Hospitality On The Rise

Greg Root, Partner at Defined Hospitality, shares his journey from a 13-year-old golf caddy to helping lead one of Philadelphia's most celebrated restaurant groups. He reflects on cultivating an early career at Burger King, the invaluable lessons from his 13-year tenure at STARR Restaurants, and how those experiences prepared him for restaurant ownership. Greg also discusses Defined Hospitalit...

Ochi Latjuba Vongerichten, Co-Owner of Wayan and Ma•dé, shares her journey from growing up in her mother's large-scale catering business in Indonesia to building a restaurant group spanning New York City, the Hamptons, Aspen, and Miami. After leaving an accounting path to study at The Culinary Institute of America, she built expertise in both the kitchen and front of house, shaping her people-...

Chef Erik Battes, Executive Vice President of Food and Beverage at STARR Restaurants, shares a candid look at a career built without a blueprint. From his years with the Jean-Georges group to leadership roles in venture-backed food startups, he reflects on the lessons learned from scaling businesses, raising millions in capital, and navigating a sudden company shutdown. Now leading food and bevera...

Megan Sullivan, Vice President of Operations at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), reflects on a career defined by intuition and deepening roots within top restaurant groups. She details her bold move from Australia to New York City just months before the pandemic and her rapid ascent from Assistant General Manager at The Modern to overseeing a portfolio of eight iconic USHG brands. Megan shar...

Bob Bennett, Executive Chef of Zingerman's Roadhouse, reflects on his decades-long journey within the Midwest food empire, from working the sandwich line to leading one of its most celebrated kitchens. He shares the challenges of balancing culinary school with the Roadhouse’s opening, the lessons that helped him move beyond the “line cook mentality,” and his evolution into a leader, educator,...

Chef Brittney “Stikxz” Williams, Culinary Director at Miss Lily's 7A and private chef, shares the unexpected turns that shaped her path from sports management student to one of the boldest voices in Jamaican cuisine. Brittney recounts the "plot twist" of leaving culinary school early to immerse herself in the industry, intentionally rotating through front-of-house roles at Red Lobste...

Greg Baxtrom, Chef and Owner of Baxtrom Hospitality Group, shares a deeply personal look at a career shaped by discipline, ambition, and self-awareness. From becoming an Eagle Scout to training under Chef Grant Achatz at Alinea and working at El Bulli, Per Se, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, his journey includes some of the world’s most influential kitchens. Now five years sober, Greg reflects on hi...

Hunter Lewis, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine , shares how his journey from the kitchen line to food media shaped his perspective on leadership, storytelling, and hospitality. From his early days at Jersey Mike's Subs to cooking under Chef Jonathan Waxman at Barbuto, Hunter reflects on mentorship, teamwork, and why he chose to champion the hospitality ecosystem through media instead of beco...

Jenny Goodman, Co-Founder and CEO of TILIT, reflects on her unique hospitality journey, from being a "not great" server in high school to falling in love with restaurants at the legendary Commander's Palace in New Orleans to eventually becoming the helm of a premium hospitality workwear brand. From bootstrapping a premium brand in a commodity market to expanding into the UTILITY trad...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Chef Jamie Bissonnette, Founding Partner of BCB3 Hospitality, shares his journey from a punk-rock-loving teenager to a James Beard Award–winning chef. He opens up about the humbling lessons that shaped his early career and his shift from high-profile global ventures to more personal, passion-driven concepts—Somaek, Temple Records, and Zurito—where he’s...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Anthony Mangieri—Owner & Chef of Una Pizza Napoletana and Founder & CEO of Genio Della Pizza—shares his incredible 30-year journey in the pizza world. From a childhood obsession with pizza to opening his first pizzeria in 1996, Anthony discusses his journey of staying true to his craft while learning how to evolve with changing times, both in th...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Alice Cheng is joined by Mashama Bailey, Chef and Co-Owner of Grey Spaces, which includes The Grey in Savannah and L'Arrêt in Paris. Recently named to TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2026, Mashama reflects on being a self-described “late bloomer” and the culture-shaping lessons she learned at Prune. From being fired from social work to finding h...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng is joined by Rick Bayless, renowned chef, restaurateur, and television personality. Rick shares his journey from growing up in a family restaurant to becoming a pioneer of authentic Mexican cuisine in the U.S. He talks about opening Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, the challenges of introducing regional Mexican food to a new audience, an...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Chef Sarah Grueneberg, Chef and Co-Owner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago, shares her remarkable journey in the culinary world. From discovering her passion for cooking through the Food Network to becoming one of the youngest female sous chefs at Brennan's of Houston, Sarah has faced and embraced challenges that have shaped her l...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Alice Cheng chats with Raj Vaidya, Founder and Private Wine Consultant at Raj Wine Consulting. With 25+ years in hospitality, Raj talks about his rise from quick-service restaurants to becoming a leader in the wine world as well as his time at DANIEL. He shares insights on mentorship, career growth, and the art of wine consulting. Tune in for Raj's...

On this episode, Caroline Glover, Chef and Co-Owner of Annette and Traveling Mercies, takes host Alice Cheng through her inspiring journey from working at Chili’s as a teenager to becoming a James Beard Award-winning chef in Colorado. Caroline opens up about the turning points that shaped her career, including dropping out of college to attend culinary school, finding farming as a source of inspir...

This week on Hospitality On The Rise , Sam Yoo, Chef-Owner of Golden Group Foods (Golden Diner and Golden Hof), takes Alice Cheng through his remarkable journey in the hospitality world, from growing up in a restaurant family to being named a James Beard semifinalist. Sam shares the lessons he learned from his early experiences at Dunkin' Donuts, his time working under renowned chefs including...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Jordan Salcito, Founder & CEO of Drink RAMONA and author of Smart Mouth , recounts her inspiring journey from a young barista to a leading innovator in the wine industry. With a background that spans from working at Michelin-starred restaurants like Eleven Madison Park to launching her own premium organic beverage brand, Jordan shares how pivotal mo...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , Eli Sussman, Executive Chef & Partner at Gertrude's and mastermind behind The Sussmans on Instagram, takes Alice Cheng through his career shift from marketing to the high-energy kitchens of New York. Leaving a stable desk job in Los Angeles, Eli dove into the restaurant world, quickly moving from line cook to leading his own operations. He share...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng is joined by June Rodil, Master Sommelier, CEO and Partner of Goodnight Hospitality, and a 2026 James Beard Semifinalist. June shares how she went from serving at Olive Garden to pursuing law school, and eventually becoming one of just 29 women in the U.S. to earn the prestigious Master Sommelier credential. She opens up about her role...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng chats with Aldo Sohm, Wine Director at Le Bernardin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, Winemaker at Sohm & Kracher, and author of Wine Simple and Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings . From discovering his passion for wine after an unexpected encounter to building a career that spans world-class restaurants and writing books, Aldo’s story is one of r...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng welcomes Cheetie Kumar. She is the Chef and Co-Owner of Ajja, Vice President of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Southern Foodways Alliance, and a 2026 James Beard Semifinalist. Cheetie reflects on teaching herself how to cook, opening music venues and bars, and eventually building restaurants of her own. She shares how trus...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng welcomes Tyler Akin, Founder of Form-Function Hospitality and Chef-Partner of Bastia and Caletta. From relentlessly pursuing a position at Komi to opening multiple successful ventures of his own, Tyler shares how his experiences in fine dining shaped his approach to leadership and culinary creativity. Tyler also reflects on the challeng...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng is joined by Elizabeth Murray, Chief Operating Officer of The Marlow Collective. Elizabeth reveals her unconventional path into the hospitality industry, which started with an economics background and a bold decision to leave graduate school. She recounts how a serendipitous encounter at a beach bar in Mexico led to her first restaurant...

On this episode of Hospitality On The Rise , host Alice Cheng welcomes Andrew Black, Chief Culinary Officer of Counter Service. He reflects on how his experiences with chefs like Laurent Tourondel and Kevin Binkley, as well as his time as a Sous Chef at Eleven Madison Park, shaped his approach to food and entrepreneurship. Staying true to his passion for exceptional ingredients, Andrew shares his...