The Chef's Cut - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

The Perfect Steakhouse Order, Golden Diner Pancake Mania, and an All-Access Pass into the World of Cookbooks Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

This week, Adrienne and Joe are back and giving us their reaction to the viral Golden Diner pancakes everyone is talking about. Joe prepared a batch at home and shares his honest opinion on whether they’re worthy of the hype. Plus, we discuss:

What’s your go-to steakhouse order?
Adrienne’s controversial opinion on A1 steak sauce
Cookbooks: All the inside info on what it takes to go from idea to reality
Insights on testing recipes for a book
Walk In Confession: Adrienne’s cookbook hit a snag thanks to an unrelated controversy in the publishing world

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Chef Dan Barber on the Farm-to-Table Movement, Making Our Food Supply More Delicious, and Faking Rare Lamb in an Emergency Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Adrienne and Joe are joined by one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, Dan Barber of the legendary Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Family Meal at Blue Hill. He tells us all about his innovative approach to cooking and sustainable agriculture, including how he runs his own kitchen at Blue Hill. Plus, we discuss:

Farm to Table: Has the word lost its meaning?
The origins of “farm to table” and why it spread all over the world
Fork It or Forget It: Facial hair in the kitchen
Which shoes do each of our chefs prefer to wear when cooking?
The story behind Row 7, a seed company he founded to prioritize flavor in produce
His famous honeynut squash, and how it came to be
Dan reflects on his mentor, Chef David Boulet
A Walk In Confession featuring overcooked lamb and some beet juice

Follow Dan: @chefdanbarber

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

The Big Breakfast Debate, ChatGPT on the Menu, and the First 50 Best Restaurant List for N. America Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

This week, Adrienne and Joe are back to chat about the newest list everyone is talking about: North America's 50 Best Restaurants. They tell us what they love about the list, how it actually gets made, and what it means to restaurants who make the list. Plus, we discuss:

Diner classics: Adrienne and Joe pick their favorite breakfast foods
Fork It or Forget It: Using AI to help with new menus (and how to fix it)
Review culture and the influence of lists on fine dining
Walk In Confession: Joe’s elevator mishap that almost ruined his holiday gathering

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Private Chef Life (Part 3): Chef Sam Kass on Cooking for the Obamas, the Future of Food, and when Oprah Saved the Day Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Adrienne and Joe return for the third and final installment of our series on private chef work, and this time they’re joined by the Obama family’s longtime personal chef, Sam Kass. He tells us all about his journey from some of the highest pressure kitchens in America and Europe, to landing with the first family and running the kitchen in the West Wing. Plus, we discuss:

Adrienne and Sam’s connection as kids and how their careers in food have taken shape
The biggest “kitchen habits” Sam can’t seem to shake from his days in fine dining
Fork It or Forget It: Strawberry Sandwiches
Sam’s experience working with the Obamas to help shape food policy in America
The best lessons he learned from his most important mentor: forget the (proverbial) onions
Sam’s new book The Last Supper and how a growing food crisis is already affecting access to some of our favorite foods
A story about stepping into the White House for the first time on inauguration and how Oprah saved him from missing it
Walk In Confession: the most expensive mistake of Sam’s career involving a massive meal and a lot of butter

Follow Sam: @samkassdc

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Check out Sam's new Book: The Last Supper

Private Chef Life (Part 2): Chef Olivia Tiedemann on Going Private, Breaking Pasta in an Emergency, and Her Worst Restaurant Job Ever Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

We’re back for part two of our three-part series on private chef work, this time with guest Olivia Tiedemann. She tells us how she went from the fine dining world of New York City, to working as a private chef, to Instagram stardom. Plus, we discuss:

The “kitchen habits” from restaurants that we just can’t kick
Fork It or Forget It: Breaking pasta in half

How Olivia transitioned out of fine dining and her best advice for success in private work
Working big events, including F1, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and the Cayman Cookout
Walk In Confession: Olivia tells us about the most incompetent chef she ever worked with

Follow Olivia: @oliviatied

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Private Chef Life (Part 1): How Adrienne Went from Le Bernardin to Kitchen Burnout to Racing Helicopters in the South of France Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

In part one of our three-part series on private chef work, Adrienne comes clean to Joe about what she really does for a living and pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to work as a private chef. Plus, we discuss:

Global Condiment Cup: Mayo takes the crown
Whisk Takers: Adrienne’s story of going from fine dining to private work
The longest Adrienne went without repeating a dish
Some little-known details about private chef work
The oldest spice in our pantry
Walk In Confession: Adrienne’s salty surprise

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja on Kitchen Pet Peeves, NYC Reservation Hype, and Becoming the Newest Food Network Titan Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

This week Adrienne and Joe are joined by Ayesha Nurdjaja, Executive Chef of Shuka and Shukette in New York City. She tells us all about her recent debut as the newest Titan on Bobby's Triple Threat. Plus, we discuss:

Kitchen Pet Peeves: Dirty floors, painted nails, and not saying hello
Fork It or Forget It: Zesting lemons… the right way?
Review Review: Showing up without a reservation at a busy restaurant (and then complaining about it)
The truth behind NYC reservation hype (is it bogus?)
Training with Bobby Flay and how Ayesha found her confidence to star on the Food Network
Walk In Confession: a triumphant story of serving the puree that almost went horribly wrong

Follow Ayesha: @ayesha_rare

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Summer Farmers Markets, Fine Dining Pop-Ups, and Mission Impossible: US Open Edition Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

As summer slowly comes to a close, Adrienne and Joe share some of their favorite flavor combinations that signal fall is just around the corner. Farmer’s market, here we come! Plus, we discuss:

Fork It or Forget It: Whipped Honey Coffee
Review Review: Joe had the audacity to take his birthday off from work!
Line Check: Major fine dining restaurants like Alinea and Noma go on the road in their own versions of pop-up dining
Walk-In Confession: Joe tells us about the time he launched an entire restaurant at the US Open in just three days

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

Chef Buddha Lo on Great Food in Tiny Kitchens, the Best Knives and Top Chef Topped with Caviar Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

Adrienne and Joe are back with another guest, and this week they’re joined by two-time Top Chef champion Buddha Lo. He fills them in on his latest culinary ambitions following the move of his home restaurant Huso into a bigger space (Michelin star incoming?). Plus, we discuss:

Fork It or Forget It: Caviar on Fried Chicken (and the latest in condiment mania)
Review Review: restaurant no-shows are a big no-no
Picking the right knife: suggestions from all three chefs for what you should buy
Mentor Moment: Buddha’s tough-love training as a young chef
Walk-In Confession (Top Chef Edition): Buddha tells us how to handle the heat even when your Top Chef dish is burning

Follow Buddha: @buddha__lo

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

The Mother of All Condiments, French Dip Mania and a Travel Diva Chef Exposed Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

The World Condiment Cup has officially begun so Adrienne and Joe kick things off with the results from the first round. Which will move on to the next round: may, mustard, tzatziki, or hoisin sauce? Plus, we debate how 'mother sauces' play into condiment rankings. On this episode we also discuss:

Fork It or Forget It: French Dip Mania
Review Review: a Five-Star guest gets all the credit for his homegrown tomatoes and heartwarming positivity
“The Family Reunion” culinary event recap… which ambitious dish did Adrienne serve?
Mentor Moment: helping a chef level up (and network outside the restaurant)
Walk-In Confession (Vacation Edition): Joe admits to bringing a wide assortment of kitchen tools wherever he travels

Follow the show: @chefscutpod

Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham

Follow Joe: @insta.flamm