Judy Wicks is a restauranteur with a mission. On this week's Good Food segment, Daniel Meyer calls Judy to talk about how restaurants can be a vehicle for local social change. As an entrepreneur, Judy is best known for Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Cafe, which she founded in 1983 on the first floor of her house and managed for 26 years. After helping to save her block of Victorian brownstones from demolition to make way for a proposed mall of chain stores, she grew what she began as a tiny muffin shop into a 200-seat restaurant featuring fresh local food. Under Judy’s leadership, White Dog became a leader in the local food movement, purchasing sustainably grown produce from local family farmers, and only humanely and naturally raised meat, poultry and eggs, sustainably harvested fish, and fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Other business practices she implemented at White Dog include paying a living wage, mentoring inner-city high school students, recycling and composting, solar-heated hot water, eco-friendly soaps and office supplies, and purchasing 100% of electricity from renewable sources- the first business in Pennsylvania to do so. Tune in and learn more about Judy's recent book Good Morning, Beautiful Business! This program has been sponsored by Route 11 Potato Chips, and today's music has been brought to you by The California Honeydrops.

"The White Dog was a community gathering place. People would come there to discuss the issues of the day. I think people valued The White Dog not just because of the good food, but because people wanted to be a part of a community of like-minded people." [14:00]

-- Judy Wicks on Good Food

Chef Michael Solomonov takes his birthright to heart. Born in Israel, raised in Pittsburg, it wasn’t until his late teens that Michael returned to his homeland and his inner cuisine spoke to him. He didn’t speak Hebrew, so he learned to bake burekas (spinach pies) innately. Eventually making way to Philly, Michael opened Zahav restaurant, his ode to modern Israeli food. Plentiful of hummus, mezzes, and kebabs, all inclusive of the “Mesibah” (Party Time), which highlights a whole roast lamb shoulder, grilled over coals, braised in pomegranate juice, and served with crispy Persian rice. Michael finally found a way to celebrate his place in the world. Thanks to our sponsor, Whole Foods.

"In Israel, you could go to the store and buy beer whenever you wanted- it really wasn't a big deal. And staying up and eating is a big deal." [9:45]

"We want the menu and experience at Zahav to be sort of living and breathing, and when you start getting absolute, it doesn't work out as well." [25:15]

-- Mike Solomonov on THE FOOD SEEN

Matthew Bagdanoff updates traditional cocktails with herbs and ingenuity at Van Horn in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. On today's episode of Let's Eat In, Matthew joins Cathy Erway in the studio to talk about some of his favorite cocktail recipes at Van Horn, and why a good bartender doesn't muddle the orange peel and cherry in an old fashioned. What are some of Matthew's favorite spirits? Hear Matthew share some stories from the bar; listen in to learn how Matthew has soothed heartbroken individuals, and dealt with rowdy customers! Check out Matthew's cocktail class at Van Horn, and tune in to hear about Matthew's aphrodisiac dinner! This episode has been sponsored by 360 Cookware.

"The whole beauty of an old-fashioned is that it takes a good spirit and accentuates it." [11:10]

"The idea of spirits is to have an essence- a spirit. Vodka is made to get rid of all these flavors." [14:00]

"It's really tacky to send someone a drink." [21:00]

-- Matthew Bagdanoff on Let's Eat In