On this weeks podcast I have a very interesting guest. He has over twenty years of experience managing restaurants and looking at the best ways to view data to maximize the performance of your restaurant. He has taken the old standard metrics and turned them upside down. Looking at everything from simple food and labour costs to leadership and managing personnel. His name is Jim Taylor, owner of Benchmark Sixty, a restaurant consulting firm and also a partner in the new incarnation of Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie. I first saw Jim's work on linked in and started to follow him because he was being disruptive to the status quo, and this industry need more thinkers like him to change the mindset most operators have. 
I hope you like our chat and be sure to check him ou on LinkedIn and read his book Bold Operations. 

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Whole grain is flavour. Tommy Aird of Tommy's Wholegrain Bakery in East Vancouver has dedicated his business to the pursuit of flavour in bread and pastry through the use of wholegrain wheat. He accomplishes this by buying the highest quality organic wheat berries from farms here in BC and milling his own flour. By controlling the whole baking process he and his team can hone done on making some of the delicious baked good I have ever eaten. The flour brings a massive amount of flavour, nutrition and craftsmanship to everything on offer in the bakery.  His passion for wholegrain is infectious and the "why" is the most important part. I hope you enjoy this latest podcast.

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On this weeks episode we have a follow up with one of the rising stars of BC's culinary scene. We heard from Danae last April about being a young person in the industry and the challenges she faces. Now back from her European adventures and about to start her new gig at a very anticipated new restaurant opening on Cambie st here in Vancouver. Always great to hear stories from a young culinarian's perspective. 

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I'm very happy to introduce a major player in the Canadian Culinary Tourism space to the podcast today. Rebecca Mackenzie is the President and CEO of the Culinary Tourism Alliance. A national, not for profit organization that helps connect the vast array of Canadian tours, farms, restaurants, hotels, breweries, wineries, distillers and producers to large tourism organizations like Destination Canada and Destination Vancouver. Its purpose is to better strategically plan, promote and market the Canadian Culinary landscape to the vast numbers of visitors to Canada. Rebecca has a passion for our producers and our hospitality business, that is infectious and absolutely steadfast in her commitment to it. Her keynote address at COOKSCAMP this past September showed all the Chefs, Managers and Operators that they have a very strong ally in Rebecca and that she is doing everything she can to advocate for them. 
I hope you enjoy the pod. Any comment please DM me on the COOKSCAMP instagram. 

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On today's podcast we talk about COOKSCAMP 2024 and the what it meant to everyone. We have the General Manager, Jason Ocenas, of Bargreen Ellingson major partner to COOKSCAMP and the CTS. Johnny Bridge, Chef and current president of the Chefs Table. We also have Poyan Danesh, Chef and Treasurer of the CTS. We talk about the meaning behind COOKSCAMP, what it does and what it could mean to the future of our industry. Evolution is a big part of any event or business, and what we can do to evolve and balance the event for the future. 

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So happy to be back with todays podcast. We have been on a late summer/ early fall hiatus, traveling and getting our businesses ready for winter. I am excited that our first guest back was one of our presenters at COOKSCAMP 2024. Erin is a Mental Health & Psychological Safety professional with over 20years of experience in leadership and human resources work. Her presentation in conjunction with Go2Hr was one of our most popular activations. The resources available for the leaders managers, owners and employees are vast and all encompassing. They are also always being updated with the best new data and best new practices. Erin is back today to give some more practical real world advice and resources to make our working lives better. 

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On this weeks podcast we have Essex born Chef, Luke Boswell now running and partnered in Bar Corso on Commercial Drive, here in Vancouver. We chat about the importance of travel, great ingredients and humbling need for family. He will be up at COOKSCAMP next week, so make sure you go up and say hello. He will probably be in the kitchen. As always please DM at @cookscamp2024 suggestions of people who should be on the podcast. 

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On todays podcast we have two of my oldest industry friends. Chef and Co Owner of Harvest Community Foods, Gabriella Meyer and Chef and Owner of Michelin starred Burdock and Co, Harvest Community Foods and Bar Gobo, Andrea Carlson. These two Chefs have been champions of local food and sustainability for a very long time. Their symbiotic approach to the farmer/ producer is what I consider the model for how those relationships should be cultivated. Because of these great relationships, they both produce incredibly delicious food that is good for you, the cook, the farmer and the planet. I hope you enjoy the listen. As always please DM your feedback on @cookscamp2024 on instagram. 

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Incredibly happy to Have Chef Bruno Marti on today's podcast. At the young age of 15 Bruno set out on his own to learn the craft of cooking and has never looked back. Born in Switzerland, and from humble beginnings, Bruno carved out a career that has taken him around the world. Chef's pursuit of his love for languages, his incredible work ethic towards the craft of cooking and his never ending desire to prove to himself that his work in Culinary Competition will bring home the gold. His work with the Culinary Teams as a competitor, a coach and as a mentor, are legendary around the world and rightly so. He is one of the most respected culinary champions in the world and his reputation and work take him everywhere. All of his hard work was recognized earlier this year with the highest accolade a Canadian citizen can awarded, induction into the Order of Canada. Not bad for a cook from Switzerland.  

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On this weeks podcast we do something a bit different. Chef Poyan Dinesh takes the helm and interviews our regular podcast host Robert Belcham. With 30 years in the hospitality industry, tells the stories of his career that help explain how he ended up here in Vancouver opening restaurants. From Fuel to Monarch burger, Robert has opened and ran a string of successful ventures and left an indelible mark on BC's hospitality scene. 

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