It all started in 1902 when Vittorio Fasano, an Italian from Milan arrived in São Paulo, Brazil with a dream to open a restaurant. Since then, the Fasano family — the biggest name in Brazilian hospitality for over a century — has built a legendary portfolio that expands over 26 restaurants and 9 hotels across South America and more recently North America.

This episode's conversation takes place in person at Fasano Restaurant in New York, the newest addition to the group's roster, with Gero Fasano, the great grandson of Vittorio and the present-day face behind Fasano Group.

Having created culturally relevant scenes that epitomize classic, cool, and timeless since buying the family business back at 19 years old, Gero recalls the impact Fasano had in permeating elevated hospitality throughout South America. He also shares what's next for the brand as it plans to bring its distinct personal approach of luxury to major cities around the world.

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Opening a successful restaurant in New York City is no easy feat, yet famed chef Daniel Boulud has managed to successfully open multiple restaurants in the city and around the world in places like Singapore, London, and Toronto.

So how does one man do it all? The answer is The Dinex Group, chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant group — the machine that powers his concepts such as Daniel, Bar Boulud, Le Pavillon, and the newly announced Le Gratin.

Our next guest is Sebastien Silvestri, CEO of The Dinex Group, who along with chef Daniel Boulud has quickly grown the group into an empire of restaurants. As a veteran in the business of hospitality, Sebastien honestly shares what it was like facing the pandemic as the new CEO, his joy of working with his mentor and friend, the harsh realities of a restaurateur in the ever competitive landscape, and how he's helping shape the next era in fine dining for The Dinex Group.

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Whether you're exploring the spirited streets of Rio de Janeiro, laid-back beaches of Bahia, or the ultra stylish neighborhoods of São Paulo, you will get to experience a beautiful range of food, culture, and people across its different regions.

São Paulo, the home of today's guest, is an international blend of influences from places such as Japan, Italy, Africa, France, Germany, and Lebanon. You would be remiss if you didn't try the foods from these cultures or explore the different restaurants while in the city.

Elisa Fernandes is the Chef-Owner of Clos Wine Bar and Bistro, a personal project in collaboration with her husband, a natural wine importer. The restaurant fuses their love for natural wines and french bistronomy — serving up dishes that could compete with any Michelin starred restaurant, but done in an approachable and fun everyday atmosphere to be paired with any of the 100 labels of wines they offer. With a large and continuously growing list, Clos Wine Bar and Bistro has the largest offering of natural wines in the country, while the food takes on flavors and nuances from the city's international inhabitants.

In this episode, we get a look into Elisa's time in France working for chef Alain Ducasse after winning MasterChef Brazil, her passion for supporting women, and creating a more equitable future for women in all sectors. She also drops some local knowledge of her favorite spots and hidden gems to discover in São Paulo.

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We hope you are all enjoying Season 3 thus far and have had the chance to listen to our last few episode with Fulani Chef Fatmata Binta, Chris Jackson & Hélène Seillan of VÉRITÉ wines, and Rafael Shin of Agua Mágica Mezcal. All incredible creative entrepreneurs with valuable wisdom and insight from their personal journeys. This is the last week of March 2022 and our hope for you is the energy and enthusiasm you started the year off with is not only still present, but building momentum. Despite the world issues, conflict taking place in Europe and general easing back into life, coming out of the pandemic, our hope is you still feel optimistic on both a personal level and for your business as well. This is always the time of year for us where some of that initial excitement of the new year starts to wear off a bit. Maybe some of the stresses of work or personal life begin to weigh a little heavier or are more present. It's during this time we like to remind ourselves of all the lessons we've learned, what we've accomplished and the incredible people we have in our life. That always puts things into perspective, builds confidence and puts us in a state or gratitude. Maybe this resonates with you, so we wanted to dedicate this episode to the life lessons our rockstar guests have shared on this show. At the end of every episode I ask our guests, to leave us with a life lesson, and here are some of our favorites. Enjoy!

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The addition of Mezcal to menus has been on a high rise the last few years, yet it still feels like it's just the beginning for this complex and storied spirit.

Rafael Shin, Founder of Agua Mágica Mezcal, is looking to change how people interact with the sprit by honoring the Oaxacan culture and its people, where almost 90% of all Mezcals' are made.

Having grown up in Mexico, Rafael shares personal stories about his introduction to Oaxaca, the first time he ever tried Mezcal, and the spark that brought Agua Mágica to life.

We talk about how he chose Mezcalero Don Rogelio to partner and co-own the brand with, and dive into the important brand mission to empower local entrepreneurship.

Listen now to Rafael Shin of Agua Mágica Mezcal!

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The story of our next guests starts with the late Jess Jackson, a monumental visionary and entrepreneur who built a wine empire around Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay — catapulting him into the category as one of northern California's most recognizable self-made billionaires.

In the late 1990's, Mr. Jackson asked Pierre Seillan, a Bordeaux winemaker from France to come to Sonoma, CA to help him realize his dream of creating one of the best wines in the world. Together, they created Vérité wines and subsequently has become one of Sonoma's elite wineries. Today, Vérité is lead by Mr. Jackson's son Chris Jackson, and Pierre's daughter Hélène Seillan, as Assistant Vigneron. Together the two are slated with the responsibility to take Vérité to new heights, having true liberty to blend and curate an exceptional product that reflects Sonoma County.

Listen now as they discuss the beauty of Sonoma County, their respect and admiration for their fathers and the future of this great brand.

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What is West African food? You probably didn't think of traditional Fulani cooking or Fonio, millet, and dawadawa which are a few of the grains, seeds, and locust beans that make up the traditional Fulani diet.

Our next guest, helping us kick off Season 3 of On The Pass is chef Fatmata Binta, the mastermind behind the international nomadic restaurant Dine on a Mat, a 5-course Nomadic Dining Experience and Founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation.

Fatmata, who comes from the African nomadic Fulani tribe, has dedicated her career to educate the world on the Fulani way of life and its culture.

In this episode we explore the diaspora of West African cuisine and how chef Binta incorporates ancient recipes that have been passed down through generations.

We also hear stories about Dine on a Mat's guests. Her food she says is "for the adventurous diner," while explaining delicacies such as cows tongue or goats testicles never go to waste with the Fulani people.

This episode sheds light on the beautiful Fulani culture and the ways we can learn from their sustainable lifestyle.

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As we wrap up Season 2 of On The Pass and close out for the year, Maria Nguyen, Founder of The Art of Plating, Co-Producer of On The Pass, and Creative Director at our creative agency FARE, joins us to help us reflect on the year.

 

For those who don't know, Maria is a thoroughly passionate traveler who is constantly discovering the best people, places, and food that each destination has to offer. It would only be appropriate that Maria and Gabriel talk about their travels in 2021 — where they went, who they met, and what they saw. They also chat about some of their favorite episodes and guests of Season 2.

 

Big thanks to our listeners, who continue to tune in and to share with friends and engage with us! We are so grateful for you! Keep up with us on @itsonthepass and stay tuned for Season 3 which starts in February!

 

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Cultures around the world have been eating sea kelp for centuries, but in some places like America, the concept is quite new. Our next guest in the Hot Spot series is Courtney Boyd Myers, the co-founder and CEO of natural food startup Akua. Her company is known for making delicious and nutritious food products from kelp such as its fan favorite the Kelp burger with a mission to feed the planet sustainability while restoring the health of oceans.

Unlike a lot of food tech products, the kelp burger is naturally dense nutrients like Vitamins A, B6, E, K, as well as Zinc, Calcium, Folate, Potassium, & Iron.

Listen to this episode as we find out Courtney's personal driving factor to starting Akua, what tough lessons presented themselves along the way as a first time entrepreneur, and what we can expect from Akua's future innovations.

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There are only four ingredients needed to produce whiskey, and yet there are endless possibilities that can be expressed. Some put an emphasis on the water while others others focus on the wood with their own specific maturation philosophy, yet few really focus on the quality of whiskey's key ingredient: barley.

Majority of whiskey today is produced with commodity barley, but our next guest Matt Hofmann is looking to change this ecosystem by focusing on regionally-grown and shortening the distance between distiller and farmer.

Matt is Co-Founder and Master Distiller of Westland Distillery, the makers of an award-winning line of American Single Malt Whiskey. Matt is deeply passionate and knowledgeable and it's no surprise he was awarded in 2015 Whiskey of the Year by the American Distilling Institute, and in 2018, Whisky Magazine named him Master Distiller/Blender of the Year.

Matt takes us on journey through the Pacific Northwest and shares why this region is so important and how it reflects in his products. He also talks about the need for reconnecting the industry to agriculture, and Westland's commitment to local farmers through barley sustainability initiatives such as The Bread Lab, in partnership with Washington State University.

Listen to this episode and get inspired by a passionate entrepreneur paving his own path in the whiskey space.

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