The road to success is often down a road of hard work, dedication some failure.
Hey Everybody! In this episode, I catch up with the one and only Guy Fieri. He shares his journey from a small-town boy with a passion for food to becoming one of the most recognizable faces in America. We dig into how his early experiences in restaurants shaped his work ethic and cooking style, and why he's always thinking about how he can use his platform to do more. This episode is a great reminder that success isn't just about what you achieve—it's about how you give back along the way. Follow me here: Website Instagram Youtube
Cindy Pawlcyn, a pioneer in the development of wine country cuisine, is the owner of Napa Valley's legendary restaurant Mustards Grill. Since Mustards opened in 1983, Pawlcyn has been involved in the creation of many heralded restaurants in the greater San Francisco Bay Area including Fog City Diner, Bix, Roti, Betelnut, Buckeye Roadhouse, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Go Fish, Cindy's Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Mustards Grill-SFO. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pawlcyn grew up in an accomplished culinary family where garden fresh ingredients were an integral part of every meal and suppertime was always family time. “My parents raised me to appreciate good cooking,” she fondly says of her mother and father. At 13, Pawlcyn was working at a local cooking school and equipment store and helping in her mother's kitchen. She ran a catering business through high school, and went on to earn a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She further augmented her formal training by taking courses at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris. Pawlcyn began her career in the kitchen of the Pump Room in Chicago. She went on to cook in various other esteemed restaurants in both Chicago and Minneapolis before moving to California in 1979 to take a job at McArthur Park in San Francisco. In her first experience in a Northern California kitchen, Pawlcyn gained valuable insights into the region's unique food culture. Pawlcyn entered Napa Valley's burgeoning restaurant culture as the opening chef at Meadowood in St. Helena and from there joined Bruce LeFavour at his acclaimed Rose et LeFavour. Armed with extensive kitchen leadership and regional culinary expertise, she successfully launched Mustards Grill in 1983, her now landmark and legendary restaurant. With over 40 years of experience working and living in the Napa Valley, Pawlycn remains intimately involved in the kitchen operations of Mustards Grill, which features its own culinary garden that supplements the locally sourced produce used in many of her dishes. Pawlcyn's commitment to seasonal inspiration and the use of the region's bountiful harvests continue to play a major role in the food coming out of her kitchen. “My father had a green thumb and he taught me a lot about growing produce and instilled a love for fresh flavors,” she says. “Everywhere I have lived, I have had a garden, whether it was a window box of herbs when I lived in Chicago or the large garden at my house. I feel it's important for freshness and flavor and it brings people closer to their food.”
At his award-winning seafood-focused culinary concepts, Executive Chef & Restaurateur Michael Cimarusti, winner of the 2019 James Beard ‘Best Chef: West' award, combines his knowledge and appreciation of the dynamic nature of seafood with an advocacy for sustainable fishing practices evident in every dish. Cimarusti's acclaimed restaurant Providence, a bastion of Los Angeles fine dining for almost two decades, has yielded numerous James Beard Award nominations and two highly coveted Michelin stars for over a decade, and a newly minted Michelin Green Star. Located in the heart of West Hollywood, Connie and Ted's pays homage to Cimarusti's grandparents and the simple, honest seafood cookery of New England. Follow Him Here: @cimarustila
Chef Dan Giusti grew up in a food-loving Italian family inspired Dan to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He quickly rose through the culinary ranks, serving as Executive Chef of 1789 in Washington, D.C. and Head Chef of Noma in Copenhagen. After three years in the latter role, he returned to the United States to tackle another culinary challenge: school food. In 2016, he founded Brigaid, assembling a team of professional chefs who were eager to apply their culinary expertise to help school foodservice programs achieve their goals. Today, Brigaid's work has expanded to senior centers and a state prison system. It remains guided by Dan's belief that everyone deserves nourishing food, cooked with care and passion.
Chef Brian Dunsmoor of Dunsmoor Restaurant Los Angeles, California
Waxman is the chef/owner of Barbuto in Manhattan's West Village and Jams at 1 Hotel Central Park.
Follow him Here: @chefholzman Daniel Holzman started cooking at the age of 15 at the elite Le Bernardin in New York City. Four years later, he attended The Culinary Institute of America on a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation. Since then, he's worked at numerous acclaimed eateries including Palladin, Napa, The Campton Place, Aqua, Jardinière, and Axe. In 2010, Daniel co-created The Meatball Shop, dedicated to serving the best meatballs in the world, in New York City. He is the co-author of the best-selling The Meatball Shop Cookbook, published in 2011, and is the co-author of Food IQ: 100 Questions, Answers, and Recipes to Raise Your Cooking Smarts, released in 2022. Over the course of his culinary career, he has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Saveur, GQ, People, and Food Network Magazine and has appeared on Selena + Chef, The Tonight Show, and Good Morning America, among others. He now owns and operates Danny Boy's Famous Original Pizza, the New York-style slice joint of his childhood dreams, in Los Angeles.www.dannyboysfamousoriginalpizza.com
CHEF RYAN HARDY FOUNDER/CEO/CHEF, THE DELICIOUS HOSPITALITY GROUP (NYC)CHARLIE BIRD, PASQUALE JONES, LEGACY RECORDS, ADA'S PLACE, EASY VICTOR CAFÉ, BAR PASQUALE, MIDNIGHT PLUS ONE and SILVER SANDS MOTEL (EDDIE'S OYSTER BAR & NOOKIES DINER)
Niche Food Group is based in St. Louis, Missouri and owned by executive chef Gerard Craft. As a Food & Wine Best New Chef, Food & Wine Innovator of the Year, 2015 James Beard Foundation Award-winning Best Chef: Midwest, and Inc. Magazine Star Entrepreneur, Chef Craft has been a pioneer for the Midwest dining scene.
Fueled by passion, grit and a knack for artful innovation, David Burke is one of the best known and most respected chefs in modern American cuisine
Sang Yoon is the chef and proprietor of the acclaimed gastropub Father's Office
Giuseppe Tentori is the Chef and owner of GT Prime, and BOKA CateringGroup.
Praised as one of the “Ten Chefs of the Millennium '' by Food & Wine magazine, Susur Lee is still at the top of his game.
David LeFevre is a veteran of the Los Angeles dining scene, often credited with transforming the culinary landscape of the South Bay in particular, with a diverse and growing roster of critically acclaimed restaurants.
Jacque Pepin was born in 1935 in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, near Lyon, Pépin always found the kitchen to be a place of both comfort and excitement. He helped in his parents' restaurant, Le Pélican, and, at age 13, began an apprenticeship at the Grand Hôtel de L'Europe. He subsequently worked in Paris, ultimately serving as personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle.
Josiah Citrin is a culinary expert and veteran of Los Angeles's gourmet dining scene, with more than 37 years of experience. He is chef and owner of Santa Monica, California's Mélisse Restaurant.
Mei Lin is a chef and television personality known for her appearances (and victories) on Bravo's Top Chef: Boston and the fourth season of Food Network's Tournament of Champions.
Marcus Samuelsson is the renowned chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster in Harlem (NYC) and Overtown (Miami); Hav & Mar in Chelsea (NYC); several MARCUS locations including the Bahamas, Newark, and Atlanta; and his newest concept, Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (World Trade Center, NYC) which opened November 2023. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won eight James Beard Foundation Awards. Additionally, Samuelsson has won numerous competition shows including Top Chef Masters and Chopped All-Stars and appears regularly on those franchises as a Judge. He also recently appeared as an Iron Chef on Netflix's Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. Samuelsson is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef and The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food. Follow Samuelsson on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @MarcusCooks and on TikTok at @Marcus_Cooks.
Follow Him: @rob_levitt ABOUT HEAD BUTCHER AND CHEF ROB LEVITT: Acclaimed chef and butcher Rob Levitt first got his feet wet in the culinary world working as a dishwasher while pursuing a degree in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Sparked by his new passion for the restaurant industry, Levitt continued to cultivate his skills at the Culinary Institute of America before landing at the Park Avenue Café in Manhattan. With a desire to move back to the Midwest, Rob relocated to Chicago and worked his way through some of the city's most popular restaurants including modern Spanish tapas spot, del Toro, Michelin-starred North Pond and acclaimed Italian eatery 312 Chicago before opening his first restaurant Mado, with his wife Allison in 2008. After three years of critical acclaim, the duo took the next step and opened The Butcher & Larder, Chicago's first local, sustainable, whole animal butcher shop, which has been recognized for excellence in its craft by Food & Wine, GQ, The Travel Channel, The Food Network, The Good Food Awards and more. In 2015, Levitt joined Chicago-based Local Foods, to share knowledge and further expand The Butcher & Larder's offerings with café, retail and wholesale distribution opportunities. After nearly 20 years mastering his skill and with nine years of butcher experience under his belt, Levitt eventually caught the attention of James Beard Award-winning Chef Paul Kahan, landing the coveted role of head butcher and chef of One Off Hospitality's beloved Publican Quality Meats. Expanding upon Kahan's signature "snout to tail” approach to butchery, Levitt captains the culinary program at PQM, creating a seasonal menu featuring rustic soups, gourmet salads, and sandwiches, while mastering an array of natural and organic meat products, house-made sausages and more at Chicago's critically acclaimed butcher shop, neighborhood café, bakery and gourmet market.
Chef Neal Fraser, owner of multiple restaurant concepts in Los Angeles, started his career in the kitchen at age 20. Fraser touts an impressive resume that includes a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and an honor roll of kitchen credits such as Wolfgang Puck's Eureka and Spago, Checkers Hotel under Thomas Keller, Joachim Splichal's Pinot Bistro, Hans Rockenwagner's Rox, and the highly revered Boxer. Currently, he and his business partner/wife Amy Knoll Fraser own and operate critically acclaimed Redbird and high-volume special events and performing arts venue Vibiana.
Follow him: @chefsawyer Chef Jonathon Sawyer Get ready to be swept away by the incredible journey of Jonathon Sawyer, a Chicago-born chef whose love for food was ignited by an old-world German chef. As a young man, Sawyer found himself trapped in an engineering program, staring at an auto-cad program every day. His only escape was cooking at a local restaurant every night, under the watchful eye of a stubborn and surly German chef. One day, the chef, with his thick accent, surprised Sawyer with high praise, telling him, "You, you are good at cooking." And just like that, Sawyer's fate was sealed.Leaving engineering school behind, Sawyer enrolled in culinary school, where he discovered his true love and passion for cooking. But his journey was far from over. He went on to work for renowned Chef Charlie Palmer in New York City before opening his own restaurants, Parea in NYC and Lolita in Ohio, for Michael Symon. But it was back home in Cleveland, where Sawyer built his small restaurant empire, including The Greenhouse Tavern, Noodlecat, and Trentina. He even ventured into the stadium business and started a probiotic vinegar business. Sawyer's talent did not go unnoticed, and in 2010 he won the Food & Wine "Best New Chef" award, followed by the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2015. In 2020, Sawyer opened Adorn Bar & Restaurant in Chicago, which was a hit and earned a spot in the prestigious 2021 Michelin Guidebook. His latest venture, Kindling, located in the Willis Tower and a dream live-fire restaurant in partnership with The 50/Fifty Group, has been hailed as one of the best restaurants of 2023. But that's not all! Sawyer has also made a name for himself on television. He is currently a celebrity chef on Food Network's highest-rated show, Tournament of Champions, and has appeared on several other shows, including the premier episode of Bobby Flay's Triple Threat, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Chopped. He has also authored two cookbooks: the best-selling children's cookbook, Noodlekids Cookbook, and House of Vinegar, a cult classic among home cooks. When he's not busy whipping up culinary masterpieces, Chef Sawyer can be found exploring the great outdoors, hiking and foraging with his furry companions by his side. He also enjoys quality time with his family, engaging in friendly board game competitions with his wife, Amelia, and their children, Catcher and Louisiana. Beyond his love for cooking, Sawyer is also dedicated to giving back to his community, regularly working with various charities to donate his time and culinary expertise where needed. With a heart as big as his passion for food, Chef Sawyer is truly a man of many talents and interests.
Don't hose me baby!!!!! Drew Nieporent, one of America's most respected and celebrated restaurateurs, is the founder and inspiration behind the Myriad Restaurant Group, which operates Tribeca Grill, Nobu New York City, Nobu Fifty Seven, Nobu London, Nobu Next Door, Bâtard, Porsche Grille at Citi Field, and Crush Wine & Spirits. Over the last 30 years, Myriad has opened and operated over 39 restaurants around the world, including Seattle, Louisville, Providence, Boca Raton, London, San Francisco, Moscow, Citi Field, home of the New York Mets in Flushing, New York.Nieporent's first restaurant, the groundbreaking Montrachet (1985), earned three stars from The New York Times and kept that rating for 21 years. In 2008, the restaurant reopened as Corton, maintaining its three New York Times stars and receiving two Michelin stars with chef-partner Paul Liebrandt at the helm. In May of 2014, Nieporent reopened the space as Bâtard with the help of chef- partner Markus Glocker and partner John Winterman. Earning three stars from The New York Times, New York Magazine, and a coveted Michelin star, the restaurant opened to critical acclaim. As 2014 came to an end, Bâtard landed at the top of several end-of-year lists, including the number one spot on The New York Times' list of "The 10 Best New Restaurants of 2014". In May of 2015, the restaurant won the James Beard award for “Best New Restaurant”.Tribeca Grill (1990), with partner Robert De Niro and an all-star roster of investors including Bill Murray, Sean Penn, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, opened to national acclaim and continues to be one of New York's landmark restaurants.In 1994, again with partner Robert De Niro and sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa, Drew launched Nobu New York City to worldwide acclaim. Nobu NYC, Next Door Nobu, and Nobu Fifty Seven have all earned the coveted three-star rating from The New York Times. Nobu NYC was voted Best Restaurant in America by The James Beard Foundation. Nobu has gone on to open restaurants in all parts of the world.Also in 1994, Nieporent was one of the few American restaurateurs to go bi-coastal. In collaboration with Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and Francis Ford Coppola, he opened Rubicon in San Francisco.Myriad's excellence in wine service is widely acknowledged. It is the only restaurant group to earn three coveted Grand Awards from Wine Spectator Magazine - for Rubicon, Montrachet, and Tribeca Grill. In 2005, Myriad opened Crush Wine & Spirits, which was named the best new wine shop by Food & Wine Magazine.Nieporent graduated in 1973 from Stuyvesant High School and in 1977 from Cornell University with a degree from the School of Hotel Management. While at Cornell, he worked on the world class cruise ships Vistafjord and Sagafjord. In 1978, he began his management career with Warner Le Roy at New York City's Maxwell's Plum and Tavern On The Green. He then worked at the prestigious French restaurants Le Perigord, La Grenouille and Plaza Athenee's Le Regence.Drew donates his time to dozens of charities. He is on the board of Madison Square Garden's Garden of Dreams Foundation, Citymeals-on-Wheels, and DIFFA, an Honorary Chair of the City Harvest Food Council and Culinary Director of the Jackson Hole Wine Auction. He has co-chaired SOS's Taste of the Nation event in New York City since 1997. He has been honored by Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (2009), American Heart Association (1999), the Tourette Syndrome Association (2000), Food Allergy Initiative (2001), American Liver Foundation (2003), Cancer Research & Treatment Fund (2005), and Kristen Ann Carr Fund (2006). Drew is in great demand as a spirited, highly effective auctioneer at charity events.
Be sure to check him out here: @pizzeriabianco When Chris Bianco started the diminutive Pizzeria Bianco inside the back corner of a neighborhood grocery store, little did he know that he would be such a driving force in the slow food movement and specifically the artisanal pizza front. Chris, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2003, helped spawn a generation of independent and artisanal pizzeria's, lending his advice, wisdom and food philosophies to dozens of fellow chefs and restaurateurs. In 2005, Chris opened Pane Bianco, about four miles from the Pizzeria. Pane features split foccacia sandwiches and other baked goods including Bianco's signature pizza al taglio. Pane Bianco has been voted best sandwich in Phoenix on several occasions. Bianco rounded out the lineup opening an elevated dinner restaurant, Tratto, in Phoenix. Tratto received the only 5 star rating from the Arizona Republic. There are currently two Pizzeria Biancos in the Phoenix area and in 2022 Bianco opened the first Pizzeria Bianco outside of the state in downtown Los Angeles. Recently, Bianco opened a Pane Bianco at the Row DTLA in Los Angeles, just across the street from the Pizzeria. In 2013 & 2014, Pizzeria Bianco was nominated for a James Beard Award in the Outstanding Restaurant category and in 2022 won the award for Outstanding Restauranteur to go along with his Best Chef Award. In 2010, Chris joined with third generation canner Rob DiNapoli to create a line of organic whole peeled tomatoes. The Bianco DiNapoli lineup has grown into a national consumer and food service brand. The New York times has rated Bianco DiNapoli as the best canned tomato in 2020 and 2022. Chris also supports many local and national charities, providing support to many worthy causes. He has supported Alex's Lemonade Stand for many years, started by a young girl named Alex, who was battling her own cancer and yet wanted to raise money to find a cure so that other children wouldn't have to suffer.
One of Houston's most talked about chefs, Ryan Lachaine the chef/partner of Riel, was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His culinary education began at the apron strings of his Ukrainian mother and grandmother as they churned out pierogies, cabbage rolls and other treasured family recipes.
You may recognize Rebecca from her victorious appearance on Top Chef: Just Desserts or the standout mention in Southern Living where her Houston-based, sweet tooth haven of a storefront, Fluff Bake Bar, was named one of the “South's Best Bakeries
Chef Michael Symon cooks with soul. Growing up in a Greek and Sicilian family, the Cleveland native creates boldly flavored, deeply satisfying dishes at his restaurants: Mabel's BBQ, Bar Symon and Angeline. Michael also shares his exuberant, approachable cooking style and infectious laugh with viewers on Food Network shows Symon's Dinners & Throwdown.
From chef and restaurateur to television personality, food policy advocate and entrepreneur, Spike Mendelsohn is a force to be reckoned with in the culinary world.
Paul is a self-taught landscape, fashion and sports photographer and music video director and has worked with musicians such as Die Toten Hosen, Marteria and Lena, as well as with football player Odell Beckham Jr. and basketball player Dirk Nowitzki.
Michele Forgione is a Montreal chef and restaurateur. Executive Chef/co-owner four restaurants, Impasto, Pizzeria Gema, Chez Tousignant and Vesta are located in the heart of Montreal's Little Italy
Every decade or so Chef Will Goldfarb finds a few minutes of sunshine. Recently named by The World's 50 Best as the World's Best Pastry Chef, 2021 saw the revamped Room4Dessert, his endearingly resilient dessert bar, surrounded by a garden full of medicinal plants, taken to another level. A new menu. A new attitude. A new way to share millennia of local wisdom on health and healing to life.
Lior Lev Sercarz is the chef and owner of La Boîte, a destination spice atelier in New York City, and the author of Mastering Spice and The Spice Companion. His collections are sold online and in select stores.
Chocolatier, chef, innovator, “artist” and avid cyclist, Chris Kollar is the owner of Kollar Chocolates, an award-winning artisan chocolate shop located in the heart of Yountville in the Napa Valley.
Jamie Oliver is a global phenomenon in food and activism. During a 20-year television and publishing career he has inspired millions of people to enjoy cooking from scratch and eating fresh, delicious food
Brooklyn-born Sherry Yard is a celebrated chef, consultant, presenter, and author who spent her extensive career making a mark as a disruptor in the hospitality industry. Her innovative approach has garnered three James Beard Awards and an induction into their Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America.
Dr. Meg Fisher is an 11x World Champion and represented Team USA at the Rio 2016 and London 2012 Paralympic Games where she earned one gold, two silvers and bronze. She has her doctorate in physical therapy and is passionate about helping people explore and redefine their abilities.
Chef Nyesha Arrington is a California native born into a multicultural family, she is best known for her accomplishments as a chef and TV personality. Arrington has competed on Season 9 of “Top Chef” and most recently featured as a recurring judge on Chopped Next Generation. Arrington was introduced to diverse culinary experiences at an early age, which has continually shaped her palate development and perspective of culture-informed cooking.
Chef Shirley Chung A native of Beijing, she moved to the U.S. to obtain a degree in Business Management, then trained in the culinary arts at the California Culinary Academy.
Chef Shirley Chung A native of Beijing, she moved to the U.S. to obtain a degree in Business Management, then trained in the culinary arts at the California Culinary Academy.She owned and acted as Chef de Cuisine of Fusion Catering before working for Thomas Keller at Bouchon in Yountville, CA, where she not only honed her culinary talent, but acquired skills in management, inventory and cost control.She opened Bouchon's Las Vegas location as Sous Chef, then moved to the position of Chef de Partie at Restaurant Guy Savoy in Caesars Palace.Continuing to another superstar chef's kitchen, she then opened Mario Batali's B&B Ristorante, progressing to Chef de Cuisine at Carnevino, where she was integral in raising the restaurant up to its current nationally recognized status.In October 2010, she was named Executive Chef of Jose Andres' China Poblano in The Cosmopolitan, where under her leadership, it was nominated for a James Beard Best New Restaurant award.In 2013, Shirley was a chef contestant on Bravo's Top Chef Series Season 11 New Orleans where she finished in the Top 3.Her experience working at China Poblano helped perfect her skill for Chinese cuisine, which she presents with a modern twist at her Orange County restaurantTwenty Eight, which she opened as Chef Partner in 2014.In 2016, Shirley was invited back to Top Chef Season 14 where she was the runner up.In 2018, Chef Shirley and her husband opened Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City which is a casual progressive Chinese-American restaurant serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and ships nationwide on Goldbelly.com.In 2019, Chef Shirley was the inaugural chef of Abernethy's, a new restaurant concept and chef- driven project at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles.In2021, Chef Shirley co-founded Dumpling Mafia NFT which is the first chef driven NFT on the marketIn 2022, Chef Shirley competed among 32 of the best chefs in Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions on the Food Network
Chef Shawn Naputi was born and raised on Guam. After graduating high school, he followed his passion by attending the California Culinary Academy of San Francisco.
Chef Shawn Naputi was born and raised on Guam. After graduating high school, he followed his passion by attending the California Culinary Academy of San Francisco. During and after culinary school, he worked for some of SF's best restaurants including Incanto and Foreign Cinema. In 2014, he was given an opportunity to follow his dream of opening up his very own Chamorro restaurant, Prubechu on 24th and Mission, with business partner Shawn Camacho. After a brief stint of having to close in 2019, they found their permanent location on 18th and Mission and have been sharing their culture through the love of their food.
A great conversation with a brilliant chef & great friend. Jeremy FoxChef/Owner/Cookbook AuthorJeremy Fox is the award-winning chef/owner behind the nostalgic, Eastern European-inspired Birdie G's and Michelin-starred Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, California. He's also the author of On Vegetables, the James Beard finalist cookbook, which features 150 recipes that elevate vegetarian cooking and showcase his “seed-to-stalk” philosophy. Jeremy is constantly inspired by local farmers, fishers and ranchers, and his menus truly embrace hyper-seasonality, simplicity and a zero-waste approach. Before joining the Rustic Canyon Family in 2013, Jeremy reimagined vegetarian cuisine at Napa's Ubuntu, earning them a Michelin star, and honed his craft and culinary outlook as chef de cuisine at David Kinch's lauded Manresa in Los Gatos. He's garnered seven James Beard “Best Chef” (West & California) finalist nominations, was named a 2008 Food & Wine “Best New Chef,” and Rustic Canyon and Birdie G's have regularly topped Los Angeles Times' “101 Best Restaurants List.”
A great conversation with a brilliant chef & great friend.
Best known for her roles on such Food Network hits as Guy's Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions and Cutthroat Kitchen, as well as Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars, Antonia Lofaso is one of America's most beloved chefs.
Plan and simple she is a bad ass!! Best known for her roles on such Food Network hits as Guy's Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions and Cutthroat Kitchen, as well as Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars, Antonia Lofaso is one of America's most beloved chefs. She is currently the Executive Chef and Owner of Black Market Liquor Bar (Studio City, California) and Scopa Italian Roots (Venice, California) and DAMA (Downtown Los Angeles, California).Lofaso apprenticed under culinary legends and absorbed their sophisticated techniques, but she was not afraid to take extraordinary risks to honor her instincts. She rose quickly through the ranks at Wolfgang Puck's Spago, and went on to transform several high-profile kitchens of Los Angeles.In 2011, Lofaso partnered with Sal Aurora and Mario Guddemi to debut Black Market Liquor Bar in Studio City. In Black Market and the business partnerships she formed, Lofaso found a home. This collaboration would foster the creative freedom Lofaso longed for. Black Market is not constrained by one definitive direction and that is the intention. A course might begin with dill potato chips and shishito peppers, followed by a lobster roll, Korean wings, and a succession of meatballs. What anchors this bold array of flavors, is Antonia.Inspired by her Italian-American heritage, Lofaso opened Scopa – Italian Roots in 2013 to rave reviews. Lofaso's interpretation of “old-school Italian” is hailed as one of the most compelling restaurants for Italian cooking in Los Angeles. Patrons describe Scopa as an essential neighborhood staple where Lofaso consistently serves food that is inviting, authentic, and undeniably satiating.Lofaso opened DAMA in July 2018 – a Latin inspired restaurant and cocktail bar with her interpretation of dishes she's explored during her travels throughout many Latin-American cities. Through her diverse menu, she has allowed guests to escape on vacation for a few hours through her whipped beans topped with crispy pork, corn drenched with cilantro aioli and crema, whole snapper with vibrant escabeche vegetables and her Pacific Banana Co. Sundae, an homage to the building's history.Lofaso insists that the drive behind all her accomplishments comes from the heart of the kitchen, and it is through this vein that she continues to have a firm finger on the pulse. She is revolutionizing her industry's aesthetic by creating concepts that she sees opportunity to improve and positively change including Antonia Lofaso Catering and Chefletics where she is redesigning classic chef wear into active wear for chefs that include style, fit and function, including her patent pending technology, ChefDry™.
Chef and Restaurateur Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks Q, Fool's Errand, Orfano, Dive Bar, Tenderoni's and Bubble Bath, has made a name for herself nationwide for her dynamic personality, culinary prowess and fierce work ethic. Under Big Heart Hospitality, her Boston based restaurant group, she creates restaurants that are warm, inspired and instantly loveable.
Tiffani Faison Chef and Restaurateur of Big Heart HospitalitySweet Cheeks Q, Fool's Errand, Orfano, Dive Bar, Tenderoni's and Bubble Bath Chef and Restaurateur Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks Q, Fool's Errand, Orfano, Dive Bar, Tenderoni's and Bubble Bath, has made a name for herself nationwide for her dynamic personality, culinary prowess and fierce work ethic. Under Big Heart Hospitality, her Boston based restaurant group, she creates restaurants that are warm, inspired and instantly loveable. Tiffani began her career working under world renowned chefs as Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Todd English. Early in her career she was cast on the inaugural season of Bravo's Top Chef, and placed as runner-up. From there she worked in prestigious kitchens in Nantucket, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco before returning to Boston in 2010 to become Executive Chef of Southern Italian restaurant, Rocca Kitchen & Bar. After transforming Rocca into a critically acclaimed dining destination with a three star review from The Boston Globe, Tiffani set her sights on creating her own restaurant.She opened Sweet Cheeks Q in 2011 during the very early stages of Fenway's revitalization. Drawing inspiration from her love of Southern barbecue and extensive travels in Texas, Sweet Cheeks became an instant hit for its laidback Southern charm and addictive offerings: Heritage Pulled Pork, Brisket, Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Biscuits with Honey Butter. Shortly after opening, Sweet Cheeks garnered a three-star review from The Boston Globe, and it has been awarded “Boston's Best Barbecue” numerous times by Boston magazine. Nationally, Forbes deemed Sweet Cheeks' biscuits the “Best Biscuits in the World.” Most importantly, Tiffani created a restaurant that is both a neighborhood gem and a dining destination attracting guests from near and far who are simply seeking the city's best ‘cue. In December 2015, Tiffani expanded on her culinary skills, creativity and business savvy with a new restaurant: Tiger Mama, found on the same block as Sweet Cheeks in the Fenway. The seeds of Tiger Mama formed during Tiffani's travels to Southeast Asia and the restaurant set a new benchmark, both for her career and Boston's dining culture. In its April 19, 2016 review, The Boston Globe agreed, calling Tiger Mama “a spectacular restaurant” with dishes that you'll “take to the grave” and hospitality that “feels generous and natural.” In October 2021, Faison closed Tiger Mama to make way for an exciting new restaurant concept she's excited to debut in the same space sometime in 2022. In August 2018, Tiffani opened her third restaurant – an adult snack bar called Fool's Errand. With an irreverent menu and intimate atmosphere, Fool's Errand neighbors Sweet Cheeks Q and on Boylston Street in Boston's Fenway. The snack forward menu works with top quality, luxurious ingredients to deliver irreverent bites. Classic American cocktails, done beautifully and with care, join a rotating list of internationally sourced wines and aperitifs. In August 2019, Tiffani opened her fourth restaurant, Orfano, an Italian American restaurant, also located in the Fenway. Guided by the whimsy of “sorry Nonna,” Orfano is Tiffani's most upscale restaurant to date featuring next level Italian – delicious, elegant, humorous, and distinctly different than anything else in Boston. Food & Wine included Orfano as one of its “19 Biggest Restaurant Openings of 2019” while Boston Globe Magazine named Orfano as one of the “best new restaurants in Boston”. In its Feb 2020 review of the restaurant, Boston Magazine proclaimed Orfano “a triumphant modern take on Italian”. In March 2022, Tiffani will open three distinct concepts within High Street Place, the much anticipated food hall in downtown Boston: Dive Bar, a raw bar featuring a menu of both northern and southern Atlantic classics, Tenderoni's, an old school pizza and grinder shop, and Bubble Bath, a Champagne and wine bar that cheekily pairs its pours with gourmet hot dogs and popcorn. Marking her many culinary achievements, the James Beard Foundation nominated Tiffani as “Best Chef: Northeast” three years in a row (2018, 2019 & 2020) and Boston magazine awarded her “Best Chef: General Excellence” in its 2016 “Best of Boston” issue. In November 2016 and 2019, the Boston Business Journal named Tiffani to its “Power 50” list, celebrating individuals from Boston's multiple industries and professions who are making a difference in their business communities. In December 2019, The Boston Globe named Big Heart Hospitality as “Restaurateurs of the Year” andEater named Tiffani “Empire Builder of the Year.”Outside of the kitchen, Tiffani is currently a judge on Food Network's Chopped. After placing as runner-up on Top ChefSeason One, Faison later competed on Top Chef All-Stars and Top Chef Duels. She's also previously been a judge on Food Network's Chopped Grill Masters and Cooking Channel's Fire Masters. Tiffani has made frequent appearances on NBC's TODAY, CBS This Morning, PBS's Simply Ming and was the host of “Tiffani's Taste” and “Food Truck Fridays” on New England Cable News. She has been a contributing chef to numerous cookbooks and has been widely featured in such national outlets as People, SELF, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated and Food & Wine. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and also BAGLY (Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth). In September 2019, Tiffani was appointed to The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Restaurant Promotion Commission for her commitment to the states restaurant business as a whole. Tiffani lives in Boston and is a tireless advocate of LGBTQ human rights.
Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot are Ideas in Food, a blog, a book, and a culinary consulting business based in Plumstead, PA. They also co-own Curiosity Doughnuts, a small, artisan doughnut shop, open weekends only, in the Stockton Market across the river in Stockton, NJ.
Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot are Ideas in Food, a blog, a book, and a culinary consulting business based in Plumstead, PA. They also co-own Curiosity Doughnuts, a small, artisan doughnut shop, open weekends only, in the Stockton Market across the river in Stockton, NJ. The two met in the kitchen at Clio in Boston in 1997 and have been cooking together ever since. Aki and Alex specialize in sharing techniques for creativity with chefs, cooks, restaurants, food service companies, and home cooks based on the premise that a solid understanding of science and technique coupled with high quality ingredients, modern equipment, and innovative approaches to cooking makes anything possible. They specialize in helping other chefs express their own cuisine more clearly and effectively. In addition to their work with individual chefs and restaurants, they have consulted with companies including the Art Institutes, the Institute of Culinary Education, Marks & Spencer, and Unilever.Their first book, Ideas in Food, Great Recipes and Why They Work, was published in December of 2010 by Clarkson Potter. It is a handbook for cooks and chefs, teaching them how to unleash their creativity, intensify flavors, improve efficiency, and have fun in the kitchen. Ideas in Food is a blend of stories, science and recipes based on their experience and experiments in the kitchen. Their second book, Maximum Flavor, Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook, was published by Clarkson Potter in October of 2013. It's a workbook with practical and delicious recipes to cook every day at home. It includes a plethora of tips and techniques for the getting the most flavor out of your food and making every dish your own. Their third book,Gluten Free Flour Power, Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back To The Table, was published by Norton in March 2015. It is an exploration of family favorites made possible by creating gluten free all purpose flour blends at home.Aki and Alex began the blog Ideas in Food in December 2004. It began as a digital notebook to record their work in their restaurant kitchen. It has morphed into a clearinghouse for ideas gleaned from various mediums: restaurants, blogs, books, people and everyday life; all of it relating back to their kitchen. Over the past six years the website's popularity has grown from a cult following of professional chefs into a benchmark for culinary blogs. It is a favorite for its combination of solid information, creative ideas, and illustrative photography. The focus is on sharing ways to make delicious and beautiful food. That is what draws readers back time and again. Ideas in Food was voted Best Culinary Science Blog in the 2013 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards.Aki and Alex won an IACP Award for Instructional Culinary Writing with Recipes for participating in a series of articles written for Gilt Taste in 2011. They co-wrote a series of articles for Serious Eats in 2014. Aki and Alex contributed an essay to The Kitchen as Laboratory, published by Columbia University Press in January 2012. They are interviewed in the book, Cooking for Geeks, by Jeff Potter, published by O'Reilly in August 2010. They contributed an essay to the anthology Food and Philosophy, which was published by Wiley-Blackwell in November 2007. Alex and Aki wrote a column titled Kitchen Alchemy for Popular Science online based on scientific explorations in the kitchen. They wrote an article about garlic for Santé Magazine in March of 2009. In addition to this they have been featured in articles for many publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Santé Magazine, and Gourmet, and their work can occasionally be found on other blogs and websites around the Web.Aki and Alex have been honored to speak and teach at professional conferences around the world: The World Pastry Forum, Star Chefs International Chefs Congress, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, the Experimental Cuisine Collective, The Flemish Primitives and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. The pair were invited to speak at Harvard in November 2010 and participated in a culinary round table at Cornell University in 2008. They have appeared as guest chefs for four Holland America cruises, leading demonstrations and teaching classes for groups from 12-150 people. Aki and Alex travel the United States and beyond cooking guest chef dinners and teaching culinary workshops.Aki and Alex appear in two episodes of Foodography on the Cooking Channel in 2010. Their consulting business was featured on an episode of Friday Night Arts on their local PBS station, WHYY, in June 2010. In 2008 they appeared in an episode of The Food Detectives on the Food Network demonstrating the uses of liquid nitrogen. In May 2009, Aki and Alex discussed food science with Michael Colameco for his radio program Food Talk on WOR in New York City.
From Michelin Stars to Yellow Jerseys, Tour de France & Giro d' Italia Chef Henrik Orre has done it all.
From Michelin Stars to Yellow Jerseys, Tour de France & Giro d' Italia Chef Henrik Orre has done it all. - Owner and Head Chef at Vélochef Clubhouse, Oslo Norway- Head Chef at restaurant Mathias Dahlgren Stockholm, 2 star Michelin- 5 seasons cooking for the worlds leading road cycling team, Team Sky.- Author of three cookbooks in the Vélochef series. Books sold world wide.- Genuine interested in food and cycling for over 20 yearsfollow him at:@henrikorre or @velochef_clubhouse
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
