Pot Luck Food Talks: Kitchen Stories From Behind the Pass

🎙️ EP143 – Eric visited a foie gras facility. What he saw wasn’t what you'd expect. This episode is about what it means to kill, eat, and stay honest about both. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🦆 What is Foie Gras? – The duck breeds and strange logistics behind it 📦 Born in Spain, Shipped to France – Why marketing determines birthplace 🌾 Duck Life – 90 days of freedom, feeding, and finality...

🎙️ EP142 – The Rise of the Basque Cheesecake. On the road to Etxebarri, Eric chats with José Pelares—chef, entrepreneur, and founder of LA VASCA , Colombia’s cult-favorite Basque cheesecake brand. From nostalgic late-night cheesecake sessions in San Sebastián to adapting the classic recipe for a new audience, the two dig into what makes this dessert so addictive. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:...

🎙️ EP141 – Finding Your Culinary Identity? After a stretch of solo episodes, Eric and Phil are finally back together—and Phil’s got stories. In this episode, he unpacks his new role at the Arts Club in Dubai, from chef’s table tastings to 1,000-cover yacht clubs. The two dive into the sacred simplicity of chuleta, a ridiculously rich pastrami bao, and the croissant sandwich that broke their brains...

🎙️ EP140 – Chef Jackie Villena, a.k.a. The Caviar Queen, knows more about caviar than most people know about salt. From harvesting secrets to wild pairings, she breaks down the luxury ingredient like only an insider can. She’s cooked in renowned kitchens across the Americas — from Gusto in Bolivia and Barra Lima with Francis Mallmann, to The Inn at Little Washington with Patrick O’Connell — and no...

🎙️ EP139 – The Umami Conspiracy . From parmesan-in-mayo hacks to kombu-fueled flavor bombs, Phil and Eric dive mouth-first into the misunderstood world of umami. They trace the Japanese origin of the term, bust myths about MSG, and confess the bastardized secrets that supercharge their sauces. Also in this episode: dessert umami bombs, rule-breaking parmesan, and a tomato sauce that hits harder th...

🎙️ EP138 – 🔬From Fine Dining to Harvard Ft. Alejandra Touceda. From her early days dodging crazy chefs, staging at El Celler de Can Roca to now managing the food lab at Harvard University, Alex’s path is anything but linear. In this episode, she dishes on what happens when food meets science. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode 👨‍🍳 First Kitchen Trauma – Crying cooks, forced coffee, and surviving...

🎙️ EP137 – 🥣 Soup, Salsas & Sea Urchin: Why the Simple Stuff Blows Your Mind From Basque fish soups to sea urchin redemption arcs, Phil and Eric go deep on the dishes that stick with you for life. They swap stories about ramen joints that smell like dashi, jarred bouillabaisse, and introducing moms to the magic of sucking prawn heads. Plus: the quiet power of meat garum, a tuna gut sauce that...

🎙️ EP136 – 🧈 Fat is Flavor: From Robuchon’s legendary mashed potatoes to duck fat caramel and toasted yeast butter, Phil and Eric go full-fat in this unapologetic ode to cooking’s richest ingredient. They break down emulsions like mayo and alioli, get nostalgic about real cream, and share chef secrets like using pork fat in tortillas or chuleta fat for glazing veg. If you’ve ever wondered why you...

🎙️ EP135 – 🍜 Phil’s Japan: Ramen, Tempura & the Soul of Japanese Cooking. Back from a 10-day pilgrimage across Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, Phil shares stories of smoky yakitori counters, jazz-filled soba barns, dashi-soaked ramen, and mochi wrapped like origami. From sushi rice philosophy to frying as steaming, this is a deep-dive into Japanese food culture—equal parts nostalgia and chef-geek he...

🎙️ EP134 – 🌱 Henry Obispo is growing a new Bronx. Also known as The Sustainable Papi, this eco-gastronomer is reimagining food systems—one rooftop farm, hot sauce, and mushroom taco at a time. From food apartheid to Afrofuturism, Henry joins Eric in the South Bronx to talk urban agriculture, ancestral eating, and why plants carry the memory of people. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🏙️ From Ro...

🎙️ EP133 – 🍽️ Johan Jörgensen thinks so. The Sweden Food Tech founder joins Eric to talk about how our food system got so broken—and why chefs, not consumers, are the real agents of change. From blood desserts that recruit blood donors to chocolate made from beer waste, this episode is a crash course in what’s possible when innovation meets the kitchen. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode : 💥 From...

🎙️ EP132 - 🧀 Phil & Eric dive headfirst into the funky, melty, glorious world of cheese. From trashy cravings in Japan to British blues that rival France 🇬🇧, this episode is an unfiltered ode to curds and whey from a cooks point of view. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🧀 Cheese Plates & Rage – Why asking for one off-menu might get you cursed out. 🔥 Crispy Cheese Cones – What are Adio...

After almost 2 decades of working in some of the best restaurants in the world, Phil & Eric have a lot of stories to tell and things to set straight! Put Luck Food Talks are unfiltered, unapologetic conversations about food, the crazy stories inside Michelin Star kitchens, and anything involving the search for the most delicious dishes. With these two experienced chefs, you'll discover some of...

🎙️ EP131 – How to Build a Restaurant That Actually Works 🔥 From kitchen workflows to sustainable design, this episode is a must-listen. Broadcasting from 🇪🇸 San Sebastián, after stuffing ourselves at eight restaurants in three days, we break down what makes or breaks a kitchen—from cardboard mockups on basketball courts 🏀 to why your fryer should be as easy to replace as a Lego block 🧱. 🎧 Topi...

🎙️ EP129 – From Hong Kong to Rioja 🍷Jade Gross didn’t follow the rules—she broke them. Born in 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, trained in human rights law ⚖️, and thrown into the fire at Alain Ducasse’s Plaza Athénée 🔪, she became head chef at Mugaritz by 26 ⭐️. Now a winemaker, she’s shaking up La Rioja one bottle at a time—with the same fire she brought to Michelin kitchens 🔥🍇. . 🎧 Topics Covered in This Ep...

🎙️ EP129 – The Noodle Episode 🍜🧵 On the backseat from Basque Country to La Rioja 🚗, Phil and Eric slurp their way through one of the world’s most iconic foods: noodles. From hand-pulled Biang Biang in Barcelona to Spätzle beat with insults in Germany, they swap stories, techniques, and personal noodle revelations. Get ready for a whirlwind around Asia, Italy, and beyond—with broth wisdom, chewy...

🎙️ EP128 – Let’s Talk About Game 🦌🔥 On the road to La Rioja 🚗, Phil and Eric dive deep into the wild world of game cooking—from deer to squab, boar to snipe. Phil shares his German hunting roots, Eric recalls plucking birds at Mugaritz, and together they explore flavors, ethics, and techniques behind one of the most misunderstood and underused corners of the culinary world. 🎧 Topics Covered in...

🎙️ EP127 – Do desserts in fine dining restaurants kinda suck? 🍰😬Phil and Eric are cruising through the Basque Country🚗, having a fun argument about whether dessert is the most forgotten course in fine dining. From €500 vanilla to minimalist pastry takes, it’s a sweet and salty ride. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🍮 Dessert Fatigue – Why the final course often feels like a letdown. 🍦 18-Eu...

🎙️ EP126 - Phil and Eric are having breakfast on Zurriola beach—coffee in hand, cheesecake on their laps—and diving into philosophical food talks . ☕🧀 From their dinner at Muka to how a dish becomes “tradition” in just 20 years, they explore why the gesture matters more than the recipe , and what it really means to recognize magic in cooking . 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🧀 Blue Cheese Ch...

🎙️ EP125 – 🇪🇸 Eric and Phil kick off their Basque journey in San Sebastián—the land of grills, pintxos, and legendary chefs. 🔥🐟 They dive into what makes Basque cuisine so unique, from minimal intervention cooking to charcoal-grilled perfection. Why do some locals think the Basque food hype is political. Plus, tales of cider houses, food Disneyland, and standing ovations for Juan Mari Arzak 🙌🍷...

🎙️ EP125 🎤 🔥Eric finally takes the hot seat! 📺 The premiere of Iron Chef America lit the fuse, but it was being at Mugaritz when they received their second Michelin 🌟 star that cemented his path in fine dining. From improvising in Venezuela’s kitchens to grinding through brutal 16-hour shifts in Spain and Germany, he learned food at its extremes. He opens up about the moment he realized the Mi...

🎙️ EP123 – 🍽️ Eric and Phil take on parsley —the most unsexy, overlooked, yet somehow everywhere herb. Is it a true kitchen workhorse or just a sad, obligatory garnish? 🤔🌿 They dig into its history, the curly parsley conspiracy , and why fishmongers in Spain hand it out for free. From deep green parsley oil to unexpected desserts 🍨🌱, they explore how chefs actually use it—and whether it deserv...

🎙️ EP122 – Can Food Be Funny? The Playful World of Culinary Humor 🍽️ Eric and Phil dive deep into the world of humor in food—from floating eucalyptus clouds to steak knives that feel like weapons of choice. They break down how playfulness and whimsy can turn a meal into a memorable experience, or sometimes… a total disaster. If you thought fine dining was all about stiff upper lips and seriousness...

🎙️EP121: Bitterness —the one flavor no chef deliberately adds to a dish… or do they? In this episode, Eric and Phil dive deep into the misunderstood role of bitterness in food and drinks. From radicchio salads to Negronis, citrus peels, and even chocolate in duck sauce, we explore when bitterness is a mistake and when it’s actually a chef’s secret weapon. 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🍽️ Why...

🎙️ EP120 – Ready to crack open eggs like never before? 🍳 Eric and Phil strip down the world of eggs—from delicate poached and silky onsen to chawanmushi and perfectly imperfect fried eggs. They serve up raw, no-BS tales of culinary triumph and chaos, revealing the art and madness of egg mastery. If you think eggs are simple, think again! 🔥👨‍🍳 🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🥚 Gordon Ramsay...