Restaurant Ready

Juan Perez has built a global reputation for his mastery of Neapolitan pizza. Originally from Colombia, Perez rose from a teenage line cook to executive chef of Posto in Boston, where his work has earned recognition on the prestigious 50 Top Pizza list and a place among the world’s top 100 pizza chefs. In this episode, Perez shares his journey, why mentorship and systems are central to his leaders...

Chef Hugh Acheson’s career is rooted in restaurants, but his impact is measured in people. The James Beard Award–winning chef, author, and community advocate joins us to reflect on his evolution from fine dining restaurateur to private chef, mentor, and nonprofit founder. In this episode, Acheson opens up about walking away from traditional restaurant ownership, why profitability is harder than ev...

Chef Brian Baxter didn’t want to run someone else’s kitchen. He wanted to build his own. Now the executive chef and partner at The Catbird Seat in Nashville, Baxter is leading one of the country’s most innovative tasting menus. In this episode, he shares how he creates layered, intentional experiences; why collaboration drives everything at his restaurant; and how he’s developing the next generati...

Kevin Boehm has spent his career building iconic restaurants. But after co-founding Boka Restaurant Group and opening over 40 establishments, the James Beard Award–winning restaurateur found himself battling burnout, loss, and collapse at the height of the pandemic. Boehm shares how therapy, systems, and human-centered leadership helped him come back stronger, with a new lens on wellness, hiring,...

Chef Eli Sussman isn’t just the chef and partner of Brooklyn’s Gertrude’s, he’s also the internet’s sarcastic observer of restaurant culture through his viral account, The Sussmans. In this episode, he opens up about balancing family life with kitchen life, how satire creates community, and what happens when you bring authenticity (and humor) to the leadership table. If you’ve ever laughed at one...

Chef Yia Vang didn’t just open a restaurant, he built a cultural restoration project. The James Beard–nominated chef and founder of Union Hmong Kitchen joins us to share how food became his medium for storytelling, identity, and healing. Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Wisconsin, Vang now leads one of the most compelling restaurants in America, not just for its dishes but for its purpose...

Chef Gavin Kaysen has built one of the most respected restaurant groups in the country by putting trust at the center of everything.  The two-time James Beard Award winner opens up about leadership, mentorship, and the systems that support his growing team across Spoon and Stable, Demi, Bellecour Bakery, and more. From daily writing rituals to open-door mentorship to teaching financial literacy, K...

What would it take to rebuild our food system from the ground up, one rooted in community, sustainability, and ancestral knowledge? That is the work chef Sean Sherman has dedicated his career to. A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and founder of the nonprofit NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems), Sherman is on a mission to make Indigenous cuisine visible, viable, and vital...

Chef James Galbraith is building restaurants that scale and a culture that lasts. The Michigan-based chef and restaurateur behind Houndstooth, Animal, and Post Boy walks us through his journey from dish pit to design-led hospitality. In this episode, Galbraith shares what it takes to open three distinct concepts in a small town, the systems that support rapid growth, and how he recruits and retain...

How do you grow a business without losing your soul or your standards? Chef Sarah Grueneberg has answers. From Top Chef finalist to James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Monteverde in Chicago, Grueneberg opens up about mentorship, retention, ownership, and accountability. In this episode, she shares her approach to training, internal leadership development, and the hard-earned wisdom that co...

From fine dining to Lollapalooza and MasterChef, Graham Elliot’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this vibrant episode, Chef Graham Elliot shares how a punk rock spirit, deep empathy, and a love for teaching have shaped his path across restaurants, television, and fatherhood. He reflects on the value of authenticity, building restaurant teams like bands, using media to connect more personally,...

From addiction to advocacy: Chef Andrew Zimmern’s story is a masterclass in purpose-led leadership. The James Beard and Emmy Award-winning chef, TV personality, and entrepreneur reflects on the power of service, storytelling, and saying “yes.” In this deeply personal episode, Chef Andrew opens up about recovery, responsibility, and what it means to use your platform for lasting impact. From Bizarr...

Chef Kenny Gilbert has built a career that spans fine dining, franchising, product development, and operations—always with a focus on systems that scale. From Ritz-Carlton kitchens to his own spice line, franchises, and a VP role at Grove Bay Hospitality Group, Chef Kenny shares how decades of experience, mentorship, and relentless process design have shaped both his culinary and business approach...

Chef Joe Sasto is rewriting the chef playbook by blending pasta, business, content, and creativity into a fully modern culinary career. From Michelin-starred kitchens to Top Chef, from viral pasta content to launching his own snack brand, Tantos, Sasto shares how he’s built a career that bridges both old-school technique and new-school entrepreneurship. In this episode, he opens up about content c...

Top Chef winner and Chicago chef Joe Flamm opens up about building restaurant culture, balancing family, and leading his team through thoughtful, intentional growth. From his Croatian-Italian roots at Rose Mary to his new projects across Chicago, Flamm shares the leadership systems, daily rituals, and hiring philosophy that keep his kitchens running smoothly while maintaining high standards. He di...

James Beard Award-winning chef Gerard Craft breaks down how he built and runs a multi-concept hospitality group while putting people at the center. From opening his first restaurant at 25 to leading 12+ distinct concepts under Niche Food Group, Craft offers hard-earned lessons on scaling sustainably. He talks candidly about managing growth, strengthening upper management, cross-training staff, and...

Celebrity chef Damaris Phillips shares how she’s built a thriving food media career that lasts while staying deeply connected to her culinary roots. From winning Food Network Star to launching a cookbook, a picnic club, and a production company, Phillips opens up about evolving her career on her own terms. She gets candid about building confidence on social media, creating authentic content, and t...

Chef Chris Shepherd isn’t just feeding people—he’s feeding an entire industry’s future. The James Beard Award-winning chef behind Underbelly and founder of Southern Smoke shares his powerful journey: from building restaurants to building one of hospitality’s most impactful foundations. Chef Chris reflects on closing restaurants, leadership evolution, financial lessons, and why advocacy for hospita...

André Natera is helping the next generation of cooks cut through the noise—and he’s not afraid to challenge the industry’s old playbook. After decades of running some of Austin’s best kitchens, André now mentors chefs through his platform Chefs PSA, offering real talk on leadership, career development, and what it actually takes to succeed in today’s culinary world. In this candid conversation, An...

After 14 years with Mina Group and dozens of openings, Chef Adam Sobel has launched his own powerhouse: Aether Group. And he’s bringing everything he’s learned to the table. In this candid conversation, Adam reflects on scaling across continents, building systems that support people, and the mindset it takes to grow without burning out. From consulting for celebrities to designing soundtracks for...

Katherine Miller believes chefs have the power to shape public policy—and she’s spent her career helping them do exactly that. In this episode, the author of At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy shares how she went from political strategist to hospitality changemaker. Miller unpacks why chefs make natural advocates, what most people get wrong about food systems, and how even small changes—li...

Gabriel Rucker on Leadership, Loyalty, and Keeping It Small Gabriel Rucker didn’t plan to build an empire—he just wanted to cook great food and build a place where people belonged. In this episode of Restaurant Ready , the two-time James Beard Award–winning chef and co-owner of Le Pigeon and Canard in Portland shares what it means to lead with intention, humility, and heart. From opening a restaur...

Meghan Blair wants to change how we think about hospitality operations—from the books to the brain. In this episode, Meghan Blair brings deep expertise in finance, neurodiversity, and hospitality systems to show how better decisions can drive both sustainability and inclusivity. From understanding contribution margin to designing for different ways of thinking, she explains how restaurant owners c...

When a fire destroyed one of his most meaningful spaces, chef and restaurateur Will Gilson had two choices: mourn or move. He chose both. In this deeply personal episode, Will Gilson opens up about the fire that devastated his family’s Herb Lyceum just days before peak wedding season—and how his team rallied to keep going. He talks about grief, resilience, and the hard lessons of scaling a multi-c...

Chef Michael Fojtasek is building more than restaurants—he’s rewriting the playbook on what growth, leadership, and well-being can look like in hospitality. From running a beloved fine-dining spot like Olamaie to launching biscuit shops, Fojtasek reflects on the evolution of his leadership style and the systems that help his team thrive. In this episode, he opens up about shifting away from fear-b...