This forthcoming Center City restaurant is built around home cooks’ recipes — and reality TV will decide what’s on the menu

Ed Baumstein is betting that Philadelphia’s next great restaurant won’t come from a professional chef — rather, from the kitchens of everyday Philadelphians.

Baumstein, a longtime business executive, is behind the ambitious Recipe Philly, a 175-seat restaurant, opening next spring at Broad and Arch Streets. In a novel hook, the menu will exclusively feature recipes created by the winners of a competition, and the creative process will be filmed as a docuseries of the same name.

Baumstein said those personal stories will differentiate Recipe Philly from other food-competition shows. “We’re capturing the story behind the dish and the people,” he said in a phone chat last week. “There have been several applicants already that give me goosebumps — the love that goes into the dishes and the people they cook for. It’s almost romantic.”

The competition will begin Nov. 8 with a casting call and registration at the Convention Center’s Broad Street atrium; pre-registration is open at recipephilly.castingcrane.com. With cameras rolling, contestants will fill out recipe cards and share the stories behind their dishes, not the dishes themselves.

Josh Randall, the warmup host for American Idol, will emcee that day’s filming. Production will continue as producers whittle the entries down to about 100 contestants, and then to about 35 finalists.

Contestants will compete across eight categories: appetizers, soups and salads, poultry, pasta, seafood, meat entrees, desserts, and an “other” category for creative outliers. Film crews will tape at contestants’ houses and on the site of the new restaurant as the competition continues. The recipes will be judged — by “chefs, food influencers, and community voices,” according to the show’s press release — based on taste, creativity, and story.

Each winner will receive $1,000, with additional category prizes of $2,000, and their names and photos will appear on the restaurant’s menu next to their dishes. They’ll also eat for free at the restaurant as long as their recipe remains featured.

“Here’s the beauty of this,” Baumstein said. “We have no idea what we’re going to serve yet. It’s part of the intrigue of the show.”

The docuseries will consist of eight to 10 episodes, beginning with the November casting call and the early stages of restaurant construction. Later episodes will focus on the competition, the judging, and the restaurant’s transformation from an empty space to a fully realized dining room designed by Nelson, an international design and architecture firm. (Joe Scarpone, himself a former chef-restaurateur, and Alex Snyder, both of MPN Realty, represented Baumstein in the lease at the One City building. Stefanie Gabel and Jacob Cooper of MSC represented the landlord, an affiliate of Alterra Property Group.)

Baumstein said he expects to secure a network or streaming partner in early 2026. He also wants to expand the idea to other cities. “Every restaurant will have a completely different menu — indigenous to its home city,” he said.

Baumstein, 70, a graduate of Olney High School and Temple University, is an unabashed Philadelphia booster. “This city’s vibrant, especially when it comes to food,” he said in an interview last week. “It’s the best-kept secret in the country — 25% cheaper than New York, 25% cheaper than D.C., and just full of family and community.”

Baumstein’s inspiration for Recipe Philly traces back to his days running SolomonEdwards, the Philadelphia-based consulting firm he founded in 1999, expanded internationally, and sold three years ago.

During the 2008 recession, Baumstein’s chief financial officer proposed canceling the company’s annual holiday parties. Baumstein refused. Instead, he invited employees to his suburban Philadelphia home for a potluck dinner. “I was just blown away by the enthusiasm that our colleagues brought to the Christmas party,” Baumstein said. “They were super-excited about making their dishes. They watched the buffet table to see who was eating their dishes. We gave out little prizes, and just getting that three minutes of fame was unbelievable.”

SolomonEdwards compiled the recipes into a cookbook, which Baumstein kept as a reminder of how food brings people together. “What I love more than food is the inspiration that people give you,” he said. “In a world full of negativity, I wanted to create something that highlights the positive.”

Baumstein’s Homebred Hospitality owns the Recipe Philly brand. His restaurant partner is chef Andy Revella, who has handled menu development and operations for restaurants including Bennigan’s, Steak & Ale, and Rainforest Cafe and is a former director of food and beverage for Harrah’s Casino. Jarrett O’Hara, formerly culinary director of Federal Donuts, is vice president of culinary operations.

Baumstein said the total budget was $4 million — comparable to similar restaurants.

Asked if he had ever thought of opening a restaurant before, Baumstein replied: “No, and thank God, and I’m not going to be the one responsible for the daily operations. That’s Andy’s job. I’ve grown some big companies, and I think probably what my skill set is hiring really smart people that are talented and are able to get the team all rowing together in the same direction.”

Filming for Recipe Philly begins Nov. 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Registration and details are available at recipephilly.castingcrane.com.