The Best Ceats Podcast

When you are dealing with a year like 2020, wine seems appropriate to help cope with the relentless stream of things to deal with. Everyday stresses seem a little less jarring when paired with a good bottle. Of course, to fully enjoy this little bit of escapism, you need a proper wine - JUSTIN has been making such wines for some time now. If you travel to the winery, it only makes sense to eat whi...

The name of the game is to survive in 2020. Restaurants, bars, and everything in between are doing everything they can to adapt to this new world. However, it isn’t just carving out a future for a restaurant that a chef has to worry about, but one’s own family. Chef Greg Daniels doesn’t just have his own family to worry about, but a restaurant named after and inspired by his family - Harley . The...

I can't even begin to describe what a great feeling it is to be doing some of these new episodes in person. Aside from the increase in audio quality it allows me to bring to you - the notion of sitting with someone to have a conversation is an art form that is truly missed during these times. Pair an in-person interview with the fact my guest this episode is a spirits industry and bar veteran and...

First. In-Person. Episode. Yes, you read that correctly - Episode 30 marks the first time that The Best Ceats Podcast was recorded in person. I've had a lot of chefs and various other professions on recently, all of whom I'm very humbled to have interviewed. I missed bartenders though and needed a solid cocktail chat, which is why I was so excited to head back to Mayfield in San Juan Capistrano to...

There is much more to a restaurant or bar than just what customers see when they arrive. The relationship between a business and its clients starts these days, more often than not, digitally. To give an amazing first impression, great photos are needed. Sarah King is one of the best around when it comes to photographing for restaurants and bars. She made her mark working in restaurants, and as a b...

I am very excited to sit down with Rashad Moumneh of Falasophy this episode. We discuss life growing up in Beirut and how the city is doing now, the history of Lebanese food, and more! There are light topics and some heavy ones, but buckle in for a great listen with a great person! This is an episode you definitely don't want to miss - and be sure to stop by Falasophy if you are local to Irvine an...

If you know me even a little, then you know that the relatively new restaurant, Whitestone , in Dana Point, is a place I enjoy immensely. In the early days of the pandemic and mandated state shut down here in California, I had Chef Tony Celeste on the podcast to discuss how the restaurant was hoping to survive - now though it is his partner's time to shine. Chef Nick Herrera has a story more commo...

Paul Hletko is a hell of a guy. Founder and Master Distiller of FEW Spirits , based out of Evanston, IL - Paul may be one of the nicest people around. For more than a decade he has been producing astonishingly good whiskeys, and gins. They are available nationwide, so stop reading and go place an order at your local liquor store/supplier. Once you are properly lubricated, come have a listen as we...

Sometimes, a restaurant does more than just nourish you. Sometimes, when you’re lucky, a restaurant can change you. It takes a talented chef with a deft hand to create dishes that can do this - Chef Amy Lebrun is such a chef. From tending the garden that surrounds the restaurant to working 7 days a week to ensure that Lido Bottle Works lives to see another day as the global pandemic rages on, she...

There are places that have charm, and then there are places that are entirely, unapologetically, charming. Maison Café + Market is just such a place, and it is wonderful. Nestled right along the coast in Dana Point, CA, it oozes whimsy and love. Danielle Kuhn is the chef and owner, but more importantly, the very muse for her business. She sits down to discuss how Maison came to be, her next endeav...

Chef Debbie Lee is an incredibly accomplished chef. From cooking on the line to making it nearly to the end of The Next Food Network Star, her resume is awash with accolades. Now the owner of a successful meal delivery company, Mind Body Fork , she still cooks with passion and flair, albeit now with a goal of pursuing health, both physically and mentally. So how is she keeping a positive mindset d...

In the middle of a pandemic, one way to pass the time is to have a well-deserved drink. Nothing quite takes the air of disaster out of the air quite like a good whiskey. Garrison Brothers is just such a product, and Ryan Autry is the man behind introducing the west coast to said Texas whiskey. An alumnus of one of the best cocktail programs in Orange County, Ryan is a staple of the OC bar communit...

Chef Jeremy Fox is the CDC of Summit House , one of Orange County's best scenic venues. In a time where everyone in hospitality has to adapt and move with the pandemic, is running Summit House enough for a chef like Fox? He sits down to discuss his side venture to fill the gap, Project Fifty/100 . We also discuss farms, the future of restaurants, and more! The Best Ceats Podcast brings unprecedent...

There may be no finer travel destination than Laguna Beach, Ca. Adorning its shores is the true jewel of the PCH in The Montage Laguna Beach . Of course, when you have a world-class resort, you need a world-class restaurant helmed by a world-class chef - Benjamin Martinek is just such a chef. Easily one of the most celebrated, consistently creative, knowledgable, and all-around wonderful humans on...

George Barker is no stranger to the hospitality world, having cut his teeth in restaurants of the United Kingdom as a young man, and again with his food truck, The Hungry Royal , upon moving to California. Now though, he really gets to flex his restauranteur muscle with the soon-to-open Mayfield in San Juan Capistrano. A stunning new destination for the flavors of his youth, paired with a rockstar...

Zach Geerson is one of the most prolific chefs Orange County has ever had. He is creative, passionate, and provocative, and, unfortunately, no longer cooking in California. Just before the pandemic struck, he moved back to his native Florida to start a family. We sit down to discuss what it is like living in a state hit so hard by COVID-19, and what it has been like to watch restaurants re-open, o...

There is nothing quite like a neighborhood sports bar. They are equal parts unofficial town halls, community centers, and places of athletic worship. When you have a global pandemic however, they become shells of their former selves. Jim Rafferty of Kelly’s Korner Tavern , in Placentia, CA, sits down to talk about the future of his beloved neighborhood institution during COVID-19, where both bars...

The idea of coming back to work for a chef following a pandemic is a daunting task. Starting a new job, only to have it paused on you for reasons you can’t control, is even more of an immense task. No one knows this better than Chef Anthony Dismuke . However, it is the details of Dismuke’s life that have been the biggest hurdles, as we tackle what his experience has been, not as a chef, but an Afr...

These are unprecedented times. These are also times where necessary conversations have to be had about our past, and how to fix it and everything that it has created. In the world of food and drink - especially in these times where even food media has its own issues - people in the industry, and beyond, have to be heard. The protests around the nation are filled with people trying to achieve just...

In times where every restaurant and bar is having to pivot or die, it is how each business adapts that matters most. When it comes to Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach, CA, it is Chef Nardone, and this episode’s guest, Chef Frank DeLoach , leading the charge as they adapt their renowned pizzas into frozen, prepare at-home versions. Also in this episode, we delve into the world of making cha...

Running a restaurant is a hard business - but what about a pop-up restaurant? Moreover, what is it like to not be able to work during a pandemic, not because your restaurant is closed, but because every restaurant is closed? The Dining Project OC is one of Orange County’s premier dinner pop-ups, and Chef and Co-Founder of it, James Caveness sits down to talk all about it. Also, we discuss how he h...

Pitmaster and Owner of Heritage Barbecue , Daniel Castillo, is one busy man. His barbecue pop-ups are renowned, his restaurant is nearly open for business, and he has a child on the way - and even with all of this, he helms the #OCSmokeKitchen He cares about people, community, and not just making great food, but doing it for the right reasons. He is a busy man, so I am even more grateful for his t...

Restaurants that push the envelope are important to help push food, educate their diners, and ultimately, enrich their community. Spreading knowledge through flavors and techniques is the keystone of what makes Whitestone in Dana Point such a prolific restaurant. So what does it mean then to be a chef in this environment, when COVID-19 has removed the ability to have those diners in your restauran...

What is it like to want to work, but not be allowed to? How hard is it to live near the bar you run, but not be able to run it? Kalina Russel , lead bartender at Broadway by Amar Santana in Laguna Beach sits down to talk about how her life and bar has been affected by COVID-19, what life in a beach city with closed beaches is like, and the other spots she hopes to see open on the other side of a g...

It takes a lot to manage a restaurant - but what does it take to manage several, while dealing with a pandemic? Troy Barton of The Helmsman Alehouse in Newport Beach sits down to discuss life as a restaurant manager during COVID-19. Also, what it is like to wear many hats to help the business, protesting to re-open safely, and how life has changed under stay-at-home orders. Plus, cats. Enjoy! The...