EATYALL: Chefs Go Behind the Scenes at Farms, hosted by Andy Chapman

The state of the dairy industry is fragile, if not grim. After years of selling milk at prices below production cost, hundreds of family farms are selling out, many ending farming legacies going back for generations.

But not Mattingly Farms in Austin KY. 

In the midst of a struggling industry, Mattingly Farms is growing thanks to a key decision made by Kenny Mattingly back in 1991. The decision to make cheese.

In this episode, Andy and Kenny of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese and Mattingly Farms, discuss how a spark of inspiration from post-communist farms in Holland led to reviving, sustaining, and growing Kenny’s family’s farm by generating demand for his own milk through value-add products.

Full of inspiration and advice for farmers looking to create sustainable futures for their farms, and for chefs interested in partnering with local farmers, Kenny’s journey as an entrepreneurial family farmer will not disappoint.

Learn more about Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese and the 26 different types of cheese they offer chefs and consumers online at kennyscheese.com and follow them on social media at @Kennyscheese and @MattinglyFarmsky.

Follow Eat Y'all on social media at @letseatyall, or connect with us at our website, at www.eatyall.com.

When New Orleans chef, Amy Sins decided to start a restaurant, she knew immediately it wasn’t going to fit the mold of “ordinary”. So she set out to create a truly unique dining experience that stood apart from the thousands of other restaurants in New Orleans. Years after finding success, her business model has continued to change, adapt, and in many ways throw out the conventional.

In this episode, Amy shares it all. From her journey stepping out of a 20 year sales career into the culinary unknown, to shutting down her highly successful restaurant...and resurrecting it as the brand new concept that it is today.

Along the way, Amy offers serious insight into the business side of the culinary industry. She shares her own startup stories, as well as underlying principles that can help any chef or restaurateur innovate to adapt to changing customer tastes and to step outside the box to turn competitors into partners.

Yet while she provides real glimpses into managing business and family, she also transports listeners from New Orleans to marching dough through the streets of Paris through her one of a kind storytelling.

Like a full-course meal, this one has the perfect balance to fill you up right and leave you with something sweet.

Learn more about Chef Amy Sins and her interactive dining business, Langlois, online at ChefAmy.com, LangloisNOLA.com, and follow them on Instagram at @ChefAmySins and @LangloisNOLA.

Follow Eat Y'all on social media at @letseatyall, or connect with us at our website, at www.eatyall.com.

Levon Wallace has been a part of restaurants seating 40, and restaurants seating 400. Along the way, he's come to learn what the best restaurant-producer relationships look like at different scales of operations.

In this episode, Andy and Levon discuss how chefs and restaurants can begin what Levon refers to as "responsible sourcing" practices: sourcing that not only puts the best ingredients in a chefs hands, but that supports farmers in an intentional, mutually beneficial way.

Sourcing responsibly requires more than a "one-size-fits-all" approach, with chefs and producers must work intentionally at each level of scale. This episode lays how you can develop the right approach for your restaurant.

Levon shares career-defining advice that he learned through 20 years of experience leading diverse kitchen staff. More importantly, he offers fellow chefs insight on how to foster a meaningful and sustainable life inside the restaurant and out.

On top of the rich culinary advice, Levon also reveals "the working man's steak" and the three types of tacos that you've never had but need to.

You can follow Levon on social media at @Levon_Wallace.

Follow Eat Y'all on social media at @letseatyall, or connect with us at our website, at www.eatyall.com.

In this episode, recorded live during Eat Y'all's food mission to India, Andy connects with Sid Miller, the President of the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) and the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, as well as Wes Ward, the Secretary of Agriculture fr the state of Arkansas.

During the episode, Andy, Wes, and Sid discuss why India is on the radar of the thousands of farmers, producers, and chefs they represent.

The conversation gets strategic, as they touch on how farmers and producers from each state are positioning their unique products to bring a new taste and cuisine to Indian consumers hungry for new foods.

Apart from expounding upon their extraordinary time collaborating with chefs and promoting U.S. foods in India, Wes and Sid detail quick, easy, and impactful ways for chefs to tap into the best products and farms Texas and Arkansas have to offer.

To learn more about the grant, marketing, and partnership programs that Texas offers chefs and producers, visit www.GoTexan.org or www.TexasAgriculture.gov. 

To learn more about the great programs that Arkansas provides to support producers and chefs, visit www.aad.arkansas.gov.

To get connected with the work that SUSTA is doing for producers and chefs across 13 southern states, visit www.susta.org/

Follow Eat Y'all on social media at @letseatyall, or connect with us at our website, at www.eatyall.com.

Andy sits down with a special guest half the world away, Arjun Datta, COO of the International Institute of Culinary Arts in New Delhi, India.

At the top of the episode, Arjun shares how he has been intricately tied to the history behind the IICA, and how the institute's success has been bolstered by their focus on building deep industry partnerships.

Andy and Arjun discuss the changes in the culinary profession in India, and why the changes are now helping attract some of the brightest minds to the industry...even drawing talent away from their previous professions.

Arjun goes on to break down the most important principles that any great chef must master and how at the Institute they instill the importance of sourcing better ingredients from local farmers.

Plus, both Andy and Arjun break down some of the distinct challenges and growing demand that exists for U.S. farmers and producers to begin exporting high-quality ingredients to be used in India's maturing culinary scene.

This is a must-hear-interview for chefs and educators hungry to learn how chefs across the world are developing their skills, and for farmers brainstorming innovative ways to grow their business globally. 

After competing on Cutthroat Kitchen, The Spring Baking Championship, and winning Best Baker in America, Dwayne Ingraham dishes out the inside scoop on how chefs can position themselves to get casted, standout, and win on competitive cooking shows.

Along with his to-the-point, actionable advice, Dwayne shares about his experience on each show, giving listeners a glimpse behind the scenes at the chaos and excitement that comes with food competitions.

Plus, Dwayne dispenses wisdom drawn from experience about how you can progress in your culinary career when your role isn't as visible as an executive chef (pastry chefs out there...does this resonate?), and how farmers and producers can start selling more by connecting with pastry chefs directly. You can follow Dwayne on Instagram at @pastrychefdwayne Follow Eat Y'all on social media at @letseatyall, or connect with us at our website, at www.eatyall.com.

When eating out in Orange Beach, AL, southern classics like fried gulf shrimp, fish, and oysters will always hold a special place in every beach goer's heart.

But to settle for fried only leaves a lot of incredible food on the table.

In an agricultural and aquacultural hotbed like Orange Beach, chefs like David Pan have been cultivating coastal culinary excellence by bringing fresh ingredients, fresh events, and fresh food concepts together.

In this episode, David shares his unique approaches to sourcing better ingredients, dissects the changing culinary atmosphere, and dives into the area's rich festival scene.

*PLUS*

In this extended bonus episode, Andy sits down with serial restaurateur, Johnny Fisher.

Providing a whole new perspective as an owner, leader, and businessman, Johnny shares both big picture and day-to-day tactical insights on running and growing a successful beach restaurant, attracting world-renown chefs through culinary events, and creating a thriving team in an industry known for it's hard lifestyle. 

This bonus episode provides a full 360 view of the evolution of Orange Beach's culinary boom.

You can follow guests from this episode and their restaurants on instagram and online at:

David Pan: @chefstableoba, @orangebeachconcierge; www.orangebeachconciergeservices.com

Johnny Fisher: @FishersOBA & @playaoba

Follow the Eat Y'all Podcast on social media @letseatyall or visit our website: www.eatyall.com

Andy heads down to the Gulf Coast to talk with several of the chefs responsible for reinventing the coastal culinary scene.

10 years ago, the area was predominately known only for "standard" resort foods and fried seafood. Today, Orange Beach boasts a list of outstanding restaurants and food festivals that are drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists to the area, along with award-winning chefs.

In this episode, Andy sits down with two of the chefs responsible for helping to transform Orange Beach's food scene, Bill Briande, and Brody Olive.

Both chefs deliver real insight into how their commitment to intentionally sourcing from trusted and local farmers and producers has opened the door for them to create the kind of dishes and guest experiences that bring tourists back each year and score them James Beard Nominations.

Each chef shares their perspectives on what factors have influenced the area's culinary renaissance that any chef looking to reinvent their local scene should be taking notes on to apply for themselves.

Throughout the episode, Bill and Brody deliver wisdom and examples outlining their approach to kitchen leadership and creating a culture of constant culinary excellence, creativity, and growth that empowers young chefs to discover and grow in their unique styles.

If you're a chef or food producer, you'll want to keep a pen and paper nearby for this one, because you'll be jotting down new ideas every minute!

You can follow guests from this episode and their restaurants on Instagram at:

Bill Briande: @realbillybriand

Brody Olive: @jbrodyo Follow the Eat Y'all Podcast on social media @letseatyall or visit our website: www.eatyall.com

In this episode, Andy sits down with chefs during an Eat Y'all Chef Camp in Virginia.

To kick things off, Chef Ender Oktayren discusses the culinary journey that took him to Chicago and has now brought him back home to Virginia where he has launched a food truck. This food truck, however, differs from almost every other one out there, and Ender explains the reasons behind this unique, locally rooted concept. Chef Melisande Colomb explains what brought her back into the culinary industry to attend Eat Y'all Chef Camp, and discusses her roots as a chef growing up in a culinary family in New Orleans. Her conversation drips with the sort of rich descriptions, appreciation for great food, and a love for bringing people together that can only come from New Orleans. To round out the episode, Jeff Sizer details his career path from college dropout to running a five-star mega hotel kitchen in Manhattan, to now owning two restaurants. Through his discussion, Jeff talks about the rich experience that returning to simple dishes and concepts provide, and shares how his view of success has changed as he has accomplished more and more.

Throughout each of the three conversations, the chefs dish out highlights from Eat Y'all Chef camp that every producer and chef looking to grow and innovate won't want to miss. 

You can follow guests from this episode and their restaurants on instagram and online at:

www.overthetopchef.com [email protected]Facebook @overthetopchef Instagram @overthetopchef

Instagram @iam_melicolo410 Follow the Eat Y'all Podcast on social media @letseatyall or visit our website: www.eatyall.com

In this episode, Andy is back at Eat Y'all Chef Camp in Kentucky and talks with three outstanding chefs as they slice off a hunk of their experience at Eat Y'all's Beef Chef Camp.

At the top of the episode, Andy talks with Luke Hawke about Luke's vision to revolutionize the culinary scene in Huntsville, AL. Luke how seeing a large animal breakdown at the University of Kentucky Meat Cutting School was a dream come true and brings it full circle by explaining how what he learned influences how he runs his restaurants. Later, Justin Thomas, the Chef who has proudly bastardized white table cloth dining, discusses how his restaurant, Local Feed, is flipping fine dining on its head. You can hear how he's made fine dining accessible to consumers while using the restaurant to empower up and coming chefs. Last but not least, Andy sits down with Chef Will Lacey, who looks back at this journey from line cook at a bar to becoming the owner and executive chef at Driftwood Pantry in Charleston, SC. Will shares some of the greatest takeaways from his time learning the science behind making bourbon and the art of beef cutting at Eat Y'all Chef Camp. Plus, Andy and Will share the #1 secret to making a "well-done" steak eater fall in love with a medium-rare steak.

No excess fat or gristle on this one, only 100% Grade A culinary conversation.

You can follow guests from this episode and their restaurants on instagram and online at:

Instagram: @cheflukehawke www.explorethecamp.com

Instagram: @local_feed www.localfeedky.com

Instagram: @chef_will_lacey www.driftwoodpantry.com Follow the Eat Y'all Podcast on social media @letseatyall or visit our website: www.eatyall.com