On this week’s show, we follow three chefs on their journeys from cooks to culinary entrepreneurs.

We begin with New Orleans chef Alon Shaya, who recently launched a new company, Pomegranate Hospitality. Alon describes his path, starting from unassuming culinary origins in Philadelphia, to his tenure at Domenica, and finally, to the evolving theory of Diasporic foodways that underlies his two new modern Israeli restaurants, Saba and Safta.

Then, we speak with self-styled lapsed anarchist Ari Weinzweig, who built a business empire called Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Michigan—beginning with just one deli.

And we visit with James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence, whose upbringing in New Orleans has informed an illustrious restaurant career based in Oxford, Mississippi. John explains the through-lines of his craft, which includes a strong sense of place and a healthy dose of humility.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.