The CHEF Radio Podcast

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Episode 74: The Kitchen Culture Code Jul 09, 2022

Show notes

"Often restaurants are comprised of a bunch of broken toys that have never had the sense of belonging"

This statement rings true for many restaurants which is why culture plays a big role in whether a restaurant succeeds or fails, and unfortunately the current kitchen culture is a bit broken.

From line cooks at the local diner, to Michelin star restaurants in France, the broken kitchen culture permeates through all. It seems that the nature of the business (see above statement), including the long hours and high pressure environment, is a cocktail for unprofessional behavior that doesn't allow for the people or the business to reach their highest potential.

Curating a purpose-driven environment in your kitchen can be the difference between a good and great restaurant. If the staff feels valued and heard there is a high chance you can exponentially reduce turnover rates and make a difference in the lives of the people helping run your business. But how do you fix a broken culture and change an entire industry from the inside out?

In today's episode, our host Eli Kulp, sheds light on his experience in dealing with the current broken kitchen culture and how he has made steps to improve that. He also discusses New York bestselling book The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle, extracting valuable tips to share with our listeners to help create a better kitchen culture and improve your restaurant business while doing it.

Listen in for nuggets of knowledge that can help you in your business, personal relationships, and in your day-to-day interactions.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Idea of kitchen culture
Turnover in the industry
World class restaurants and their culture
How culture in your kitchen can make or break you
How to fix a broken kitchen culture
Mental illness in the restaurant industry
Steps on how to build a successful kitchen culture
Cultivating trust through vulnerability in the kitchen
How to create a purpose-driven environment

Check out The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle mentioned in today's podcast!

Listen to more episodes at The Chef Radio Podcast.

Also, be sure to check out our other podcast Delicious City Philly.

Connect with Eli:Instagram

Episode 73: Chef Philip Krajeck of Rolf & Daughters and Folk Restaurants Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

Working your way up from dishwasher to chef to restaurant owner is the ultimate success story, but no easy task. Something our guest can be proud to say he has achieved, not only as an owner of one restaurant, but two successful establishments that we can't stop raving about.

In today's episode, Philip Krajeck, owner of Rolf and Daughters and the newly opened Folk in Nashville, Tennessee, sits down with host and friend, Eli Kulp to discuss his lifelong passion for food and his journey in becoming an owner of two bustling restaurants. All while providing for a family at a young age.

From the kitchens of Brussels, Belgium, to arriving in Florida, Phil saw the major contrast in quality when it came to cuisine, which sparked a fire in him to create something he felt was missing in America. After years of grinding it out, pushing through challenges, Phil met and worked with talented chefs from all over the world where he was able to extract pieces of their techniques and systems to implement in his future restaurants.

Phil reveals his philosophies on what it takes to run a successful restaurant while serving, consistent, quality food. Listen in to hear Phil's journey from childhood to now, and a ton of valuable tips learned along the way.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Phil's experience opening a restaurant
Phil's unique story growing up
How Phil went from dishwasher to chef and owner
Mental health in the restaurant industry
Pushing through discomfort to get the job done
Importance of open communication between the kitchen team
Importance of consistency and systems
Impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry
How Phil implements his teams vision into his restaurant

Listen to more episodes at The Chef Radio Podcast.

Also, be sure to check out our other podcast Delicious City Philly.

Connect with Eli:Instagram

Be sure to check out Rolf and Daughters and Folk when you're in the Nashville, Tennessee area!

Connect with Phil:

Instagram

Episode 72: Geno Vento of Geno's World Famous Cheesesteak's May 27, 2022

Show notes

What's the first thing people think about when the great city of Philadelphia is mentioned? What's the single most common reference to Philadelphia? Oh so often, it is the cheesesteak. The ubiquitous hot meat sandwich, covered with cheese whiz that so many Philadelphians love, but some even loathe.

It's often mentioned before such historical giants as the declaration of independence, the writing of the constitution, or even the Liberty Bell itself.

And of course, if you've ever spent time in Philadelphia, there's always the great debate about who makes the best cheesesteak, and at the epicenter of this great cheesesteak debate lies the two OG's, Pat's and Geno's. In this episode of The CHEF Radio Podcast, you're going to hear the story from Geno Vento himself, a man who struggled mightily with his identity as the heir apparent to the cheese steak kingdom that is Geno's Steaks.

Whether it was his struggles with his weight, friends, personal tragedies, or with his identity as a gay man, Geno has persevered and continues to ensure that his family's legacy is intact and that Geno's will continue to be the number one cheesesteak in world for years to come!

Episode 71: Chef Kurt Evans of Everybody Eats May 23, 2022

Show notes

In the third and final interview of the CHEF Radio LIVE! event, Eli sits down with Chef Kurt Evans of Everybody Eats, which is a group dedicated to increasing food security and building community and their mission is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger.

Chef Kurt is also fighting for reform in the US criminal justice system – using food as his medium.

Through the ground-breaking End Mass Incarceration dining series, which is a brave new restaurant business model and his community-focused activism, as well as his vision for Everybody Eats and Down North Pizza, Chef Kurt is driving change across the culinary landscape and beyond.

He recently received the "Champion of Change" award from the The World's 50 Best Restaurant by San Pellegrino for his work in shining a spotlight on the disparities of the criminal justice system for people of color, as well as training formally incarcerated individuals to learn the important skills needed to thrive in the restaurant industry.

https://www.theworlds50best.com/stories/News/chef-kurt-evans-champion-of-change.html

A huge shout out to our sponsors Maxwell McKenney and Singer Equipment for their unwavering support so we are able to bring these amazing conversations to you. Check out their websites for all the amazing equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make it more efficient and successful.

www.maxmck.com

www.singerequipment.com

Episode 70: Jen Carroll of Carroll Couture Cuisine May 16, 2022

Show notes

In the second of the three part podcast, CHEF Radio Live!, Chef Jenn Carroll joins Eli on stage to discuss her latest venture where she brings exciting and meaningful events to life with her company, Carroll Couture Cuisine, as well as all the amazing online work that she's doing to teach aspiring chefs and home cooks different recipes and techniques.

They dive into her history working with such great chefs as Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin, the three Michelin starred temple of seafood in NYC, where she began training at a young age and where she impressed Chef Ripert so much that he sent her down to open is Philadelphia restaurant, Ten Arts in the mid-2000s.

You ever wonder what kind of tree Jen would be if she was one? Well listen in and find out!

Nok Suntaranon of Kalaya Restaurant May 13, 2022

Show notes

Coming to you LIVE! from the kitchen at MANNA, acclaimed Thai chef, Nok Suntarnanon, sits down with Eli in front of an audience of 130 people at CHEF Radio LIVE!, which raised over $19,000 for the life saving work that the team at MANNA does.

Listen in as we get some of the latest info on her new restaurant, her recent trip to Thailand and the one, very Philly food, that she has yet to try.

Chefs Angie Rito & Scott Tacinelli of Don Angie NYC Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

As a chef, when you are able to successfully apply your point of view to a cuisine that may be often overlooked or antiquated, it can easily translate into pure gold. That is exactly what the husband-and-wife duo, Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, have done with their genre-bending menu at their Michelin starred restaurant, Don Angie in New York City.

A Caesar salad made with chrysanthemum leaves, BBQ calamari with pepperoni fried rice, and prosciutto and papaya in tamarind are just a few examples of how these two Italian American chefs play with flavors and concepts and walk the fine edge between the familiar and the unknown.

As we all know, hospitality has to be step in step with the food to really achieve a high level of success, and the team that Angie and Scott have assembled to ensure that each guest feels as though they're family, and by the time you leave, you feel like you've made new friends. This is what happens when you have chefs who are so attuned to what the vision is and can easily and effectively communicate with their staff, which translates into high levels of morale, which then translates into a beautiful and unforgettable dining experience that is so New York, yet so familiar.

Chef Yehuda Sichel of Huda Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

Imagine it's April 20, 2020, and finally your dream of owning your own place becomes a reality. You've worked really hard to someday have the opportunity to be your own boss, so you grab the entrepreneurial spirit by the balls and go for it, signing your name on the dotted line, not knowing what's lurking just around the corner.

Well, this is the story of Huda, Chef Yehuda Sichel's debut restaurant that opened in the middle of the pandemic in downtown Philadelphia in the summer of 2020. Listen in as he details those sobering moments and the work he's had to do to ensure his dream stays alive, as well as hear about his strictly kosher upbringing and the hilarious moments when he started working in restaurants where he was exposed to foods he'd never even touched before. "Shrimp have peels? Do I peel it like a banana?"

Chefs Scott Calhoun and Dave Feola of Ember & Ash Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

It's not breaking news that opening a restaurant is hard, but opening one in the middle of a pandemic is borderline insanity. However, when you open a restaurant with such a hyper focus on the primal aspect of food and root to snout cooking over open flames, it's borderline brilliant.

Chefs David Feola and Scott Calhoun opened up their love letter to offcuts, Ember and Ash, in South Philadelphia, where they cook in their custom kitchen that's built to use live fuel and where they work with local farms and purveyors that are dedicated to minimizing their carbon footprint while showcasing the best ingredients their region has to offer.

So, get ready to talk about pig's heads, lamb tongue fries, and every other beautiful and delicious offal, on this episode of The CHEF Radio Podcast.

Justin Rosenberg of Honeygrow Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

There's nothing better than a homegrown success story, and this next podcast is proof of that. Justin Rosenberg, founder of Honeygrow restaurants, has quite the story to tell. It's a story of resilience, courage in business, and great leadership, because it wasn't always sunny in Philadelphia for this local brand.

Established in 2012, Honeygrow was on an explosive trajectory, growing outside the Philadelphia market quickly and expanding as far west as Chicago, which proved to be too much too fast and Justin had to make some difficult decisions in order to save the company and his dream. Justin talks candidly and honestly about the successes as well as the failures, giving myself and the listener a true lesson in business that we may all face someday.

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