How Did I Get Here? With Ryan Poli

Ryan sits down with up-and-coming Philly chef Amanda Shulman. Shulman has honed her culinary expertise over a long period of time, working at famed restaurants like Vetri Cucina, Momofuku Ko, and Joe Beef in Montreal. Now, she brings a relaxed dinner-party vibe to her charming space in Philadelphia that feels more like a dinner at an old friend's house than a restaurant. Ryan and Amanda discuss the kitchen grind, the trials and tribulations of opening a restaurant, and what's next for the blossoming chef.

Check out Her Place here:
herplacephilly.com

Ryan chats with Chef/Owner of the beloved Nashville-based, punk-rock ramen hotspot, Black Dynasty Ramen. Chef Rooney walks us through his tumultuous journey to becoming a chef and how he started a secret ramen house in an unlikely market and how he continues to grow his dream into a reality.

Check out Black Dynasty Ramen here:
blackdynastyramen.com

In this week's episode, chef Poli talks with longtime friend Jenner Tomaska, chef and owner of the Michelin-starred Esmé in Chicago. The chefs discuss the culinary landscape of Chicago, the trials and tribulations of opening a new restaurant, and Esmé's unique capacity to link visual art to its food.

Check out Esmé here:
esmechicago.com

In the tenth episode of HDIGH, Chef Ryan Poli sits down with Alex Talbot, proprietor of decorated blog Ideas in Food, author of a handful of well-received cookbooks, and chef/owner of Curiosity Doughnuts. Over the years, Ideas in Food  has garnered a massive cult following of dedicated chefs, eager to see what new tricks can be pulled from Talbot's often-wild culinary experiments. Ryan and Alex talk about getting started in the culinary world, working hard shifts, how to make the dream work (even when it seems impossible), and why the eccentric chef chose to get into the donut business. 

Check out Ideas in Food here:
blog.ideasinfood.com/

In the ninth episode of Season 1, Ryan chats with legendary Philadelphia chef and restaurateur Marc Vetri. Vetri Cucina has become a longstanding staple of the Philly culinary community and has been serving classic italian dishes since 1998. Chef Vetri has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation a countless number of times for his culinary expertise, outstanding service, and for his contribution to the culinary literature sphere (his book Mastering Pizza was nominated in 2016). Ryan and Marc get to the bottom of the highly-praised chef's deep love and appreciation for cooking and running successful restaurants.

Check out Marc Vetri here:
vetricucina.com

Ryan sits down with Shola Olunloyo, chef-owner of Philadelphia's StudioKitchen. At StudioKitchen, Olunloyo works with restaurants and food equipment manufacturers to employ the latest tech in crafting new, unique flavors. Originally from Nigeria, the lauded chef shares his story and, of course, answers the question: "how did I get here?"

Check out StudioKitchen here:
studiokitchen.com

Ryan sits down with restaurateur and professional chef Greg Vernick, who owns a slew of well-celebrated restaurants in Philadelphia (Vernick Food & Drink, Vernick Fish, Vernick Wine, Vernick Coffee Bar). The award-winning chef talks about his beginnings in the industry, working alongside some legendary chefs (e.g. Jean-Georges), and how he came to be the owner and operator of a highly regarded restaurant empire spanning multiple disciplines in a competitive city.

Check out Vernick here:
vernickphilly.com

Ryan sits down with the tea wizard himself, Rod Markus, who has built a strong reputation for being able to get his hands on rare and unique food and drink products from around the globe. Headquartered in Chicago, Rare Tea Cellar provides chefs and consumers alike with impressive, standout ingredients that allow for elevation to the Michelin-Star level. Of course, it all began with Markus and his love of tea.

Check out Rare Tea Cellar here:
rareteacellar.com

In the fifth episode, Ryan gets deep with Mindy Segal, legendary pastry chef and lovable, introspective guru of all things balanced. The James Beard award-winner comes from a legacy of baking and has built quite the pedigree of her own over the years. Now, she seems to have struck a perfect balance of her own with her newest bakery concept in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood.

Mindy and Ryan talk about meditation, psychoactive herbs, finding peace within yourself, and--of course--pastries.

Check out Mindy's Bakery here:
mindysbakery.com

Ryan sits down with Meg Galus, pastry chef extraordinaire. Topics include: what it's like to go from restaurant pastry chef to owning and running your own pasty shop, all things Chicago, and what work life balance is.

Check out Cocoa + Co. here:
https://cocoaandco.com/