Ellen Braunstein
Matthew Saul Pohubka, 26, is a professionally trained chef who plans to open a restaurant and spin off a nonprofit that feeds unhoused and hungry people.
“There are plenty of people who are disadvantaged, and they shouldn’t be discriminated against for what they are going through, their past or what they were born into,” said Pohubka of Fishtown. Because so much gets wasted, “there’s plenty of food for everybody to get fed,” he said.
He is assisted in his venture by Tribe 12 of Philadelphia, which named him a fellow. The young Jewish professional organization provides coaching and camaraderie to entrepreneurs ready to create a capstone project of their own design.
“I’ve always had the idea of working for myself, and Tribe 12 has definitely provided me with a lot more information that I need to open my business,” Pohubka said.
His planned venture, called Anonymous by Saul, will feature star-shaped pizza, its edges stuffed with cheese, meat and more. They’re versatile pies that offer a unique experience to the customer, he said.
Pohubka also wants to serve Jewish-inspired dishes around certain Jewish holidays as an homage to his heritage and the ever-growing popularity of fusion dishes. He has experience in Israeli cuisine.
He will prepare Neapolitan-style pies as well. He also plans to offer sandwiches and seasonal appetizers.
Pohubka is set to open his restaurant in October 2025. He is searching for a partner who can run the business end of the establishment.
He is planning for a small restaurant with 12-16 seats.
“There’s a market for more intimate, sustainable dining experiences,” he said. “I’m leaning toward making this big brand and a nonprofit for giving back to the community.”
He would love to develop a scaling and funding model that allows him to do profit shares and donate a certain percentage of profits to a rotating list of local nonprofits.
Additionally, he’d like to have a “community fridge” and, if possible, offer an “open kitchen” to provide dignified meals and cooking classes to unhoused and hungry neighbors by partnering with local shelters and nonprofits.
Pohubka has prepared food at different restaurants throughout Philadelphia and in Washington, D.C. He is now the lead prep cook at Middle Child Clubhouse in Fishtown.
He first worked with food nonprofits during the pandemic when he was furloughed from his restaurant job. He volunteered for Caring for Friends to pack and deliver boxes of produce and dry goods to families in need.
Pohubka graduated with a Bachelor of Science in culinary arts from The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia.
He is engaged to be married to another fellow with Tribe 12: Rachel Yakobashvili is the quality control and training manager at Friendship Place, a provider of services to the homeless. She is also director of Programs and Partnerships at Dinah, a Jewish domestic violence organization. The couple has been together for eight years.
Pohubka credits his family for introducing him to different cultures and cuisine and Jewish traditions.
He was raised in Northeast Philadelphia and attended Hebrew school at Congregation Adath Jeshurun, where he had his bar mitzvah. He remembers as a community service project cooking at the Ronald McDonald House.
He also recalls volunteering for the Jewish Relief Agency, an organization that serves several thousand diverse, low-income individuals across Greater Philadelphia by relieving hunger, improving lives and strengthening the community.
His mother had the more traditional Jewish upbringing.
“I remember reciting the prayers and going to Hebrew school consistently,” he said. “I was always exposed to it.”
His mother is a family court administrator. She teaches Hebrew school at the Reconstructionist synagogue Mishkan Shalom. Pohubka says he is not affiliated with a synagogue for now.
His father is a first-generation military veteran and mechanic. His father’s parents were survivors of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany and met there.
Pohubka said his grandparents raised him on the Jewish values of tikkun olam and v’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha (loving your neighbor as you do yourself).
His Jewish values inform what he does best.
“I’m super-passionate about cooking and love making the best product possible,” he said.
“I also really love connecting with the guests.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.
