Nancy Silverton on Purpose, Loss, Leadership & Building Restaurants That Last

This weeks On The Pass episode, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with culinary icon Nancy Silverton — chef, restaurateur, mentor, and co-founder of the Mozza Restaurant Group.

From helping define California cuisine to building an international restaurant empire that includes Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Chi Spacca, Nancy has shaped the way America eats. But this conversation goes far beyond food.

Nancy opens up about:

- Imposter syndrome — and why it may be her secret fuel

- The difference between being a chef and being a leader

- Why "angry cooks make angry food"

- How to choose business partners wisely

- Why she feels like she's just getting started

- What longevity really requires in restaurants and in life

This episode isn't just for chefs. It's for founders, creatives, and anyone building something meaningful — especially when the road hasn't been straight.

Nancy reminds us that great food is one thing. But building something that lasts requires courage, humility, and purpose.

If you've ever wondered how to keep going — this conversation is for you. 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch the full episode here on YouTube.

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This conversation is about much more than wine.

On this episode of On The Pass, we sit down with Matt Crafton, winemaker at the legendary Chateau Montelena, as the winery approaches a historic milestone—50 years since the Judgment of Paris reshaped the global perception of American wine.

Rather than rehashing history, this conversation looks forward.

Matt shares his unconventional path into winemaking, from leaving finance behind, starting at the bottom of the cellar, and embracing craft over comfort, to now stewarding one of the most iconic names in Napa Valley alongside CEO Bo Barrett.

Together, we explore:

• What it means to build something that outlives you

• Leading with trust, clarity, and creative freedom

• Replanting vineyards with a century-long mindset

• Embracing innovation and technology without losing soul

• Why wine is ultimately about people, connection, and shared moments

You don't need to be a wine expert to take something meaningful from this episode. This is a conversation about legacy, leadership, patience, and community—told through the lens of a place that has helped shape American culture.

If you care about building things with intention, thinking long-term, and creating work that endures, this episode is for you.

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In this episode of On The Pass, with José Luis Hinostroza, the chef behind ARCA, a jungle-rooted restaurant shaped by fire, place, and pre-colonial Mesoamerican tradition.

José Luis' journey spans some of the world's most influential kitchens — Alinea, El Celler de Can Roca, and Noma — where he later joined the R&D team for Noma Mexico. But rather than chasing prestige, he chose presence, calm, and connection, ultimately building a life and community in Tulum.

Recorded just after a powerful collaboration dinner celebrating 10 years of ARCA, with chefs flying in from across Mexico, this conversation goes far beyond the plate.

We explore:

• Finding calm in Tulum after years of anxiety

• Reconnecting with Mexican identity through indigenous ingredients

• Letting go of ego and leading with humility

• Mentorship, team-building, and protecting creative vision

• Why ARCA rejects the "fine dining" label

• Community, responsibility, and the future of Mexican cuisine

This episode is about more than food. It's about leadership, legacy, and choosing a life aligned with your values.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify 📺 Watch the full conversation on YouTube 📲 Follow @itsonthepass and join the conversation

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Chef Travis Swikard has become one of the most influential voices shaping the future of West Coast dining. After years cooking at the highest levels in New York, Travis returned home to San Diego to create Callie, a restaurant that has redefined Southern California cuisine and captured national attention. Now, he's preparing to open Fleurette, his most intimate and personal restaurant yet — a project rooted in craft, memory, and a deep sense of place.

In this conversation, Travis opens up about the moments that shaped him: the early lessons that forged his discipline, the risk of walking away from a dream job, the grief and setbacks that humbled him, and the clarity that came from rebuilding with purpose. We explore how he leads, how he cultivates culture inside the kitchen, how he thinks about flavor and storytelling, and why he believes San Diego is entering its most exciting culinary chapter yet.

In this episode, we discuss: • The rise of Callie and Travis' return to San Diego • Why Fleurette represents a new creative frontier • Leadership, culture-building, and empowering young cooks • Turning loss into fuel and rebuilding with intention • What defines San Diego's food identity — and where it's going • The responsibility chefs carry in shaping community

Whether you're a chef, entrepreneur, hospitality leader, or someone who simply loves food and meaningful storytelling, this episode offers a rare look into the heart and mind of a chef leading with vision.

📍 Listen to more episodes of On The Pass on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube. 📺 Watch this full conversation on YouTube — including bonus moments and behind-the-scenes context.

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An On The Pass Studios Production

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What does it take to build a bakery that becomes the soul of a neighborhood? In this episode of On The Pass, host Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Or Amsalam, chef and co-founder of Lodge Bread Co., one of Los Angeles' most influential and beloved artisan bakeries.

For nearly a decade, Lodge Bread Co. has been more than a place for great bread — it has become a cultural pillar, a symbol of craft, care, and community. Or shares how his Israeli–Moroccan heritage shaped his palate, how failure became a teacher, and how the bakery's recent Culver City expansion is a way of giving back to the neighborhood that believed in them from day one.

Together, they dive into: • The discipline and philosophy behind naturally leavened sourdough • How heritage, memory, and flavor inform Or's cooking • The power of community-driven hospitality • What creativity looks like after 10 years of growth • Why every neighborhood needs a bakery and a baker • The dish Or wishes he had created • What the next decade of Lodge Bread Co. might hold

This is a thoughtful, warm, fun conversation with a chef who understands that bread isn't just food — it's connection.

Watch the full video episode on YouTube and subscribe to On The Pass for more conversations with chefs, winemakers, and creative leaders shaping food and culture.

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In this special in-depth conversation, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Chef Eduard Xatruch, one of the three creative forces behind Disfrutar — the #1 restaurant in the world (World's 50 Best 2024) and a three-Michelin-stardestination redefining modern gastronomy.

From the legacy of El Bulli to the philosophy of "creative cooking," Eduard reflects on his lifelong pursuit of innovation, collaboration, and meaning. He opens up about the power of partnership with fellow chefs Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, the discipline required to harness creativity ("creativity is a beast, and you must control it"), and the relentless curiosity that drives Disfrutar to keep reimagining what's possible in fine dining.

Recorded live in Miami during the Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress, this conversation offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the world's most visionary chefs — an exploration of passion, precision, and purpose that defines the next era of culinary creativity.

🍽️ Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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A New Course is a special three-part video series presented by On The Pass, in partnership with S.Pellegrino and the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy — a celebration of mentorship, creativity, and the future of gastronomy. Featuring culinary icons like Nancy Silverton, Aisha Ibrahim, and Brad Kilgore, alongside emerging voices such as Charlie Mitchell and Garrett Brower, each episode explores the deeper meaning of competition, leadership, and community in shaping the next generation of chefs. It offers a rare glimpse into the minds and hearts of chefs across generations who are redefining excellence in the kitchen — and reminds us that every great culinary journey begins with a love for being in service to others.

🎥 Watch the full series now on YouTube — link below.

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In this episode of On The Pass, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with world-renowned chef, restaurateur, and creative force Curtis Stone — a figure who has spent nearly two decades evolving from fine dining in Beverly Hills, to live fire at Gwen, to his latest chapter with Woodend at Maroma, A Belmond Hotel in Mexico.

Curtis has worn many hats: Michelin-starred chef, butcher, farmer, TV personality, cookbook author, Emmy-nominated producer, and entrepreneur. But beneath the accolades lies a deeper story — one about vision, leadership, reinvention, and the pursuit of meaning in both work and life.

In this conversation, Curtis opens up about:

• How he gets others to believe in and buy into his vision across restaurants, media, products, and farms

• Why vulnerability is just as essential to leadership as grit and discipline

• His perspective on the future of culinary storytelling — from network TV to TikTok to long-form depth

• What Mexico has taught him about humility, culture, and honoring place through food

• How he decides where to focus his energy, what he's ready to leave behind, and what success means now as a leader, father, and builder of community

This is Curtis Stone like you've never heard him before, not just as a celebrity chef, but as a creative visionary building an ecosystem that stretches far beyond the kitchen.

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What does it mean to "dare to imagine new possibilities for Chinese cuisine"? For Bolun and Linette Yao, the husband-and-wife duo behind Yingtao in Hell's Kitchen, it means rewriting the story of what Chinese fine dining can be and doing it on their own terms.

In this episode, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with the Yaos to talk about the vision, the challenges, and the triumphs of building New York City's only contemporary Chinese Michelin-starred restaurant. Named after Bolun's grandmother, Yingtao is as much about family and memory as it is about innovation and modernity.

Highlights include: • The grandmother who inspired Yingtao and continues to shape its spirit • Why the Yaos see Yingtao as more than a restaurant, but a brand and a movement • How their backgrounds across China, New Zealand, Singapore, California, and New York influence their approach to food and hospitality • What it takes to build a Michelin-starred restaurant as a young couple in New York City • Why they believe Chinese cuisine is entering a new era, alongside global innovators like Chef Andrew Wong in London

This is a conversation about legacy, ambition, and cultural storytelling. It is about honoring tradition while reimagining what is possible.

🎧 Listen, follow, and subscribe to On The Pass on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch the full episode on YouTube.

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There's a certain kind of magic that happens at the intersection of memory and ambition, and Chef Tara Monsod is living proof of that.

In this episode, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Tara, the Executive Chef of Animae and Le Coq in San Diego and a two-time James Beard Award finalist, to explore the story behind her meteoric rise — and the deeper mission fueling her work.

Born and raised in LA, Tara has become one of San Diego's fiercest culinary champions. We discuss how she's reshaping perceptions of the city's food scene, why Filipino cuisine is both humble and powerful, and how she uses her platform to mentor the next generation of Asian American and Pacific Islander chefs.

This is a conversation about culture, creativity, and community — from building joyful, inclusive kitchen culture to infusing fine dining with soul and heritage.

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