focaccia, Mighty Bread’s sesame ciabatta, and thin breadsticks. Vernick is particularly excited about the carta da musica (“sheets of music” in Italian), a crisp, paper-thin cracker served with different accompaniments. Soft butter is a given, but the team is also experimenting with fillings like giardiniera and caviar.

Desserts, like the drinks, are uncomplicated. “We have a couple of pastries and a few versions of affogato,” Vernick says. “Something I love about Italy is how simple the desserts are – like fresh fruit with softly whipped cream. Our goal is to show restraint with desserts.”

5. Italy inspires the drinks list, too.

The bar program focuses exclusively on Italian wines and spirits, amari included, and is carefully considered. Cocktails are meant to be light and uncomplicated, with a range of spritzes and a rotating seasonal Negroni. The wine list is relatively tight and compact —with just 25 to 35 bottles — all from Italian producers that specialize in low-intervention styles. Non-alcoholic drinks include Italian sodas and zero-proof cocktails. And if you happen to grab a seat at the bar, you’ll also get to enjoy some housemade chips, on the house.

6. Most of all, this is meant to be a neighborhood standby.

“Emilia will have the energy and everyday-ness of a neighborhood destination, and the spirit of a trattoria,” Vernick says.

Ever since the mosaic tile entryway bearing the restaurant’s name was laid, neighbors have been watching closely. They’re in for a treat because the space is designed to feel like a true neighborhood restaurant, with warm wood tones, lighting with a soft glow, and comfortable seating across the dining room and lounge. Designed by CANNOdesign, Emilia is intentionally minimalist, letting the food, wine, and company take center stage. With 60 seats in the dining room, 10 at the bar, and 20 in the lounge — with some room held nightly for walk-ins — Emilia is built for flexibility.

Medoway hopes Emilia exudes a welcoming, gracious feeling vibe. “It’s how I think of food. My mom is Italian. When you walk in the door, she will make you a snack and she will have made you cookies without you realizing it.” That’s also how she thinks of Italy, too. “Everything is comforting, even if it’s elegant. It makes you feel at home, even if you’re not at home.”

Emilia will be open daily starting at 5 p.m. 

Sarah Maiellano is a Philly-based food and travel writer. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.