On The Pass

What is Ávila? There's more to the agave spirits category than just Tequila and Mezcal. On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Micah McFarlane, CEO of Revel Spirits, an emerging agave spirits brand making Ávila, a regionally specific product with deep roots to Mexico's second smallest state Morelos. With big ambitions to put this new agave subcategory on the map, Reve...

Who is Shep Gordon? You've probably heard the popular phrase "Chefs Are The New Rockstars" — you can thank Shep for that.  He's the visionary who brought chefs like Roger Vergé, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roy Yamaguchi and Daniel Boulud to the mainstream and coined the term "Celebrity Chefs." Coming from a colorful life as a music manager to artists like Alice Cooper, Luther Vandross, Blondie...

If anyone knows what goes into making a great cocktail, it's Lynette Marrero, award-winning bartender, mixologist, and philanthropist who is often regarded as a pioneer in the cocktail space. To help us kick off Season 2 of On The Pass, Lynette joins us to talk about her formative years spending summers in Puerto Rico, to her transition from the musical theatre stage to behind the bar post 9/11. S...

We kicked off the 1st Episode of Season 1 with Maria Nguyen, Founder of The Art of Plating, so it was only right to bring her back for the season finale. We wax lyrical on all the things we've learned and loved this season, our biggest takeaways, and who we'd like to have on for Season 2. Thank you to all our listeners and we will see you in 2021. Happy Holidays! Remember to take advantage of Perr...

If you're not a rum drinker, this episode will surely turn you into one. On this Episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Marc Farrell, Founder and CEO of Ten To One Rum, an emerging rum brand grounded in celebrating the Caribbean's diverse culture. Coming from a beyond impressive resume  — one that includes studying at MIT at the age of 16, Harvard Business School at 26, and b...

One of today's most charismatic Chefs, Nyesha Arrington, award-winning Chef, TV personality, and travel enthusiast, graces our studio with a reflection of her journey — one that is laced with stories, wisdom, lessons, and her unconventional philosophy on why she's a Chef. We talk about where Nyesha stands today as she contemplates her most authentic existence in today's new reality. Having worked...

Marissa Hermer, Owner of The Draycott and Olivetta in Los Angeles, is one of LA's newest and most exciting restaurateurs. In a city with a relentless dining scene, she's carved a name for herself by creating neighborhood restaurants that feel like a home away from home. In this episode, Marissa shares the catalyst for her starting a restaurant group shortly after a life changing move from London t...

On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Mélanie Masarin, Founder & CEO of Ghia, a non alcoholic aperitif recently launched this past summer 2020. Inspired by her own personal sober curious and wellness journey, Melanie gives us an in depth view of how she went about creating the product and enlightens us on the difficulties of launching in middle of a global pandem...

AgTech entrepreneur Christine Moseley, Founder + CEO of Full Harvest, the first B2B marketplace for imperfect and surplus produce, sheds light on the global food waste problem, how she's tackling it at the farm level, and ways consumers at home can incorporate good practices in theirs daily lives. This episode will inspire you to think differently about food waste and encourage you to take action....

Hotelier Amar Lalvani, CEO of Standard International (parent company of Standard Hotels, Bunkhouse Group and One Night) recounts unbelievable stories from his formative years. He talks about the very first moment that left a mark on his journey into hospitality, how he navigated the acquisition of The Standard brand from the iconic Andre Balazs, and his plans for future growth. For more informatio...

On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter, co-founders of Crowns & Hops Brewing Co, a Black-Owned craft beer brand soon to be opening a brewery in Inglewood, California. Beny and Teo discuss what originally hooked them to craft beer, their evolution as a company and their bigger than beer mission for racial equity in the space. For more in...

Award-winning food, travel and author of cookbooks like Claridges: The Cookbook and Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, Meredith Erickson chats with us about her early days and how Joe Beef served as a catalyst for her authoring career. We also dive into her solo project Alpine Cooking, a highly acclaimed cookbook meets travelogue where Meredith lived, skied and ate her way through the Alps.  For...

Spirits veteran, Jeff Kozak, CEO of WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, the most awarded Rye Whiskey maker in the world, discusses his entry into the spirits space as a commodity trader, the craft spirits movement over the past 10-15 years and WhistlePig's role in it as well as how WhistlePig has shown up for the community during these challenging past months of COVID-19. For more information on WhistlePig: h...

On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, which was recorded in early March, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Loren Brill, Founder and CEO of Sweet Loren's, a clean ingredient food company known for their all natural cookie dough. Loren discusses how her health journey and being a cancer survivor was the catalyst for starting the company and her mission of bringing clean, Non-GMO, gluten free treats...

Award winning Chef and Inventor of Floating Food, Mike Bagale calls in from Tulum, Mexico where he has been working on an upcoming project and exploring his passion around the concept of Food is Medicine. He gives us some insight from his extensive research in the medicinal properties of different plants and foods and talks about what we should be including into our daily routine. For more informa...

Master Tequilera, Bertha González Nieves, Co-Founder and CEO of Casa Dragones tequila discusses how her company is adapting and supporting the industry during COVID-19, the creation of Casa Dragones with her co-founder Bob Pittman and how they have pioneered premium sipping tequila to compete on the world stage of spirits.  For more information on Casa Dragones:  https://casadragones.com  

On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel sits down with Michael Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of Fable Food Co, a new company producing plant-based meat alternatives based in Australia. Michael discusses how him and his two partners founded and developed their first product, their current distribution and the future plans for the brand. For more information on Fable Food Co: https://fablefood.c...

Greg Baxtrom and Max Katzenberg of Olmsted and Maison Yaki in Brooklyn, New York give a sobering depiction of the current reality for many restaurant owners and operators. We discuss the New York Hospitality Coalition, how the Paycheck Protection Program is failing independent restaurant owners and how they've pivoted their business. For more information on Greg, Max and the New York Hospitality C...

One of the worlds most celebrated pasty chef's and creator of the Cronut, Dominique Ansel discusses the current state of his business in an era of COVID-19 and how his team is responding by supporting the community and healthcare workers. Dominique also gives insight into his evolution as a chef and the important role NY played in that evolution. He also talks about baking from home and his new bo...

This is an important episode on how to navigate the COVID-19 CARES Act and what it means for small business owners. Bank of America's Small Business Banking Chief Risk Officer Andrew Glassford and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Segmentation Carol Lee Mitchell discuss the historic economic-rescue package estimated at $2 Trillion. This is a helpful episode as they go in-depth in how you can a...

On March 14th, pre federal, state and local governments shelter in place / safer at home mandates: Maria Nguyen and Gabriel Ornelas examine the initial impact COVID-19 pandemic has had on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Resources for impacted restaurant industry: http://theartofplating.com/news/covid-19-resources-for-impacted-restaurant-industry/

Hotelier Brian De Lowe, Co-Founder and President of Proper Hotels and Residences discusses his journey into hospitality, building the Proper Brand, and the importance of living a balanced life.  For more information on the Proper Hotels and Residences: https://www.properhotel.com

Iconic award-winning Chef-Owner and Restaurateur Daniel Boulud discusses the early days in his career, why building a strong corporate culture is important, and how he's maintained longevity with over 4 decades in the culinary industry. For more information on Daniel Boulud and his team: https://www.danielboulud.com

Co-founder of Domaine de la Côte, three-time James Beard Award winner and one of the world's foremost experts on wine, Rajat Parr discusses his journey into wine, the importance of mentorship and his current projects. For more info on Rajat Parr and the Raj Parr Wine Club: http://sandhiwines.com https://www.rajparrwineclub.com

Chef-Owner of Three Michelin Starred Atelier Crenn of San Francisco Dominique Crenn discusses the importance of personal and planetary health and how that affects our food and our future. For more information on Dominque Crenn and Crenn Dining Group: https://www.ateliercrenn.com