The Ultimate Dish

David Irons is the Vice President of Experience Strategy for Digitas, a global marketing and technology agency that transforms businesses for the digital age.  David is an Emmy Award Winning product and innovation strategist with deep expertise in research, data and design thinking. He’s built award-winning user-experiences for The Museum of Modern Art, AMC, Harpo Productions, Microsoft, Samsung -...

Melissa Trimmer is the Corporate Executive Chef at Dawn Foods.  She is also an ACF Certified Executive Pastry Chef, and holds the honor of being the 2016 Cutting Edge Award recipient. Melissa has received critical acclaim leading the pastry department of two institutions that received the Bib Gourmand rating from the Chicago Michelin Guides Inaugural Edition in 2010. With over 25 years experience...

Florencia Palmaz is the CEO of Palmaz Vineyards, a premier winery in Napa Valley, and President of GoodHeart Brand Specialty Foods.  Coming from a family of farmers, technologists, and serial entrepreneurs, Florencia is no stranger to being a multifaceted expert. Besides managing the family wine business, Florencia is also a food & wine connoisseur and cookbook author.  Listen as we chat with...

Chef Martin Yan is a renowned Chinese-American chef, cookbook author, and host of the award winning PBS-TV cooking show Yan Can Cook. Chef Martin hosted more than 1500 episodes of Yan Can Cook over the past four decades -  which has been broadcast in more than 50 countries. As an author, he’s written over two dozen cook books and continues to inspire and support aspiring chefs. Listen as we chat w...

Chef Daryl Shuler is the founder and CEO of Daryl Shular Hospitality Group. He is the world’s first African American and minority chef to earn the prestigious title of Master Chef - which he received after passing the grueling 130-hour, 8-day exam in 2014. Daryl has also won twelve gold medals in local and national cooking competitions, including the Culinary Olympics, and has been inducted into t...

Shawn Wenner is a food entrepreneur and owner of the acclaimed Pastry Arts Magazine, a full-blown multi-media platform for the pastry community.  Shawn is also the owner of Entrepreneurial Chef, a digital platform and online community that unites all types of food entrepreneurs to share real life lessons and practical advice with one another.  Listen as we chat with Shawn about how to think big an...

Chef Albert Schmid is a food historian, educator, and author who holds 13 certifications including Certified Executive Chef®️, Certified Culinary Educator®️, and Certified Cannabis Edibles Professional. He received his Master of Arts in Gastronomy from University of Adelaide, has taught hospitality management at Sullivan University in Kentucky, and is currently a Chef Instructor at Auguste Escoffi...

Gene Fritz is a culinary educator, curriculum design consultant, and executive chef. A voice in culinary education for over thirty years, Gene had been a culinary instructor at Colorado State University and Washington State University, as well as the Director of Culinary Operations at Johnson & Wales University. His vast experience includes working in fine-dining restaurants, cooking in the U....

Farmer Lee Jones is a speaker, farming expert, and part of the founding family of "The Chef’s Garden" — a farm that uses innovative technology and traditional farming techniques to deliver high quality produce to some of the world’s leading chefs. Farmer Lee places a big emphasis on following the natural rhythm of Mother Nature and the ability to look at nutrition on a seasonal basis. He...

John Bogosian is a serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Zingfit, a software platform designed to help boutique fitness studios manage their business.  John’s past entrepreneurial ventures include online retail software, in-store organic grocery, digital marketing consulting, content management software, and a Wall Street food delivery service. He takes a creative customer-based approach to launch...

Chef Kimberly Brock Brown is the President of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the largest professional chefs' organization in North America. Chef Kimberly is also the first African-American woman elected to the board of the ACF and has contributed to the culinary industry for over 40 years.  Chef Kimberly also actively participates as a culinary arts educator, speaker, and mentor. She...

Jesper Jonsson is a Chef Instructor at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, CO, and a 37-year industry veteran. Jesper moved to the south of France from Denmark at the age of 12, where he received his formal culinary education and training. He has worked as a private chef in numerous countries including France, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, and the United States - and even served a...

Chef Charles Carroll is an award winning-author, eight-time Culinary Olympian, speaker, producer, and Executive Chef of River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. Charles has traveled the world mentoring and speaking to chefs, students, and culinary professionals. He has received over ninety national and international awards, including chapter Chef of the Year in 1988, 2005 and the American Culina...

Chef Curtis Duffy is the Executive Chef and owner of Ever, his latest two-Michelin star restaurant in Chicago.  Chef Curtis has built several world-renowned restaurants. His previous restaurant, “Avenues at The Peninsula Hotel Chicago”, earned two Michelin stars, and “Grace” received two Michelin stars in its first year and three Michelin stars the next four years in a row.  He won the James Beard...

Chef Austin Yancey is the CEO and Founder of Elite Personal Chefs, a platform where high-level culinary professionals can offer their services to clients.  Before founding his company, Chef Austin served as a culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu, Kendall College, and Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. He also held a chef role at the world-renowned 3-Michelin-star restaurant Alinea in Chic...

Lance McWhorter is the Executive Chef and Owner of Culture ETX restaurant in eastern Texas. After leaving the military, Lance returned to his love of cooking where he found success as an entrepreneur and competitor. He was a contestant on the Food Network’s Chopped, and more recently the local winner of the prestigious Cochon 555 competition. Listen as we chat with Lance about adjusting to life af...

Tiffany Moore is a U.S. Army Veteran, entrepreneur, and co-owner of the exquisite Event Hall @ Cascade, located in South West Atlanta. While deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Tiffany suffered an injury downrange that required multiple cervical spine surgeries and rendered her unable to walk for a time. Doctors told her that due to the injury, she would never be able to open...

Greg Bell is an author, motivational speaker, and founder of Water The Bamboo® Center For Leadership. He is the author of the books Water The Bamboo: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals and What's Going Well? The Question That Changes Everything , which outline his philosophy of patience in the process of growth. Greg is also a Certified Speaking Professional - the highest earne...

Robert Danhi is a research chef, educator, TV show host, and award-winning cookbook author. An expert in Southeast Asian cuisine, Chef Robert was the host of Taste of Vietnam , a globally-broadcast, 26-episode TV docuseries that highlighted culinary traditions throughout each of the provinces in Vietnam. He was also a judge on Top Chef Vietnam . His book Southeast Asian Flavors: Adventures in Cook...

Dina Altieri is the Director of Culinary Enterprises at UMOM New Day Centers in Phoenix, Arizona - a non-profit organization that helps fight homelessness in underserved communities.  With over thirty years of leading kitchens, educating, and training young culinarians, Dina is one of the foremost leaders in culinary education today. Some of her many accolades including winning National Chef Educa...

Andy Clark is an expert baker and owner of Moxie Bread Co., a Colorado bakery and coffee shop. He's also the proprietor of a retail grain mill and the chairman of the Colorado Grain Chain, a local non-profit group which seeks to preserve ancient grains.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Andy and his team had to innovate and reinvent the bakery, as well as use their resources to help struggling l...

Lauren Lewis is a yogi and chef with expertise in plant-based cuisine. She has operated a personal chef and culinary education business for nearly twenty years, and also served as personal chef of Colorado Governor Jared Polis for over a decade. She combines her deep passion of food and yoga in her workshops and regularly conducts retreats and one-on-one sessions on healthy living with clients. Li...

Chef Frank Vollkommer is the Director of Culinary Industry Development at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, and one of only 11 Certified Master Pastry Chefs in the nation - the highest level of pastry chef certification that one can receive. Frank carries decades of experience as a chef, educator, business owner, and research & development chef. His creations have been featured in pub...

From martial arts to memory competitions, in this episode we speak with the rockstar Executive Chef André Natera of the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, Texas, board member of the Texas Food & Wine Alliance, and host of the Run the Pass podcast & web series. Chef André is an active individual - a former mixed martial artist and a culinary industry veteran who has held over 10 executive chef posit...

Shane Witters Hicks, an Escoffier graduate, a private chef, and plant-based culinary specialist, completed his undergraduate degree in physics with a minor in computer science and environmental sustainability, and then spent the first six months after graduation working as a power systems engineer. Shane decided to switch his career to working in the restaurant industry, before enrolling at August...