Andrew Talks to Chefs

Andrew recently sat down with the accomplished chef and restaurateur Alex Raij, who owns and operates a number of the most personal, specific, and successfully realized Spanish restaurants (La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie, El Quinto Pino, Txikito) in New York City, all in collaboration with her husband Eder Montero. Alex opens up about the genesis of her restaurant concepts, her food-focused Minneapolis childhood, and dream projects that linger in her imagination.And in The Line-Up, our weekly news and commentary segment, Jodi Liano, founder and owner of San Francisco Cooking School, checks in from California to share some insights on what's different, and what remains the same, for culinary students in a late-COVID landscape. What's drawing them to cooking programs, what are their ambitions, and how many of them found the inspiration and courage to take the cooking school plunge because of the pandemic?We also welcome a new sponsor to the Andrew Talks to Chefs family this week. To kick off the partnership, we welcome Brad Metzer, founder of Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS), to the pod as he offers the first of what will be a weekly selection of positions that his firm is looking to fill. (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

On the day after his newish Francie was awarded a Michelin star, Chris Cipollone sat down with Andrew to discuss the road to his success at his prior restaurant Piora, and now at Francie, as well as his training in Westchester, NY, restaurants, and the formative New York City chef positions he held along the way.And in The Line-Up, our weekly news and commentary segment, three festival and conference organizers call into the pod to discuss their current thinking for when and how to bring their events back during, or perhaps post, COVID. Our guests for this informative discussion are Megan Gallagher of Jackson Hole Food & Wine, Mike Traud of the Philly Chef Conference, and Frans van der Lee with the Chef's Roll Anti-Convention.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Scott Alves Barton came up as a cook, then chef, in New York City restaurants, including almost ten years working with the late, great Patrick Clark. In midlife, Scott made a shift to academia, earning a PhD in food studies from New York University, and is now a leading culinary educator, teaching at multiple institutions and participating in myriad projects and articles, much of it with a focus on race, ethnicity, and related subjects. (Regular listeners will remember that Scott guest produced and hosted two episodes of the pod in 2020.) And in The Line Up, our news and information segment, we bring you a much-needed feel-good story: Victoria Blamey, formerly of Chumley's and Gotham Bar and Grill, discusses the creative breakthrough she recently experienced during her residency at Blue Hill Center for Food & Agriculture.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Damarr Brown, chef de cuisine of Chicago's acclaimed Virtue restaurant, has spent most of his young life and career in the same city. For several years, he cooked for Virtue's executive chef-owner Erick Williams at MK, then spent time in the kitchen at Alinea Group's Roister, and since the inception of Virtue has been back in collaboration with Chef Williams. On this episode, Damarr discusses his early life and first interest in food and cooking, the decisions he's made on the path to his current success, and his apparel line, Say It How You Feel It.And in our weekly news and commentary segment The Line Up, chef-owner Greg Baxtrom of Brooklyn's Olmsted and Maison Yaki, discusses the current industry hiring crisis from the point of view of one independent owner-operator.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

On today's episode, Harold Dieterle catches us up on his current endeavors. The onetime chef-restaurateur behind Perilla, Kin Shop, and The Marrow in New York City, and author of Harold Dieterle's Kitchen Notebook (written in collaboration with Andrew) discusses his formative days; the adventure that led to his appearing on and winning the inaugural season of television's Top Chef;  and his current life as a food and beverage consultant and developer of a line of cannabis edibles.And in our weekly news and commentary segment The Line-Up, author Tracey Medeiros discusses her new book The Art of Cooking with Cannabis. The book takes a serious look at how to incorporate cannabis, which is becoming increasingly legal and accepted in a rapidly increasing number of states, into the full spectrum of recipes from beverages to salads to main courses, desserts, and snacks. Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

One of Andrew's favorite recent meals in NYC was a dinner at Kimika, a newly opened restaurant in lower Manhattan, where chef Christine Lau serves up a distinct and very flavorful mashup of Italian and Japanese influences. Christine sat down with Andrew to discuss her path to the kitchen, which ran through stints as a high school and college athlete and myriad other professions, before committing to her very successful career. And in our weekly news and commentary segment, The Line-Up, chef Russell Jackson of Reverence restaurant in New York City, who helped put together the recently released Safety First program with Food & Society of The Aspen Institute, discusses the genesis and development of these comprehensive handbooks and one-sheets.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Johnny Ortiz, currently a chef-in-residence at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, has made a fascinating journey from his original home in New Mexico to the pinnacle of fine dining at Alinea and Saison, and back to New Mexico, where he stages intimate, deeply personal Shed Project dinners. Andrew caught up with him at Stone Barns to discuss his young life and career, and the experience of serving his signature food in a different state and setting.And in The Line-Up, our weekly news and information segment, friend of the pod Preeti Mistry checks in from Oakland, California, to describe their just-launched podcast Loading Dock Talks, as well as their recent inclusion on the Netflix series Waffles and Mochi.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

With a number of restaurants to his name, and a company (Unapologetic Foods) devoted to bringing authentic Indian cuisine to the United States, chef Chintan Pandya is on a bit of a roll, even in the aftermath of COVID. HIs recently launched Dhamaka on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is the latest in a string of successful concepts including Rahi and Adda, that he and business partner Roni Mazumdar have created. In one of our first in-person interviews in months, Chintan sits down with Andrew outside Dhamaka to talk about his Mumbai childhood, his background in both fine dining and fast casual restaurants, and the mission of his company.And in The Line-Up, our  weekly news and commentary segment, broadcaster Rob Petrone, host of Hot Takes on a Plate, talks about his recent episode devoted to voices of chefs and other hospitality professionals recorded in the first weeks of COVID in the United States, roughly one year ago. (The interviews were recorded for a video documentary Rob hope to see produced soon.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

She may not be a household name, but Lisabet Summa has led a storied career in the profession she loves as much today as when she first set foot in a professional kitchen. After coming up alongside such luminaries as Norman Van Aken and Charlie Trotter in Chicago, Lisabet moved to South Florida, eventually becoming executive culinary director of the prolific Big Time Restaurant Group. Lisabet takes us through her journey from acting to cooking to her current role overseeing 15 restaurants as well as her continuing commitment to learning and growing, from gardening to milling her own grains.And in The Line-Up, our  weekly news and commentary segment, San Francisco's Brandon Jew joins us to discuss the alarming rise in AAPI-directed hate crimes in the United States, and how he experiences it as an Asian-American in the Bay Area. We also talk about his new cookbook (coauthored with Tienlon Ho) Mister Jiu's in Chinatown, which has an elevated poignancy in the context of these troubled times.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

In an interview recorded in-person, pre-pandemic, legendary American chef David Burke sits down with Andrew at David Burke Tavern to discuss his life and career, including how he first discovered professional cooking, and his lifelong gift for outside-the-box thinking.We also share a portion of a conversation with Omar Tate of Philadelphia's Honeysuckle Provisions recorded at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture where he was recently in residence. (Please consider supporting the GoFundMe for Honeysuckle's important Community Center, and the not-for-profit work of Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture.)And in The Line-Up, our weekly news and commentary segment, John Winterman of Brooklyn's recently opened Francie restaurant, expands on his recent Food + Wine think-piece about the economic and psychic impact of no-shows on restaurants, and on the efficacy of indoor dining protocols.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!