The Repertoire Podcast

In this episode of the Repertoire Podcast, Justin Khanna interviews Alessandra Ciuffo, a culinary content creator and professional chef known for her impressive journey from a young competitor on Food Network to a successful food media personality. Alessandra shares insights about her experiences in culinary school, working with renowned chefs like Rocco Sacramone, and building her brand, Flavors by Ale. She discusses the importance of mentorship, navigating food media, and balancing personal passions with professional commitments. Alessandra also offers advice for aspiring chefs and content creators, emphasizing the significance of resilience, continuous learning, and authenticity in the culinary industry

Eddie Sheppard, award-winning chef from Manchester, joins us to discuss his unique culinary approach inspired by nature. At his Walled Gardens Underground Restaurant, Eddie offers an intimate 12-course tasting menu, prepared and served exclusively by him for just eight diners nightly. Recently crowned Chef of the Year at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards, Eddie is known for his vibrant food photography and creative dishes. Discover how his underground dining spot became one of the UK's top restaurants.

The traditional "heard" in kitchens may fall short in high-stakes culinary environments, where clarity and accuracy are paramount.

This episode challenges this norm and proposes "mirrored callbacks" as a superior alternative for chefs, culinary students, and restaurant staff.

Embracing this method enhances communication, reduces errors, and could revolutionize teamwork in the hospitality industry.

In this episode, Justin Khanna breaks down a recent episode of The David Chang Show on Quantifying Cooking Performance, and why Total Station Domination and the Station Scoring system might be able to provide an effective (and more practical) alternative...

My guest today is Myles Snider, host of the 80/20 Cooking Course and content creator!

In this episode, I'm joined by Chef Ki Chung of Bar Maze in Honolulu.

Chef Suzanne Vizethann talks about her successful breakfast and brunch restaurant, Buttermilk Kitchen. She shares her insights on taking advantage of an underserved market, building a team, and the importance of communication. Additionally, she discusses the operational strategies that set her restaurant apart, including the use of high-quality ingredients, transparency with guests, and implementing new offerings such as espresso and reservations. Finally, she emphasizes the need for clear vision and strategy, and provides practical frameworks for unifying a team.

In this episode of the Repertoire podcast, host Justin Khanna shares his excitement about the return of solo episodes. Khanna highlights some of the most popular stories covered in past episodes, including a Twitter thread by startup founder Nick Huber, about the reality of running a profitable restaurant. The thread features a cautionary tale about a chef turned restaurateur who failed after opening a restaurant for selfish reasons and not being prepared to handle the responsibilities of running a business. Khanna gives his take on the lesson of the story, which is that starting a successful business is not about doing what you love, but rather about doing what gives you the best odds of making great money while managing the less fun aspects of the business. The episode also includes topics such as hostility in hospitality, Oreo’s product release strategy, smart ovens, and checklist for fire spots.

Born in Queens, Akshay Bhardwaj studied business at Fordham University and Baruch College, and then pivoted to his passion: cooking. His ascension in the culinary world was extraordinary; between 2012 and 2017, he worked his way from working the line to executive chef at Junoon. Junoon was awarded one Michelin Star eight consecutive years from 2011, and held the title of the only Indian restaurant in New York City with a Michelin Star from 2018-2019. He was also selected as a Gohan Society Culinary Scholar — and traveled to Japan to study the delicate art of omakase — and became the first Indian chef to be selected for the Forbes “30 under 30: Food & Drink” list. Bhardwaj showcases a menu that reflects the diversity of India, steeped in the classics while offering deft touches of modernity.

In this episode, we talk about Akshay’s journey running a family business, creating an indian fine dining place and how is it different from a “fusion” restaurant, and finally Akshay shares some wisdom for young folks based on his experience.