Industry Only at The Cheese Store

Latest Episodes:

benny blanco Knows His Stuff | Industry Only at The Cheese Store Podcast Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

Grammy-winning producer benny blanco drops by the Cheese Store to talk shop with Dom. They get into his early days bouncing between instruments (and cuisines), the thrill of landing hits for Britney and Katy while getting evicted, and how his real passion might actually be grocery shopping. There’s studio gossip, steak techniques, and a lot of opinions about soft cheese. Plus, benny shares his death row meal and defends garlic as a foundational life force.Keep up with benny: www.instagram.com/itsbennyblanco

Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/openwide

The Hustle of Hospitality with Daniel Shemtob (The Lime Truck, Snibbs) Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

The guys are joined by two-time winner of Food Network's "Great Food Truck Race" Daniel Shemtob– chef, entrepreneur, founder of The Lime Truck and Snibbs footwear—for a sprawling conversation about resilience, hospitality, and making cool shit that actually helps people.

We talk about losing everything in a wildfire, rebuilding with purpose, and the weird overlap between pasta shapes and slip-resistant shoes. Also: tangerine-colored boots, jazzberry jam, and maybe, just maybe, a Cheese Store x Snibbs collab in the works.

Find Daniel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/daniel.shemtob/?hl=en

Snibbs Footwear:

https://snibbs.co/

The Lime Truck:

https://www.thelimetruck.com

“That’s My Soul Food” ft. Paul Stanley (KISS) Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

The Starchild hangs up his platform boots to talk meatballs. Paul Stanley drops by the Cheese Store for an unexpectedly moving conversation about the parallel crafts of rock and roll and cooking—both requiring that indefinable quality that can't be taught: genuine passion.

Fresh off Kiss's final bow after 50 years, Stanley reflects on his second act as a home cook, and how that which started as necessity evolved into a deep love affair with Italian food, authentic hospitality, and the simple joy of feeding people.

The conversation spans from his European parents' influence and childhood memories of Stearns Bakery in the Bronx, to his current relationships with LA's chef elite and his role with Rock & Brews restaurant group. Stanley breaks down why emotional connection trumps technical skill every time—whether you're playing guitar or throwing pizza dough—and why he'd rather eat at a neighborhood joint than a pretentious temple to molecular gastronomy.

Plus: the meatball recipe that came from Rocco DiSpirito's mom, why Jimmy Page deserves the perfect puttanesca, and Stanley's theory that great restaurants (like great bands) start with surrounding yourself with people who share your passion for the craft.

Keep up with Paul Stanley:

Official Website: https://www.paulstanley.com/
Instagram: @paulstanleylive
Twitter/X: @PaulStanleyLive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulStanleyOfficial/

KISS:

Official Website: https://www.kissonline.com/

Rock & Brews:

Official Website: https://www.rockandbrews.com/
Rock & Brews info on Paul's site: https://www.paulstanley.com/category/rock-brews/

Follow Dom, Andy, Industry Only, and The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills:

www.instagram.com/domsfoods
www.instagram.com/andywangnyla
www.instagram.com/industryonlyla
www.instagram.com/thecheesestoreofbeverlyhills

Pasta, Pop-ups, & Summer in Italy? Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

Dom and Andy dive into May madness—the whirlwind of food festivals, celebrity golf tournaments, and A-list events that somehow keep happening without them. They cover Antonia's Tournament of Champions win, the best lobster pasta on a Sardinian beach that requires police escort to access, and Dom's master plan to curate the next generation of rising chefs. Plus: summer travel intel from Positano to Singapore, why Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy hit different, and the homework assignment that might actually change everything.

What Simplicity Means After Top Chef ft. Chef Mei Lin (Daybird, 88 Club) Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

Chef Mei Lin drops by the Cheese Store for a conversation that spans from cutthroat cooking competitions to the delicate art of letting wontons speak for themselves..

The Top Chef winner and Daybird founder reflects on her evolution as a chef—from building intuitive muscle memory on shows like Tournament of Champions to finding a new groove with 88 Club, her elegant, straightforward Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills. The crew dives into issues of pricing and perception in ethnic cuisine, the myth of the $55 tasting menu, and why simplicity might be the boldest move of all.

Plus: a sentimental chicken dish, Taiwanese breakfast evangelism, and a surprise call to Nicholas Kraft—co-founder of the fast-food fashion collective Chain—about getting Dom his own limited-edition Arby’s x Chain BBQ bib.

Follow Mei, 88 Club, and Daybird:

www.instagram.com/meilin21

www.instagram.com/88club

www.instagram.com/daybirdla

Follow Dom, Andy, Industry Only, and The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills:

www.instagram.com/domsfoods

www.instagram.com/andywangnyla

www.instagram.com/industryonlyla

www.instagram.com/thecheesestoreofbeverlyhills

And make sure to check out the 🔥 Arby's x Chain drip at www.instagram.com/eatatchain !

Still On Fairfax: Marc & Med are moving Genghis Cohen May 30, 2025

Show notes

New landlords can hike the rent, but they can’t kill an L.A. institution—at least not while Marc and Med are around. The duo behind Genghis Cohen (and Dom’s favorite restaurant La Dolce Vita) drop by to explain why they’re uprooting 42-year-old Chinese-American icon Genghis Cohen and hauling its fish-tank, neon, and NYC aura exactly 2 blocks south on Fairfax.

Along the way we get a crash-course in red-sauce minimalism, the lost art of Queens-style egg rolls, and the business math of paying “L.A. landlord prices” without gutting a neighborhood staple. If you care about late-night duck-sauce, community institutions, or how to move a restaurant overnight and reopen for take-out the next morning, this one’s for you.

Keep up with Marc, Med, and Genghis Cohen at www.genghiscohen.com

And get yourself some baked clams at www.ladolcevitabeverlyhills.com

Pijja Palace Wasn't Supposed to Work ft. Avish Naran May 23, 2025

Show notes

Avish Naran, founder of L.A.'s cult-favorite Indian sports bar Pijja Palace, joins Industry Only at The Cheese Store for one episode in two locations.

First, a live taping from Pijja Palace, the restaurant where it all began, followed by a basement hang in the tasting room of The Cheese Store, as is tradition.In part one, Avish talks about building a restaurant that seemed too weird to succeed—a place where malai rigatoni meets Lakers jerseys and tandoori wings come with curry leaf ranch.

Then, in part two, Avish dives into immigrant hustle, cultural context, and why it's essential to "never stop saying the word 'millions.'"

Also: The fake tandoor that tastes better than the real thing, plans for the new Schezwan Club opening next door, and why neighborhood councils might not always get your genius restaurant name.

Follow Avish on IG: @avishnaran

Follow Dom: @domsfoods

Follow Andy: @andywangnyla

Keep up with Industry Only: @industryonlyLA

Visit Pijja Palace: www.pijjapalace.comVisit

The Cheese Store: https://cheesestore.com

Dom Went to The SGV?! (Henry's Cuisine Recap ft. Jay Seals) May 16, 2025

Show notes

Dom and co. finally makes it to the San Gabriel Valley—for lobster, pork knuckle, and a good hang that included friend of the show Jay Seals, who joins the guys to debrief the chaotic journey to Henry’s Cuisine, break down their dream pop-ups, and trade East Coast food memories for new-school LA classics.

A Thousand Bucks and a Chrysler 300 ft. Chef Michael Voltaggio May 09, 2025

Show notes

The one and only tattooed, Top Chef winning, Michelin-starred Chef Michael Voltaggio joins the guys in the Cheese Store basement to talk tequila, legacy, and the state of L.A. dining. They cover the creative stretch from Bazaar to the backyard taco crawl, what it means to stay curious after decades in the game, and why the next chapter of hospitality might look a lot like the first one. Also: the 2008 oral history nobody’s written yet, Roy Choi in the streets, and why every server in L.A. is secretly a grip.

Follow Michael and Mercado 28 on ig:

https://www.instagram.com/mvoltaggio/

https://www.instagram.com/marcado28tequila/

The Past, Present, & Future of Wolfgang Puck (Part Two) with Wolfgang & Byron Puck | Episode 33 Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

Back to the basement to wrap up the season with part two of our conversation with Wolfgang & Byron Puck on the past, present, and future of Wolfgang Puck. Wolfgang and Byron share their experiences "learning in the fire" of high-end kitchens (including Wolfgang's short-reign as The Omelette King), why hospitality is at the center of everything they do, and the amazing chefs that have contributed to the Wolfgang Puck legacy.

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