Chefs Without Restaurants

On the podcast this week I have Mike Tholis. Mike is the owner of Rendezvous Farm in Frederick, Maryland. Before starting his farm, Mike was a chef for 5 years in Washington D.C. restaurants, and has also worked as a butcher. After the government shutdown a few years ago, he realized how precarious the restaurant industry could be, and started planning his exit strategy. We discuss leaving the restaurant business, his innovative CSA model, pros and cons of farmers markets, and why he's hesitant to sell his produce to restaurants.=========================== Mike Tholis and Rendezvous Farm =========================== Rendezvous Farm Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rendezvousfarmmd/Rendezvous Farm Website https://rendezvousfarmmd.square.site/Rendezvous Farm Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Rendezvous-Farm-MD-289982475255630Some of Mike’s favorite resources are:Urban Farmer Curtis Stone’s YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-BlDCX__nCLs_ZF9meYQbwJesse Frost’s Farming YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejgtTHroWI5sF_2-fuiF4Q=========================== CONNECT WITH US =========================== SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given complimentary Chefs Without Restaurants swag, or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.Outro music provided by podcast guest Dylan Ubaldo (check out Toyomansi)Intro Music: District Four by Kevin MacLeodhttps://incompetech.filmmusiGet in touchSupport the show

On today's show, we have Matthew Jennings, a chef and consultant who is also the Vice President of Culinary at Healthy Living Market & Cafe in Vermont. Along with Jason Rose, Matt is the founder of Full Heart Hospitality. Prior to his current role, he owned and was the chef at Farmstead restaurant and cheese shop in Providence, and later opened Townsman restaurant in Boston. He is the author of the cookbook "Homegrown" and has been nominated for several James Beard awards. In our conversation, we discuss Matt’s decision to transition from owning a restaurant to consulting, and his new position at Healthy Living Market. He also shares details about his upcoming project, Red Barn Kitchen, which he’ll  be starting with his wife Kate.MATTHEW JENNINGSMatt’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/matthewjennings/Instagram for Healthy Living Vermont, Full Heart Hospitality and Red Barn KitchenMatt’s Twitter https://twitter.com/matthewjenningsFull Heart Hospitality Website https://fullhearthospitality.com/Red Barn Kitchen Website https://redbarnkitchenvt.com/Buy Matt’s Cookbook HomegrownCHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTSIf you enjoy the show and would like to support it financially, please check out our Sponsorship page (we get a commission when you use our links).  Get the Chefs Without Restaurants NewsletterPrivate Facebook groupChefs Without Restaurants InstagramSponsor- The United States Personal Chef AssociationOver the past 30 years, the world of the personal chef has grown in importance to fulfill dining needs. While the pandemic certainly upended the restaurant experience, it allowed personal chefs to close that dining gap.  Central to all of that is the United States Personal Chef Association.  USPCA provides a strategic backbone for those chefs that includes liability insurance, training, communications, certification, and more. It’s a reassurance to consumers that the chef coming into their home is prepared to offer them an experience with their meal.  Call Angela today at 800-995-2138 ext 705 or email her at aprather@uspca.com for membership and partner info.Get in touchSupport the show

On the podcast this week I have chef Jensen Cummings, the creator and host of Best Served Podcast. On his show he talks to hospitality industry leaders to learn about the trials and triumphs of their lives and careers. A fifth-generation chef/restaurateur, Jensen has run acclaimed kitchens, owned restaurants, developed concepts and now is focused on evolving the restaurant business model, and storytelling through his hospitality strategy brand, Best Served Creative. Jensen is really interested in sharing the stories of people in the hospitality industry who are the unsung heroes. Amazingly, he’s done a live-stream podcast every single day since Covid started the second week in March. This episode isn’t really about podcasting. It’s about restaurant culture, investing in your people, chefs and branding, and the evolution of the hospitality industry.==============Jensen Cummings ==============Best Served Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bestservedpodcast/Best Served Twitter https://twitter.com/BestServedPodBest Served Podcast https://www.bestservedpodcast.com/Jensen Cummings Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chef.jensen.cummingsBest Served Podcast Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BestServedPodcast Best Served YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWs6MzEhUjFsI0GCeqHKPYQ ================CONNECT WITH US ================SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a gueGet in touchSupport the show

On this week’s podcast we have chef Jamie Simpson. He is the chef liason at The Chef’s Garden, and the executive chef of the culinary vegetable institute. The Chef’s Garden has been delivering amazing produce and specialty products direct from the farm to chefs and restaurants for over 30 years. As many businesses have had to pivot due to Covid, The Chef’s Garden has also made some changes. While still offering their products to chefs, they now also offer home delivery boxes direct to the consumer.Jamie and I talk about this new program, as well as some of the other things they’re doing like co-packing, working on shelf stable ingredients, cooking for smaller private events and their new AirBNB accommodation. We also discuss the annual Roots conference that they host, and conferences in general.   =========================Jamie Simpson ========================= Jamie Simpson Instagram https://www.instagram.com/james_simpson86/The Chef's Garden Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_chefs_garden_ohio/The Culinary Vegetable Institute Instagram https://www.instagram.com/culinaryvegetableinstitute/The Chef's Garden Website https://www.chefs-garden.com/The Chef's Garden Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/TheChefsGardenFarmer Lee Jones Instagram https://www.instagram.com/farmerleejones/================CONNECT WITH US ================SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been givGet in touchSupport the show

On this episode, Chefs Without Restaurants founder Chris Spear speaks with Ray Delucci of the Line Cook Thoughts podcast. The episode originally aired on January 12, 2020. The discussion revolves around starting a personal chef business, building a community, podcasting and various food industry issues. Chris shared advice for all the line cooks, and aspiring food entrepreneurs out there. If you haven't checked out Line Cook Thoughts, go do so.=========================== Line Cook Thoughts =========================== Line Cook Thoughts Instagram https://www.instagram.com/linecookthoughts/Line Cook Thoughts Twitter https://twitter.com/CookthoughtsThe Line Cook Thoughts Podcast on ITunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/line-cook-thoughts/id1447451948The Line Cook Thoughts Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Line-Cook-Thoughts-471027800093955/=========================== CONNECT WITH US =========================== SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given complimentary Chefs Without Restaurants swag, or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.Get in touchSupport the show

On this podcast I have Brandon Baltzley. Brandon is the owner of Brandon Baltzley Fitness & Nutrition, as well as a personal trainer and wellness coach at Planet Fitness, and the co-owner of The Buffalo Jump restaurant on Cape Cod with his wife. Brandon is also a chef with more than 20 years in the restaurant business, which he left for good at the beginning of the year. Battling substance abuse and obesity, Brandon decided that for the sake of both his mental and physical health, he would need to leave the restaurant business to lead a health lifestyle. Now that he’s seen some personal success with fitness and nutrition, he wants to help others with their goals, especially those in the hospitality business. Besides health and wellness, we also discuss turning his pop-up The Buffalo Jump into a brick and mortar restaurant, the state of the restaurant industry and what a post-Covid industry might look like. ============= Brandon Baltzley ============= Brandon’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brandonbaltzley/The Buffalo Jump Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thebuffalojump/Brandon’s Twitter https://twitter.com/BrandonBaltzleyBrandon’s Website  https://www.brandonbaltzley.com/The Buffalo Jump Website https://www.thebuffalojump.com/The Buffalo Jump Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/thebuffalojumprestaurant/==============CONNECT WITH US ================SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given compliGet in touchSupport the show

On today’s podcast we have Kisha Washington. She is the executive Chef and Owner of 3 culinary industry businesses. The first is The Key Ingredient, which is a private dining and chef table experience. The second business is called The Kitchen Spectrum Collective, which is a platform for chefs. It’s a one stop shop for website building, branding, menu development and more. And the third culinary business is a non-profit organization called CookzCreed Foundation that provides scholarships and grants for culinary individuals, as well as mental health awareness resources and mentorship. On the show we discuss:·         pricing of personal chef dinners·         landing gigs out of state·         cultural appropriation, fusion and cooking food you love·         content creation and marketing·         cooking competitions============Kisha Washington ============Kisha’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chefkish_dyan/The Key Ingredient Website https://www.thekeyingredientllc.com/The Key Ingredient Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Thekeyingredientllc/The Kitchen Spectrum Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thekitchenspectrum/The Kitchen Spectrum Website https://www.thekitchenspectrumcollective.com/The Cookz Creed Foundation Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cookzcreedfoundation/The Cookz Creed Website https://www.cookzcreedfoundation.org/================ CONNECT WITH US ================SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. Get in touchSupport the show

On this week’s podcast I speak with chef Hari Cameron. Hari is the chef consultant at Arcobaleno, as well as the chef partner at Grandpa Mac. I met Hari a few years ago when he was the chef and owner of a(MUSE.) restaurant in Rehoboth, Deleware, a restaurant that he closed on New Year’s Eve 2019.  We discuss the move from fine dining to fast casual, as well as his new position with Arcobaleno. Arcobaleno makes kitchen equipment, and have become known for their pasta extruders. Hari’s extensive use of these extruders is what led to his chef consultant job with them. We also talk about content creation and being a brand ambassador for a company, as well as his spirit collaboration with Dogfish Head.===========Hari Cameron ===========The Grandpa Mac Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/followthenoodle/Hari’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/haricam/Grandpa Mac’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_grandpa__mac/The Grandpa Mac Website https://www.grandpamac.com/Arcobaleno’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/arcobalenopasta/The Arcobaleno Website https://arcobalenollc.com/Some of his favorite culinary resources are: Art Culinaire Magazine and Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratio ================CONNECT WITH US ================SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given complimentary Chefs WiGet in touchSupport the show

On this week’s podcast we have chef Carolyn Crow. Carolyn is the owner of Black Bunny Bakery, as well as an event planner for the city of Gaithersburg, Maryland. We discuss how she’s been juggling event planning, programming cooking classes for Gaithersburg’s Casey Community Center, preparing baked goods for Black Bunny Bakery, and her new series of online cooking demos. We also talk about favorite desserts, baking resources, department of health regulations and if food should always be delicious =========================== Carolyn Crow =========================== The Black Bunny Bakery Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/blackbunnytreats/Join the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/xtinaxenos Check those pics on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blackbunnytreats/The Casey Community Center https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/about-us/city-facilities/casey-community-centerSome of her favorite culinary resources are: The King Arthur Flour website, The Convert-Me website and a good kitchen scale. We also discuss Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking. Watch her Ted Talk and check out her book=========================== CONNECT WITH US =========================== SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given complimentary Chefs Without Get in touchSupport the show

On this episode, we have Christina Xenos. She is a Los Angeles-based personal chef, and owner of Sweet Greek Personal Chef Services. She’s also a recipe developer, does cooking classes and is the co-author of Opa. The healthy Greek Cookbook. She was also recently on an episode of “A New Leaf” on NBC, and The Cooking Channel’s Food: Fact or Fiction.We discuss Greek cooking, getting on a national TV show, how Covid-19 has impacted her personal chef business, and cooking at The James Beard House with chef Argiro Barbarigou.  ===========Christina Xenos ============The Sweet Greek Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sweetgreek Check those pics on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/xtinaxenos/The Sweet Greek website https://mysweetgreek.com/The Cook With Christina YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3v8l6bxpC9WOAmKUTpfMdwBuy Opa! The Healthy Greek Cookbook https://amzn.to/3gPGBxqWatch Christina’s episode of “A New Leaf” https://www.nbc.com/a-new-leaf/video/a-commitment-to-family-histories/4111599Some of her favorite culinary resources are Sally’s Baking Addiction, and Husbands That Cook================CONNECT WITH US ===============SUPPORT US ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsGet the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/fe0d8a0cc7a6/chefs-without-restaurants-email-listVisit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff) https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectlittlebites?isVisitor=trueCheck out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the private Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/chefswithoutrestaurantsJoin the conversation on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChefsWoRestosCheck our Insta pics https://www.instagram.com/chefswithoutrestaurants/Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxixMxjf05XxUIbz6ER-QIf you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given complimentary Chefs Without RestauraGet in touchSupport the show