The Line

This episode features Darren and Charlene Lopez Young, the owners of The Fattened Caf, based in St. Louis. When The Fattened Caf started as a once-a-month popup Charlene and Darren were exploring the dream of so many food entrepreneurs with the goal of opening a restaurant. The COVID shutdown led them to pivot their popups into a company selling Longganisa-style sausages. With the focus now on growing the sausage company, they have big hopes of expansion and growth. sausage that is commonly served for breakfast with fried rice and a fried egg. On today’s episode we talk about incubators and business accelerators, when to make the decision to leave your traditional job behind to start your own business or run it full time, the St. Louis food community and the difficulties faced as a minority-owned business.

Photo Courtesy of Rolf Ringwald 

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode of theLINE: Chef Suzanne Barr. Suzanne was previously the Head Chef and a partner at True True Diner in Toronto, Canada, the owner of the popular restaurant Saturday Dinette, and the inaugural chef-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel. She has participated in the James Beard Foundation Chef’s Bootcamp, been a featured speaker at the Mad Symposium in Copenhagen she was chosen as one of six finalists to present a project at the Women In Hospitality United symposium in New York City. Suzanne was also one of the chefs featured in Maya Gallus’ documentary film The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution. With her restaurant closed, she spoke to theLINE from her home in Toronto Canada which is currently still under lockdown. 

Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Barr / Milestone PR 

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, now is a time to reflect on what we've endured. The audio I'm sharing today was collected in those first weeks of the pandemic, when restaurants, bars, and cafes sat dark and quiet across the nation. Owners were unsure if they would ever be able to re-open and hundreds of thousands had lost their jobs as millions were quarantining at home. You'll hear from chefs and restaurant owners from around the nation in their own words about the impossible and life-changing decisions they had to make as they adapted to the realities of COVID-19. 

And before we begin: I am working on a future episode of theLINE and I want to speak to you; if you are a front of house or back of house worker, whether you've been working or not working during the past year of the COVID pandemic, if you were fired or furloughed or decided to leave the hospitality industry or take a break. I want to hear your story about what the last year has been like for you. If you are willing to share your story and you'd like to speak to me, you can get in touch with me by emailing [email protected]. Or you can send me a DM on Instagram to @thesussmans. I would love to hear from you to connect with you and be able to potentially share your story on a future episode.

In Part One, Stories from:

Steven Satterfield - Chef/Owner Miller Union Atlanta @millerunionchef

Alex Raij Founder, Chef, Owner Txikito, El quinto pino, La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie NYC @alexraij 

Andy Hollyday Chef/Co-Owner Selden Standard Detroit @chefandy42

Dave Mancini Chef/Owner Supino Pizzeria Detroit @supinopizzeria 

Hannah Jacobs Co-Owner Babydudes Brooklyn @babydudes 

Dan Kluger Chef/Owner Loring Place NYC @dan_kluger

Marina Michelson Co-Owner Paper or Plastik Cafe @paper_plastic

And after the break, perspectives from:

Aktar Nawab, Chef and Owner - Alta Calidad - NYC, New Orleans, Omaha @altacalidadbk @chefaktar

Max Katzenberg & Greg Baxtrom - Co-Owner and Chef/Co-Owner - Olmsted and Maison Yaki Brooklyn @olmstednyc @nyhospcoalition 

Brent Kroll - Owner Sommelier - Maxwell Park Washington D.C. - @btkroll @maxwellpark_shaw @maxwellpark_navyyard

Camilla Marcus Restaurateur - Westbourne NY - @camilla.marcus @westbourne @roar.ny @indprestaurants 

Whitney Otawka - Chef - Greyfield Inn - Cumberland Island, GA - @greyfieldinn @whitneyotawka

Nate Adler - Owner - Gertie - Brooklyn NY - @gertienyc @natejackadler @leeinitiative

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is the second in a special series of COVID-focused episodes, showcasing voices from around the country as they reflect on one year of the pandemic. On the first half of today's episode we focus on New York, featuring Caroline Schiff, Patrick Miller, Jessica and Trina Quinn, and Bryan Noury. Then, in the second half, we move to Detroit to hear from Kiki Louya and Lisa Ludwinsky.

Photo Courtesy of Lizzie Munro 

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One year of COVID. In this first of a special series of COVID-focused episodes reflecting on one year of the pandemic, theLINE is showcasing voices from around the country. On today's episode: Ashleigh Shanti in North Carolina, Angela Garbacz in Nebraska , Alex Raij in Brooklyn NY, Matthew Bell In Tennessee and Julie Horowitz in Manhattan.

Photo Courtesy of Julie Horowitz 

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode I speak with Zarah Kahn the chef of Botanica, located in Silverlake in Los Angeles.  A self-described farm and produce nerd, Zarah majored in environmental studies and forestry  at University of Washington. Growing up in Seattle, cooking was always part of her family ritual and she was required to cook dinner one night a week for her family.  After working at Delancey & Essex and running the kitchen at the London Plane, she made the decision to move to Los Angeles to continue her cooking career. She arrived in LA on March 8th of 2020 right as COVID-19 was about to explode nationwide. In this episode we talk about finding friendship during lockdown in a new city, remaining optimistic even in the midst of a global pandemic, the power of family meal to inspire, and what it is like to take over and lead a kitchen during COVID-19.

Photo by Alicia Pollett

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode I welcome St. Louis native chef Ben Grupe.  Like many traditional chef trajectories, Ben began his career in the industry as a dishwasher. He worked extensively at country clubs and became addicted to competition as team captain for the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team in 2016 and while competing in the Bocuse d'Or, the most prestigious culinary competition in the world. He was recently a James Beard Award semi-finalist (2018) for "Best Chef Midwest." His new restaurant venture, Tempus, opened after a year of delays in October 2020. Never planned as a takeout or to-go restaurant, we speak extensively on this episode about opening up a restaurant during a pandemic and the unique challenges Ben faces as a brand new operator.

Photo by RJ Hartbeck

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode, I welcome Dario Wolos, founder of Tacombi. After spending 5 years at an internet startup in London, he moved back to Playa Del Carmen and in 2005 purchased a VW bus which became the first location of Tacombi. In 2009 he decided to move Tacombi to NYC, and while biking around NYC he found the spot which is now Tacombi Nolita. With over 10 brick and mortar locations, a production facility in NYC, and a planned expansion in 2022 on the east coast, Tacombi is taking big steps to grow the brand. On today's episode we spoke about the difficulties and pressures of expansion, the community kitchen initiatives Tacombi has championed throughout the pandemic, and how building a great business takes time.

Photo Courtesy of Tacombi.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of the Line I am joined by Co-Owner Patricia Howard and her partner and Executive Chef Ed Szymanski about the various versions of their restaurant project called Dame. It has existed as a fish and chips pop-up and has also hosted multiple other chefs during what they called their Sunday Series. Patricia and Ed donated nearly $20,000 in profit to NAACP, Harlem Grown, Hot Bread Kichen and Soul Fire Farm this summer from their various efforts. They are currently open as Dame Deli and Bottle Shop serving Ed’s seafood conservas along with wines, local spirits, fresh produce and prepared goods from many of their friends who dropped in for pop-ups. On this special episode we talk about trying to open and stay open during COVID, how a small team and a lack of funding can help you be nimble and scrappy, what it means to have a strong partnership and if COVID changed any of their ideas about opening and operating a restaurant. 

Photo Courtesy of Evan Sung 

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of theLINE we welcome Ji Hye Kim, chef and managing partner of MISS KIM, a Korean restaurant influenced by her ancestors and by Michigan produce. After graduating from U of M and spending several years working in hospital administration in New Jersey, life brought her back to Ann Arbor where a desire for a career change brought her to Zingerman's. Enduring a 90% pay cut, she worked at various Zingerman’s businesses and with the Rome Sustainable Food Project, as well as running an Asian street food cart for 4 years before opening the brick and mortar location of Miss Kim in 2016 as a part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. Ji Hye was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef Great Lakes in 2020. She was admitted to and participated in the James Beard Chef Boot Camp for Policy Change and Food Lab Detroit’s Fellowship for Change in Food and Labor. On today’s episode we discuss changing careers, the true time it takes to create, develop and open a food business and how to make the industry more equitable in the future.

Photo Courtesy of MISS KIM

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!

theLINE is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.