The Ultimate Dish

In today’s episode, we sit down with Chef Barclay Dodge, chef and owner of Michelin-starred Bosq in Aspen, Colorado. Barclay shares the journey that took him from washing dishes as a teenager in Aspen to culinary school in San Francisco, traveling through the Mediterranean, and working at acclaimed restaurants including elBulli before returning home to build Bosq. He reflects on why aspiring chefs...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Matt Armendariz, food photographer, creative director, author, and founder of Matt Armendariz Studios. For more than two decades, Matt has brought food stories to life for an impressive roster of chefs, celebrities, and brands, including Eva Longoria, Demi Lovato, Tabitha Brown, Tia Mowry, Coca-Cola, Target, Martha Stewart, and Food Network. Matt shares the unc...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Chef Aitor Zabala, chef and owner of three-Michelin-starred Somni in West Hollywood and the first Spanish chef to earn three Michelin stars outside of Spain. Aitor shares the remarkable journey that took him from discovering cooking at 17 in a military kitchen to working at some of Spain’s most influential restaurants, including Akelarre and elBulli, before a c...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Suzy Karadsheh, founder and CEO of The Mediterranean Dish and two-time New York Times bestselling author. Suzy shares how the food she grew up with in Port Said, Egypt, became the foundation for one of the world’s most beloved Mediterranean cooking brands. She reflects on shopping at the local market with her father, learning to cook by watching her mother, and...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Scottish chef Kat McGibbon, winner of the 2025 HIT Scotland Scholarship and champion of The Heat , the culinary competition led by multi-Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. Kat reflects on the experiences that have shaped her career, from growing up in the Scottish Highlands to working her way through professional kitchens, competing on the internati...

In today’s episode, we sit down with celebrity private chef, entrepreneur, and content creator Brooke Baevsky, better known to millions online as Chef Bae. Brooke shares the unconventional journey that took her from food science and product development to cooking for some of the world’s most recognizable names. Along the way, she reflects on growing up in a household shaped by food allergies and d...

In today’s episode, we sit down with siblings Orel Zwiebel and Nani Edry, two creatives who took very different paths into the world of food. Orel shares how her background in wellness, yoga, and mindfulness eventually led her to Escoffier and the creation of Zest & Gather, a concept centered around intentional food experiences and community. Nani reflects on his unconventional journey from sh...

In today’s special episode, filmed at Escoffier’s Boulder campus, we sit down with Asia Geeslin, Escoffier student and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Asia shares the journey that brought her here, from serving five years as a Cyber Intelligence Analyst in the Marine Corps to working in cybersecurity at Lockheed Martin, and later exploring more creative paths through youth programs and styling. Each ch...

Escoffier Chef-in-Residence and Emmy-nominated Top Chef host Kristen Kish returns for a special in-person conversation in Toronto, Canada! From her early days on the line to becoming a Top Chef winner, Kristen reflects on the moments that shaped her, from navigating self-doubt to learning to trust her instincts and redefining success on her own terms. She also shares how embracing her identity has...

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Alana Kysar, cookbook author, recipe developer, photographer, and the voice behind Aloha Kitchen and Aloha Veggies . Alana shares how returning home to Hawai‘i reshaped the way she sees food, culture, and her role as a storyteller. She reflects on building her career through blogging, the lessons that come with wearing many creative hats, and why good things tak...

In today’s episode, we welcome Melissa King, Top Chef All-Stars champion, record-breaking competitor, cookbook author, and host of National Geographic’s Tasting Wild . Melissa shares what changed between her first season of Top Chef and her return to win it all. She opens up about growing up shy, fighting for her dream of culinary school, and the moment she stopped replicating other chefs and star...

In today’s episode, we welcome Jacques Pépin, culinary icon, bestselling author, and beloved teacher whose career has shaped generations of cooks around the world. Jacques looks back on his early apprenticeship in France, his move to the United States, and the unexpected turns that defined his career—from La Pavillon to Howard Johnson’s, from television with Julia Child to decades of teaching. He...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Alexis Stoudemire, entrepreneur, lifestyle creator, philanthropist, and recent Escoffier graduate. Alexis opens up about enrolling in culinary school as a deliberate next chapter, not a career reset. She reflects on balancing school with motherhood, business, media, and travel, and how formal culinary training reshaped her relationship with food, discipline, an...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Jennifer Relph, a home baker, mom of four, and former cottage food business owner behind Selah Sweets. Jen shares how baking became a form of therapy during a challenging season of life and why time in the kitchen helped quiet her mind, focus her energy, and reconnect with joy. We talk about building a home-based bakery from scratch, navigating cottage food law...

In today’s episode, we welcome back Kevin Boehm, James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, co-founder of Boka Restaurant Group, and author of The Bottomless Cup . Kevin reflects on a childhood shaped by instability and the unlikely refuge he found in restaurants. He shares how hospitality gave him structure, purpose, and a way to build the kind of spaces he was searching for himself. Kevin talks abo...

In today’s episode, we chat with Jen and Michael Caines, the husband-and-wife team behind Moksha Chocolate, a bean-to-bar craft chocolate company based in Boulder, Colorado. Jen and Michael take us inside their world of small-batch chocolate making, from sourcing transparently traded cacao and understanding terroir to roasting, winnowing, grinding, and tempering with meticulous care. They share th...

In today's episode, we chat with Eden Grinshpan, TV food personality, cookbook author, and beloved host of Top Chef Canada. Eden opens up about what it really means to follow your curiosity and trust where it leads. Her story starts at Le Cordon Bleu in London and winds through Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and Israel—each stop adding new flavor to how she sees food and the people behind it....

In today’s episode, we chat with Matt Kuerbis, Escoffier Chef Instructor in Plant-Based Culinary Arts and Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management. A chef-educator and entrepreneur, Matt blends classroom teaching with real-world brand building through his hot sauce company, HYCH. Matt opens up about the high-stakes pivot behind “Heat You Can Handle.” He explains why trademark conflicts f...

In today's episode, we chat with Charlie Mitchell, executive chef of New York's two-Michelin-starred Saga and James Beard Award winner for Best Chef in New York City. Charlie opens up about one of the most difficult transitions in fine dining: leaving Clover Hill, the intimate 20-seat Brooklyn restaurant where he made history as the first Black chef in NYC to earn a Michelin star, and ta...

In today's episode, we chat with Byron Gomez, executive chef of Denver's Michelin-starred BRUTØ and the first Costa Rican chef to earn this prestigious recognition. Byron opens up about the brutal truth behind his rise from fast food to fine dining, detailing how 23 years of unwavering commitment transformed early struggles into extraordinary success. He discusses climbing through legend...

In today's episode, we chat with Connor Fowler, Escoffier graduate, certified sommelier, and rising talent in fine dining. Connor shares how his culinary education at Escoffier's Boulder campus, where he earned the Curtis Duffy Scholarship, led him from polishing glasses to serving wine at Michelin-recognized restaurants. He discusses his transformative externship in Florence that sparke...

In today's episode, we chat with Curtis Duffy, James Beard Award winner, Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur, and author of the powerful new memoir Fireproof. Curtis shares how his traumatic childhood in rural Ohio led him to find refuge in an unlikely place: a high school home economics class. He discusses his journey from that first spark of passion to training under culinary legends like C...

In today's episode, we chat with Lentine Alexis, certified holistic nutritionist, Ayurvedic health counselor, pastry chef, yoga and breathwork instructor, and sports performance coach. Lentine shares how struggling to fuel her training with traditional "athlete foods" led her to reimagine nutrition through a more intuitive, flavorful, and joyful lens. She discusses her transition fr...

In today's episode, we chat with Hosea Rosenberg, acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and founder of Blackbelly and Santo. Hosea shares how a college job to pay for school led him from studying astrophysics to training with culinary legends like Wolfgang Puck and Kevin Taylor, ultimately winning Top Chef Season 5. He discusses his commitment to sustainable sourcing, the evolution of Blackbelly from...

In today’s episode, we chat with André Hueston Mack, acclaimed sommelier, designer, and founder of Maison Noir Wines, whose journey into the wine world started far from the vineyard in a corporate office at Citicorp. André shares how a bold leap of faith led him from finance to fine dining, where he trained as a sommelier in San Antonio and eventually led award-winning wine programs at The French...