Chefs Without Restaurants

This week, we have a mini-episode about what it means to be a chef. This is something I'm asking many of the guests as part of my upcoming season 3 interviews. I thought it would be great to get as much insight on this as possible, from many different people in the food and beverage industry. Today's answer comes from Matt Collins. Born in Freehold, NJ, Matt has been cooking since he was...

On this episode we have cookbook author and food writer Cathy Barrow. She has written for the New York Times , Garden and Gun , The Local Palate , Modern Farmer , Saveur , Southern Living , NPR, and National Geographic , among others. Her first cookbook, Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry , won the prestigious IACP Award for best single-subject cookbook. She has also written the cookbooks Pie Squ...

This week I have Baking Steel founder Andris Lagsdin. It’s the inspiring story of how Andris built his successful business. He spent a number of years working in restaurants, which included being on chef Todd English’s management team. Tired of the restaurant industry, Andris decided to go work at his family’s steel manufacturing business. But it was an a-ha moment that led to the creation of what...

This week, we have a mini-episode about what it means to be a chef. This is something I'm asking many of the guests as part of my upcoming season 3 interviews. I thought it would be great to get as much insight on this as possible, from many different people in the food and beverage industry. Today's answer comes from David Pollack. He's a chef in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania regi...

This week, we have a mini-episode about what it means to be a chef. This is something I'm asking many of the guests as part of my upcoming season 3 interviews. I thought it would be great to get as much insight on this as possible, from many different people in the food and beverage industry. Today's answer comes from Virginia Willis. She was the TV kitchen director for Martha Stewart, B...

This week I have James Beard Foundation Award-winner, chef Virginia Willis. She was the TV kitchen director for Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay, and Nathalie Dupree and executive producer for Epicurious TV on the Discovery Channel. She’s made cookies with Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson, foraged for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvested capers in Sicily, and beguiled celebrities such as Jane Fonda and...

This is a mini-episode about showing your work. I made this episode for the new creators out there. Whether you’re blogging, podcasting, or posting photos on Instagram, there are going to be people out there (usually strangers) who will be critical of your work. Some of it might be justified, but some might just be mean. Regardless, you need to rise above it and keep pushing on. Do the work, and s...

This week I have personal chef and cooking instructor Matt Finarelli. Matt was a guest on our show way back in March 2020. In fact, he might’ve been the last in-person show that we recorded before the Covid shut down. If you’re interested in hearing that episode, it was number 24, and you can find the link here .  Due to the situation with Covid, Matt didn’t feel comfortable going into people&apos...

This week, we're joined by Lana Lagomarsini. Lana is the chef and owner of Lana Cooks, a personal chef business based in the New York City area. Lana comes from a fine-dining background, having cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Gramercy Tavern, Daniel, and Momofuku Ko. Like many chefs, when restaurants began shutting down due to Covid, Lana explored the personal chef sector.  After this pod...

This week, we have a mini-episode about what it means to be a chef. This is something I'm asking many of the guests as part of my upcoming season 3 interviews. I thought it would be great to get as much insight on this as possible, from many different people in the food and beverage industry. Today's answer comes from Justin Khanna. He is the co-founder of Voyager's Table, a bespoke...

This week, we have a mini-episode about what it means to be a chef. This is something I'm asking many of the guests as part of my upcoming season 3 interviews. I thought it would be great to get as much insight on this as possible, from many different people in the food and beverage industry. Today's answer comes from Cody Marwine. He's the owner and chocolatier at The Perfect Truff...

This week, we're wrapping up 2021, and ready to welcome in 2022. Listen to this episode for an update on the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, and what you can expect in 2022. Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and safe holiday. Sponsor Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week's sponsor is Savory Jobs , a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job pos...

This week, we're joined by David Orozco. David owns Orozco Nutrition, a nutrition and wellness practice in Atlanta Georgia. David’s been in practice for close to 20 years as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and he’s a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Exercise Physiologist. He’s also the host of One Small Bite , a podcast that seeks to help people build a positive relationship with...

On this episode, we're joined by Louis Remolde, otherwise known as The Single Baker. Louis is someone who's worked in the food and beverage industry in Philadelphia, PA since he was 14 years old. At the age of 39, he decided to get sober, and eventually started his own baking business, as well as a personal training business. Louis talks about his path in the industry, and how he came to...

On this episode, we're joined by Gabrielle Jenkins. She's the chef and owner of Pot Liqueur, a catering, personal chef, and meal prep business that serves the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland & Virginia) area. We discuss her culinary style, inspiration, and what she wished she knew before starting a business. We talk about culinary school, and who some of her favorite local chefs are. Sp...

On this episode, we're joined by Jerrod Cline of Bub-B-Que, a food truck based in Frederick, Maryland. Jerrod was the 2nd guest we had on the podcast way back in Dec 2019. The food world, and the world in general, has changed so much in two years. I wanted to get Jerrod back on the show and hear how things have changed for him. From rising food costs to pivoting, we talk about running a food...

On this episode, we're joined by chef Dave Arnold. He’s the host of the Cooking Issues podcast, author of the cocktail book Liquid Intelligence, and creator of the Searzall and Spinzall . Dave is also the founder of the  Museum of Food and Drink , and the man behind the NYC bars Booker & Dax and Existing Conditions, sadly , both of which are no longer in operation.  As I kind of expected...

On this episode, we're joined by chef Dave Arnold. He’s the host of the Cooking Issues podcast, author of the cocktail book Liquid Intelligence, and creator of the Searzall and Spinzall . Dave is also the founder of the  Museum of Food and Drink , and the man behind the NYC bars Booker & Dax and Existing Conditions, sadly , both of which are no longer in operation.  As I kind of expected...

On this episode, we're joined by chef Pete Carvelli. Pete’s the founder of Twelve (Plants), a plant-based pop-up and personal chef business in Rhode Island. Formerly, both a photojournalist and reporter, Pete currently works as an attorney. But a desire to be a better cook led him to get his Professional Plant-Based chef certification in 2019. From there he did two successful chef collaborati...

In this episode, Chris Spear chats with Chef Zoe Adjonyoh, the pioneering force behind Zoe's Ghana Kitchen. Zoe is not only a chef but also a writer, entrepreneur, and advocate for the decolonization of the food industry. Since 2010, she has been redefining modern West African cuisine through her pop-ups, supper clubs, and her restaurant in Brixton. Her recently republished cookbook, Zoe&apos...

Is culinary school worth it? On this episode, we’re joined by Ray Delucci. Ray’s the founder of the Line Cook Thoughts community, and host of the podcast of the same name. Having recently left the restaurant industy, Ray now works in culinary research and development, and food manufacturing. You might have heard my full discussion with him last week. During our time talking, I asked him about culi...

This week my guest is Ray Delucci. He’s the founder of Line Cook Thoughts, a platform that shares the stories of food service workers. This is done through his website, social media, and podcast of the same name. Ray is an advocate for a better foodservice industry in regards to lifestyle and work environment, and believes that these workers’ stories should be heard. Ray is a graduate of the Culin...

This week my guest is Emmanuel Laroche. Emmanuel has more than 20 years in the food ingredient industry, and is currently in charge of marketing for a company that manufactures flavors for food and beverage companies like Unilever and Nestle.  In 2018 Emmanuel launched the Flavors Unknown podcast. Every other week he speaks to the chefs, pastry chefs, and bartenders who are creating tomorrow’s tre...

This week my guest is Hanna Raskin. Hanna spent the past 8 years as food editor, and chief critic for The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. During her time there, she was nominated for four James Beard Foundation awards, winning the organization’s first-ever prize for local impact journalism. She recently left the newspaper to begin publishing The Food Section, a twice-weekly Substack newslette...

This week my guest is chef Keith Sarasin. With his business, The Farmers Dinner , Keith and other guest chefs bring a multi-course dinner out to the farms of New England. Keith also has a deep love and respect for Indian cooking, which he expresses through his Indian-inspired pop-up experience Aatma . On his More Than Masala podcast, he and co-host Ragini of Third Culture Cooks , take a deep dive...