Listen Now

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.S. Army, and winning and judging numerous culinary competitions.In order to pursue his passion for mentoring young culinarians, Gene began serving as a culinary arts and hospitality management teacher at Battle Ground High School in Washington.Listen as we chat with Gene about his wide-spanning career as a teacher and a chef, creating atmospheres for culinarians to explore and excel, and the future of culinary education.

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 has appeared on ABC World News and as a judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, Restaurant: Impossible. His many awards include The James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who in Food & Beverage" and being named as one of The Daily Meal’s “60 Coolest People in Food” for several years in a row.Listen as we chat with Farmer Lee about sustainable farming techniques, genetically-modified produce, working with high-level chefs, and his life as a farmer.

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 every new business, in lieu of a traditional planning process.In his spare time, he is also an educator, musician, avid cook, and hockey player.Listen as we chat with John Bogosian about food entrepreneurship, education tech, pursuing your passion, health & wellness, and bringing a business idea to life.

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 appears as a regular guest chef on Charleston’s “Low Country Live” program and is the author of “Here I Am!: Chef Kimberly's Answer to the Question 'Where Are the Female and Minority Chefs?'” She is also a contributor to several other books, including “Real Women, Real Leaders: Surviving and Succeeding in the Business World” and “Toques in Black: A Celebration of Black Chefs”. Listen as we chat with Chef Kimberly about leading a large organization, mentorship, fostering diversity, and the future of the culinary industry.

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 as chef of the Danish ambassador in Rome.Jesper is a recipient of the Disciple d’Escoffier award and a board member of the American Culinary Federation.Listen as we chat with Jesper about European food culture, being a private chef, life as a chef instructor, and the value of culinary education.

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 Culinary Federation President’s Medallion four times.In 2011 and 2013, Charles organized Operation Honoring Our Troops. With 21 celebrities and a support team, he raised $450,000, produced 8 shows and fed 8,000 troops a home-cooked meal in the middle of a war zone in Afghanistan. He later received the Honorable Order of Saint Martin Award from the US Army for his support of the soldiers based in the Middle East.Listen as we chat with Chef Charles about mentorship, managing a country club kitchen, service, and the current state of the culinary industry.

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 Foundation’s Best Chef, Great Lakes Award in 2016, as well as numerous accolades including the Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star rating and AAA’s Five-Diamond rating. At Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, a $25,000 scholarship in Chef Curtis's name is awarded.Listen as we chat with Chef Curtis about his philosophy on cooking, running a Michelin star restaurant, charity, and his journey to the top of the culinary industry.

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 Chicago. Listen as we chat with Chef Austin about working in a Michelin star restaurant, his experience teaching and mentoring young chefs, and the opportunities that exist for culinarians in the private chef world.

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 after the military, launching a restaurant, winning cooking competitions, and the importance of service.

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 a restaurant or work in the culinary industry, since it demands significant physical labor.However, through sheer grit and determination, Tiffany was able to graduate with honors from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in 2019 and win multiple grants to start her very own restaurant, Lola Pecan.Listen as we chat with Tiffany about starting a restaurant, culinary education, adjusting to civilian life after the military, and how to achieve your goals despite overwhelming setbacks.

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 earned designation from the National Speakers Association - in addition to being a TEDx Talk alum and an advisory board member for the Portland TEDx conference series.He has worked with Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Disney, and Comcast, sports teams such as Oregon Ducks Football, Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball, and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, as well as Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Listen as we chat with Greg about the keys to success in relationships, leadership, and business.

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 Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, & Singapore was also a finalist for a James Beard award. Currently, Robert's work is focused on Flavor360, a multimedia software platform for research chefs to capture the flavor experience of food.Listen as we chat with Robert about traveling through Southeast Asia, eel soup, R&D, culinary education, and using technology to innovate in the culinary industry.

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 Educator of the Year in 2011 and receiving the Cutting Edge Award in 2015 from the American Culinary Foundation. Listen as we chat with Dina about the value of being a culinary educator, mentorship, softball, serving underprivileged communities, and the importance of always being open to learning. 

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 local farmers.Listen as we chat with Andy about opening a non-traditional bakery, adapting to COVID, serving one's local community, and music. 

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.Listen as we chat with Lauren about her thoughts on health & wellness, intuitive cooking, balancing priorities, and how to align food & movement in leading a better life.

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 publications such as So Good: The Magazine of Haute Patisserie, Pastry Arts Magazine and Baking and Pastry North America. To top it off, he’s also a champion motorcycle road racer and gold medal winner at the Culinary Olympics.Listen as Chef Frank shares his thoughts on his career success, entrepreneurship, culinary R&D, and honing one's craft while taking on challenges.

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 positions from Fairmont Hotels to Omni Hotels. A big proponent of education and mentorship, he has a progressive learning environment in his kitchen designed for culinary professionals to be creative.Listen as we chat with André about work ethic, starting a restaurant, martial arts, culinary mentorship, and how to create a strong team culture in the kitchen.

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 Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. After graduating in May 2020, he started his own company, The Soulful Spread, which offers two primary services — delivering meals as a private chef and teaching virtual cooking classes. Listen as Shane shares about his experience as an entrepreneur, and how plant-based cooking is shaping the culinary industry.