CULINARY MECHANIC Podcast Por Simon Zatyrka arte de portada

CULINARY MECHANIC

CULINARY MECHANIC

De: Simon Zatyrka
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 Join Chef Simon Zatyrka, as he opens the door to candid conversations with the hospitality industry's most innovative leaders. Each episode runs the gamut from chefs talking about the community and cultures of kitchens to tech innovators talking about their concept to push the hospitality industry forward. You can expect a blend of battle-tested restaurant wisdom and modern leadership insights that challenge "the way it's always been done". You never know when the conversations about the business of hospitality are going to shift gears to discuss wood fired cookery, the camraderie of kitchen teams or the delusions of friends wanting to open a bar because they like sitting in one. New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe now to join a community of leaders who are as passionate about the business of hospitality, people and leadership as they are about food and cooking. Welcome to our sandbox.© 2025 Simon Zatyrka Arte Comida y Vino Economía
Episodios
  • #65 : Find Your Culinary Identity: Chef Ron Duprat on Leadership, Legacy, and Top Chef Fame

    #65 : Find Your Culinary Identity: Chef Ron Duprat on Leadership, Legacy, and Top Chef Fame
    May 20 2025
    Chef Ron Duprat, Top Chef Season 6 contestant and culinary diplomat, brings his unfiltered perspective on today's restaurant industry. Born in Haiti and classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Ron has worked in prestigious establishments from The Montauk Club to Ritz Carlton while advocating for Black chefs through the Black Culinary Alliance. In this hard-hitting conversation, Simon and Ron dive into the realities of culinary education, the post-COVID labor crisis, and what it takes to run sustainable restaurant operations. Ron challenges conventional thinking about celebrity chef culture while offering practical wisdom on leadership development, financial management, and creating authentic culinary identities. This episode delivers essential insights for culinary professionals seeking to build sustainable careers beyond the glamour of food television, with Ron's unique perspective as a successful Black chef navigating predominantly white culinary spaces. Timestamps: [00:00] Introduction and Starfish sponsor message [02:25] Ron's background coming from Haiti and early culinary career [03:15] Discussion of Ron's Top Chef experience (Season 6) [05:30] How Top Chef changed Ron's career trajectory [06:50] The pros and cons of culinary TV shows on the industry [08:40] Where have all the good cooks gone post-COVID? [10:30] Simon's transition from chef to consultant and podcaster [11:45] Ron's experience at CIA in 1992 and the founding of BCA [12:40] Critique of modern culinary education setting cooks up for failure [14:20] The leadership gap in culinary education [16:15] Ron's mentors and influences in his career [18:10] What Ron would cook for Simon's Puerto Rican wife [19:30] Advice for young cooks: finding your culinary identity [21:50] The importance of nutrition and authentic food heritage [24:15] The business side of restaurants: managing P&Ls and systems [27:30] Ron's preferred culinary style and authentic approach [28:45] What makes Ron excited about his job in private clubs [31:20] Opportunities for Black chefs in 2025 [33:15] Daily wins: the importance of fundamentals and habits [35:40] Ron's "Food for My Beloved Community" garden initiative [38:20] Sourcing ingredients locally within 10-mile radius [39:15] Contact information and social media Key Quotes: "I didn't get into this business. I think this business got to me as a kid growing up in Haiti... I'm one of the few people who survived, so now I'm living the American dream." - Chef Ron Duprat "I always say Top Chef, I went on Top Chef with nothing. I got out Top Chef with everything... Top Chef itself gave me a voice, gave me a name." - Chef Ron Duprat "You might be a chef, but you are a businessman. You have to make sure you cost out everything properly. You have to make sure you follow a recipe properly... Until we do that, restaurants will keep closing." - Chef Ron Duprat "Be you. Find your identity. Don't try to be like somebody else... Create your own identity instead of trying to be somebody else." - Chef Ron Duprat Key Takeaways: Restaurant success requires business acumen: Managing P&Ls, proper inventory control, and cost management are essential skills that many celebrity chefs lack, leading to restaurant failures despite fame.Young cooks need to develop authentic culinary identities rather than copying trends or celebrity chefs. The most sustainable path is cooking from your own cultural heritage and personal experience.Systems and operational excellence are more important than culinary talent alone. As Ron states, "Great food will not keep your doors open," emphasizing the need for structured management approaches.Leadership development is severely lacking in culinary education, creating a generation of technically skilled cooks without the people management abilities needed for sustainable kitchen operations.Post-COVID recovery requires adapting to new workforce realities, as many experienced cooks have left the industry for better work-life balance in other sectors. Connect with Chef Ron Duprat: Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Facebook: @TopChefRonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-duprat-050438b/T Connect with Simon: Email: simon@culinarymechanic.comBook a Call: https://calendly.com/culinarymechanic/connectWebsite: https://www.simonsez.me/ Subscribe to the newsletter: https://simonznews.carrd.co/ If you're interested in Starfish: https://www.usestarfish.com/
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    40 m
  • #64 : Beyond the Kitchen Line: Justin Brunson's Journey from Chef to Meat Industry Innovator

    #64 : Beyond the Kitchen Line: Justin Brunson's Journey from Chef to Meat Industry Innovator
    May 13 2025
    Justin Brunson, founder of Brunson Meat Company, joins Simon Zatyrka to reveal how he developed his revolutionary "noble mold" meat aging process after transitioning from acclaimed chef-owner to meat industry innovator. Discover how Brunson's Iowa farm roots and restaurant experience at Old Major led to creating a unique aging technique that's now capturing attention from Michelin-starred chefs and major restaurant groups nationwide. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS WITH TIMESTAMPS [00:45] - Introduction to Justin Brunson and his meat industry innovation [02:15] - Justin's early life in Iowa and connection to food through hunting and foraging [05:20] - First restaurant jobs and culinary school journey [07:45] - Creation and concept behind Old Major restaurant in Denver [10:10] - Discovery and development of the noble mold meat aging process [15:22] - Growth of Brunson Meat Company and expansion to national distribution [18:30] - Bacon production philosophy and product lineup details [21:45] - The challenges of transitioning from restaurants to meat production [24:20] - Research and development of new products including bison aging [26:50] - Premium product pricing and quality ingredient philosophy [29:15] - Business growth strategy and controlled expansion approach [32:40] - Closing thoughts and website information KEY QUOTES "I've always been a fat kid. I've always liked to eat food. My grandma was a really amazing cook. Um, I grew up in Iowa. You know, we hunted and fished and forage and gardened. And there was always forging going on." - Justin Brunson"The best food comes from the best ingredients. You can't cook with basic ingredients, man... you want the goods, you gotta use the good butter, the good oil, the good flour, you know, the good local produce that's in season." - Justin Brunson"As you get a little bit older in life, that adrenaline changes... cooking in a kitchen is great and fun and I had a great career... But man, you start getting up in your forties and you're still hucking in a kitchen, it's hard on the body. That is a young man's game." - Justin Brunson"I say no a lot more than I say yes... Let's try to grow slow and responsibly for everybody." - Justin Brunson KEY TAKEAWAYS Career evolution beyond the kitchen is possible by identifying your true passion within the culinary world – Brunson transformed his chef experience into a revolutionary meat aging businessProduct innovation often requires patience and persistence – Brunson spent eight years experimenting with mold aging techniques before successfully commercializing the processQuality-focused businesses can command premium prices by delivering truly exceptional and differentiated products – Brunson's unique aging method creates flavor profiles impossible to achieve through conventional techniquesStrategic, controlled growth builds sustainable businesses – Brunson's disciplined approach to expansion prevents operational chaos and prioritizes long-term success over short-term opportunities Connect with Justin website: www.brunsonmeats.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-brunson-49684a2ba/ Connect with Simon Email: simon@culinarymechanic.com Book a Call: https://calendly.com/culinarymechanic/connect Website: https://www.simonsez.me/ If you're interested in Starfish: https://www.usestarfish.com/
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    34 m
  • #63 : Dialed in Operations: Creating More Great Days in Restaurants with Matt Wampler

    #63 : Dialed in Operations: Creating More Great Days in Restaurants with Matt Wampler
    May 6 2025
    Matt Wampler, CEO, Co-Founder of Clear Cogs, joins CULINARY MECHANIC to share how his predictive analytics platform is transforming restaurant operations across four countries. With a background in restaurant turnarounds and multi-unit management, Matt brings hard-earned wisdom on scaling operations from two to four locations while maintaining quality and culture. This conversation tackles the critical intersection of systems and people—revealing how data can eliminate daily operational guesswork while strong leadership creates the culture necessary for sustainable growth. Whether you're managing one location or scaling to multiple units, Matt's insights on being "dialed in" provide a roadmap for reducing chaos, developing leaders, and capturing those elusive percentage points on the bottom line. Timestamps [02:15] Matt's journey growing Clear Cogs from startup to serving 100+ brands [04:30] The magic of having a "dialed in" restaurant operation [06:20] How small inefficiencies hit hardest in low-volume stores [09:45] Using predictive analytics to answer practical operational questions [12:40] Leadership moment: how to handle team member breakdowns [16:30] Culture building: when staff uphold quality standards with owners [18:50] The balance between processes and people in restaurant management [23:10] Scaling from two to four locations through people development [27:40] Creating systems that keep operations "on the rails" [31:20] How operators normalize chaos without realizing it [35:45] Intentional leadership vs. reactive management [38:10] The Restaurant AI podcast announcement [41:55] Final thoughts on sustainable systems and leadership Key Quotes "Running a restaurant is incredibly hard... It's a thankless job a lot of days where you just walk in the door and wait to get sucker punched in the gut. Our goal is to help restaurants have more days go right." - Matthew Wampler "It's not the Friday night that you get wrong that really hits the bottom line. It's the Tuesday, Wednesday, it's these little decisions where if you have any little inefficiency in a low volume store, it really hits you." - Matthew Wampler "Processes are those bumpers you put on the bowling alley. Processes keep you hemmed in from side to side, and the ability to go down the bowling alley is amazing when you can't get off the rails." - Simon Zatyrka "Most people are unaware that they're living in insanity. As restaurant operators, we start to have a little chaos and then a little bit more. And then one day you wake up and you manage insanity, but you don't even notice that you're managing insanity." - Matthew Wampler Key Takeaways Predictive analytics solve the industry's persistent forecasting challenges by providing simple, actionable insights: "Today it's Tuesday, two hours prior to close, 18 sticks of bread."Leadership moments during pressure situations determine whether you lose potential talent or develop great team members—intentionally creating a culture where staff support each other.When scaling from two to four locations, invest in developing leaders from within who understand your standards and culture, rather than relying solely on external hires.The most successful multi-unit operations balance strong systems with empowered people—systems provide the structure, people provide the execution.Most operators normalize chaos without recognizing it—intentional leadership with clear processes reduces burnout while improving both operations and quality of life. Connect Section Matthew Wampler / Clear Cogs Website: https://www.clearcogs.comThe Restaurant AI Podcast: Coming soon! Simon Zatyrka / CULINARY MECHANIC Instagram: @culinary.mechanicLinkedin: @simon-zatyrkaEmail: simon@culinarymechanic.comBooking: https://calendly.com/culinarymechanic/connectNewsletter Sign-up: https://simonznews.carrd.co/
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    50 m
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