Zoe Adjonyoh's fascination with Ghanaian cuisine began as an exploration of personal identity (she grew up in the U.K., the child of a Ghanaian father and Irish mother), expanded to a focus of culinary travel, and flowered into a series of London-based businesses--pop-ups, supper clubs, a restaurant, and a book, Zoe's Ghana Kitchen. On this, the publication day of the first US edition of her book, Zoe joins Andrew to discuss her passion for her work, how it fits into the relatively recent effort to codify Ghanaian cuisine, and how she mingles the universal and the personal in her outlook and recipes.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.(photo of Zoe by Lateef Okunnu)

Andrew Talks to Chefs

Episode 180: Zoe Adjonyoh (author, Zoe's Ghana Kitchen)

As a child, Timothée Prangé dreamed of becoming a chef, but somewhere along the way, he took a detour into music as a trumpet player, and then into the vibrant world of modern cocktails. His Little Red Door is the hottest cocktail bar in Paris, where the menu's concept changes annually, earning the establishment abundant honors including longstanding inclusion in the World's 50 Best Bars.  While in Antwerp for the World's 50 Best Restaurants* ceremony last week, Andrew had a chance to sit down with Timothée to discuss LIttle Red Door's unique approach to cocktails, including this year's menu, titled "Grounded," with original drinks focused on a select group of farmers and the vegetables, fruits, dairy, and legumes they grow, raise, and harvest. Please register for and join us for the FREE, virtual PlateTalks conversation among Andrew, fellow journalist Chandra Ram, and legendary American chefs Larry Forgione and Cindy Pawlcyn on Monday, October 18, 2021, at 2pm EST.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.* The World's 50 Best Restaurants is sponsored by our promotional partner S.Pellegrino.

Episode 179: Timothée Prangé (Little Red Door, Paris)

Hanna Raskin, most recently a reporter and restaurant critic for the Charleston Post and Courier, just launched The Food Section, a Substack devoted to food and related issues across the American South. The online journal, delivered to subscribers' email inboxes twice weekly, offers  everything from  news and investigative journalism to restaurant reviews, opinion columns, and features.  On today's pod, Hanna calls in from Charleston to discuss her move into this growing journalism sector, and describe some of her first stories for The Food Section, including a look at the state (and advisability) of "friends and family" nights in restaurants, and the tale of a neighborhood that banded together to push back against a local bar that had overtaken its streets.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 178: Hanna Raskin (The Food Section)

Author Laurie Woolever joins Andrew to discuss her wonderful new book Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography  (due out September 28 and now available for preorder), and to share her memories and observations from the ten years she spent as his assistant, collaborator, and friend.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 177: Laurie Woolever (author, BOURDAIN: The Definitive Oral Biography)

For the first time in 2021, we're bringing back our pandemic-era movie-discussion series Shelter en Place, with guest critics Allison and Matt Robicelli. This time 'round, Andrew, Allison and Matt engage in a SPOILER-FILLED (don't say we didn't warn you) discussion of the surprisingly terrific Nicolas Cage vehicle Pig. Is this film, whose trailer was greeted with derisive laughter earlier this summer, one of the best movies ever made about chefs and restaurants? Listen in and find out.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 176: Shelter en Place Movie Review: Pig, with guest critics Allison & Matt Robicelli

On Andrew's (second) recent book-research trip to Chicago, a chance encounter with Galit restaurant's Zach Engel led to a pod sitdown. Zach shares what it was like to grow up the son of a rabbi in Florida, to zero in on MIddle Eastern food in jobs with Philly's Mike Solomonov and New Orleans' Alon Shaya, as well as time cooking in Israel, before putting down roots in Chicago.And in the Line-Up, our news and commentary segment, friend of the pod Scott Varricchio of Citrus Grillhouse in Vero Beach, Florida, joins us to discuss his recent brush with, and recovery from, COVID (despite being fully vaccinated) and shares his on-the-ground thoughts from one of the most challenged and divided states in the union where the pandemic response is concerned.In our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 175: Zach Engel (Galit--Chicago, IL); Scott Varricchio (Citrus Grillhouse--Vero Beach, FL) on enduring COVID

During a recent book research trip to Chicago, Andrew made time to sit down with industry legend Rich Melman, founder of Lettuce Entertain You; Lettuce Entertain You president R.J. Melman; and executive partner Jerrod Melman. On the occasion of the company's 50th year in business, the family open up about the company's origins, evolution, and management style, as well as other aspects of running restaurants and managing teams. This is a rare and fascinating chance to learn about a philosophy of hospitality from some of the best in the business.And in The Line-Up, our news and commentary segment, NYC restaurateur Vicki Freeman of The Bowery Group calls in to talk about their new restaurant Shukette (with chef Ayesha Nurdaja at the helm), and the ups and downs of opening and operating restaurants at this delicate moment in time.In our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 174: Rich Melman, R.J. Melman, and Jerrod Melman (Lettuce Entertain You); Vicki Freeman (The Bowery Group, NYC) on Operating and Opening Restaurants Right Now

One of the most influential contemporary American chefs, Alfred Portale, joins us to discuss his early, formative days; the Italian-American influence on his culinary sensibility; and the pleasures of opening his current restaurant, the self-titled Italian restaurant Portale in New York  City's Chelsea neighborhood. (Alfred also happens to be the chef who gave Andrew his big break, when he hired him to coauthor his first cookbook.)And in The Line-Up, our news and commentary segment, Patricia Howard and Ed Szymanski of Dame restaurant in New York City, discuss their recent decision (also made by several other chef/owners) to require proof of vaccination for indoor diners.And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 173: Alfred Portale (Portale, NYC); Dame's Patricia Howard & Ed Szymanski on Requiring Indoor Guests be Vaccinated

Arron Sain combines his culinary training and nutritional knowledge (he's a former competitive bodybuilder) to his work as a personal chef and trainer to professional football players like his current client Bud Dupree, as well as celebrities like Fantasia Barrino. Arron sat down with Andrew in Chicago this week to share his unique journey that included an almost 15-year hiatus from his culinary track. In The Line Up, our news and commentary segment, Ray Delucci of the podcast Line Cook Thoughts and blogger for Plate magazine discusses his recent post about imposter syndrome in the industry. And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. 

Episode 172: Arron Sain (personal chef to NFL players & celebrities); Ray Delucci on Imposter Syndrome in the Industry

Andrew recently sat down with prolific chef and restaurateur Franklin Becker at his recently launched Manhattanville Market for a  very personal conversation about everything from his evolution as a chef and manager to the ups and downs of his personal life, starting with a tumultuous childhood in Brooklyn, NY.In The Line Up, our news and commentary segment, the new executive director of the industry advocacy organization ROAR NY, Andrea Strong, and co-founder Sean Feeney, discuss the organization's plans and priorities, and contextualize this very powerful moment in time.And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)All that plus Andrew's notes on the restaurants he visited this week.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 171: Franklin Becker (F. Becker Hospitality); Sean Feeney & Andrea Strong on the future of ROAR NY

Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon, the chef and owner of Philadelphia's acclaimed Kalaya restaurant, tells the fascinating story of her circuitous route to her current success and her unique approach to management and hospitality.In The Line Up, our news and commentary segment, author and journalist Joshua David Stein discusses the fate of the Reset and related industry subjects. (Check out Joshua's new book Cooking for Your Kids: At Home  with the World's Greatest Chefs and Joshua's Zoom chat with Sean Brock & Mina Park this Saturday, July 10 at 4pm EST.)And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)All that plus Andrew's notes on the restaurants he visited this week.To learn more about the Valrhona School Pastry Classes being offered this summer--click here!Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 170: Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon (Kalaya, Philadelphia); Author & Journalist Joshua David Stein on the Fate of the Reset & Other Hot Topics

We're super-excited to share a fascinating interview with chef Flynn McGarry. Recorded in two sessions at his Gem restaurant in lower Manhattan, one just before the pandemic in February 2020 and the other just last week, the conversations cover McGarry's creative process, both as chef and restaurateur, as well as how he had to adjust his plans for Gem to respond to the ongoing public health crisis and his own constantly shifting sensibilities.In  our news and commentary segment The Line-Up, Robb Report's Jeremy Repanich discusses his feature spotlighting industry figures who stepped up to make a difference during the past year.And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)To learn more about the Valrhona School Pastry Classes being offered this summer--click here!All that plus Andrew's notes on the restaurants he visited this week.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 169: Flynn McGarry (Gem, NYC); Jeremy Repanich on Robb Report's Tribute to Industry Figures Who Stepped Up This Year

This week, the American restaurant industry lost a Los Angeles legend when chef Mark Peel passed away at the untimely age of 66. As tribute, we're sharing a 2010 book interview Andrew conducted with Mark that covers his culinary awakening in the 1970s, his time in (and contributions to) such landmark restaurants as Ma Maison, Michael's Santa Monica, and Spago, as well as the launch of his own restaurant Campanile, in partnership with his wife at the time, Nancy Silverton. And in our weekly news and commentary segment, The Line-Up, Copenhagen-based journalist Lisa Abend joins us to discuss her new Substack, Bord, on which she and her colleagues and collaborators cover the contemporary Copenhagen restaurant scene, and the fascinating goings-on behind the scenes. And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)To learn more about the Valrhona School Pastry Classes being offered this summer--click here!All that plus Andrew's notes on the restaurants and bars he's visited this week.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.(photo of Mark Peel by Anne Fishbein)

Episode 168: Remembering Mark Peel (previously unaired 2010 interview); Lisa Abend on Copenhagen after COVID

At the heart of their successful Brooklyn restaurants Colonia Verde and Disco Tacos is the longstanding romance between Felipe Donnelly and Tamy Rofe. The couple sat down with Andrew in Williamsburg to discuss how they met, fell in love, and eventually ditched their marketing careers for a new life in hospitality. At this precarious moment in time, this is a feel-good conversation sure to put a smile on your face.In The Line-Up, our news and commentary segment, David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer of Che Fico and Che Fico Alimentari discuss the complexities of the tipping issue and how they've changed their own practices to create a more profitable and equitable structure for their team.In this week's Andrew Talks to Chefs classic moment, we revisit Andrew's conversation with the late Anthony Bourdain. (Please peruse our alphabetical archive of hundreds of guests at the pod's website to hear your favorite chefs on demand.)And in our jobs-of-the-week segment, we share some of the great positions our sponsor Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS) is currently looking to fill.  (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)All that plus Andrew's notes on the restaurants and bars he's visited this week.Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 167: Felipe Donnelly & Tamy Rofe (Colonia Verde & Disco Tacos, Brooklyn); David Nayfeld & Matt Brewer on Tipping

For nearly 3 decades chef Peter Hoffman owned and operated the storied restaurant Savoy in New York City's SoHo neighborhood. In his first book, What's Good?, he intertwines his own story and that of the restaurant with notes on ingredients that take the reader through a year of growing cycles. It's a remarkable and beautifully written book and Peter's comments are a wonderful expansion of some key ideas and moments it contains.In The Line-Up, our news and commentary segment, writer and  podcast producer Jacqueline Raposo discusses her recent Grub Street article advocating for a broader and more informed definition of "accessibility" in restaurants building on lessons learned during COVID.And as he does each week, Brad Metzer, founder of Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS), joins us to share a  selection of positions that his firm is looking to fill. (Andrew Talks to Chefs listeners are encouraged to reach out to BMRS at the special, dedicated email address created just for you at ATC@restaurant-solutions.com.)Andrew Talks to Chefs is sponsored in part by meez; please check out this revolutionary new interactive recipe database and tool for professional chefs and cooks.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

Episode 166: Peter Hoffman (chef & author of What's Good?); Jacqueline Raposo on Expanding the Definition of "Accessible"

Our top chefs, as you’ve never heard them before. Author Andrew Friedman, one of the nation's chief chroniclers of professional kitchen life, interviews a diverse cross-section of the best and biggest names in the business, bringing his personal relationships and industry knowledge to bear in coaxing personal and professional revelations from his guests.

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Andrew Talks to Chefs

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