Commercial Kitchen Chronicles

How the Trades Changed My Life | Jameson Lolos | Commercial Kitchen Chronicles Sometimes the path to the skilled trades isn't a straight line. In this episode of  Commercial Kitchen Chronicles , Pat sits down with  Jameson Lolos  to discuss a journey that started in a technical high school HVAC program, detoured through college and student debt, and ultimately led him back to the trades he was...

What does it take to build a 27-year career in HVAC while overcoming addiction, traveling the country as a startup and commissioning technician, and becoming one of the most recognizable personalities in the skilled trades? In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat Finley sits down with Bobby Armstrong, better known as Blue Collar Code, for an honest, hilarious, and inspiring conversat...

Your Past Doesn't Define Your Future | Lessons on Trades, Business & Wealth Building Can your past become your greatest strength? In this inspiring episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, host Pat Finley and co-host Rich Ortega are joined by Michael Hess and Darin Branch for a powerful conversation about overcoming adversity, finding purpose, building a successful career in the skilled t...

From Navy Veteran to HVACR Technician: David Weeks (HVACR Panda) Shares His Story What happens when military service doesn't translate into the skilled trades the way everyone says it will? In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat Finley sits down with David Weeks, better known online as HVACR Panda, for an honest conversation about life after the Navy, entering the HVACR industry...

Commercial HVAC/R in the Real World | Featuring Joe Blanchard What does it take to succeed as a commercial HVAC/R technician in today's industry? How do you balance real service calls, troubleshooting complex equipment, and building a social media presence that educates and inspires thousands of technicians? In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat Finley sits down with HVAC/R tec...

From working on F-14 Tomcats in the U.S. Navy to running service calls around the Washington D.C. beltway, leading technicians, managing facilities, and ultimately moving into business development, Anthony Dileo has experienced nearly every side of the service industry. In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Anthony joins Pat Finley and Rich Ortega to share his incredible career journey...

From New York to Atlanta. From established business to starting over from scratch. What would you do? This week on Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat Finley sits down with Brent Hall, founder and owner of Favored Mechanical Solutions (FMS), for an honest conversation about risk, entrepreneurship, commercial foodservice equipment repair, and what it really takes to build a service company people tr...

This week on the Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat sits down with Jay McDonough of Restaurant Appliance Repair out of Kansas City, Missouri for a real-world conversation about what it takes to build a name in the Foodservice Equipment Repair Industry. 🔥 Jay started RAR at just 25 years old and has spent the last 11 years grinding through commercial kitchen equipment repair, refrigeration, walk-i...

What happens when Pat, Jason, and Rich get together with zero agenda and full permission to go off the rails? This episode right here 🔥 The crew is back for one of the most unfiltered Commercial Kitchen Chronicles episodes yet. We’re talking commercial kitchen equipment repair, HVACR, refrigeration tech life, service call chaos, career moves, burnout, leadership, the realities of the trades, and...

What’s REALLY holding service companies back? 🤔 In this episode of  Commercial Kitchen Chronicles , we sit down with 🎙️ Aaron Jacobitz from Refrigeration Heroesto break down the hard truths about  sales, team building, and growth in the refrigeration and foodservice repair industry . If you’re a technician, service manager, or business owner trying to level up… this one is going to hit 👇 We’re t...

From factory work in the Appalachian Mountains to Regional Supervisor in just five years… this is the kind of story the trades need right now 🔥 In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, we sit down with Clay Hartzog to break down his journey from zero experience to leading operations across Virginia and North Carolina for Archway Service Group. No shortcuts, no fluff… just real-world grow...

This week on Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, we’re joined by Thomas Lisaula, better known as OEM Junkie, to break down the REAL world of supermarket refrigeration—and why rack systems will humble you fast. If you think refrigeration is just “bigger HVAC”… this episode is going to reset your expectations. Thomas works in high-demand environments where uptime is critical, specializing in rack systems...

In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, I sit down with Sally Ray, VP of Marketing at Hoshizaki America, to talk about where the foodservice equipment industry is headed and what it means for technicians in the field. We dive into the Hoshizaki Alliance and how it’s bringing together multiple brands to create more complete solutions for operators, while also opening the door for better i...

What happens when a technician with zero formal training, 27 years in the field, and a passion for helping others decides to just… start sharing? You get  Johnny Hall  — the voice behind  Let’s Be Techs . In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, we sit down with Johnny to break down how a simple idea —  “let us be techs… let’s learn together”  — turned into one of the most authentic, no-B...

What if the kid who barely made it through high school… ended up working on  rack refrigeration systems, cascade units, and even equipment supporting F-15 fighter jets ? Yeah… that’s this episode. On this episode of  Commercial Kitchen Chronicles , I sit down with  Mike Folta —a technician with 16 years of real-world experience in commercial HVACR and foodservice equipment repair who proves you do...

In this special  in-person episode of the Commercial Kitchen Chronicles , recorded at the headquarters of Parts Town, I finally caught up with  John Warpinski , the  Senior Director of Customer Partnerships – HVAC  at Parts Town. John brings a deep background in the  HVAC industry , and in this conversation we dive into his journey through the trades before stepping into his leadership role at Par...

In this episode of the Commercial Kitchen Chronicles podcast, Pat Finley and Rich Ortega sit down with Matt Golden and Megan McIntosh from Mechanical Environments to talk about one of the most specialized corners of the mechanical industry — HVAC systems for cannabis cultivation facilities. Grow operations are a completely different animal when it comes to mechanical systems. Temperature, humidity...

What does it really mean to become who you’re meant to be? In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, we sit down with Josh Zolin — CEO of Windy City Equipment, author of  Blue is the New White , and a powerful voice for leadership, responsibility, and purpose in the skilled trades. Josh started as a technician working alongside his dad, building a service company from the ground up. Today...

What happens when a second-generation HVAC technician refuses to follow the “sales first” model and instead builds a company around education, integrity, and preventative maintenance done right? In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat Finley sits down live with Dominic Furnback of Elite Service Group to break down what it really means to build a service business the right way in toda...

In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, we’re coming to you live from the AHR Expo Podcast Pavilion with a deep dive into one of the most talked-about topics in HVAC and refrigeration right now — ACR press fittings. I sat down with Jessica Slaughter from RLS Rapid Locking Systems to talk about how copper press technology is changing the way contractors approach commercial HVAC installs,...

Betting on Yourself: Kenny Postlewait on Building Postlewait Refrigeration & HVAC In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat Finley and Rich Ortega sit down with Kenny Postlewait, also known as RefrigerationMan1988 on TikTok, to talk about what it really takes to leave a steady job and launch your own HVAC and refrigeration business. Kenny shares the raw, unfiltered truth about star...

In this episode,  Pat Finley  sits down with  Olivia Smith ,  Jimmy Miller , and  Ben Neal  for a deep dive into the  Young Professionals Committee (YPC)  of  CFESA  and the upcoming  YPC Symposium . Together, the group breaks down what the YPC is, who it’s for, and why it has become one of the most impactful ways for young professionals in the commercial foodservice equipment industry to grow, co...

Recorded live from AHR Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, this episode brings you inside the Viper booth with special guests Becca Stamey and Ashley Lynds from Refrigeration Technologies. We talk all things Viper and Refrigeration Technologies, including the products technicians rely on every day in HVACR and commercial foodservice, new releases like EZ Dose created by Robert Kraft, and what the expanded boo...

In this episode of  Commercial Kitchen Chronicles , host Pat Finley welcomes the one and only  Louise Kellar from UEi Test Instruments  for a jam packed conversation covering technician safety, new diagnostic tools, real world kitchen scenarios, and what to expect at  AHR Expo in Las Vegas . Louise introduces UEi’s newest product, the  UEiClip personal CO detector , and explains why every technici...

In this episode of the Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, Pat sits down with Erick Kaseta from Ambro Controls for a wide-ranging, shop-talk-heavy conversation focused on real tools, real field experience, and doing the job the right way. Pat and Erick kick things off by talking about how they first connected at AHR and why Ambro Controls has become such a go-to brand for technicians who value portabil...