Chef Frank Vollkommer is the Director of Culinary Industry Development at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, and one of only 11 Certified Master Pastry Chefs in the nation - the highest level of pastry chef certification that one can receive.

Frank carries decades of experience as a chef, educator, business owner, and research & development chef. His creations have been featured in publications such as So Good: The Magazine of Haute Patisserie, Pastry Arts Magazine and Baking and Pastry North America. To top it off, he’s also a champion motorcycle road racer and gold medal winner at the Culinary Olympics.

Listen as Chef Frank shares his thoughts on his career success, entrepreneurship, culinary R&D, and honing one's craft while taking on challenges.

From martial arts to memory competitions, in this episode we speak with the rockstar Executive Chef André Natera of the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, Texas, board member of the Texas Food & Wine Alliance, and host of the Run the Pass podcast & web series.

Chef André is an active individual - a former mixed martial artist and a culinary industry veteran who has held over 10 executive chef positions from Fairmont Hotels to Omni Hotels. A big proponent of education and mentorship, he has a progressive learning environment in his kitchen designed for culinary professionals to be creative.

Listen as we chat with André about work ethic, starting a restaurant, martial arts, culinary mentorship, and how to create a strong team culture in the kitchen.

Shane Witters Hicks, an Escoffier graduate, a private chef, and plant-based culinary specialist, completed his undergraduate degree in physics with a minor in computer science and environmental sustainability, and then spent the first six months after graduation working as a power systems engineer.

Shane decided to switch his career to working in the restaurant industry, before enrolling at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. After graduating in May 2020, he started his own company, The Soulful Spread, which offers two primary services — delivering meals as a private chef and teaching virtual cooking classes. Listen as Shane shares about his experience as an entrepreneur, and how plant-based cooking is shaping the culinary industry.