Shulman acquired a love of food around the dinner table at Shabbat in her Jewish family home. Although she went on to study political science and journalism, she spent her free time learning all she could about cooking and running an informal supper club from her apartment, first for friends, but later for a list of exclusive clientele. Pursuing her passion for cooking, she worked as a line cook at Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia and Momofuku Ko in New York City. She also spent time in Bergamo in Italy, where she honed her pasta-making skills before heading to Montréal to be with her then boyfriend Kemp.
The supper club concept followed her and she eventually returned to Philadelphia to open her first bricks and mortar iteration, Her Place. With her success assured in Philly’s restaurant scene, another restaurant, My Loup followed nearby, which she founded with Kemp, who heads the kitchen there.
Shulman is one of the brightest young talents currently cooking in Philadelphia and in the US in general and is destined for great things. She was named on Food & Wine’s list of Best New Chefs 2023.
Restaurant
Her Place is an extension of Shulman’s supper club practise that carried her through her college years as she explored her passion for the culinary arts. After cooking in New York, Las Vegas, and Bergamo, Italy, Shulman returned to to the city where her cooking journey started, Philadelphia and purchased a rundown pizzeria. With help from her friends, a lot of elbow grease, and endless trips to thrift stores, she turned the location into a bohemian treasure that welcomes a small number of guests to an informal setting, where the food is wholesome yet technically assured. Shulman regularly changes the menu at Her Place, according to the season, but also to her whims. With plenty of natural talent, the chef has an insatiable curiosity and unwavering passion for all kinds of food which leads her to find inspiration in many places, from the classic to the casual, from her Jewish roots to her culinary travels.
While Her Place is very much Shulman’s baby, she is co-owner of the restaurant My Loup, which she runs with her fiancé Alex Kemp, offering “a mix of French-inspired market cuisine.”
Recipes and dishes
At Her Place, Shulman serves a menu that changes every two weeks. The restaurant opens Monday to Friday, closing at the weekend, to allow Shulman and her staff a life outside the kitchen. A distinct Italian influence can be seen in her menu with dishes like mortadella-stuffed zucchini flowers, pistachio pesto and pickled zucchini, bone marrow and fava bean bagna cauda, and robiola and chard tortellini in a chicken parm broth.
During her student days, when she ran a supper club from her own apartment, Shulman would go to the market and purchase an entire hog, which she would then break down to provide the basis of a four-course pork meal for her guests.
Shulman’s star is on the rise, with Her Place considerd one of the most exciting restaurants in Philadelphia and her cooking is very much on her own terms.
