The Ultimate Dish

Kathleen Vossenberg is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. 

Kathleen joined Escoffier a little over a year ago as the Director of Program Development and was recently promoted to her current leadership position - a role in which she is already delivering tremendous value to our students and the greater culinary community. 

Kathleen has worked with institutions like Illinois Institute of Art and Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando. 

Listen today as we chat with Kathleen about her leadership role in culinary academia, what’s next for Escoffier students, and the impact of global events on the culinary world.

In today’s episode we’re speaking with Dr. Amy Sapola, a Certified Wellness Coach, Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner, and Doctor of Pharmacy with a B.S. in Nutrition.

Dr. Sapola is the Director of Farmacy (that’s farm - F-A-R-M-ACY) at The Chef’s Garden in Huron, Ohio where she works to help guide consumers towards a mindful relationship with food by connecting the benefits of healthy soil, to healthy plants, and ultimately, to healthy people. She’s a mother of two young children, master gardener, passionate cook and long-time yogi.

Listen today as we chat with Dr. Sapola about the role that functional and integrative medicine play in wellness and ultimately our wellbeing. 

In today’s episode we’re speaking with Chef Kyle Connaughton, co-owner of SingleThread, a Japanese cuisine inspired restaurant, inn and 24-acre farm with three Michelin stars. In 2021, SingleThread was listed in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Kyle began his culinary career in Los Angeles with an apprenticeship at one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the city. He then continued training in both pastry and savory at Spago Beverly Hills, The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Lucques, Hama Sushi, and A.O.C. Kyle spent several years cooking in Japan for the famed chef Michel Bras and in numerous traditional Japanese cuisine restaurants.  In 2006, Kyle joined Heston Blumenthal to become the Head Chef of Research and Development for the Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen. He is a contributor to the "Modernist Cuisine" series, a co-developer of the Culinary Science Bachelor's Degree program for the CIA, and co-author of the book Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking.

Listen as we chat with Chef Kyle about his journey from a skateboarder to a Michelin star chef. 

In today's episode, we chat with Philip Tessier, an award-winning chef, author, coach, culinary partner and innovator.  He was the first American chef to ever place on the podium at the biennial Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon, France, and coached the 2017 U.S. team to a gold-medal victory, a journey that he recounts in his book: Chasing Bocuse.

Philip began his training in the kitchen at a young age while growing up in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was interested and motivated to learn new techniques and taste new things, so his curiosity often led him to the library searching for cookbooks with exotic recipes. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and after graduation, to sought out the best kitchens of France, New York and California to hone his craft. Over the course of three decades, Tessier worked at some of the world’s most renowned restaurants including Roger Verge’s Le Moulin de Mougins, Eric Ripert’s Le Bernadin, as well as Thomas Keller’s Per Se, Bouchon and The French Laundry. It was at The French Laundry that Tessier began to train for the pinnacle of culinary achievement, the Olympics of the food world: the Bocuse d’Or.

Listen as we chat with Philip about the road to Bocuse d'Or, building a strong culinary team, and the three principles that guide his work. 

Bobby Stuckey is the Master Sommelier and Co-Owner of Frasca Hospitality Group, a collection of four Colorado restaurants, one of which, Frasca Food and Wine, won the 2019 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Service. 

Bobby began his distinguished career in restaurants in his home state of Arizona, working his way from dishwasher to management, establishing his position as one of the leaders in the hospitality industry. Bobby has received some of the restaurant and wine industry's highest honors, such as James Beard Foundation nominations for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional and Outstanding Wine Service. In 2000, Bobby worked with world-renowned chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Yountville, California. Within his first year, Stuckey lead the acclaimed restaurant’s team to earn the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Wine Service award and San Francisco Magazine recognized him as "Wine Director of the Year.” The French Laundry also received the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant Service in 2003. 

Listen today as we chat with Bobby about his journey from a busboy to restaurateur, and how he's advocating for an industry in crisis. 

Katrina Markoff is the founder, CEO, and Chocolatier of Vosges Chocolat - a Chicago-based luxury chocolate brand. 

Katrina is a world-traveler who uses her global experiences to bring culture, intuition, and joy to her customers through chocolate. With three boutiques, an ecommerce platform, and international patrons, Katrina is one of the most successful chocolatiers in the industry.  

In the last twenty years Katrina has used vibrant cacao as the medium for her collections. By combining it with indigenous, energetic plants, she is able to communicate a sense of place, terroir or earth as the grounding home that connects the soul of the story to the people who it originates with. She made it part of her mission to use only superior sourced ingredients as an acknowledgement to nature’s secret and potent bounty that she has the honor and responsibility to reveal. Through chocolate she has explored: all seven continents, the Marchesa Casati, African American influences on music, ancient Egypt, aphrodisiacs, the first creative cuisine of Italy, the curiosity of Fermentation, how we taste through our sense of smell and more.
 
Listen today as we chat with Katrina about how she built her luxury chocolate brand, finding your state of flow, and how she uses chocolate to open minds and heart to bring people together and make the world a better place.

Rip Esselstyn is the founder and CEO of PLANTSTRONG, an organization that is helping people lead healthier lives through plant-based nutrition. Rip is a New York Times Bestselling author, world record holder, professional triathlete, former firefighter, and sought after public speaker.

Rip spent a decade as one of the premier triathletes in the world. He then joined the Austin Fire Department where he introduced his passion for a whole-food, plant-based diet to Austin’s Engine 2 Firehouse in order to rescue a firefighting brother’s health. To document his success he wrote the national bestselling book, The Engine 2 Diet, which shows the irrefutable connection between a plant-based diet and good health. He is featured prominently in the documentary Forks Over Knives.

Listen as we chat with Rip about his journey to PLANTSTRONG and the truth behind plant-based food labels.

Chef Bob Scherner is the Executive Chef at Escoffier's Boulder Campus. Chef Bob is a veteran in the industry with over 40-years of experience running some of the best kitchens in the country, including Flagstaff House-Boulder, CO; Charlie Trotters-Chicago, IL; 221 South Oak Bistro and Allred’s Restaurant-Telluride, CO. In 2002 he was invited to the James Beard House for the "Rising Star Chef Series" - a prestigious honor that few chefs ever experience. Chef Bob has been featured in Gourmet, Food and Wine Magazine, USA Today, and Wine Spectator, and was voted top 10 restaurants in the US by Esquire Magazine in 2002.

Listen as we chat with Chef Bob about his extensive career and how he helps mold aspiring chefs by keeping them focused on the technique. 

Chad Sarno is a plant-based pioneer whose mission is to prove that eating healthy can be delicious. Chad's journey to a plant-based lifestyle began when he discovered food as the cure for his asthma as a teenager. From that moment, he endeavored to impact the world by alleviating suffering for people, animals and the planet by exposing plant-based alternatives. 

Chad is an internationally respected chefpreneur, author, mentor, and educator. As the co-founder of Wicked Healthy and Gathered Foods, along with his brother Derek, Chad is building a plant-based culinary empire that’s encouraging people to simply eat more plants. He’s the co-author of more than 10 health related books, including the New York Times Best Seller “Crazy Sexy Kitchen”. 

Listen as we chat with Chad about why plant-based eating is so critical, how he and his brother are building their brand, and what’s next for plant-based enthusiasts.

Dan Lyle is a former Rugby Champion and Director at AEG Rugby. Dan pioneered the game as the first American to play in Europe for the Bath Rugby Team, where he helped the team win their first European Cup Championship in 1998. Dan later played for the US National Team, and was inducted into the US Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016. Although he retired from the game in 2003, he remains an executive leader and advocate for the sport.

Listen as we chat with Dan about his sports career, balancing being an individual and a team member, the importance of mastering the fundamentals in any trade, and how to hone your craft.