Hummus and pita for 450 people? Mike Solomonov is the new in-house caterer at Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

Kristen Kreider speaks with the clients booking events at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, where she is managing director for business operations.

She said there have been a lot of happy people on the end of the line lately.

In a deal announced Wednesday, Lilah Events — the catering arm of Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook’s CookNSolo restaurant group — is the Weitzman’s new exclusive caterer and events partner. This in effect puts hummus, kebabs, coffee-braised brisket, and other dishes from such CookNSolo restaurants as Zahav and Dizengoff on museum menus. The Weitzman’s 20,000 square feet of space includes a ballroom and terrace that can handle a sit-down event for 450 people with fifth-floor views of Independence Mall from floor-to-ceiling windows. Kosher caterers can partner with Lilah at the Weitzman, if needed.

Kreider said clients — who had booked the Weitzman with the venue in mind, not necessarily the caterer — view Lilah’s hiring as a bonus.

When the Weitzman’s previous caterer, Neuman’s Kitchen, permanently closed, “news traveled through the catering industry very quickly,” she said. “We had all these great caterers stepping up and offering to help.”

“But during the process, I kept thinking, ‘We could be another great museum in a beautiful neighborhood with a terrific caterer, just like all the other 15 great museums with terrific caterers and beautiful neighborhoods,’” Kreider said. “Or we could really distinguish ourselves as something unique. To be competitive, that’s what you have to do.”

Kreider said she reached out to Lilah. One selling point: Because CookNSolo is Jewish-owned, a Weitzman-Lilah partnership would be “a natural marriage,” she said. “This is the museum that’s celebrating the accomplishment of Jews in America.”

Cook — who opened the flagship Lilah catering venue in Fishtown in 2022 with Solomonov, culinary director Caitlin McMillan, and director of events Neira Jackson — said the company wasn’t looking to expand. “We probably could have put our hats in the ring for a lot of other venues, but this was the one that really felt right to us,” Cook said.

“It just seemed so perfect,” Solomonov said. “We didn’t want anyone else to do it.”

Kreider said the Weitzman hosts more “non-Jewish” events than Jewish ones. Besides the location and facilities, she said, “it’s nice to have a short name. Weitzman is going to fit better on a wedding invitation.”

During one early chat with Solomonov, Kreider said she asked him, “I know what you can do, but can you actually do something simple, like chicken fingers for a bat mitzvah? He said, ‘Yes. We do chicken fingers all day long. We just call it schnitzel instead.’”