Five Rules for the Good Life Podcast

“A partnership is also so much about having your own little parts of the restaurant that are actually just yours. Then we bring them together in a way that complements each other.” ~ Tatiana Ettensberger This week I sit down with Tatiana Ettensberger , co-founder of Wilde’s in Los Feliz, who shares her Five Rules f or Opening a Restaurant with Your Best Friend . As Wilde’s celebrates its first ann...

“Young people are drinking, but they’re being very particular about what they’re drinking.” ~ Eric Bach A Note About The Terroirist Before we get into this week’s episode, a big thank you to everyone who showed up for the Santa Cruz Film Festival and the Green Film Festival of San Francisco for the world premiere of our documentary, The Terroirist . We were absolutely honored to take home the Mort...

“Experience the local hospitality scene. You’ve earned it. It’s one of the biggest privileges of international travel. It’s that thing that will get your light bulb to go off.” ~ Jason Hall Opening a restaurant is hard enough when you live around the corner. So what happens when it’s halfway around the world? This week, Jason Hall , Vice President of Culinary at Tao Group and Executive Chef of Cat...

“Every day, doesn’t matter how great we were yesterday. Every day we have to come in and go, what can we do differently today? What can we do better today?” ~ Josh Loeb Twenty years in the restaurant business gives you plenty of stories, but I wanted to hear what keeps Josh Loeb excited about showing up tomorrow. The co-founder of Rustic Canyon Family Restaurants joins Five Rules for the Good Life...

“I started Queer Soup Night because the things I knew how to do were make a lot of food and throw a party.” - Liz Alpern Liz Alpern knows how to feed people and give them a reason to come together. The creator of Queer Soup Night joins me to share her Five Rules for Nourishing a Crowd with Soup , from thinking through where people will eat to keeping things simple with a little flair. We get into...

“Touch everything when you’re at the market. It’s OK if you look weird sticking your nose in bunches of this or that. You’ll look like a pro to anybody who knows what they’re doing.” - Julia Sherman Julia Sherman , artist, author, and creative force behind Salad for President , joins me to share her Five Rules for Making a Better Salad . We talk about finding joy in the process, cooking with all y...

“It starts with finding the best and then figuring out how to do it consistently.” - Dale Talde Dale Talde , co-founder and executive chef of Food Crush Hospitality , stops by to share his Five Rules for Staying in the Game . We talk about knowing what you do best, hiring talented people without giving away your equity, and why your next great opportunity may already be sitting in your inbox. Dale...

"Great risk, great reward, great failure, but great reward." - Dave Beran James Beard Award–winning chef Dave Beran, the chef and owner of pasjoli and Seline in Santa Monica, joins me to share his Five Rules for Finding Your Culinary Voice . We talk about the importance of self-awareness, learning how to accept the hard truth, and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you enough to tell...

"If your vibe is you got there at five, but at midnight you’re still there because you just can’t get enough, we’re definitely not gonna kick you out. We’re gonna find a way to make it all work, and that’s where the sidewalk tables get created. Always leave room for excess is something we swear by." - Vanya Filipovic Vanya Filipovic, Marc-Olivier Frappier, and Jessica Noël, the co-owners of Montre...

"All of it is inviting participation. Participation in the magic around us.” - Evan Marks If you haven’t already, please make sure to subscribe and give Five Rules for the Good Life on Spotify & Apple Podcasts . Evan Marks Evan Marks , founder and executive director of The Ecology Center , joins me to share his Five Rules for an Abundant Life . We talk about finding gratitude in the miraculous...

Justin Pichetrungsi , chef and owner of Anajak Thai Cuisine , joins me to share his Five (Easy) Rules for Taking Over Your Parents’ Restaurant . We talk about burning yourself out—and knowing when not to—along with the importance of arguing with your parents, listening to them, and recognizing that old things are often cooler than new ones. Justin reflects on taking over his family’s restaurant, p...

Restaurant photographer Carter Hiyama , whose book On Service, Volume One is out now, joins me to share his Five Rules for Restaurant Food Photography . We talk about why light is everything, the importance of removing distractions from the table, and why making sure your lens is clean is a must. He also explains how his background shooting skateboarding influenced the way he captures the kinetic...

Adam Weissblatt , co-founder of Last Word Hospitality and author of For the Love of Restaurant s , joins me to share his Five Rules for Opening a Neighborhood Restaurant . We talk about trusting your gut, treating your landlord like a true business partner, and making sure you can deliver on what you promise. After opening seven restaurants of his own, Adam offers an honest and practical look at w...

Mackenzie Hoffman , co-owner and operator of Stir Crazy , joins me to share her Five Rules for Creating a Restaurant that Feels Timeless . We talk about welcoming solo diners, staying earnest, and maintaining your principles without compromise. She explains why restaurants should avoid chasing trends, remain grounded in their values, and become genuine friends to the people and businesses around t...

Greg Baxtrom is the chef and owner of 5 Acres in Rockefeller Center and the author of Nothing Matters but Delicious: A Radically Honest Cookbook about food, alcoholism, recovery, and rebuilding a life. In this deeply personal conversation, Greg shares his Five Rules for Getting Your Life Back on Track. Together, we talk about the long road to sobriety, the daily work of becoming reliable again, an...

For many home cooks, Korean food is something they love to eat but feel intimidated to make. In this episode, Ji Hye Kim , the chef, owner, and managing partner of Miss Kim and Little Kim in Ann Arbor, shares her Five Rules How to Make a Delicious Korean Meal at Home . She talks about making the cooking feel approachable without stripping away what makes it special. From building a thoughtful pant...

This week I’m joined by Breanne Kostyk , the co-owner and head baker of Flour Moon Bagels in New Orleans, to talk about her Five Rules for Making Sandwiches . From choosing great bread and never settling for a dry sandwich to building texture, height, and balance into every bite, Breanne breaks down what separates a forgettable lunch from one you’ll think about for the rest of the day. Whether you...

Trinity’s Five Rules for Eating Well on a Budget This week I’m joined by Trinity Mouzon Wofford , the co-founder and CEO of Golde and author of Eating at Home: The Nourishing Practice of Everyday Cooking . Trinity shares her Five Rules for Eating Well on a Budget , from rethinking the farmer’s market and building a produce pantry at home, to embracing the bulk aisle, and making meals something to...

Renata’s Five Rules for Bringing Fine Dining to Everyday Baking This week, I sit down with Renata Ameni , executive pastry chef and partner at Birdee , to talk about bringing the mindset of fine dining into everyday baking. After spending years in some of the world’s most exacting kitchens, Renata shares her Five Rules for Bringing Fine Dining to Every Day Baking. She talks about one piece of equi...

Joe's Five Rules for Building a World for Yourself Joe Beddia didn’t just build one of the best pizzerias in America—he built a world. From the moment you walk down the alley and step through the door at Pizzeria Beddia, you can feel that every detail exists for a reason. In this episode, Joe shares his Five Rules for Building a World for Yourself , from finding work that genuinely inspires you to...

Chef Adrianne Calvo has built a life around the belief that flavor is the ultimate north star. As the chef, writer, and restaurateur behind Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant and Bar in Miami, she has spent her career proving that the fundamentals never go out of style. In this episode, she breaks down her Five Rules for Cooking with Maximum Flavor — from why the real work happens before anything...

Noah Galuten has spent years cooking alongside some of the best chefs, pit masters, and grill masters in America, so when it came time to write Grill Time , he wanted to share everything he had learned. He joined the show to share his Five Rules for Better Grilling , covering everything from why gas grills deserve more respect to the flavor advantages of cooking with wood and charcoal. We also get...

Matty Matheson has spent the last decade carving out his own lane by doing what most people are too scared to do: making things before anyone gives them permission. On this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , Matty joins Darin to talk about creating Just a Dash , finding his on-camera voice before “content creator” was even a career path, and why the best ideas usually start with a couple of...

There’s a certain type of person who dreams about opening a restaurant in Paris. Then there’s the type of person who actually does it. On this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life , I sit down with Mashama Bailey and Johno Morisano of The Grey and L’Arrêt to talk about what it really takes to open a restaurant in one of the most romanticized, bureaucratic, intimidating, and food-obsessed cities...

Shaheen Ghazali , the chef and owner of Kurrypinch , joins Five Rules for the Good Life to share his Five Rules for Getting to Know South Asian Cuisine . Born in Pakistan, raised in Sri Lanka, and shaped by years traveling the world as a marine cadet with his father, Shaheen approaches food through the lens of curiosity, evolution, and connection. This conversation goes far beyond the idea of “aut...