The Ultimate Dish

Robert Danhi is a research chef, educator, TV show host, and award-winning cookbook author.

An expert in Southeast Asian cuisine, Chef Robert was the host of Taste of Vietnam, a globally-broadcast, 26-episode TV docuseries that highlighted culinary traditions throughout each of the provinces in Vietnam. He was also a judge on Top Chef Vietnam.

His book Southeast Asian Flavors: Adventures in Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, & Singapore was also a finalist for a James Beard award. Currently, Robert's work is focused on Flavor360, a multimedia software platform for research chefs to capture the flavor experience of food.

Listen as we chat with Robert about traveling through Southeast Asia, eel soup, R&D, culinary education, and using technology to innovate in the culinary industry.

Dina Altieri is the Director of Culinary Enterprises at UMOM New Day Centers in Phoenix, Arizona - a non-profit organization that helps fight homelessness in underserved communities. 

With over thirty years of leading kitchens, educating, and training young culinarians, Dina is one of the foremost leaders in culinary education today. Some of her many accolades including winning National Chef Educator of the Year in 2011 and receiving the Cutting Edge Award in 2015 from the American Culinary Foundation. 

Listen as we chat with Dina about the value of being a culinary educator, mentorship, softball, serving underprivileged communities, and the importance of always being open to learning. 

Andy Clark is an expert baker and owner of Moxie Bread Co., a Colorado bakery and coffee shop. He's also the proprietor of a retail grain mill and the chairman of the Colorado Grain Chain, a local non-profit group which seeks to preserve ancient grains. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Andy and his team had to innovate and reinvent the bakery, as well as use their resources to help struggling local farmers.

Listen as we chat with Andy about opening a non-traditional bakery, adapting to COVID, serving one's local community, and music. 

Lauren Lewis is a yogi and chef with expertise in plant-based cuisine. She has operated a personal chef and culinary education business for nearly twenty years, and also served as personal chef of Colorado Governor Jared Polis for over a decade.

She combines her deep passion of food and yoga in her workshops and regularly conducts retreats and one-on-one sessions on healthy living with clients.

Listen as we chat with Lauren about her thoughts on health & wellness, intuitive cooking, balancing priorities, and how to align food & movement in leading a better life.

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.