Chef Life Radio

When the restauranteur Deidra McGuiness-Ciolko opens her business with just $7 left, she must find a way to turn things around quickly or risk losing everything.

"I just figured, we're going to make it, it's going to be fine. We had to close for five months and that was tough. The laws here in the Dominican Republic for the curfews are very strict, and you don't mess around. We shut down"

This is Diedra McGuiness-Ciolko's story...

Deidra McGuiness-Ciolko is a restauranteur and professor who moved to Costa Rica and started her own restaurant, Gordito's FreshMex. She talks about her journey from Boston to the Caribbean and her experience during the pandemic. She advises people who are thinking about starting their own businesses to be careful what they wish for and to treat their business as if it were someone else's.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. How Deidra McGuiness-Ciolko ended up in the Caribbean

2. The three Rs of business (reduce, reinvent, relax)

3. The importance of being careful about what you wish for when starting your own business

Resources:

Gordito's on the web

Chapter Summaries:

00:00:04 - The day the restaurant opened, it had $7 left. It was a tough year for the business. As people are aging, they are turning to meditation, prayer, and getting rid of their bad habits. There is a lot of space to learn one of the three Rs.

00:00:55 - Deidra Mcguiness-Ciolko is a restauranteur professor, taco maker, and dear friend. She's going to talk about her journey from Boston to Costa Rica. Adam Lamb is a chef and hospitality professional. Adam has coached and mentored thousands of culinarians over his 30 years career.

00:02:05 - Deidra McGinnis is from Boston and she is now a taco maker in the Caribbean. She worked in Santa Domingo for nine years as the director of operations for the liquor end of a casino. After her son was born, she moved back to Florida and became a stay-at-home mom. After five years, she decided to move to Cabernette and started Gordika's FreshMex Restaurant.

00:05:38 - “resilient“ is one of his favorite words. She grew up in Boston for Irish Italian; she's had several acts and she's not afraid of doing anything anymore because she did this ” I don't often have nice things to say about me, but I'm getting there. “

00:06:36 - There was a pandemic in the Dominican Republic. The business had to be closed for five months. The owners liquidated all their employees and bought out their partner. It was the first time in 60 years that she had any time off in the business. They were responsible for 700 people. Someone quit his job and sold his shares in a hotel company, and started his own restaurant. Deidra's advice to people who want to start their own business is to be careful what they wish and don't become their business. Deidra also advises not to treat the business as if it was someone else's business. There is a Facebook group called “asshole line cook, “ where a member wrote a harsh post about restaurants not being able to get employees because they don't pay enough. The next day the member of the group apologized for his post. Deidra is grateful to her clients for choosing to spend their dollars with her. Deidra and Joe had a midlife crisis last year and they were separated for a year and a half. Deidra has been smoking and working and drinking like a maniac since she was 20 years old. She had to learn to calm down and learn to be a duck and let things slide at her restaurant. Diedra has been using a coach for a year. Deidra has never done the hard work before. So she wasn't down with the whole coaching thing. She's been doing it now for a full year and it's helped her turn her life around. She has reconnected with Joe.

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The Reluctant Book Marketer Podcast

Jody J. Sperling writes fiction. He's spent twenty years dreaming of the phone call from FSG, accepting his novel for publication, but after landing a literary agent in 2019 and failing to woo publishers, Jody's dream wilted. While he never quit writing and reading, by the end of 2021, he'd so completely lost track of his purpose that he'd amassed a portfolio of rental houses and was toying with starting a short-term rental business. Then he had a vision of all the people who, like him, had pursued their dream of publishing only to find themselves disillusioned and defeated. That's the day he decided to found THE RELUCTANT BOOK MARKETER, a podcast to help writers with their marketing mindset.

The Chef Life Brigade Community

Redefining Culinary Leadership for #thenewkitchenculture.

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Copyright 2022 Realignment Media

Restaurant Coach/Consultant and former Chef Jonathan Ruby 'turns the table' on the toxic culinary culture in our food and beverage profession and how you, too, can create a workplace #culture that everyone wants to work for.

We debunk the veneration of self-sacrifice in today's restaurant culture and reveal how taking care of yourself is job #1 in the #newrstaurantculture.

To find out more about Jonathan Ruby and his mission, click here.

Turning the Table Is the most progressive weekly podcast for today's food and beverage industry, featuring staff-centric operating solutions for restaurants in the #newhospitalityculture.

Join Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb as they "turn the tables" on the prevailing operating assumptions of running a restaurant in favor of innovative solutions to our industry's most persistent challenges.

Sponsored by Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services

Check out the videocast on

Youtube

Linkedin

FB

This show is sponsored by Benchmark Sixty; check out their unique staff retention solution.

In partnership with Realignment Hospitality

207: Chef James Shirley | From the South Side to the Top of the Culinary World 207 1

Do you want to be successful in the culinary industry? You're told to get experience in as many kitchens as possible, but you can't seem to get your foot in the door. If you're feeling stuck and frustrated, this episode is for you.

"I always reach back. I don't look down on people. If I'm looking down, I'm looking down to reach up, to reach my hand out, to pick you up, because I've seen it happen." -James Shirley.

James Shirley is a world-renowned chef who has worked in some of the finest restaurants in the world. He is known for his dedication to his craft and his ability to mentor and coach other culinarians.

This is Chef James Shirley's story...

James Shirley had always been passionate about music, but when he found himself without a place at Gramblan state, he decided to return to Chicago and look for a job. He ended up working in the kitchen of Spiasha, a Northern Italian restaurant. There, he was taught by the executive chef, Anthony J. Montuano. Montuano saw potential in Shirley, even though he was a disaster in the kitchen, eventually making him his sous chef. Shirley went on to have a successful career as an executive chef, breaking stereotypes along the way.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. How James Shirley went from the streets of the South Side of Chicago to the shores of Hawaii

2. The demons that James Shirley had to fight along the way

3. How James Shirley became a successful executive chef

Chapter Summaries:

[00:00:04] - In the past, it was easy for an owner to buy his chef a car, get him an apartment or help him with his recreational activities. Now it's more difficult. On this episode of chef life radio, adam lamb and James Shirley will talk about how James Shirley came up in the industry in Chicago and how he went from the south side to the shores of Hawaii.

[00:02:28] - Adam is happy to welcome James Shirley to the show. James got into cooking because he has a strong work ethic based on his family upbringing coming from the south. Adam's mother is Betty Shirley, a world-renowned jazz singer, the famous jazz singer who lives in New Orleans. James worked for the city of Chicago. James got a lot of training and mentorship at Bias. Anthony J. Montano, who is the executive chef and part owner of Spiesho, worked for the Levies. James was the only black guy in the kitchen in a five-star restaurant with no pedigree for a long time. James is happy when he goes on LinkedIn and sees a vast array of people of color at the level of executive chefs. Adam Lam is still working as a sous chef for the city of Chicago. Adam used to cook and call himself Moonlighting. Adam worked at Gordon's and Gordon S. Claire's restaurant in Jupiter, Florida. Adam has worked in some of the finest restaurants in Windy City. Back then, you could get paid what you were worth if you had owners willing to pay that.

[00:17:58] - John's family came from Jackson, Mississippi, Alabama, and New Orleans. His grandparents left the south around the time of Emmett Till's Lynching. They came north and settled in the Bronxville area of Chicago. John didn't have a working functioning relationship with his mother in his early years. John's mom is a product of the Vietnam era, and she sang in New York for a while. Both you and your past have been intertwined for both good and bad reasons. You both had some rough times, and you came through it. You are still heavily involved in the recovery kind of network. You want to make sure that you stand for those people. It's not an attitude usually shared in the hospitality industry.

[00:25:41] - The culinary world is like a pseudo-masochistic relationship. It's like leaving the dungeon and showing up again for the next day. Chefs go through a lot of abuse from their employers, their customers, and from their families to do what they do well. The number one thing that will lose them in their industry is balance. James is a sensitive person. He wants to talk about how sensitive people can be in the industry. James wants to change the attitude of the industry towards sensitive people. James took away a colleague's pride in the office. James believes it's important to acknowledge the fact that sensitive people are creative. Adam Lam has opened up some boundaries and some doors for the community to talk about what goes on in the workplace. Adam's wife convinced him to wear a chef's coat to work. Adam is proud of Adam and his senior management team. Adam loves his work and his colleagues. James had an argument with his partner about being a chef. He believes that being a professional chef puts people in unhealthy situations mentally, physically or emotionally. James wants to shift his perspective and focus on being a human being with needs and desires. He loves pedicures.

[00:43:33] - This episode of Chef Life Radio is about working in a kitchen. It's a demanding job, but it doesn't have to be demeaning. It doesn't define you as a person or make you any more special or less than anyone else. It is just a dance we're engaged in.

[00:45:04] - This show was produced, recorded, and edited by Adam Lamb at the Dish Pit Studios in Bardo, North Carolina.

1 206

Chef James Shirley worked for the city of Chicago and began cooking as a side hustle.

He got a job at a restaurant and quickly learned that he knew nothing about cooking. The executive chef at the time, Tony Montuano, took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew.

Since then, Chef James Shirley has had an illustrious career in the culinary world.

Not to say that it didn't have its challenges!

Here are the steps you need to follow also to get Success in the industry:

1. Make sure you have a strong work ethic

2. Take advantage of opportunities when they come your way

3. Don't give up, even when things are tough

Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb discuss the #hustleculture of our industry, and while it might have made most food and beverage operations more efficient, it may have come at the cost of staff safety and retention.

Turning the Table Is the most progressive weekly podcast for today's food and beverage industry, featuring staff-centric operating solutions for restaurants in the #newhospitalityculture.

Join Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb as they "turn the tables" on the prevailing operating assumptions of running a restaurant in favor of innovative solutions to our industry's most persistent challenges.

Sponsored by Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services

Check out the videocast on

Youtube

Linkedin

FB

This show is sponsored by Benchmark Sixty; check out their unique staff retention solution.

In partnership with Realignment Hospitality

Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb discuss the question of staff productivity or efficiency, what's the difference, and which one serves the restaurant industry best in the long run.

Turning the Table Is the most progressive weekly podcast for today's food and beverage industry, featuring staff-centric operating solutions for restaurants in the #newhospitalityculture.

Join Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb as they "turn the tables" on the prevailing operating assumptions of running a restaurant in favor of innovative solutions to our industry's most persistent challenges.

Sponsored by Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services

Check out the videocast on

Youtube

Linkedin

FB

This show is sponsored by Benchmark Sixty; check out their unique staff retention solution.

In partnership with Realignment Hospitality

Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb discuss the prevailing operating assumptions of running a restaurant in favor of innovative solutions to our industry's most persistent challenges.

Turning the Table Is the most progressive weekly podcast for today's food and beverage industry, featuring staff-centric operating solutions for restaurants in the #newhospitalityculture.

Join Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb as they "turn the tables" on the prevailing operating assumptions of running a restaurant in favor of innovative solutions to our industry's most persistent challenges.

Sponsored by Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services

Check out the videocast on

Youtube

Linkedin

FB

This show is sponsored by Benchmark Sixty; check out their unique staff retention solution.

In partnership with Realignment Hospitality

1 205

Another Bonus Episode of Chef Life Radio's ongoing series, "On the Dock," with the founder of The Burnt Chef Project, Kris Hall.

It's time to get raw and vulnerable with Kriss Hall.

"Understand that if something doesn't sit right with you, that's okay, and no one else can tell you otherwise. You've got to live with yourself. It's okay not to be okay."

Kris Hall is the founder of the Burnt Chef Project, a nonprofit social enterprise working to make the hospitality industry safer and more sustainable for everyone. Kriss has worked in hospitality for over ten years and has seen firsthand the challenges hospitality professionals face. 

The Burnt Chef Project offers free online training, support services, and independent business reviews to help hospitality professionals thrive.

• The Burnt Chef

Chef Life Media LLC

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