Chefs Without Restaurants

 In this mini-episode of Chefs Without Restaurants, host Chris Spear is joined by the acclaimed author Carolyn Phillips to discuss the art of writing a successful cookbook. Known for her works such as At the Chinese Table, All Under Heaven, The Dim Sum Field Guide, and the upcoming The Art of Chinese Baking, Carolyn shares invaluable insights for aspiring cookbook authors.

With accolades including being a James Beard Award finalist and a nominee for the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, Carolyn’s expertise is unmatched. This episode is packed with tips on creating a high-quality cookbook, the importance of understanding the culture behind the cuisine, and the practicalities of publishing.

Highlights:

• Carolyn’s advice to write about what you know deeply and to ensure that your cookbook offers something new and unique.
• The importance of respecting and accurately representing the culture of the cuisine you are writing about.
• Practical tips on using the metric system in recipes and why it’s essential for precision, especially in baking.
• Insights into the publishing world, including the benefits of starting with magazine articles to build your confidence and credibility.

Resources Mentioned:

• Books on writing: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, On Writing by Stephen King.
• Websites: Eat Your Books, CKBK.
• Kitchen tool: Ozeri Digital Kitchen Scale

CAROLYN PHILLIPS
Carolyn's Website
Carolyn's Instagram and Threads
Carolyn's Guide to Chinese Soy Sauce - Eater

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS
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This week on Chefs Without Restaurants, I speak with Brian Baumgartner, the actor best known for his role as Kevin Malone on the TV show "The Office."

Brian’s portrayal of Kevin provided countless laughs and unforgettable moments, especially the iconic chili scene. Beyond his on-screen persona, Brian has ventured into the culinary world, turning a 30-second cold open into a culinary journey that includes a best-selling chili cookbook and an upcoming barbecue book.

On the show, we dive deep into Brian’s experiences on "The Office," uncovering the behind-the-scenes magic that made the show a cultural phenomenon. We discuss the initial fears of cancellation, the unique documentary-style filming, and why the show still resonates with audiences today.

We also explore the famous chili episode, discussing how it was conceived, what went into filming that messy, memorable scene, and how it led to Brian’s unexpected foray into the culinary world. Brian shares his adventures at chili cook-offs, the diversity of chili recipes, and his tips for creating the perfect pot of chili.

But the culinary talk doesn’t stop there. Brian shares his love for barbecue, his favorite techniques and recipes, and the communal joy of outdoor cooking. Whether it’s grilling with friends or perfecting a tri-tip, Brian’s passion for cooking shines through.

BRIAN BAUMGARTNER
Buy Brian's books Seriously Good Chili Cookbook and Seriously Good Barbecue Cookbook as well as Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office
Brian's Instagram and TikTok
Brian's podcast: Off the Beat with Brian Baumgartner

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS
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🎙️ This week on Chefs Without Restaurant I speak with Pat Lee, a food content creator and private chef who resides in Delaware.

💰 Pat started his career working in the financial industry. But in the early days of the Covid pandemic, he lost his job. Like many of us, he was spending a lot of time at home. Being unemployed, he was looking for ways to tighten his budget. One of the things he did was focus on cooking food at home.

🔪 This eventually led to him creating cooking videos, teaching people how to be better cooks at home. You can find Pat on most social media platforms as Cooking with Pat Lee.

🎙️ On the show, we talk about the business of food content creation, community, and building and interacting with your followers. Pat discusses his creative process, and what inspires him. He also talks about his new podcast Cast Iron Conversations with Pat Lee.

PAT LEE
Pat's website
Pat's Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
Pat's podcast: Cast Iron Conversations with Chef Pat Lee

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS
If 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 Newsletter
Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
The Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook Group
Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

SPONSOR INFO
Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

I'm excited to introduce you to Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond delivers a flavor profile that's unmatched. This bourbon is aged for seven years, three more than required, creating a richer, more sophisticated flavor profile. When you select this premium bottled-in-bond bourbon, Heaven Hill’s commitment to excellence is evident in every sip. Available Nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your local store.

Heaven Hill reminds you to Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.

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This week my guest is Billy Zureikat, known online as The Real Billy Z. He's a home cook, baker and pizza-maker who's life took an unexpected turn. He went from an active lifestyle, playing basketball and working at ESPN radio, to a challenging 8-year medical journey that resulted in a diagnosis of limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2L.

As his body underwent changes, he found solace and a newfound passion in the kitchen. He traded his jersey for an apron, re-focusing his energy on becoming a better home cook and baker. Sandwiches and pizza became his canvas, and from that emerged the "Tripping Billy" pizza. Little did he know, this creation would become a catalyst for raising funds and awareness for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Teaming up with some of Chicago's best pizzerias and restaurants, he shares his story of reinvention through food. It became a way to show people that even in the face of change, positive things can happen. Over the past few years, he's collaborated with over 50 culinary giants, raising $50,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.   He's been the Illinois Ambassador for the MDA since January of 2022.

BILLY ZUREIKAT
Billy's website
Billy's Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
Donate to The Muscular Dystrophy Association

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If 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 Newsletter

Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
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Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

SPONSOR INFO
Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

I'm excited to introduce you to Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond delivers a flavor profile that's unmatched. This bourbon is aged for seven years, three more than required, creating a richer, more sophisticated flavor profile. When you select this premium bottled-in-bond bourbon, Heaven Hill’s commitment to excellence is evident in every sip. Available Nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your local store.

Heaven Hill reminds you to Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.

Get in touch

Support the show

This week my guest is Nathan Myhrvold of Modernist Cuisine. Nathan graduated high school and went to college at 14. He holds a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics, as well as a master’s degree in mathematical economics, from Princeton University. His master’s degree is in geophysics and space physics, and he did postdoctoral cosmology work with Stephen Hawking. Nathan then spent 14 years at Microsoft, where he was their first Chief Technology Officer.

While working at Microsoft, he took a leave of absence to earn his culinary diploma from École de Cuisine La Varenne in France. Myhrvold retired from Microsoft in 1999 to found Intellectual Ventures and pursue several interests. Inspired by the void in literature about culinary science and the cutting-edge techniques used in the world’s best restaurants, Myhrvold assembled the Modernist Cuisine team to share the art andscience of cooking with others. 

In the culinary world, Nathan is known for his cooking lab, and the in-depth book sets Modernist Cuisine, Modernist Bread, and Modernist Pizza, as well as Modernist Cuisine at Home, and Modernist Bread at Home. His photography is sold at Modernist Cuisine Gallery by Nathan Myhrvold with locations in Seattle, New Orleans, and La Jolla.

Topics discussed:
The upcoming Modernist Pastry books
Pizza-making at home
What is Modernist Cuisine?
Breaking culinary traditions, and exploring cooking myths and lore
Microwaves, safety, and how they work
Cooking equipment such as combi ovens and induction cooktops
Sustainability as it relates to the food and beverage industry

NATHAN MYHRVOLD and MODERNIST CUISINE
Nathan's Website
Modernist Cuisine Website, Instagram and Facebook
The Modernist Pizza Podcast

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If 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 Newsletter

Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
The Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook Group
Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

SPONSOR INFO
Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

I'm excited to introduce you to Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond delivers a flavor profile that's unmatched. This bourbon is aged for seven years, three more than required, creating a richer, more sophisticated flavor profile. When you select this premium bottled-in-bond bourbon, Heaven Hill’s commitment to excellence is evident in every sip. Available Nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your local store.

Heaven Hill reminds you to Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.

Get in touch

Support the show

This week I'm sharing a clip from another podcast I was featured on a couple of years ago. I share a couple of funny stories that I've never shared before. The first story is about how actor Bill Murray inadvertently ruined my anniversary dinner. I love Bill, and this isn't something he intentionally did, but the story relates to good (and poor) customer service.

The other story is about scrapple, an original recipe of mine, and how a large spice company might have appropriated this recipe, passed it off as their own, and it subsequently ended up in a book. I've joked about it, but I'm still kind of salty. In today's content creation era, it's something that I think is relevant.

PEOPLE AND THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST
Plum Luv Foods Episode 362 with Chris Spear
Chef Plum on Instagram
The ORIGINAL Scrapple Dip Recipe
The Bill Murray dinner incident post from 2012
Buy the book Pennsylvania Scrapple

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This week my guest is "the whiskey professor" Bernie Lubbers, Heaven Hill Distillery's national brand ambassador. If you want to learn more about bourbon, and one of America's oldest and best distilleries, this episode is for you. Bernie explains the criteria for bourbon, as well as the bottled-in-bond classification, something he's championed since beginning his bourbon career in 2005.

We also discuss whiskey tastings and tasting notes in general. I asked him about the price of bottles, especially as it relates to the quality of the spirit. And I feel like it can be overwhelming when you go into the liquor store and see 200 different bottles of bourbon. Where do you even start? Bernie provides guidance.

Being the bottled-in-bond guy, we talk about that particular class of bourbons, and how to create your own tasting at home.

BERNIE LUBBERS and HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY
Find Bernie on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Heaven Hill's Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Whiskey
Buy Bernie's book Bourbon Whiskey: Our Native Spirit

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If 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 Newsletter

Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
The Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook Group
Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

SPONSOR INFO
Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

I'm excited to introduce you to Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond delivers a flavor profile that's unmatched. This bourbon is aged for seven years, three more than required, creating a richer, more sophisticated flavor profile. When you select this premium bottled-in-bond bourbon, Heaven Hill’s commitment to excellence is evident in every sip. Available Nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your local store.

Heaven Hill reminds you to Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.

 Find out more at Heaven Hill Distillery

Get in touch

Support the show

This week my guest is Shawn Niles (aka The Fat Pastor). Shawn started his church in 2015, but his love of cooking led him to competing on MasterChef in 2016. What chef Gordon Ramsay told him would change his life forever.

Wanting to combine his two passions, Shawn started a program for at-risk youth in Yakima, WA called Urban Kitchen, to teach them culinary and business skills. At the end of the program, the students would open and run a 3-night pop-up restaurant.

He would later start BiteClub Yakima, and have the opportunity to go to Italy to work with chef Massimo Bottura. Also, following in the footsteps of his dad, his 9-year old son Asher is a current contestant on MasterChef Junior.

SHAWN NILES/THE FAT PASTOR
Find Shawn  on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Shawn's website
BiteClub Yakima

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If 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 Newsletter

Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
The Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook Group
Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

SPONSOR INFO
Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

I'm excited to introduce you to Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond delivers a flavor profile that's unmatched. This bourbon is aged for seven years, three more than required, creating a richer, more sophisticated flavor profile. When you select this premium bottled-in-bond bourbon, Heaven Hill’s commitment to excellence is evident in every sip. Available Nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your local store.

Heaven Hill reminds you to Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.

 Find out more at Heaven Hill Distillery

Get in touch

Support the show

This week my guest is pizza maker and founder of Women’s Pizza Month Christy Alia. Women's pizza month is an online party taking place the whole month of March on Instagram. Of course, you can follow along by checking out the hashtag #WomensPizzaMonth. 

Christy wanted to shine a spotlight on many of the women in pizza, so she took to Instagram to start this. Anyone can participate, and she encourages you to do a post, dedicating it to a woman that you’d like to highlight.

In addition, she’s partnered with Corto and Stanislaus on the "For the Love of Pizza" kit, which is meant to elevate your at-home pizza-making game. You'll also learn about the 5 scholarships that are available for aspiring home pizza makers to go to Pizza University in Maryland.

If you want to learn how to make better pizza at home, we talk about fermentation time, tools for making pizza at home, quality ingredients, different styles of pizza and pizza toppings.

CHRISTY ALIA and #WomensPizzaMonth
Christy on Instagram @RealCleverFood
Apply for the Pizza Scholarship to Pizza University

PIZZA-MAKING RESOURCES
Buy Corto Olive Oil and listen to the podcast with master miller David Garci-Aguirre
For the Love of Pizza Kit
Baking Steel and podcast with founder Andris Lagsdin
What's Good Dough podcast

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If 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 Newsletter

Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
The Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook Group
Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

SPONSOR INFO
Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

I'm excited to introduce you to Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond delivers a flavor profile that's unmatched. This bourbon is aged for seven years, three more than required, creating a richer, more sophisticated flavor profile. When you select this premium bottled-in-bond bourbon, Heaven Hill’s commitment to excellence is evident in every sip. Available Nationally, look for a bottle of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond at your local store.

Heaven Hill reminds you to Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.

 Find out more at Heaven Hill Distillery

Get in touch

Support the show

This week my guest is Mike Traud, founder of The Chef Conference (formerly The Philly Chef Conference). We talk about the history, and evolution, of this food and beverage conference. You'll hear what you can expect from this year's conference which is taking place in Philadelphia from April 12th through 15th.

Some of this year's guest are: Sean Brock, Tom Collichio, Alain Ducasse, Andrew Zimmern, Rob Rubba, and Rosio Sanchez

MIKE TRAUD and The Chef Conference
The Chef Conference on Instagram
The Chef Conference Website

Get Tickets to The Chef Conference:
Day 1 April 12, 2024: Openings & Expansions
Day 2 April 13, 2024: A conversation between Chef Alain Ducasse and Jeff Gordinier
Day 3 April 14, 2024: The Chef Conference Opening Night Event
Day 4 April 15, 2024: Keynote & Panels

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If 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 Newsletter

Chefs Without Restaurants Instagram and Threads
Chefs Without Restaurants on TikTok
Chefs Without Restaurants on YouTube
The Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook Group
Chris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

 
SPONSOR INFO
 United States Personal Chef Association

To learn more about membership, advertising, or partnership opportunities, call Angela at 800-995-2138 ext. 705 or email [email protected].

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