Most chefs should not open a restaurant.

James Trees explains why ownership is finance and leadership, not cooking. From prime cost and food cost velocity to EBITDA, triple net leases, and delivery app traps, this episode is a restaurant business masterclass.

If you are thinking about opening your first restaurant, learn the numbers first.

• How prime cost actually works

• Why food cost velocity matters more than percentages

• How to negotiate leases and protect downside

Built for chefs serious about ownership and profit.

Follow Chefs PSA and share this episode with a chef who wants to open a restaurant.

James Trees Instagram

LINKS & RESOURCES

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Visit Chef’s PSA Website → ⁠https://chefspsa.com/⁠
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

A Michelin-trained chef faces thyroid cancer and the real possibility of losing his taste.

Chef Jake Rojas shares his diagnosis, treatment, feeding tube recovery, and how the experience reshaped his priorities around health and leadership. From El Paso competitions to three-star kitchens in Las Vegas, this is a conversation about discipline, identity, and why flavor is the only thing that truly matters.

• What Michelin kitchens teach about execution and respect

• How serious illness reframes leadership and priorities

• Why deliciousness outweighs presentation and hype

Built for chefs who want longevity, not just accolades.

Follow Chefs PSA and share this episode with a chef who needs permission to prioritize their health.

Jake Rojas on Instagram

LINKS & RESOURCES

Subscribe on Substack → ⁠https://chefspsa.substack.com/⁠
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → ⁠https://shop.chefspsa.com/⁠
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → ⁠https://chefspsa.com/⁠
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

She left finance to open two of Austin’s most talked-about restaurants.

In this episode of Chefs PSA, Laila Bazahm explains how fine dining discipline, financial literacy, and cultural awareness shaped her path from Wall Street to restaurant ownership.

This conversation is essential for chefs who want to open their first restaurant without guessing their way through funding.

• How to secure capital for a restaurant

• What elite kitchens actually teach

• Why financial literacy determines survival

Built for chefs serious about ownership and leadership.

ollow Chefs PSA and share this episode with a chef planning to open a restaurant.

Laila on Instagram

Siti on Instagram

El Raval on Instagram

LINKS & RESOURCES

Subscribe on Substack → ⁠https://chefspsa.substack.com/⁠
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → ⁠https://shop.chefspsa.com/⁠
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → ⁠https://chefspsa.com/⁠
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

Restaurant kitchens are breaking chefs.

Joey Chavez left the traditional kitchen path to build a private dining business that protects income, health, and time. In this episode of Chefs PSA, Andre Natera breaks down what chefs are never taught about money, pricing, and long-term sustainability.

This is a reality check for cooks questioning their future.

You will learn

• Why restaurant kitchens burn chefs out

• How private dining actually pays

• Why health is a financial issue

Follow Joey on Instagram

LINKS & RESOURCES

Rational → Rationalusa.com

Subscribe on Substack → ⁠https://chefspsa.substack.com/⁠
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → ⁠https://shop.chefspsa.com/⁠
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → ⁠https://chefspsa.com/⁠

Chef Francis Pascal of Vendador joins André Natera to talk private dining, leadership, contracts, pricing, and the real business behind luxury events. From immigrant roots to building a high-end operation, this episode is packed with practical insight for chefs looking to go independent.

If this episode helped you, leave a 5-star rating and follow Chef’s PSA.

Francis Pascal on Instagram

LINKS & RESOURCES

Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

Brent Weathers cuts through the 'Instagram Chef' BS to reveal the reality of cooking without recipes.

In this episode, André Natera welcomes back chef and content creator Brent Weathers for a conversation that cuts through trends, gimmicks, and recycled food content.

They break down cooking without recipes, the pressure of originality, content creation burnout, and the realities most chefs don’t say out loud. From wild dining stories to serious industry talk, this episode blends food, culture, and humor in a way only Chef’s PSA does. Only 5-stars!

⁠Brent on Instagram⁠

🔗 Links & Resources

Subscribe on Substack → ⁠https://chefspsa.substack.com/⁠

Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → ⁠https://shop.chefspsa.com/⁠

Visit Chef’s PSA Website → ⁠https://chefspsa.com/

If this episode brings you value, leave a 5-star rating and follow Chef’s PSA.

Great restaurants are designed, not improvised.

Andre Natera sits down again with Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel of Birdie’s to break down menu structure, kitchen culture, mentorship, and leadership. They explore why Birdie’s moved to a prefixed format, how structure improved creativity, and what it really takes to build sustainable restaurant teams.

This episode is for chefs thinking long-term.

Follow Tracy on Instagram

Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
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Learn More about MarketScale → https://company.marketscale.com/book-demo?oid=1&affid=181

If this episode helps you, leave a 5-star rating and follow Chef’s PSA so it reaches more working chefs.

Chef Jorge Luis Hernández joins André Natera to break down how innovation actually works inside Michelin-recognized kitchens. From mentorship and iteration to recipe systems and collaboration, this episode focuses on process, not performance.

Jorge on Instagram

Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
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Visit Chef’s PSA → https://chefspsa.com/
Learn More about MarketScale → https://company.marketscale.com/book-demo?oid=1&affid=181

Is the climb to "Executive Chef" actually worth the sacrifice? Chef and Hospitality Leader Franck Desplechin joins André Natera to dismantle the myth that a higher job title equals more happiness.

They discuss the operational and emotional reality of running luxury hotel kitchens:

• The Title Trap: Why chasing the next promotion often leads to burnout, not fulfillment.

• Hotel Operations: The specific leadership skills required to manage massive teams in a corporate luxury environment.

• Generational Shifts: How to lead and mentor the new generation of cooks who value work-life balance over prestige.

• The "Why": Redefining what success looks like after you have already reached the top.

A crucial listen for Hotel Chefs, Directors of Food & Beverage, and Culinary Leaders questioning their next career move.

Franck on Instagram

Links & Resources

Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA → https://chefspsa.com/
Learn More about MarketScale → https://company.marketscale.com/book-demo?oid=1&affid=181

What is the operational difference between a "good" restaurant and a Michelin-starred machine? Chef Philip Frankland Lee returns to Chef’s PSA to dismantle the romanticism of fine dining and replace it with systems, discipline, and math.

We move past the hype to discuss the structural reality of modern kitchens:

• The Omakase Model: Why scaling "tasting menu" concepts is the smartest economic move for chefs today.

• Pasta Fundamentals: The specific techniques that separate amateur cooks from professional pasta makers.

• Michelin Pressure: How the rankings actually work and the mental toll of maintaining stars.

• TV vs. Reality: The truth about "Top Chef" fame and why media exposure doesn't guarantee restaurant profit.

A masterclass on systems and long-term strategy for Executive Chefs, Restaurateurs, and Operators who are tired of the noise.

Phillip Frankland Lee Instagram

Links & Resources
Chef Works (20% off with code CHEFSPSA20) → https://www.chefworks.com/
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/