Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, award-winning chef Kelly Whitaker grew up spending summers on his grandfather’s vegetable farm and felt pulled towards the culinary arts. With a mission to deepen his understanding of food and its impact on people and the planet, he traveled abroad to hone his skills with various mom-and-pop restaurants. He eventually returned to the U.S. and applied his learnings toward opening his own wood fired pizza shop in Boulder, Colorado and starting the hospitality group, Id Est. Today, Id Est has grown to three restaurants and a bakery/grainery. In this episode, Kelly sits down with Alan to discuss the give and take of turning your passion into an empire, advocacy kitchens, challenging the paradigm of the restaurant industry, and the power of seeing yourself as an artist.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Id Est Hospitality Group website

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The Wolf's Tailor website

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BRUTØ website

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Basta website

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Dry Storage website

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