"You learn more from your failures than you probably learn from your successes." – Dan Jacobs

Chef Dan Jacobs is the executive chef and co-owner of restaurants DanDan, EsterEv, and Fauntleroy in Milwaukee, WI. He has been nominated twice for the James Beard Award in the Best Chef- Midwest category (2018 and 2019). In the same year as opening DanDan, he was diagnosed with Kennedy's disease, but that didn't stop him from growing into one of the finest chefs in the country. 

In this episode, Adam speaks with Dan Jacobs on life and business. He shares his life journey with us, expanding on the highs and lows he had experienced in life and inspiring anyone listening to do more every day. We learn how Dan found the motivation to keep going amid all the hardships that came his way. Dan talks about fighting Kennedy's disease and shares his journey working with the finest chefs in Los Angeles and establishing the Milwaukee Independent Restaurant Coalition. He also throws light on the serious impact of the pandemic on the restaurant enterprise.

 

Key Highlights 

• Dan narrates how he fell in love with cooking and why he decided to take that up as a full-time profession.
• Dan reveals how he moved on from a dark place in life - turning to drugs and unprepared to commit to responsibilities.
• Dan confesses how his appreciation for cookbooks started.
• Dan explains how he battled Kennedy’s disease back in 2016, but still did not compromise on his dreams.
• We learn about Dan's failures in life and how his business eventually gained momentum. 
• Dan shares his experience speaking with President Biden about the establishment of the Milwaukee Independent Restaurant Coalition.
• The restaurant business is the most affected industry because of the Pandemic, as the entire franchise was exclusively based on active crowds and social mobility.
• The dining industry dropped 50% of revenue and lost over 85% of the workforce in these times. 
• Learn why middle class restaurant owners have been the most affected today. 

 

Up and Adam is an Operation Podcast production. 

Save 15% on Strong Coffee Company with checkout code UPANDADAM at http://bit.ly/strongpodcast

 

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