In this episode, I chat with Michael Pini on his business, Brooklyn Pasta Lab. Brooklyn Pasta Lab was established in 2017 and is run by Michael Pini, who has been a chef in NYC for over a decade. Michael has worked in NYC’s top restaurants including, Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad Hotel, Betony, as well as the famous Bruno e Franco La Salumeria in …

In this episode, I chat with Maura McMahon. Maura McMahon is currently the Employment Manager at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. She recruits globally to build the best-in-class staff at one of the historic hotels of America. Mohonk's Food and Beverage team has earned accolades including the #2 Hotel Restaurant of the year 2023 by USA Today…

On this solo episode, I start off by reflecting on the 5 years I have spent working on Line Cook Thoughts. A huge thank you to all those who listen and have supported this brand the last 5 years. I am truly grateful. After this, I talk about CosMc's, the new beverage-focused brand launched by McDonald's, and what we should take away from this launc…

In this episode, I chat with Hanalei Souza aka @ladylinecook. We discuss why the Sous Chef role is one of the hardest positions in the kitchen, how leadership and career progression is key for the next generation of chefs, how Hanalei is thinking about content creation now and much more. You can find her website, link to memoir and all other inform…

In this episode, I talk to Andrew Friedman, author of "The Dish: The Lives and Labor One Plate of Food." We discuss his writing process, how the book came to be, the true dedication it takes to create food, and much more. You can find his book here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-dish-andrew-friedman?variant=41006183645218Find his podca…

In this solo episode, I discuss the recent news that many major financial analysts are concerned over weight loss drugs leading to a loss in revenue for the food industry within the next few years. I then discuss the popularity of "Street Food" items on menus and CPG products. Finally, I end with the news on staffing in the restaurant industry and …

In this episode, Justin Khanna returns to discuss many, many topics. We start out with the potential decline in culinary school enrollment and interest due to effects of the industry and the high cost of entry. We then discuss the Michelin Guide in Denver and its overall effect on food scenes. We then discuss an interesting topic on a recent David …

On this episode of the podcast, Mary King returns to talk all things food industry. Mary King is a restaurant veteran with over fourteen years of hospitality experience, most of them in management. With experience in everything from coffee shops to Michelin-star fine dining, she has seen multiple operations from the inside. She now shares her indus…

In this episode, I go over the lawsuits regarding MrBeast Burger and Virtual dining Concepts and the effects this can have on ghost kitchens and dining in the future. I also discuss AI recipe work being done in restaurant settings and what this could mean for the future of food. I also give a quick podcast update. Links: https://www.washingtonpost.…

On this episode I chat with Chef Brother Luck. Chef Brother Luck, an acclaimed restaurateur from Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a renowned figure in the culinary world. With a James Beard nomination under his belt, Brother has also become a fan favorite on popular cooking shows like Top Chef, Chopped, and Beat Bobby Flay. He has been featured in va…

In this episode I chat with Bobby Hicks, the founder of Retro Recipes Kitchen. In the podcast we talk about some of his favorite (and least favorite) retro recipes. We also chat about his process, how he goes about finding his recipes, the process of content creation in this space and much more. Follow him on socials @retrorecipeskitchen or @thisfe…

On this episode, I chat with André Natera of Chef's PSA. We talk about Instagram Threads and how to take advantage of using the new platform. We talk about AI food and content creation, thoughts on the current food media landscape and much more. Check out André's work @chefspsa or his website https://chefspsa.com/Subscribe to the newsletter at line…

Episode 200 is hear, and I wanted to share the principles and ideas I've learned from talking with you all over the course of this show. Expect to hear about ego, creativity, the value we all hold and much more. Thanks for 200 and excited for what the future of the show holds!Go to linecookthoughts.com to subscribe to the newsletterFollow the show …

On this episode I chat with Fred Chang. Fred is a Chef, Food Blogger, 2x MasterChef Alum, Milkbar Alum and Content Creator. In this episode we talk about his upbringing and how it relates to food, not staying in the box people put you in and how he forged such an interesting career. We talk about his time on MasterChef, how he creates his food cont…

In this episode, I talk about how fear of failing and the judgement we and others may hold is the biggest false barrier we face in food. I share on why most of the stuff we worry about is simply not as big of a deal as we may think, and how in food especially we need to forge on into what we are passionate about. I also spend time on time allocatio…

On this episode, I chat with Jasmin Vitolo Parks-Papadopoulos. Here is her bio in her own words: "I am Jasmin Vitolo Parks-Papadopoulos, former toxic Chef, currently Certified Life Coach. For years I struggled with High Functioning Anxiety, and it wasn’t until I delved deep into my behavioral patterns and life choices, that I could see how my most …

On this episode, I chat with Graham MacLennan. Graham MacLennan is a lawyer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. About 15 years ago, he started volunteering in restaurant kitchens to develop his cooking skills. From 2015 to 2017, Graham stepped completely away from the office world to travel and cook professionally. In Vancouver, he worked with th…

Hello and welcome back to the show. Today's episode is a guest interview by yours truly on the Best Served Podcast. Jensen Cummings, the host of the show, and I chat about cooks and career mobility. We talk about the longevity of cooking as your career, why we hold certain celebrity chefs on pedestals and much more. Huge thank you to the Best Serve…

In this episode I dive into the idea of why just focusing on cooking is not enough to lead a successful career. You need all of the knowledge surrounding the food you cook in order to create the guidelines of your creativity and innovation. Leading restaurants may have great food but often can fail due to a lack of actually attaining a sustainable …

On April 3rd the culinary world lost a teacher and a mentor to many. Jerry Fischetti was a professor I had in college who profoundly impacted the way I saw mental health care, self care and empathy within the food industry. This is a re-published episode from 2019, in which he was one of the first guests on the show when I started out. I hope liste…

On this episode of the show, I chat with Adam Shoemaker and Mason Aronson. These two are the hosts of the Assemblage Beverage Podcast, a podcast focused on various topics within the beverage industry. We talk about the impact of celebrity branded spirits, pros and cons of AI in the industry, co-hosting a podcasting, favorite cocktails and more. Che…

On this episode, I get to chat with Crista Aladjadjian. Crista Aladjadjian is a former chef and restaurant operator who is now an industry leader in digital marketing and media. After helping concepts like Umami Burger and SunLife Organics become the beloved restaurants they are today, Crista stepped into the world of food media as the Culinary Dir…

Welcome to a new content piece for the podcast! Every Saturday I will drop a brief recap of the Prep List Items newsletter so that you can listen to the information on the way to work, in between shifts or on a break. Links will also be shared in the description of each episode (down below). This is a recap of the newsletter sent out on 03/13/23. N…

In this solo episode I discuss two different topics. The first half is a look at the success and impact of MrBeast Burger in 2023. I know, why bother caring about an influencer selling mass produced burgers? The reality is that 55% of adults say that food e-commerce is an essential and with the digital food economy growing having awareness of what …

This episode is the return of Chef Taffy Elrod! Taffy Elrod is a professional chef, cooking instructor, recipe developer, food writer, and former restaurant owner with over 20 years' experience in the food industry.Chef Elrod’s background in food for health informs her cooking and teaching. Making food and cooking accessible to everyone and empower…

In this episode I debut the podcast to both audio AND video audiences. This episode can be found on Youtube as well! I talk about the lack of diversity in what options cooks are told they have in the food and why this is a problem. I touch on the unlikeliness for most to become a Michelin starred chef and why having honest conversations of what suc…

On this episode, I chat with author Emmanuel Laroche on his new book "Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door". Born and raised in France, EMMANUEL LAROCHE is VP of Marketing with Symrise North America a global manufacturer of flavors for the food and beverage industry. In 2015, Emmanuel developed an exclusive partnership with StarChefs for Symrise a…

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Nathan Libbey. Dr. Libbey is the Director of Client Success at robochef, Inc, a food automation company in Libertyville, IL. Nathan has spent the past 20 years in a variety of leadership roles in the food space from last mile, to retail, from Global Fortune 100 firms to numerous food and adjacent tech startups. Dr. …

Welcome back to another solo episode. This week I talk about why it is SO important that you show up for yourself when it comes to opportunities in your career. Why you owe the work and time put in the recognition it deserves. Many of you have reached out not sure if you are ready for certain jobs, opportunities or self ventures. This podcast discu…

My guest today is Chef André Natera. With a 27-year culinary career, André Natera has cooked with Michelin-starred chefs and received numerous awards from Dallas and Austin media. Most recently, the Culinary Director and Executive Chef of Forbes Travel Guide’s largest four-star hotel in the world, Fairmont Austin, where he oversaw the culinary prog…

On this episode I chat about the reporting by the NY Times that the food safety certification, ServSafe, is using it's funds to lobby against better wages for restaurant workers. I also share some of the solutions and alternatives proposed. I then go over answers from you, the Line Cook Nation, on which is more important: Consistency or Creativity.…

In this episode, Justin Khanna and I discuss the bombshell news of Noma closing. We breakdown our thoughts on what happened, what this means for elite fine dining and share opinions on the danger of pursuing these unsustainable paths. We then break down "The Menu", a film we both enjoyed and then have a quick convo about A.I. in food and what we ar…

In this episode, Chris Spear returns. Chris is the Chef/Owner of Perfect Little Bites. He is also the founder and lead content creator of Chefs Without Restaurants. He is well versed and talented in private dining, recipe creation, food writing, podcasting and much more. In our conversation we talk about process and how we both want to improve, var…

In this episode, we start the year of 2023 off with mistakes to avoid and advice for new cooks in the industry. I posed the question to the Line Cook Nation community on what mistakes should new people in the food world should avoid and I share some of my favorite answers. Thank you all for sharing and I hope this episode brings you a ton of value …

In this episode I spend some time to thank you all for 4 years of Line Cook Thoughts! I give a quick recap of where we started and where I plan on going with the brand. Thank you all for your support and for always pushing this community forward! Check out the newsletter at linecookthoughts.com

On this episode I chat with Josh Sharkey. Josh Sharkey is the founder and CEO of meez, the recipe tool for professional chefs. He is an entrepreneur, chef, and restaurant operator with over 20 years of experience in the industry at restaurants like Oceana, Tabla, Bouley and Cafe Gray. After more than a decade cooking in Michelin-starred kitchens, h…

On this episode I start a new list framework I will be using over the next few weeks. I'll be sharing a bunch of thoughts and recommendations throughout the weeks and am starting with book recommendations. I have linked below to all of my recs and hope you check them out. Subscribe to the newsletter at linecookthoughts.comBook Links:The War of Art:…

Hello again and welcome back to another solo show. Today I wanted to take a deep dive into the expectations we place on workers in regards to a "hard work environment". The jobs in the food world are hard on their own and I have found that adding artificial stress and negativity into these jobs is a net negative on our industry. The days of treatin…

On this week's podcast I chat with Chef Dara Yu. Dara Yu is a 21-year-old LA native chef. Her career started in the MasterChef Junior kitchen at age 12 where she placed as runner-up in season one. Following her run on MasterChef Junior, she started staging at restaurants to continue to perfect the craft of cooking. She's spent time in kitchens such…

In this episode I sit down to chat with Eric Rivera. Eric is a chef, entrepreneur, content creator and much more. He has worked in fine dining establishments such as Alinea and has since broken off to cook food on his own terms and with his own creative control. We chat about his food tour across the US, the issues with award based kitchens, how to…

In this episode I give direct advice to those in culinary school. Listen to this if you are in or about to go to college for the food industry! Check out linecookthoughts.com to sign up for the newsletter.

On this episode Dylan Leary returns to share about his work with 10-acre regenerative and educational farm on Cape Cod, Pelham Farms. In the show we chat about why he chose to start it, the daily challenges of managing a farm, long term goals regarding food production and much more. Check out their work on Instagram @pelhamfarmsGo watch videos from…

On this episode I dive into the enemy of progress: waiting for the perfect time to start. I go into why in food you learn as you build and take on challenges. I talk about negative feedback, examples of not knowing what I was doing and going for it anyway and much more. I hope if you are holding back on trying something new that this makes you comm…

On this episode I talk about the philosophy of Stoicism and how I have applied it to not only my career in food but also my everyday life. I touch on the aspects that help relieve anxiety, frame goals and establish a mindset that keeps me productive and in check. I also share some of the bigger concepts of Stoicism and why I hold them so valuable. …

Today on the show I interview Katie Reicher. As Executive Chef of the legendary Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, Katie creates comforting, seasonal, and inspired cuisine served in a welcoming environment that makes every guest feel like family. This approach extends to her kitchen staff as well, where each member feels valued, both as an individ…

On this episode I dive into the burnout I have felt as a food media content creator over the last few months. After four years of work I have finally hit a wall and I wanted to share why and how I have managed to work through it. I discuss unhealthy statistic expectations, defining the game we choose to play and why sharing the type of content you …

On this episode I review the Hulu series: The Bear. The Bear is about a chef who returns home after his brother has passed and has left a sandwich shop for him to run in the heart of Chicago. Many in the industry claim this is one of the most realistic showcases of running a restaurant and I do agree. I breakdown episode by episode details I loved,…

On this episode I chat with bartender Patty Dennison. She works at Hawksmoor in New York City and was recently crowned the 2022 Woodford Reserve ManEx Winner. We talk about the dedication it takes to become good at bartending and the never ending journey of learning. We then talk about her time competing in this Woodford Reserve ManEx competition i…

In this episode I get to speak to members of the community about creativity. More specifically on how they manage getting out of periods when creativity is hard to find. There are many great bits of wisdom in this one and I hope you can relate. Featuring: Emma Heun, John Mohl, Josh Boyd, Devin Jarmon, Ede Ravich, Brittney Ray and Harleen Pawha. Che…

On this episode I chat with friend and colleague, Zach Moquin. We chat about getting a Masters in Hospitality, why that segment of the industry can be so rewarding and the shifting landscape within the hospitality sector. We also go over why inclusivity is so important in work, why culture does in fact matter and also why making reservations are so…