Listen Now

Featured Chef, Chef Abe Conlon Co-Owner and Chef at Fat Rice in Chicago.Chef Abe joins the Chef's Choice Podcast to talk about all the amazing ways he's creating culture and a machine at his restaurant Fat Rice. We start the conversation off talking about his underground, "illegal" restaurant that he ran for 5 years and what he learned from it. Customer Experience is the number one thing that came out of it and how you make the customer feel when they come to your restaurant, wherever it may be. Chef Abe then dives into how he's used that information and created a culture at Fat Rice by making sure all employees are on the same page. A few great ideas he's had come from the backend of his website. He created training videos to make sure that everyone knows exactly how processes should be done in his restaurant and it frees up his time by not having to answer questions or move around inaccuracies. He also created a private Instagram account used for specials and other restaurant only information that all his employees have access to. By creating these back end systems, he's been able to increase the effectiveness and efficiencies of his employees, making for a better customer experience.Check Chef Abe out online!@abeconlon@eatfatrice@drinkfatrice@bakefatricehttp://www.eatfatrice.com/Check out his book "The Adventures of Fat Rice" and buy it where books are sold! http://a.co/3PfudxF

Featured Chef, Chef Miguel Trinidad Co-Owner/Chef of Jeepney and MaharlikaChef Miguel Trinidad is the Chef and Co-Owner of two authentic Filipino restaurants located in New York City. Chef dives into his speed and why he makes his decisions very fast when it comes to anything dealing with the industry. He explains how him and his partner are able to keep Filipinos happy by using all the correct ingredients and names, while also making them accessible to the public so they can understand what they're eating. Chef Miguel goes into a few stories about how he may have gotten the short end of the stick, but was able to use these situations to turn into something even more impressive. Chef Miguel also owns a Cannabis company where he uses the product to create beautiful dinners based around certain strains and having a great time with friends!Check out Chef Miguel Online!@chefmigsnyc@maharlikanyc@jeepneynychttp://maharlikanyc.com/http://www.jeepneynyc.com/

Featured Chef, Chef Kim Alter, NightbirdRecent James Beard Foundation Nominee Chef Kim Alter of Nightbird comes on the show to tell her story of starting a restaurant in San Francisco. She describes how she created the restaurant and how she takes everything into account when it comes to cost. She designed her kitchen to only hold 3 people and how this has helped her cut her costs considerably. She goes into the thinking of how the menus are created and what she has done to keep her food costs, and food waste, considerably low. She even goes to the farmer’s market everyday but is still able to keep costs hovering around 19-23%. Chef Kim talks about how she was able to pay off over 50% of her debts in only 1 year and how she may be finished in only 1 one. An amazing show with an amazing guest and I hope you enjoy!Check out Chef Kim and Nightbird online!http://www.nightbirdrestaurant.com/@nightbirdsf@kimalter

Featured Chef, Chef Ivan Beacco, Red Inside CateringChef Ivan Beacco comes on the Chef’s Choice podcast to let us into the life of an Italian Immigrant who has been cooking since age 14. After hopping around Europe and cooking in many different countries Chef Ivan came to New York City and describes how there are many more similarities to the city and the continent than you’d think. Chef also helps us understand the changes in the industry and some of the positives and negatives that he sees. He recently closed down his restaurant and started a Cooking School/Catering Business where he can still hang on to his passion of cooking through an avenue he thinks is much more sustainable, and much better for his personal situation. Check out Chef Ivan's Red Inside Catering:www.redinsidecatering.com@redinsideculinary

Featured Chef, Chef David Viana, Chef at Heirloom KitchenRecent James Beard Foundation Nominee Chef David Viana of Heirloom Kitchen joins the show to impart the wisdom he received from some of the amazing Chefs and restaurateurs he worked under, including Bobby Flay, the Eleven Madison Park team, and many others. Chef David was apart of many restaurant opening and almost became a gun for hire when chefs were opening their restaurants in New Jersey. He has since opened up Heirloom kitchen and used many of the great ideas he received from all the chefs he’s worked under to create an extremely unique experience. Chef David was an amazing Featured Chef and we hope you enjoy the show!Heirloom Kitchen is an evolving culinary center. We are a Farm-to-Table Restaurant (offering weekend dinner service in an open kitchen), a recreational cooking school, and a retail boutique with a carefully curated selection of kitchenwares and table-top. We are committed to sourcing the finest quality ingredients and creating both elevated and interactive dining experiences.Check out Chef David and Heirloom Kitchen online!@vianadave@heirloom_kitchenfacebook.com/heirloomkitchenfacebook.com/vianadave

Featured Chef, Chef Russell Jackson SubCulture DiningChef Russell Jackson of SubCulture Dining, an underground dining experience, comes on our show to share his experience from the restaurant industry in San Francisco, LA, and New York City. He explains how it used to be and the pros and cons about the direction things are moving. He gives us some great insight on some of the things you need to think about when opening up restaurants and also when you’re closing them down. He gets into what SubCulture Dining is, how he made a big mistake with it, but how he has righted the ship and continues to be successful. Let us know what you think! Enjoy!Check Chef out online!Instagram: @ChefRJackson@SubCultureDining@PopfoodsTVTwitter: ChefRJackson@SCDNYCFacebook: ChefRussellJacksonSubCultureDining

Featured Guest, Shawn Darragh, Co-Owner of Cheu Noodle Bar, Cheu Fishtown, and Bing Bing Dim SumShawn gets into the nitty gritty of how him and his partner, previous guest Chef Ben Puchowitz, got their investors for their business. He explains some things they did to make sure they would be able to to survive the first few months and how each time they open a new restaurant they make sure to be getting a bit more for their work. Shawn makes sure to explain some of the things people forget about when creating deals with investors and gives great insight into how he may have done it a little different with the hindsight he now has. Shawn also gets into how to create a culture where employees don’t want to leave and how he was able to give some much to his employees without putting the businesses in a bind. I think you guys will really enjoy this episode whether you’re close to owning a business, have the idea in your head that you want to do it, or are just interested in what other people went through and go through when dealing with investors.Check out Shawn’s restaurants!Cheu Noodle Barwww.cheunoodlebar.com255 S 10th St.Philadelphia, Pa 19107IG & Twitter: @cheunoodlebarCheu Fishtownwww.cheufishtown.com1416 Frankford Ave.Philadelphia, Pa 19125IG & Twitter: @cheufishtownBing Bing Dim Sumwww.bingbingdimsum.com1648 E Passyunk Ave.Philadelphia, Pa 19148

Featured Chef, Chef Jeff Scheer, Executive Chef at The MillhouseChef Jeff dives into the business he built on the island of Maui and how it took a long time and what goes into running a business on an island so far away, but they got it to a great place. He also goes into how he worked with the farmers and then directly on the farm to learn more about the produce he used at his catering company. Chef Jeff expanded his catering company to hold tasting menus at his facilities on the weekend to enjoy the farm fresh food with the creativeness he wanted. Chef does an awesome job at explaining how his previous life really lead into what he does at the Millhouse. They have a huge farm on the property where they grow their own food and use it right in the restaurant that day to make sure the food taste as great as possible. He describes how the closer he got to the food, the less he wanted to change it and his menus are based around highlighting the great produce the way it was intended. Chef Jeff also goes into his Maui Invitational for Chefs from around the country, which is something I can hope to attend one day! Enjoy everyone!Check out Chef Jeff online!@chefjeffscheer_1And check out the Millhouse online, and the next time you’re in Maui!@millhousemauiwww.millhousemaui.com/

Chef Felix comes on the show and shares all the parts of his life that have made him the successful operator of Pounder’s Restaurant in Hawaii. He work for Jean-George in Park City, Utah and got to see what it was like when a 3- Star Michelin Chef runs and operates a business. He also ran a food truck business in Hawaii and learn how to be flexible, multi task, and what hard work can really do for someone. Chef explains why he thinks it’s best for the Chef to be on the same level as every worker in his kitchen. He takes out the trash, he cleans like everyone else, and he lets everyone know the goals of the day, including the janitor. He does all this so everyone knows how to do their job in the way he would like it done, but also because he wants to make everyone feel as much a part of the team as possible. He leaves us with great words of wisdom on being humble, passionate, and having desire and how all these things will be the ones that make you successful.“People never forget the way you make them feel.” “People don’t buy what you sell because of the product, they buy because why you do it.” “Tell your story through your food.”Check Chef Felix out online!http://www.felixtai.com/@cheffelixtai@poundersrestauranthttps://www.facebook.com/PoundersRestaurant/

In our first episode with Co-Chefs, Chef Connie and Chef John give us some awesome insight into what it’s like being co-chefs, why they did it, and how much they love it. Chef John mentored Chef Connie and we dive deep into how he knew she was the one he wanted to mentor, why he thought she would be a great business partner, and how their relationship has evolved over the years. We have a great discussion on why having a mentor is important, and how fulfilling having a mentee is. They run multiple restaurants in Calgary, Canada and explain how being Co-Chefs has actually made their lives much easier when running their business. Before they even started their business they explain how they created a chef community in Calgary just like the one they were apart of in San Francisco. There is so much they have done that they will be on for more episodes in the future for sure! Enjoy!Check out Chef Connie @conniedesousa and Chef John @charcutcharcuthttp://www.charcut.com/charbarhttp://www.charbar.ca/@charbar_yyc

Chef Ben tells us about his life and how he got into working in restaurants to subsequently owning one, then two, then three. He describes what his management style used to be and why he needed to change it over time if he wanted to succeed. Chef talks about the culture he is creating and ways that others can easily create the same culture when putting in the work, time, and effort. Chef Ben talks about how doing things outside the restaurant helped him get better at working with his restaurant and employees. He also explains how he was able to go from working 80+ hours a week, down to a normal amount of time while running three successful restaurants.Check Chef Ben out @benpuchowitzCheu Noodle Barwww.cheunoodlebar.com255 S 10th St.Philadelphia, Pa 19107IG & Twitter: @cheunoodlebarCheu Fishtownwww.cheufishtown.com1416 Frankford Ave.Philadelphia, Pa 19125IG & Twitter: @cheufishtownBing Bing Dim Sumwww.bingbingdimsum.com1648 E Passyunk Ave.Philadelphia, Pa 19148

Sarah, who was recently voted the Best Young Concierge in The World, comes on the show to explain exactly what a Concierge is and how owners and chefs can utilize her and people in her profession to ensure the right people will be sent to your restaurant. She explains what she looks for when she’s going to a restaurant, how chefs and owners can create a relations, and ways for restaurants to get the most out of everything they’re doing. She talks about how service plays a role in what she does and how everything she recommends reflects on her. Sarah gives us a good idea of who she pays attention to for recommendations as well as what she looks for online!Check Sarah out online!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AskAConcierge/ Twitter: @askaconciergeInstagram: @askaconciergeYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/askaconciergetvWebsite: www.askaconcierge.tv

Chef Scott, Co-Owner of the Hungry Pigeon in Philadelphia, explains what he loves about working in restaurants and how to understand what exactly you’re getting into when you start your career. He dives into what the Zen of working in restaurants means and how it’s helped him be great at his job every day. The rhythm of the restaurant can set the tone for your whole life and making sure you do the same thing every day but constantly get better at it. Follow Chef Scott at @foodsyoucaneat Hungry Pigeon- @hungrypigeonphilly www.hungrypigeon.com

Chef Jonah, Owner of Huertas in New York City, comes on Chef’s Choice to explain his story and how starting at a very young age set him up for some amazing success. He talks about how he went to college, NYU, and not culinary school, how he worked for free (!!) for multiple years to learn about what he needs to do to become great, and how he has taken all of this information to create his business. Chef Jonah spent time in Madrid, Spain for a few years where he learned ideas for his food concept as well as business concepts. Huertas has created a culture of ambition, education, and nurturing to ensure his employees are happy because everything starts and ends with the employees. Another great part of the culture he is creating is how he always understands how his employees feel, what they’re thinking, and what their goals are moving forward. He also describes the importance of working both the Front of House and Back of House and how this helped him create his culture and business environment. Chef Jonah also explains how he created his restaurant concept to keep his food cost as low as possible and a couple tactics that they’ve used. Check him out on Instagram @senorhuertas and his restaurant @huertasnyc and their website www.huertasnyc.com If you're looking for a great read Chef Jonah's Cookbook is available where all books are sold! Generation Chef - A book about my opening of Huertas and our first year  And be on the lookout for his next book coming out in April! The New Spanish: Bites, Feasts and Drinks   

Chef Robert lets us in on his career as a “cook” and explains his trails that he went through when opening his three restaurants. He and his business partner opened their second restaurant through the Great Recession which he is grateful for but also had to close down his first restaurant in the process. Chef Robert tells us about his time at The French Laundry learning from Chef Thomas Keller about culture, cooking, and business. He describes Vancouver's foodie scene and ways that trends have helped him improve his restaurants and improve as a cook. Follow Chef Robert @robertbelcham1 Campagnolo Restaurant, Campagnolo Roma, Upstairs at Campagnolo www.campagnolorestaurant.ca www.campagnoloroma.com @campagnolorestaurants Monarch Burger www.monarchburger.com @monachburger

Chef Jason gives us an in-depth look at his life and how he landed on his two restaurants. He speaks to how the city of Portland, Oregon has helped him through networking and what it means to get in touch with the farmers and all the community that may come around and help you open up your restaurant's doors. He explains why he opened his second restaurant and why having everything open for 7 days a week makes sense for him. Chef Jason explains how being able to tell a story with each dish has helped his clientele gain a connection with him, his restaurant, and his food. Human Resources has a weird stigma to it, but the first word is what it’s all about! Follow Chef Jason @jasonffrench Ned Ludd- www.nedluddpdx.com Elder Hall- www.elderhall.com

Line Cook Phillip Pogash helps us understand how to get the most out of younger, hungrier chefs in a respectful way. The best way to get your point across to a younger chef that resonates with them. How to find the right younger Chefs and how to push them to get the best for the restaurant, the kitchen, and in life. He also gives great information to the younger newer Chefs about ways to handle your head Chef and how to make sure you’re doing everything you can in the right way.

Joanie gives us great insight into the world of Food Photography and how many restaurants can take advantage of it. She lets know and understand what’s trending right now, how Instagram has helped her business insurmountably, and why having pictures taken of your food professionally can send the best possible message to your clients. Check this one out to hear some interesting tips and best practices when it comes to finding and dealing directly with Food Photographers. Check out Joanie's blog at http://joaniesimon.com/ and her YouTube page at http://youtube.com/c/thebiteshot. Instagram- @thebiteshot for great pictures too!

Chef Jeff lets us see what it’s like to be the Culinary Director of Terrain Cafe, the cafe inside Urban Outfitter stores across the nation. He helps us to understand the difference between growing and scaling your business, the difference between authentic and traditional styles of cuisine and which might be best for you, and he also sheds light on how traveling around the country and the world have helped him hone his skills further than he expected Chef Jeff's Instagram @jeffmichaud La Via Gaia is our tour business   @laviagaia   Link to Chef Jeff's book

Chef Sarah describes her life before restaurants and how it has helped her become a successful restaurant owner. Leadership comes to those that practice it and she gives great insight into what it takes and how to understand what types of people you want/need to work with to ensure everyone gets the most out of the relationship. She describes the difference and connection between your left and right brain that can foster an immense amount of growth, and how she truly believes in character over talent and why. Chef also explains why having an ego is necessary and how people confuse ego with vanity.   Sarah Gavigan- @sarahgavigan Owner/Chef LITTLE OCTOPUS OTAKU RAMEN POP NASHVILLEwww.littleoctopusnashville.com www.otakuramen.com www.popnashville.com @lttleoctopus @otakusouthramen @popnashville