Irwin’s in Philadelphia is on a Modern Sicilian Mission

Despite being the son of two chefs and consistently working in restaurants growing up in Rochester, New York, Michael Vincent Ferreri endeavored as a young man to be a visual artist as an adult. He studied Fine Arts with a concentration in photography and painting at SUNY Potsdam. After graduating, he returned to his home, got a studio and put his degree to work. A part-time job in a restaurant, though, redirected his creative instincts to the kitchen. This pursuit resulted in an epiphany, bolstered by a tragedy, that would take the young chef from the Finger Lakes to Philadelphia in 2011, where after kitchen-hopping at some of the City of Brotherly Love’s best restaurants (including the great Zahav), gaining accolades along the way (including being named among Star Chefs Rising Stars in 2019) he would land as Executive Chef and operator at Irwin’s and focus on Modern Sicilian cuisine.

“I woke up one morning and realized that I could move anywhere in the world and get a job working in a restaurant, so I decided to pick a place that I have never been to before, and where I didn’t know anyone, and move there,” Ferreri says. “Shortly after that my father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. This obviously had a large impact on my life and really shifted my focus from painting to cooking.”

The path to cooking Modern Sicilian cuisine began with food memories from childhood conjured by an appreciation for treating beautiful ingredients simply as practiced at his tour of Philadelphia-area kitchens, most notably at Zeppoli, just over the Delaware River into New Jersey, where Chef Joey Baldino mentored the up and coming chef and helped reconnect him to the farm-forward cuisine of his home region and the cooking of his parents.

The Executive Chef/operator position at Irwin’s came about when Ferreri was between gigs, making and selling pasta out of his apartment, when a friend and regular at a previous eatery approached him about the space once occupied by Irwin’s, a restaurant/bar in the lofted auspices of the Bok Building in South Philly that had closed. The entirely reimagined Irwin’s concept of cuisine opened in April of this year.

The minimalist menu, within the modern-funk décor and the expansive terrace eight floors above the streets of Philadelphia, features an abundance of Mediterranean fish, local vegetables, fresh cheese, and hand-made pasta in a flavor intersection where traditional Sicilian cuisine meets an earnest, ambitious American cooking. There’s octopus and caponata and fritto misto; pastas with shrimp or monkfish or primavera; the choice of entrees are a roasted whole fish or a half-a-chicken in agrodolce.

Ferreri explains: “To me, the term ‘Modern Sicilian’ is the easiest and most straightforward way to explain a larger concept. The food that we make at Irwin's is deeply rooted in traditional Sicilian ingredients and methods. My cooks prepare the food daily with the insight and techniques of Sicilian nonnas. At 5 pm, when service starts, we transition from 90-year-old nonnas to modern-day chefs and plate the food with an eye toward modern aesthetics and techniques.”

The Sicily-Philly conflation isn’t only reserved for the food. There’s a certain posture that both locations embrace, one of straight talk and honor. This ethos is appreciated by Ferreri and on display at Irwin’s. “I have lived in Philly for over 10 years now and I really, really love it. I am so happy I made the decision to move here. The city itself is so raw and honest, and the people, while a little coarse, are very considerate and gracious people at heart. The people of Philly don’t take anyone’s shit, and they don’t care who you are. If you aren’t honest and lack integrity, they can see it right away and lose all respect for you,” he says. “At the same time, it’s important that the front of house, the staff, are respected and trusted. I want to make Irwin's a safe and welcoming place for the guests and the staff alike. I want it to be a place that guests are excited to come to, and a place where staff enjoys the work.”