Andrew Talks to Chefs

José Luis Chavez took a circuitous route to the professional kitchen, and his current success at restaurants in NYC (Mission Ceviche) and Chicago (Kayao, Clandestino, etc.) in Chicago. In this conversation, he shares the influence of his father on his work ethic, of how he went from Venezuela to Peru to France to the United States, and the growing and learning curve that led to his growing collection of restaurants and bars.

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

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!

Andrew Zimmern returns to the pod to talk about his new Food Network show Pitmasters--a fresh reality-competition program that debuts this Monday, July 13, at 9pm ET. He and host Andrew also get into the 1980s NYC chef and restaurant scene (the subject of host Andrew's book Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll), what qualifies as a successful run for a restaurant, the importance of inviting others into your headspace, and myriad other personal and professional subjects. One of our classic convos, in our humble opinion.

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

Thanks also to Gage & Tollner for providing our location. Please keep Gage & Tollner in mind for drinking and/or dining in Downtown Brooklyn, and for special and private occasions. 

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

Episode host/producer/editor/mixer: Andrew Friedman

Videographer: Jason Anello

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!

Caroline Glover took a fascinating path to the pro kitchen. Leaving college after two years, she found herself working in the kitchen at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, which led her to the Culinary Institute of America, then to New York City, and finally to Colorado where she opened Annette restaurant a decade ago, followed two and a half years ago by Traveling Mercies Cocktails & Oysters, both in Aurora, Colorado, just over the Denver city line. 

Go check out the new zine, Mother Sauce, discussed in this episode--and sign up for their mailing list!

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

* photo of Caroline Glover by Dan Richard

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!

Claudette Zepeda returns to the pod after seven years to discuss her wonderful new book Cooking the Borderlands: Spice and Smoke Between Mexico and the United States. This is a compelling conversation that comprises Mexican cuisine, culinary vocabulary, the craft and business of cookbooks, and much more. Go pick up a copy of Claudette's book--it's terrific!

(Listen to Claudette's previous appearance on the pod.)

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

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!

Before opening her new restaurant Cynthia—an intimate tasting-menu spot in NYC’s West Village—Sherry Cardoso was the secret  weapon of chef-restaurateurs like Greg Baxtrom and Marcus Samuelsson. In this episode, Sherry takes us through her time in multiple generations of landmark NYC restaurants—from Le Cirque to Per Se to Metropolis and Olmsted, among many others. She also shares a little about her time on Top Chef, and the backstory of Cynthia restaurant.

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

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!

Allison Robicelli, our old friend, whom longtime listeners will remember from our Shelter en Place movie conversations, returns to the pod for a long overdue biographical conversation. In addition to weaving tales of growing up in 1980s outer-borough New York City, we get into Allison’s singular travel tips, the joys of Baltimore, and just about anything else she and Andrew could think of.

If you are an aspiring chef younger than 30, or think you might know of one who’d thrive in this program, please check out S.Pellegrino’s Young Chef Academy Competition, or go directly to the application. Andrew has interviewed many past competitors and observed several competitions, and personally recommends applying.

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

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!

[**New episodes of ATTC are now available in video! You can watch on Spotify, or YouTube. Or you can just keep on listening in all the same places you usually do.**]

Two weeks ago, we took Andrew Talks to Chefs on the road, and recorded a LIVE! show as part of the inaugural Cookbook Week in San Francisco. The subject was Forgotten Cookbook Classics. The guests were two of San Francisco's favorite chefs, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions, The Progress, The Anchovy Bar). The location was Civic Kitchen. Before an enthusiastic audience, we discussed books by Jacques Pepin, Gordon Ramsay (!), and Claudia Fleming, among many others.

We were honored to share the bill with Michele Norris and her wonderful Your Mama's Kitchen podcast. If you're not familiar with the show, we suggest you check it out--it's great!

If you are an aspiring chef younger than 30, or think you might know of one who'd thrive in this program, please check out S.Pellegrino's Young Chef Academy Competition, or go directly to the application. Andrew has interviewed many past competitors and observed several competitions, and personally recommends applying.

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

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!

[**New episodes of ATTC are now available in video! You can watch on Spotify, or YouTube. Or you can just keep on listening in all the same places you usually do.**]

As he prepares to introduce his Tatale dining series to NYC, Ghanaian-British chef, restaurateur, and interdisciplinary creative Akwasi Brenya-Mensa discusses his life and career to date. He and Andrew get into his African-focused upbringing in London, his adventures in the music world, and eventual commitment to the culinary realm. **Please note: Andrew misspoke in this episode's introduction; Akwasi's spring/summer 2026 dinner series runs for 12 weeks, not 10. Our sincere apologies for the error!**

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

Thanks also to Gage & Tollner for providing our location. Please keep Gage & Tollner in mind for drinking and/or dining in Downtown Brooklyn, and for special and private occasions. 

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

Episode host/producer: Andrew Friedman

Producer: Roderick Alleyne

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!

[**New episodes of ATTC are now available in video! You can watch on Spotify, or YouTube. Or you can just keep on listening in all the same places you usually do.**]

This is a good one! Scott Conant and Andrew go back a long way, and boy, does it show in this friendly and expansive conversation that covers everything from Scott's newish line of pasta sauces Martone Street, to his restaurants, to his longtime role as a key cast member on TV's Chopped. They also touch on the evolution of celebrity chef culture, how restaurants change over time, and a few of the industry characters they've both enjoyed knowing over the years. We're going a little long on this episode ... stick around for all of it, and hope you have as much fun as Andrew and Scott did!

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

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!

[**New episodes of ATTC are now available in video! You can watch on Spotify, or YouTube. Or you can just keep on listening in all the same places you usually do.**]

The NYC and American chef community lost a beloved and influential figure last week with the sudden death of Chef Tom Valenti after a short illness. Tom presided over the kitchens of such fabled restaurants as Alison on Dominick Street, Cascabel, Butterfield 81, Ouest, and Cesca, among others. In addition to becoming known for a bold, lusty culinary style, Tom helped found the Windows of Hope charity to raise money for the families of restaurant workers who perished in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New York City. He also possessed a quick wit and abiding gift for silliness. (In addition to all of that, he authored three cookbooks in collaboration with Andrew, who was also his publiciast in the 1990s.) In this episode, Andrew shares some remembrances of  Tom, and airs a conversation with Tom that they began in 2020, and which was never finished.

We recommend you read the NY Times obituary of Tom Valenti mentioned in this episode.

Our great thanks to our presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe-operating system for culinary professionals.

And thanks to S.Pellegrino for their longstanding support of the pod.

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!