854: Ferrel Alvarez Chef/Owner of Rooster & The Till
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
You Can Make This Happen, You Maynot Happen
"I lied about my menu to get opened by the state. I said i was jut going to do like, you know, chicot slice, chacooteries," he says. "We were on three hour waits right off the jump, and we couldn't keep up." He didn't take a single day off in some capacity for seven months straight. 'If i really realized the full scope or the risk, i probably wouldn't have done it'
With excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest, Chef Ferrel Alvarez. Ferrel break into the industry at the age 15 dishwashing, working as a prep cook, and eventually graduating from Cincinnati Culinary Arts Academy in 1998. Ferrell made his way to Tampa, Florida to further his professional career working at country clubs and the Tampa landmark, Mise en Place. Mise en Place founder, Chef Marty Blitz, transitioned Ferrell from lead cook to Chef De Cuisine. Ferrell's next project was Cafe Dufrain as Executive Chef. In December of 2013, Chef Alvarez opened his own restaurant, Rooster & the Till with his friend and business colleague, Ty Rodriguez. In the first ten months of being opened, Rooster & the Till had earned Best New Restaurant and Best Chef from Creative Loafing and Best New Restaurant from Florida Trend Magazine. Today Chef Ferrel Alvarez owns 3 total concepts, Rooster & The Till, Nebraska Mini Mart, and Gallito Taqueria.
Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!!- Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me! Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans.
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- "Constant progression."
In today's episode with Laura McCutcheon we will discuss:
- Culinary school
- Kitchen behavior
- Organization
- What having a child does to your career
- Personal struggles affecting a career
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Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Positivity
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Self critic
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- Good people
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Keeping up with all that I want to achieve
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Positivity
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Be yourself
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Arte of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
- GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- Name one service you've hired.
- FusionPrep: Training, Safety, and Compliance Platform
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations?
- Tock: Reservations
- If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
- Family first
- Be a good person
- Positive mindset/live with humility
Instagram: @roosterandthetill @ferrelalverez
Thanks for listening!Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
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Huge thanks to Farrel Alvarez for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!
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