The Perfect Bite

Today's guest has paved the way for new world cuisine and modern cooking as we know it. In fact, you wouldn't have the word 'fusion' in the lexicon of cooking without him.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, I sit down with legendary chef, restaurateur, and James Beard Award winner Norman Van Aken. Known as the “Godfather of Fusion Cuisine,” Norman shares the extraordinary journey that took him from humble Midwest beginnings to Key West kitchens, Miami fine dining, and ultimately creating what we now know as New World Cuisine.

Norman opens up about:

• His unexpected path to the kitchen (including a near-death experience at a carnival)
• The moment he fell in love with Key West and Caribbean flavors
• Why James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking changed his life
• How he coined the word “fusion” and redefined modern American dining
• Building Norman’s into one of Florida’s most iconic restaurants
• The importance of resilience, storytelling, and living a creative, full life
• His advice for young chefs and entrepreneurs finding their voice

Norman discusses his culinary journey with us, the beautiful friendships he has made along the way (such as his late ‘brother’ Charlie Trotter and honoring the great Jacques Pépin for his 90th birthday), along with the prolific books that made an impact on his life philosophies and menus. This episode is packed with stories of food, history, and wisdom from one of America’s most influential culinary figures.

You can visit Norman’s in Orlando, Florida. 

Make sure to follow Chef Norman on Instagram (@normanvanaken), Facebook, and his Substack—he’s a captivating writer!

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Meet Luisa Castellanos and Andy Freivogel, co-founders of Science On Call — the startup that helps restaurants manage everything from point-of-sale crashes to online ordering breakdowns, all while keeping humanity at the heart of hospitality tech.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins talks with Luisa and Andy about:

• Their entrepreneurial journeys from ice cream shops, coffee houses, and IT consulting to launching Science On Call
• How they support restaurants through tech failures with empathy and AI-driven solutions
• Their experience launching in 2020 — right as the pandemic hit — and how it shaped their mission
• The future of restaurant tech, AI, and why empathy is as important as efficiency
• Their advice for entrepreneurs building in food, tech, and beyond

Whether you’re a restaurant operator, a food tech founder, or just curious about the hidden systems that power hospitality, this episode pulls back the curtain on the tech that makes your dining experience seamless.

I’m so happy I got to chat with my Science On Call friends, co-founders Luisa Castellanos and Andy Freivogel. They really are a dream team, 10 years of work together in the making. Both bring backgrounds not only in technology, but also the hospitality industry, making sure to infuse their software with the same empathy you get with someone face-to-face at your favorite restaurants. Each of them has their strengths, and they recognize this in their team of now over 30 employees. It may sound counterintuitive, but the Science On Call team is happiest when you can’t recognize their technology hard at work—only the smooth interactions between restaurants and guests. 

Learn more about Science On Call at www.scienceoncall.com.

You can follow Science On Call on Instagram @scienceoncall or on LinkedIn. 

You also can find Luisa and Andy on LinkedIn.  

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Have you ever heard of a Chicago style bagel? Thanks to Tilly Bagel, now you have — and they might just rival New York’s bagel crown.

In this episode of The Perfect Bite Podcast, host Sarah Perkins sits down with founders Hannah Tillet-Banaszak (pastry chef alum of Top Chef Stephanie Izard's Girl & The Goat and Michelin-starred BOKA) and Mike Banaszak (acclaimed architect turned entrepreneur) to talk about how they turned a pandemic project into one of Chicago’s most buzzed-about food businesses.

Hannah & Mike share:

• How Hannah’s culinary career at Chicago’s top restaurants shaped Tilly Bagel
• The leap from farmer’s markets and bike deliveries to a sold-out South Loop storefront
• What makes a “Chicago-style bagel” different from New York’s
• The challenges of scaling from a side hustle to a growing team of 20+
• Why employee benefits, pay equity, and hospitality culture are core to their mission
• How they prepared to open their second shop in Fulton Market in 2025

This is a story of entrepreneurship, innovation, and love for food — and how a couple with very different career paths built something uniquely Chicago.

Learn more about why Tilly Bagel became such a viral hit after their early days at the farmer’s market and how to sustainably grow a business in this space! 

You can visit Tilly Bagel in Chicago, Illinois in the South Loop and Fulton Market neighborhoods. Beat the rush by ordering ahead online!

You can follow Tilly Bagel on social media @tillybagel. 

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

What does it mean to farm with chefs, sustainability, and flavor in mind?

This episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, I'm speaking with one of the hardest working entrepreneurs you'll ever meet. And no, he's not building the next tech unicorn. He's nourishing people around the world with his nutrient rich bites from The Chef's Garden and his infectious personality—it’s Farmer Lee Jones!

The iconic Farmer Lee Jones, founder of The Chef’s Garden, talks about his lifelong mission to grow vegetables responsibly and partner with some of the world’s best chefs.

Lee shares:

• The story of building The Chef’s Garden after losing his family farm
• How regenerative farming practices heal the soil and grow better flavor
• Why chefs from Thomas Keller to José Andrés trust his vegetables
• His thoughts on food waste, consumer education, and the future of farming
• The entrepreneurial lessons of resilience, creativity, and staying true to values

Farmer Lee heads up The Chef’s Garden, the Jones family-owned farm in Huron, Ohio, known for the last 40 years as the top source of the most flavorful and nutritious produce for renowned chefs around the world. Lee and his brother Bob Jr. took over the farm from dad Bob Sr., with regenerative farming practices resulting in produce with up to 300% the recommended nutrient levels by the USDA—they even have a lab onsite to test the biochemistry of the soil! Chefs from all over visit The Chef’s Garden’s Culinary Vegetable Institute to test new dishes and work with the most delicious produce you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. 

Farmer Lee has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, written The Chef’s Garden cookbook with his team, and now stars in The Chef’s Garden show on HOME.MADE.NATION—produced by the one and only Rachael Ray! 

You can visit The Chef’s Garden, the Culinary Vegetable Institute, and the Farm Market in Huron, Ohio. You also can order your own produce boxes from The Chef’s Garden, shipping nationwide, along with your own copy of “The Chef’s Garden” cookbook. 

You can watch The Chef’s Garden on HOME.MADE.NATION or Hulu. 

Follow Farmer Lee Jones on social media @farmerleejones and The Chef’s Garden at @thechefsgarden_ohio.

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Chef, musician, and entrepreneur — Chef Ed Porter has lived many lives through food. Our guest this episode of The Perfect Bite podcast is a renaissance person of all kinds, from the plate, to the studio, to your screens. Chef Ed Porter is a fine-dining-trained chef who also is an accomplished hip hop artist, and now, a documentary film director with his newest film, “The Food That Fuels”. I sit down with Chef Ed to talk about his culinary journey, his appearance on Netflix’s Pressure Cooker, and how music and entrepreneurship have shaped his life.

Ed shares:

• How he went from working in fine dining restaurants with Marcus Samuelsson to competing on Netflix’s Pressure Cooker
• The parallels between food and music — and why creativity connects both worlds
• Lessons from leading kitchens and building businesses in the restaurant industry
• The importance of mentorship, discipline, and resilience in hospitality
• Why food entrepreneurship is about more than cooking — it’s about storytelling and connection

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Chef Ed infuses culture and intention into everything he does. We talk about his days at the famed, Michelin-starred Aquavit, and how he found his way to something that was completely his own, coining the term “bicoastal cuisine” when he moved out to the Bay Area. From there, Chef Ed’s passion for storytelling and finding the “why” at the heart of everything grew, and his two sides—chef and creative—finally combined into the work he does today. Whether you know him from Pressure Cooker, his work in kitchens, or his music, Chef Ed Porter’s story is one of grit, creativity, and vision.

Follow Chef Ed on social media @officialedporter. You can visit his website, officialedporter.com, to learn more about his many projects. Be sure to view the trailer for his documentary, “The Food That Fuels,” here! 

Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Welcome to the FIRST episode of The Perfect Bite podcast, your fusion of food and entrepreneurship! We’re beyond excited to chat with this episode’s guest, Maneet Chauhan. She’s a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, from chef, to restaurateur, cookbook writer, television personality, James Beard Award winner, and so much more. Anytime you turn on the Food Network, there’s a good chance you’ll see Maneet’s smiling face and winning dishes, from “Chopped” to “Tournament of Champions,” to “Guy’s Grocery Games”. 

Maneet opens up about:

• Her early love of food and how Indian regional cuisines shaped her career
• Moving to the U.S. for the Culinary Institute of America and the challenges of breaking into the industry
• Redefining Indian food in America and making it approachable for all audiences
• Building restaurants in Nashville, including Chauhan Ale & Masala House and The Mockingbird and partnerships like Eet at Disney Springs
• Her philosophy of gratitude, resilience, and balancing family with entrepreneurship

Despite her fame and accomplishments, Maneet is one of the most humble people you’ll meet, sharing her secrets for an “attitude of gratitude” and how Saturday snuggles with her family keep her balanced. Learn how Maneet juggles it all—and what her perfect bite is. 

Follow Maneet on social media @maneetchauhan and be sure to visit her restaurants Chauhan Ale & Masala House and The Mockingbird in Nashville, and Eet at Disney Springs! 

You can learn more about The Trotter Project, a non-profit Maneet is a board member of, here.

Want to watch the entire interview? Head here to our YouTube! 

Make sure to subscribe, rate and review The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and visit our site www.theperfectbitepod.com.

Welcome to The Perfect Bite podcast, your fusion of food and entrepreneurship. I'm your host, Sarah Perkins.

The Perfect Bite isn’t just a bite of my career to date, from lifestyle journalist, to founder, to food & bev marketing enthusiast. It’s also a perfect bite of the different types of folks who bring you the food you love. You’ll hear stories from chefs, restaurateurs, CPG brands and more from the food and bev industry. All of them are at different points in their journeys, talking about their experiences, and how they've cooked up something new.

And everyone has a perfect bite. A recipe, a moment, a special time when they ate something so perfect, they’ll remember it forever, totally unique to their tastes. Make sure to rate, review and subscribe to The Perfect Bite anywhere you listen to podcasts. Now tell me … what’s your perfect bite?

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