Weekly Specials with Will Guidara

The brilliant Seth Godin joins us for this week's show to talk about Vulnerability. Seth and Will Guidara dive into the meaning of "thank you," the connection between vulnerability and trust, and the resiliency and compassion of hospitality people. They end on a hopeful note and provide some incredible insight for these challenging times.

A special episode as we're joined by Barkha Cardoz, wife of the late Chef Floyd Cardoz who passed away due to complications from COVID-19 earlier in 2020. Barkha shares stories from the past with Will Guidara, including how they met, and the early days of his career as a chef. We hear about the outpouring of love and support that the Cardoz family has received since Floyd's passing and the spice project Barkha is continuing to honor Floyd's legacy. It's an emotional journey, but a powerful one.

This week we're joined by restaurateur, TV personality, and former Master Sommelier, Alpana Singh for a talk about vulnerability. Alpana was the youngest woman to ever be awarded the title of Master Sommelier back in 2003, but with the recent scandal surrounding the Court of Master Sommeliers, she decided to relinquish her title. Will Guidara speaks with her about what drove that decision and the adversity in the wine world, the challenges she's faced throughout her career as a woman of color, and what's been keeping her levelheaded during this difficult year. The Welcome Conference has gone digital and to find out more, visit virtual.welcomeconference.com.

World-class chef, Massimo Bottura, joins Will Guidara for this week's episode. Massimo's restaurant, Osteria Francescana, has won every major accolade that exists in the food world today, yet he has always been one to put his team first. He shares how that mentality has allowed for remarkable collaboration during the pandemic and been the backbone of his restaurant's success over the years. His wife, Lara Gilmore, also makes a special appearance. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

In this episode, Will Guidara is joined by a real rockstar, Sameer Gadhia, lead singer for the band, Young the Giant. They've had albums and singles go gold and platinum, performed on the stages at Lollapalooza, South by Southwest, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and toured around the world. Sameer talks about the importance of Collaborating with his bandmates, how the pandemic has shifted their creative process, and what he's doing to help foster diversity and inclusion in alternative rock music. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

Chef Kwame Onwuachi joins Will Guidara for this week's episode. Kwame looks back on his path over the years, from selling candy bars on subway cars to running an acclaimed restaurant, and how the relationships he has had along the way have enabled him to succeed in his career. Kwame and Will also talk about how the hospitality industry needs to collaborate more than ever before in order to reinvent and rebuild itself. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

This week, Will Guidara is joined by writer, director, and producer, Brian Koppelman. Brian is the co-creator of Billions and also has such movies as Rounders, Knockaround Guys, Ocean's 13, and The Illusionist to his name. Brian and Will talk about the role collaboration has played in his career over the years and the many things that have drawn Brian into the hospitality industry. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

This week, our host Will Guidara, talks with his dad, Frank Guidara, as we wrap up our theme of Grit. Frank has held numerous positions in the hospitality industry, including President of Restaurant Associates, President and CEO of The Wolfgang Puck Food Company, and CEO of both Au Bon Pain and Pizzeria UNO. However, its his personal experiences as a father, husband, and cancer survivor that really bring to light some remarkable stories of Grit. Echoing his speech from the 2017 Welcome Conference, Frank reminds us all that adversity is a terrible thing to waste. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

In September, the Restaurant at Meadowood burned down as a result of the devastation caused by the Glass Fires in Napa Valley. Chef Christopher Kostow joins host Will Guidara for an emotional episode as he talks through his mourning process and what's next as he and his team process their loss and look to the future. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

As the former CEO of Ford Motor Company and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Alan Mulally has had to navigate two unprecedented times in modern history: the 9/11 attacks and 2008 Great Recession. On this week's episode, Alan shares with us the leadership principles he learned during those challenging times and the many parallels to what we're all enduring this year. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

We welcome Chef JJ Johnson of FieldTrip this week who shares stories of Grit from his life and career. From roadblocks he faced coming up as a Black chef in the industry to never closing his business during the ongoing pandemic, JJ's passion and perseverance provide a dose of inspiration. Throughout the month of October we dive into the theme of Grit, something we all need to reinvent and rebuild right now. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

For the month of October we're focused on the theme of Grit, something our industry (and many others) needs more than ever to reinvent and recover from this year. We first speak with Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, and dig into moments through her career that are particularly inspiring, including a serious listeria scare back in 2015. Jeni shares with Will Guidara how she navigated uncertain and challenging times and the lessons she learned from them. The Welcome Conference is going digital and we're hosting a range of content for free over the course of the next few months. Register for free at virtual.welcomeconference.org.

Everyone has a story from their first restaurant job, one that they look back and laugh at. Will Guidara chats with Sarah Robbins, COO of 21c Museum Hotels, about a ridiculous story from her first job in the industry.

On our last episode of the season, Will Guidara is joined by Food & Wine magazine's Restaurant Editor, Khushbu Shah. They talk about restaurant criticism and awards in the time of COVID-19, the hopeful reinvention of the industry, and a shared love of Taco Bell.

Renowned restaurateur, Caroline Styne, of the Lucques Group in Los Angeles, joins Will Guidara this week. While the pandemic has turned everything upside down, Caroline shares what her team pre-meals look like in this new world, how they've tried to keep offering hospitality to guests, and what she looks forward to when we can get back to some level of normalcy.

On this episode, Chef Rick Bayless speaks about the simple joy he gets from serving others and how being able to welcome back guests, even from a distance, can be so restorative for those in the hospitality industry. We also touch on the need for kitchen culture evolution and how his restaurant group has been trying to weather the pandemic.

Guest host, Colleen Vincent, is joined by Chef Erick Williams, of the acclaimed Chicago restaurant, Virtue. They discuss Erick's path to opening a restaurant in the neighborhood he grew up in and the meaning behind Virtue. They also dive into the systemic racism of the industry and why Erick believes that now is different than ever before and that real change may be on the horizon.

Legendary brewmaster Garrett Oliver joins us for a wide range of topics. We hear how the craft beer industry has been impacted by the pandemic, dive into the systemic racism that's existed in the brewing industry, and how Garrett's looking to create new opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who want to get into the world of brewing and distilling.

Chef Gavin Kaysen joins us this week after announcing the closure of his award-winning restaurant, Bellecour, in Minneapolis. Despite the hard decision, he finds a silver lining in it all and remains optimistic for the industry as it fights to get to the other side of this pandemic.

This week we tap into restaurateur Gabe Stulman for another episode of This Really Happened, the segment when we hear some amazing and sometimes ridiculous stories from colleagues in the industry. It's a good, light-hearted one, and it definitely shows Gabe's resourcefulness and determination.

This week we check in with Colleen Vincent, VP of Community at the James Beard Foundation and Co-Founder of Black Food Folks. Colleen and Will talk about her unexpected path into the world of hospitality, racial issues she's faced along the way, and the work she's doing to try and create more equality in our industry.

Gary Obligacion joins us for a new segment called: This Really Happened. Gary 's career in the hospitality industry has included some incredible roles, including Director of Operations for the Alinea Group in Chicago and currently General Manager of the world-famous Post Ranch Inn. Over the years he's had some memorable experiences and he joined Will Guidara to share one story that is hard to believe, but that we can all learn from.

Host Will Guidara chats with Kelly Peacock, General Manager of Thai Diner in New York City. They talk about her path through the restaurant world, struggles she's faced as a Black woman in the industry, and her love of making people happy through hospitality.

Will Guidara is joined by Chef Nyesha Arrington. They discuss her journey through fine dining over nearly two decades, issues of systemic racism she's experienced as a Black woman in restaurants and what she's hopeful for as the industry evolves.

We're shining a light on seven restaurants around the globe that aren't afraid to take risks in return for the greatest reward, opening their doors so they can feed people again. Plus, we're sharing a very special edition of #icantwait this week, as Welcome Conference partner Anthony Rudolf interviews Steve Palmer of Ben's Friends and The Indigo Road Hospitality. Together they'll talk about how the newly digitized version of Ben's Friends has reached its largest audience yet. And of course, we're back with This Week in José, with some extra clips from Ben Leventhal's interview with Chef José Andrés.

This week on Weekly Specials, we hear from a few friends around the country and also reflect a bit on what the past few months have done to our industry. We head to Houston, Texas where Tracy Vaught of H-Town Restaurants shares what reopening her dining rooms has been like. We hear from Katie Button and her team at Cúrate and Button & Co. Bagels on what they can't wait to do once their restaurants open, in a new installment of #icantwait.

This week, we shared more stories from around the industry and across the globe, including Ellen Bennett, Marcus Samuelsson, Roy Choi, and Mary Celeste Beall. We have more headlines from the outstanding Chef José Andrés and of course, our Deep Dive, featuring a groundbreaking grassroots collaboration started by Other Half Brewing Company.

This week, we share a collection of good news with you that highlights a variety of stories, from large corporations like @Chobani, to local car dealerships lending rental cars to assist in food delivery, and everything in between. Other stories highlight the restaurant Canlis in Seattle, WA, Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, CA, and Southern Smoke Foundation, based in Houston, TX. And of course, our Deep Dive: a feature story about Alicia Villanueva and her unimaginable strength and immense resilience in adjusting to the changing climate of her Bay Area tamale business.

This week, we're shining a light on colleagues around the globe that are creatively pivoting and continuing to surprise and delight, like the restaurants Coquette in New Orleans, Alinea in Chicago, Saison Smokehouse in San Francisco, and Ani Ramen in New Jersey. Operators like Gabe Stulman, Dan Barber, and Stephanie Izard, have turned their restaurants into grocery stores and created innovative CSA boxes and there's so much more to cover. Christina Tosi has a fun-loving interview with some Girl Scouts of Greater New York and their incredible effort to support healthcare workers. And as a new treat, we've created a segment called "I Can't Wait," with our inaugural video featuring Kevin Boehm and his team from Boka Restaurant Group in Chicago, sharing the many moments they can't wait to experience again in their restaurants.

This week on Weekly Specials, we're inspired by the way grocery stores have partnered with chefs to create to-go meals, like Rouses Markets in Louisiana, H-E-B in Texas, and Spartan Nash in Michigan, raising a significant amount of money in support of their local restaurants. Dimo's Pizza in Chicago is using their ovens to cook up more than just a solid slice, and restaurant regulars support their favorite spots by installing road-side billboards advertising a local spot with the simple message, “We are open.” And in Hong Kong, Black Sheep Restaurant released a reopening playbook that's already been translated to 5 languages and passed around the world. Ben Leventhal spends some quality time with Chef José Andrés in the ultimate version of This Week in José. And our latest segment, #icantwait, continues with Chef Kwame Onwuachi and his team from Kith/Kin joining us on the show to share what they can't wait to get back to doing in their restaurant.

Weekly Specials is a show created by the team at The Welcome Conference and our partners at Resy that focuses on hospitality news that makes us smile. We are all in this industry because of our shared responsibility to create magic in a world that needs more of it, and despite the heavy reality of the COVID-19 crisis we're facing, an amazing thing is happening - magic is still being created, and we want to share that with you.