In today’s episode, we speak with Chris Hill, a marketing executive turned entrepreneur and chef, who helps culinarians build brands that reflect their personal careers (all while avoiding burnout). 

Along with sharing career lessons in Making the Cut: What Separates the Best from the Rest and TEDx talks, Chris continues to share his best-selling books, travel the world as a public speaker, and consult at the Culinary Institute of Virginia.

Listen as Chris shares how he grew his personal brand to 100K followers (and growing), sold shares of his own sandwich bistro, and his work-life balance tips in the culinary industry. 

In today’s episode, we speak again with the world-renowned Curtis Duffy, a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Ever restaurant in Chicago. 

Some of Curtis’s many achievements include earning three Michelin stars at his former restaurant, Grace, as well as earning two Michelin stars at Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago, IL. He also received Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star rating, AAA’s Five-Diamond rating, and the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef, Great Lakes Award in 2016.

As a member of the prestigious Disciples d'Escoffier International, Curtis focuses on leading teams to a greater vision—all by harnessing camaraderie and competition. More recently, he was a challenger chef on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. 

Listen as Curtis talks about how he prepared for the Iron Chef competition, the food scene in  Chicago, and how to build a family culture in the kitchen. 

In today’s episode, we speak with returning podcast guest Edward Leonard, a Culinary Olympic gold medalist and Certified Master Chef, who mentors culinarians with his unique philosophy on success. 

Between writing numerous cookbooks, developing impactful recipes, and inspiring culinary leaders, Edward has received recognition across the globe for his contributions to the culinary industry.

Listen as Edward talks about leading the American Culinary Federation’s Team to over 34 gold medals, the equation of success, and why purpose is more important than passion when pursuing a goal. 

In today’s episode, we speak with Pearce Miller, a culinary educator and entrepreneur, who is revolutionizing student-centric academic program models.

Pearce has shaped the academic policy for several schools, improving retention and overall student performance. He has taught at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, served as the President of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, and filled the role of Vice President of Academics for Le Cordon Bleu.

Listen as Pearce chats about developing new ways to connect with students in this new digital environment, hybrid education, and his personal teaching philosophy.

In today’s episode, we speak with Kelly Newlon, co-owner of Real Athlete Diets (RAD), a catering company based in Boulder, CO that focuses on feeding ultra-endurance athletes and outdoor enthusiasts with delicious, performance-oriented food.

Kelly is an avid runner and has also cooked in professional kitchens since she was a teenager. She combined her love for sport and culinary arts to create RAD with her husband Morgan. 

Listen as we chat with Kelly about her passion for ultra trail running, making cakes for Julia Child, attending culinary school, and how she fuels endurance athletes with food. 

In today’s episode, we speak with Lee Hillson, the Executive Chef at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Arizona, a James Beard House featured chef and four-time nominee of Arizona’s Culinary Hall of Fame.  

Chef Hillson has cooked for the likes of former president George W. Bush, Barbara Streisand, Princess Diana, Richard Branson, and Billy Joel. Some of his other accomplishments include: competing in Food Network’s Iron Chef America, running top-rated kitchens in some of Arizona’s most prestigious restaurants, including the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, and playing a major role in all seven restaurants at the famous Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale. 

Listen as Lee talks about baking in extreme weather, respecting the origin of the food you prepare, and the lessons learned from crossing paths with legendary chefs like the Roux Brothers, Gordon Ramsey, and Marco Pierre White.

In today’s episode, we speak with Donna Merten, an award-winning architectural designer, real estate developer, and food systems strategist.

Donna is currently the Chief Forager and co-owner of the FED food truck in Boulder, CO and is passionate about bringing back artisanal culinary practices and reducing food waste. She is also turning restaurant methodology inside out and seeking to create a whole new way of working with local food. 

Listen as Donna talks about getting back to old farm practices, building sustainable local food systems, and relearning how we approach food and eating.

In today’s episode, we bring back André Natera, a professional culinary consultant, author, and a chef with over 27 years of experience, working alongside Michelin-starred chefs. 

André is the author of a new book, Chef's PSA: How Not to Be the Biggest Idiot in the Kitchen, a comical guide for people just starting their culinary career.  He has led culinary teams at some of Dallas’ most acclaimed restaurants, and became the regional executive chef for Omni Hotels. Since then, André has been inducted into the Epicurean World Master Chefs Society (WMCS) for almost a decade now, and he continues to serve as a culinary council member for the prestigious Ment’or BKB. 

Listen as André talks about the challenges chefs face in the culinary industry, how to shorten the learning curve for new cooks, and practical tips for aspiring chefs to survive the kitchen.

In today’s episode, we speak with internationally-recognized author, educator, and public speaker, Ann Cooper—recognized by the New York Times as today’s “Renegade Lunch Lady.” 

Ann’s life mission is dedicated to making quality, delicious, nutritious, and sustainable school food accessible for all children. As the Director of Nutrition Services for the Boulder Valley School District, she launched the widely praised “School Food Project”, which replaced highly processed lunches with healthy scratch-cooked meals. Since retiring, Ann continues to focus on working through the Chef Ann Foundation and Lunch Lessons LLC.

Listen as Ann talks about examining our current society’s food culture, improving children’s food literacy, and ways we can fix our school food crisis.

In today’s episode, we speak with Tracy DeWitt, winner of the Food Network Challenge and an educator with nearly 30 years of experience teaching and mentoring aspiring chefs.

Chef Tracy  believes that nurturing passion and preparation is more important than focusing on perfection. Taking this approach led her to win two gold medals and one silver medal on the Food Network Challenge. It’s no surprise that her life catchphrase is “sugar happens.” Today, as a Pastry Arts Chef Instructor at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Tracy supports her students in an inclusive learning environment, where all voices are heard, and all learning styles are welcomed.

Listen as Tracy talks about the drama behind cooking competitions, supporting students to reach their goal, and how to not let “perfection” stop progress.