Ryan has a borderline-unhinged chat with chef Brian Daniel, owner and head chef of Tresini, a celebrated Italian "bar and cucina" in the Philadelphian suburbs (Ambler, PA). They touch on many topics, from old school kitchen rhetoric to the strategies of opening a new restaurant amidst a heavily saturated market. Don't worry if that sounds daunting, though, there are plenty of hilarious tangents and rants along the way.

Check out Tresini here:

tresiniambler.com

In this episode, chef Ryan takes the podcast all the way to Austin, TX to chat with legendary pit-master, author, recipient of James Beard's "Best Chef" award, and recognized member of the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame, Aaron Franklin.

The chefs talk about going from a small BBQ operation on the side of the interstate to being an internationally acclaimed restaurant, nerd out about grills and fire-building, and talk about what's next for the Franklin family.

Check out Franklin's Barbecue here:
franklinbbq.com

In this episode, Ryan chats with chef/owner of St. Vito Foccaciaria Michael Hanna about guerrilla tactics in finding investors, opening a restaurant, and how the journey from fast-casual fry-cook to owner and head chef of a celebrated Italian restaurant has shaped his relationships both in and out of the kitchen.

Check out St. Vito here:
stvitonashville.com

Today's episode tackles some big, albeit heady, ideas. Is AI going to change the restaurant industry? How about the way we interact with each other as a whole? Will Ryan's prophetical musings on Gen-Z come true? Listen in to find out what this week's guest, chef Greg Kuzia-Carmel, thinks.

Kuzia-Carmel runs both Canteen and Camper out of Menlo Park, CA. Rooted in relaxing, "normal" experiences with top-notch cuisine, the celebrated chef and restauranteur wanted to bring a sense of community and lucidity to a tech-driven region of the Golden State. His emphasis on hospitality and carefully sourced seasonal ingredients, alongside his impressive resume (Per Se, Mugaritz, Toro, Quince, to name a few) have landed him in an excellent position to accomplish this lofty goal.

It's been a hot minute since we've had an episode pop up on the podcasting airwaves, but we're back at it with esteemed guest Joe Frillman from Daisies (Chicago, IL). Frillman utilizes seasonal, hyper-local ingredients for his restaurant concept in Logan Square, drawing on his brother (Tim Frillman of Frillman Farms) to provide the freshest produce for his delightful array of vegetable-forward dishes and his time spent abroad for his inventive pasta dishes.

In this episode, Ryan and Joe talk about getting started as a chef, travel (notably the difficulty of transporting knives on a plane), cheesemaking, and much more.

Check out Daisies:
daisieschicago.com

Ryan goes deep with pastry chef extraordinaire Andres Lara. The two share a conversation about cooking, working with people above their paygrade while they were getting started, and the memorable, tangible moments that made lasting impressions on them both in and out of the kitchen.

Check out chef Andres Lara here:
instagram.com/andresflara

Longtime food columnist of the Tennessean Jim Myers left the food critic world to become a restaurant proprietor. His latest venture seats him comfortably in a General Management role at Nashville's historic Elliston Place Soda Shop. Originally opened in 1939, the midtown staple was acquired in 2019 by Tony and Lisa Giarratana. While the classic shop has gotten a much needed facelift, most of the elements remain true to the history and culture of the place. Myers and Ryan talk through the history of Nashville as a chili-parlor town (long before becoming synonymous with our friends to the north in Cincinnati), re-opening a historic restaurant, and the difficulties of food journalism in a modern day world which is inundated by click bait and fleeting social media posts.

Check Out Elliston Place Soda Shop:
ellistonplacesodashop.com

Chef Colby Rasavong sits down with Ryan to chat about his new restaurant concept, Bad Idea. A native of Alabama, Rasavong calls upon his Laotian heritage to infuse his food with Southeast-Asian flavors. Working under esteemed chef Sean Brock at Husk and Audrey, Rasavong honed his culinary skillset, which comes across in the beautifully-plated dishes coming out of the kitchen at Bad Idea.

Check out Bad Idea here:
badideanashville.com