Chefs Without Restaurants

Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have ever received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.

Culinary Education, Microgreens, Food Aversions and Unsung Heroes - with Personal Chef Steven Lash Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

This week I have a short episode with chef Steven Lash, owner of Blue Duck personal chef service. If you haven't heard our full episode yet, you can go back and listen to Episode 107. I really enjoyed that one, and we received a lot of positive feedback.
After the outro, I kept recording, and we continued our conversation, which is what you will hear in this episode. We talk about culinary school and education, microgreens, and the foods that Steven won't eat. He shared advice for those looking to start a business, and we discuss who he thinks is underrated in the food world. Let us know what you think. We'd love the feedback.
Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week's sponsor is Savory Jobs, a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job postings for an entire year. Use discount code SAVORY10 to save 10%.
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Steven Lash

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Steven's Instagram
Blue Duck on Facebook
Blue Duck Website

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

Marketing That Works with Matt Plapp Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

This week, my guest is Matt Plapp, CEO of America’s Best Restaurants. He’s a marketer, author, speaker, consultant, and business coach. He’s owned his own marketing firm since 2008, and since then he’s helped hundreds of companies market with a purpose. In 2016 he changed his focus to restaurants, and today helps restaurants all over the world with their ROI Engine marketing platform. Matt also has a podcast called MP TV, and has released a number of books including the recent book titled Restaurant Marketing That Works.
This episode was actually recorded as an Instagram live that I did with Matt. To be honest, I never thought that it would be a full podcast, but I was so blown away by our conversation that I just had to put it out there. Most of our conversation revolves around how to obtain customer data, and best use it in your marketing strategy. We talk about email lists and how often to send out an email. We discuss using your time and money effectively, and he gives tips on using the Upwork website when you’re ready to hire someone to help you.
And we’d love it if you supported Chefs Without Restaurants. There are a few ways to help. First, if you have a business or product, we’re always looking for sponsors. Or consider joining our Patreon. If nothing else, it would be great if you subscribed to the show, rated and reviewed it, and shared your favorite episodes.

Matt Plapp

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Matt Plapp's Instagram
Matt Plapp's Website
Buy Matt's Book - Restaurant Marketing That Works
The MP TV Podcast
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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites

Pastry Chef Erin Kanagy-Loux - Drawing Inspiration from Her Japanese, Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Over the last 20 years, Erin Kanagy-Loux has worked in various arms of the hospitality industry, most recently as the Executive Pastry Chef for Union Square Events, and Reynard at the Wythe Hotel. She’s a first-generation Japanese American that grew up with a heavy sprinkle of Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage. Her memories, experiences, and love of flavor have shaped the unique cultural background she draws her creative inspirations from. She is most recognized for her work in celebration and wedding cakes, and has been featured in NY Magazine Weddings. Erin competed in Valrhona Chocolate’s first USA-hosted C3 Competition and received the bronze Press Prize. In addition to her technical skills, she has honed her skills as a coach and teacher through her experience as an instructor at the International Culinary Center, California Culinary Academy, and the Western Culinary Institute of Portland. Past colleagues often refer to Erin as “The MacGyver of Pastry”, which has helped her in the ever-changing world of food.

On the show, we discuss her upbringing, and how it shaped her culinary style. We talk about her career path, and her role as a culinary instructor, which now includes virtual instruction. Found out what her favorite ingredient is, and how to work fish sauce into a dessert.

And we’d love it if you supported Chefs Without Restaurants. There are a few ways to help. First, if you have a business or product, we’re always looking for sponsors. Or consider joining our Patreon. If nothing else, it would be great if you subscribed to the show, rated and reviewed it, and shared your favorite episodes.

Erin Kanagy-Loux

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Erin's Instagram
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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

Your Reputation is Everything - Success Tips for Personal Chefs with Steven Lash Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

This week my guest is chef Steven Lash. He’s the owner of Blue Duck personal chef service in Georgia. Steven’s food combines fine dining with local influences, inspired by his extensive travel, passion for the outdoors, and hunger for understanding cultures. He’s a veteran of the restaurant world, having worked in some of the top kitchens in Atlanta for over 15 years. Following the birth of his first daughter, he got out of the restaurant business in order to better support his young family. After a successful 20 year career in information technology, Stephen has returned to his first true passion – feeding people amazing food.

While Steven has a great story that I think everyone will enjoy, I know this episode will bring tremendous value to those who are either currently working as personal chefs, or looking to start a personal chef business. There's also some really great advice for anyone who has their own business. We discuss some of my favorite topics such as workflow tips, finding your niche, and free food. We're both big fans of working with AirBnB operators, and people who run vacation rentals. I think this is still an untapped market for those looking to acquire customers on a recurring basis. And I asked Steven about his deposit policy. This is something I’ve gone back-and-forth with over the past couple years, and I really loved his take on it. I’d love to hear what you think about this episode. What was your biggest takeaway? You can send me an email, DM, or reply to our posts on social media.

Steven Lash

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Steven's Instagram
Blue Duck on Facebook
Blue Duck Website

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

25 Years of Victory Beer - A Discussion with Co-founder and Brewmaster Bill Covaleski Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

This week, my guest is Bill Covaleski. He’s the brewmaster and co-founder of Victory Brewing Company. This year, Bill and co-founder Ron Barchet are celebrating 25 years of Victory. As someone who has successfully built and run a business for 25 years, Bill drops a lot of knowledge, and I think it’s beneficial whether you are running your own business, or have employees that report to you.

Bill talks about how he got into brewing, and the decision to start a brewery with his best friend Ron Barchet. We talk about trends in the industry, discussing everything from beer styles, to seltzers and non-alcoholic beer. In 2016 Victory became part of Artisanal Brewing Ventures, which also includes Southern Tier Brewing and Sixpoint Brewery. I asked Bill about that decision, and if he worried about being considered a sellout for becoming part of “big beer”.

Also, this week I’m doing something different. I wanted to work on some exclusive recipes using Victory beer. For this, I partnered with blogger Marilyn Johnson from the blog Philly Grub.

The first recipe is scrapple tacos with an apple/fennel/celery slaw, and served with an aji panca salsa using Victory’s Prima Pils. The second recipe is Oktoberfest Beer Truffles, using Utz pretzels and Victory’s Festbier. Head over to PhillyGrub.blog to find these exclusive recipes.
Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week's sponsor is Savory Jobs, a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job postings for an entire year. Use discount code SAVORY10 to save 10%.
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Bill Covaleski

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Bill's Instagram
Victory's Instagram
Victory Brewing Website
Victory's Twitter
Victory's YouTube

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, It would be much appreciated.

Ryan Peters on Leaving Restaurants to Focus on Content Creation and Pasta Making Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

This week my guest is Ryan Peters. Ryan has been cooking professionally for a number of years now, working in kitchens in Florida and Pittsburgh. Most recently he was working at Iron Born Pizza, focusing on their pasta program. You might know Ryan from his social media accounts where he goes by Peters Pasta. As of today, he has more than 43,000 followers on Instagram, and 2.2 million followers on TikTok. Ryan was able to recently leave his job to focus full time on his social media content, as well as a line of pasta he hopes to launch.

We discuss his career path, going viral on TikTok, and pasta-making tips. Hear about his challenges, new opportunities, and his take on the haters. I ask Ryan about his favorite tools, where he finds inspiration, and what his favorite pasta shape is. Any guesses?

Ryan Peters

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Ryan's Instagram
Ryan's TikTok
Ryan's Website
Ryan's Facebook Page
Ryan's YouTube

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

Helping Food Businesses Navigate the Evolving Kitchen Environment with Chef & Attorney Chris Yates Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

This week I have chef and attorney Chris Yates. Chris occupies a unique space in the legal and hospitality industry. As a DC-based chef, Chris has worked for multiple Michelin-starred and James Beard Foundation recognized chefs and operators. Chris was on the opening management team for the critically and popularly acclaimed restaurant and bakery, Elle, earning a James Beard Semi-Finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant. His work as a chef has appeared in the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, Washington City Paper, and Eater. Prior to becoming a chef Chris had years of trial experience as a public defender and criminal defense attorney, developing a reputation as an expert in the investigation and litigation of child welfare cases. Combining his knowledge of restaurant operations and management systems with impeccable legal skills Chris represents successful as well as new restaurants in business law matters such as real estate leasing, liquor licensing, contracts, branding and trademark, employment matters, and litigation.
On the show, we talk about how and why he's made these career transitions. We discuss some of his favorite foods, and his love of soy sauce. We also talk about many of the current issues in professional kitchens today such as employee wages, staffing shortages, toxic environments, and burnout.
Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week's sponsor is Savory Jobs, a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job postings for an entire year. Use discount code SAVORY10 to save 10%.
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Chris Yates

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Chris's Instagram
Yates Law Instagram
Yates Law Website

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

How to Land Your Dream Cooking Gig Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

Where are the chefs who'd like to earn some extra money AND have an amazing experience? This week's podcast is for you. And please SHARE this. This is an amazing opportunity.
This week my guest is chef Bob Aungst. This episode is unlike any I’ve done before, as it’s essentially a job opportunity. I've wanted to have Bob on as a guest for a while, but this episode isn’t about him. Bob’s responsible for finding chefs for some of the most amazing experiences in the country. Would you want to cook at the Kentucky Derby? How about the U.S. Open? These are just a couple of the events that Bob has been responsible for staffing. If you’re a chef, and you’re looking for a temporary (or even possibly permanent) gig, then this episode is for you. These jobs pay great and are all-inclusive. You don’t have to pay for travel expenses, lodging, or any of that. This isn’t one of those scam-type opportunities that us chefs get emailed to us all the time. I’ve known chef Bob for a while, and also know chefs who’ve worked with him.

On this episode, you’ll hear all about the jobs, compensation package, and how to apply. You'll need to be able to hold your own at these events. Bob is looking for those with at least sous chef-level experience. For those out there who have a week or two to spare, and want to make a couple thousand dollars, this is a great opportunity. Bob‘s contact information is an episode, and below.

Bob Aungst

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Bob's Instagram
For job opportunities, contact Bob at Staffing@rockssticksandhell.com
Text of call Bob at 919-605-6033

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

From Award-Winning Pastry Chef to Corporate Chef - Bill Corbett Talks About the Transition to Salesforce's Head of Culinary Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

This week my guest is Bill Corbett. Many people know him from his years working as a pastry chef with people like Sam Mason, Wylie Dufresne, Lincoln Carson, Michael Mina, and Daniel Patterson. But he left the world of pastry behind and is currently the executive chef and head of culinary at Salesforce. Bill has been recognized as the Best Pastry Chef 2011 from San Francisco Magazine, and in 2013 he was selected as one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional Magazine.

We talk about the transition from being a restaurant pastry chef, to overseeing Salesforce’s Ohana floor kitchens and barista programs across the company’s global towers. There are a lot of changes that come with a change like this. Bill discusses learning to be a better leader, and stepping away from the food.

We also talk about punk rock, and Brooks Headley, and hear about how the Killed by Dessert events came to be. If you’ve never heard of them, they were a series of collaborative dessert events he did with Christina Tosi, Lincoln Carson, Francisco Migoya, Michael Laiskonis, and Brooks Headley. If you’re a fan of pastry chefs, or want to hear about transitioning into the corporate food world, this episode’s for you.

Bill Corbett

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Bill's Instagram
Bill's Twitter
Killed by Dessert - Check out the video

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, , or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.