Today my guest is John Seymour, the CEO and restauranteur of Lil’ Sweet Chick.

He joins us from New York. 

Like all of us in the restaurant industry, John’s business Sweet Chick, a full-service restaurant took a hit in 2020 due to COVID.

But despite dining restrictions he jumped into survival mode and transformed all 

five locations into a new fast casual model.

We discuss that transition, hip hop, business and how they’re all connected.

https://www.sweetchick.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lilsweetchick/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/sweetchicklife/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/johnseymour_nyc/?hl=en

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Today’s episode is focused on an article from Food & Wine Magazine that came out last week.

The Article Is Titled:

‘The Customer Is Not Always Right.’

Customer entitlement at restaurants is at an all-time high, making work unsafe and unbearable for many in the industry. 

The way we think about hospitality needs to change.

The journalist who wrote this article is Khushbu Shah.

https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/customer-is-not-always-right

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Today my guest is Joe Rosenthal.

He joins us from Minnesota. 

Joe is the man behind https://www.richardeaglespoon.com/

The philosophy behind his website is to inspire people to be less stressed about cooking, and at the same time, empower them to make better food.

Today we’re discussing Prince Street Pizza which is both a NY and LA based pizzeria.

They’re at the center of an Instagram post that Joe created, which is titled  
“Restaurateurs on Social Being Racist.”

The pizzeria is accused of some highly racist behavior. 

You can find the post here: https://www.instagram.com/joe_rosenthal/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg


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Nancy Djoric-Kyd Joins Us From Tulum Mexico.

She Has Been A DJ For Over 20 Years, Playing Sets Of Amazing Old School Deep House Music.

Plus She Owns & Operates Sup Yoga Tulum, The First And Only Specialized Boga Yoga Floating Studio In The Mayan Riviera: https://www.supyogatulum.com/

Nancy Has Lived & Worked In Tulum For Nearly 20 Years.

We Dive Deep Into The Many Issues & The Extreme Beauty & Uniqueness Connected To Tulum.

We Discuss The Following Issues:

✅Art With Me Art & Music Festival & The Recent Covid Spike + the cancellation of The Zamna Festival

✅The Cartel & Their Visible Presence In Every Area Of The Beach & Hotel Zone Tulum

✅How The Local Economy Is Currently Doing

✅How Tulum Has Changed In The Last 10-20 Years

✅The Biggest Infrastructure Issues Facing Tulum’s Beach & Hotel Zone

✅What Life As An Expat Looks Like In Tulum

✅What The Process Of Becoming An Expat & Starting A Business There Is Like

✅The Intense Beauty Of The Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

✅Tulum’s Music Scene: Rethinking, Developing & Preserving This Unique Program For Future Generations

✅The 2016 Takeover Of 17 Hotels On The Beach By Hundreds Of Men, Some W/Machetes: How These Forced Evictions Affected Business Owners

✅Tulum’s Environment:                               
 ✅ 80% Percent Of The Cenotes In The Yucatán Peninsula Have Some Level Of Contamination.                                          
 ✅Sewer System Issues, Careless Developers, Careless Tourists, Eco Chic Hotels, Music Festivals, Massive Amounts Of Seaweed…There Are Many Contributing Factors To The Decline Of Tulum’s Environment & We Discuss Many Of Them

✅The Start Of This Pandemic Gave Tulum’s Environment A Much Needed Break  

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Chef Mona Leena Michael joins us from Oakland.
She’s a Palestinian-American chef who has worked for over a decade at some of the best restaurants in San Francisco.
She brings those skills to the kitchen & creates a modern twist when it comes to Palestinian cuisine.

- At the start of 2020 Chef Mona was working at Dyafa.
- Due to COVID the restaurant closed.
- Chef Mona took action by starting https://themanaeeshlady.com/
- Despite battling the health department about her pop-up she continues to move forward, determined to make the best of 2020.
- We discuss:
- The Bay Area’s latest lockdown & restrictions.
- What’s currently happening in Bay Area’s food scene
- As an industry do we need to reform pop-ups on some level in order to make them easier & accessible for everyone to make a livable wage?
- It’s not just Southern California, some Bay Area restaurants are already defying the ban…
- Undocumented chefs are struggling on a whole other level during COVID

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Chef Thuy Pham joins us from Portland Oregon.
Her story is an uplifting one that shows a silver lining In the middle of this pandemic.

- At the start of 2020 Pham was a hairstylist.
When COVID hit she wasn’t able to work but she followed her other passion of cooking Vietnamese vegan food.

- From selling slabs of vegan pork belly to make ends meet to opening a restaurant…she’s had quite a journey…all in less than a year.
- https://www.mamadutfoods.com/

- We discuss the many collaborations on Chef Pham’s menu & their importance during COVID for the survival of Portland’s food scene.

- Then we dive into social justice. So often as restaurant owners many of us feel that we can’t totally show who we are & what we stand for. Often there’s an overwhelming awareness about the bottom-line but we could all learn from Chef Pham. She’s outspoken about The Black Lives Matter Movement, ending food injustice and food apartheid. We discuss the importance of social justice & why she uses her platform for greater good.
- https://www.instagram.com/mama.dut.foods/?hl=en

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New restrictions are being rolled out weekly in cities across the U.S. & around the world when it comes to COVID & restaurants.
This week we check in with Chef Simeon Hall Jr. in the Bahamas:
https://www.simeonhalljr.com/
- He describes what's happening there when it comes to restaurants & COVID. 
- Plus he & his entire family had COVID.  Chef Hall lost his sense of taste during his battle & is now a 'long hauler' -  still experiencing sporadic COVID symptoms long  after the illness has left his body.
- We discuss the journey to recovery post COVID in the Bahamas  & what that might look like.
- Chef Hall is hosting an inspirational event to help keep the creative vibes flowing during COVID: https://www.instagram.com/dinnaclubbahamas/?hl=en
- Why do Non-Bahamian restaurants outnumber Bahamian restaurants on the Islands? Chef Hall explains.
- And imagine cooking for Rita Marley while she's telling you fascinating stories from her life? Chef Hall shares some of his favorite moments doing just that with Dr. Marley. 

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg

This week Philadelphia announced drastic measures to stem COVID. Starting November 20th there will be no more indoor dining & any outdoor dining is limited to 4 people from the same household. Already some restaurants have decided to close.

Philadelphia based Chef Shayla Felton-Dorsey joins us to give her perspective about what’s happening there.

Plus we dive into astrology, numerology & the positive efforts happening in Philly to combat food insecurity during COVID.

Follow Chef Shayla Felton Dorsey on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shayla_savour/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg


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On this episode I speak with Eugene Nyaundi Mang'erere .
Eugene joins us from Kenya where he has an organic farm and promotes the farm to glass cocktail movement.
Eugene gives us insight into what life is like during COVID in Kenya & sheds light on how restaurants, bars & farms are surviving during this difficult time.

If you want to follow Eugene's journey & support his farm here's a link to his farm:
https://www.instagram.com/bishopbotanyfarm/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg


https://www.tiktok.com/@haveyoueatenyetpodcast


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Today's guest is South Florida attorney Nydia Streets. 

With Florida restaurants at 100% capacity for indoor dining, Nydia tells us about her journey dining out during COVID.  

She also discusses a recent trip to Disney World. 

Then we dive into racism & cultural appropriation in the restaurant industry.  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg


https://www.tiktok.com/@haveyoueatenyetpodcast


https://www.instagram.com/haveyoueatenyetpodcast/?hl=en