The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Sheryn Delgado-Abalos about choosing to be vegan at an early age, why she taught herself to cook and becoming an entrepreneur. When I asked her about becoming a chef, Delgado-Abalos says, “I ended up having to basically teach myself how to cook and prepare meals that were also healthy and that could sustain my new lifestyle even though I was so young and I just started experimenting in the kitchen.” She adds, “It was really myself teaching myself and when I was fifteen I had this notion, oh wouldn't it be great to have a restaurant.” Delgado-Abalos moved to Miami from Canada at twenty-one and while working at a hotel she met an investor that funded her first project. She says about opening her first vegan concept, “It was in Miami Beach in the nineties when the fashion world was just beginning here. It was a really good learning experience. It was basically my university for how to open up a business in Miami Beach because they don't make it so easy here. There's a lot of red tape and administration, a lot of licensing fees. So I spent a lot of my time at city hall trying to figure out how to do things correctly. I had to keep going back and I pretty much lived at city hall until we finally opened our doors.”As far as Delgado-Abalos’ education she received formal education training from Food Future Institute, Food For Health Foundation, International School of Detoxification, SunFired Foods Academy and Ecornell Plant Based Nutrition as well as other programs. In 2010 Delgado-Abalos opened Thrive Juice Bar and in 2015, Plant Theory Creative Cuisine, a combination of her world travels and healthy, organic, gluten-free artisan-crafted food. Chef shares her recipe, Where’s The Beet!, made with roasted portobello, sunflower seeds and more. To hear Delgado-Abalos talk about plant-based and the shift in the industry and how wellness and health will have a role in the future of food, check out this episode of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!

Chef AF

A Plant-Based Pioneer’s Journey to Become an Entrepreneur

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Chef Ben Ebbrell, co-founder and director at SORTEDfood, about his background as a trained chef and how a conversation at a pub with friends sparked the idea and the sentiment that got Sortedfood started. SORTEDfood began over ten years ago and their mission is to get people SORTED by empowering them with passion, knowledge, skills and tools so they can confidently cook with whatever they have available. SORTEDfood’s youtube channel has over two million subscribers. Ebbrell says that their youtube channel started in 2010 and has changed over the years. He says, “it's changed and now it's more sort of entertainment and inspiration. First we promise that if you watch a video on youtube you'll always learn something. There's always some factual takeout but it's more about just hanging out and having fun together and there's lots of challenges and a bit of Jeopardy and some competition elements and we invite other expert guests and chefs in so that we can learn from them as well. It's kind of just one big happy family of food, drink and cooking an open invitation.”“We've realized as with many subjects once you open that treasure chest and you start to explore and the more you learn the more you realize you don't know and I think food is one of those things that can just keep going and people's perceptions and habits and behavior around food is changing and evolving. The kind of food that we were cooking ten years ago and to be honest with the kind of food we were avoiding ten years ago are now very very commonplace and absolutely important and topical and timely. We would be stupid if we didn't kind of feature that and celebrate that now,” Ebbrell says when I asked if the possibilities are endless for SORTEDfood.To hear how SORTEDfood was able to shine light on restaurants by highlighting their meal kits when creating video content during the pandemic, the gourmet beans on toast recipe, Ebbrell’s thoughts on sustainability and more, check out this episode of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!

How to Build One of the Largest Food Communities on Friendship

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Chef Jack Yoss, Vice President of Culinary at Hai Hospitality about his early inspiration, hands-on training, the importance of having mentors, and working overseas. Yoss shares that his foundation for cooking came from Las Vegas and working for Wolfgang Puck restaurants for nearly eight years. He says he truly learned about people and how to work with different cultures while overseas. Yoss adds, he was in Bali, Thailand, and other countries and when working in a foreign land, managing five hundred people that all have different customs, you learn to adapt very quickly. I asked Yoss about the culture having an impact on his culinary style, he says, “I will never say that I fully understand the fundamentals of Indonesian Cuisine. You know there's hundreds of dialects, there's hundreds of regional cuisines, there's thousands of islands right, you're never going to fully understand that as a foreigner.” He adds, “but what I did get was a good base knowledge and that's definitely inflected the way that I cook these days.” Yoss spent time working with Hai Hospitality before going overseas, and on his return he joined the group again. Hai Hospitality is a restaurant group from Texas, their restaurants include, Uchi, Uchiko, Uchiba, and Loro an Asian smokehouse and bar by James Beard award winners Chef Tyson Cole and Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue. Yoss is known for his in the trenches work style, he says, “you can't lead through email and you can't lead through text, first of all the very first and foremost is you have to get to know and build relationships with your teams and your team doesn't only mean your chef de cuisine or your sous chefs. You need to get to know the line cooks, you need to get to know the prep cooks and you need to be visible.” Adding, “getting out, getting on the road, and getting in the restaurants.” To hear Yoss talk about the importance of mentors, his story behind the recipe for pork shoulder satay, his thoughts on the labor shortage, and what the future holds check out this episode of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!

Building Relationships and Mentorship | Hai Hospitality

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Chef Paul Griffin, chief culinary officer at BurgerFi about his training, his experience of over twenty years, and his road to BurgerFi. Griffin, born and raised in New Zealand, talks about being classically trained and how it gave him a foundation in French European cuisine with a foundation of sauce technique. When Griffin finished school, he took the traditional path and went gourmet, working for some of the best restaurants in the country and the world, he says. Griffin says he spent many years honing his culinary skills at the top hotels in the world and small restaurants, including The Breakers in Palm Beach. He came to South Florida and that’s when Griffin began to build BurgerFi. I asked Griffin how he became a founding member of BurgerFi and he says, “being a chef in south florida we made some acquaintances in the industry that worked front of house, that were entrepreneurs and you know over the years we had crossed paths and and back in 2006 we kind of joined together.” He adds, “We were running high-end full-service Italian restaurants here and in Delray Beach. Delray Beach is a very young and vibrant little town right on the beach here and we had several restaurants that were doing lunch and dinner at super high volume.” Griffin had found a niche item on the menu, it was an antibiotic free beef burger. He says, “The burgers really became the star and then it took a few years of that and we realized that we hadn't played in the QSR field ever.” Griffin adds, they took a product that they were already selling and it became the burger brand BurgerFi. I chat with Griffin about the size of the BurgerFi opening team and he says, “we've been consistent with the plan, again coming with operational strength. We have a five-person team based on the 5 positions that they train. We have a grilled person, we have the front of the house, we have you know the assembly person. Well, it's not an overly complicated system. So the training team today is leaps and bounds over what I started back then, I mean we've introduced amazing technology.”Griffin says when asked about the industry, “I would love to see hospitality bounce back.” He adds, “It's more important than the food I agree with you, it's all about going out talking to someone and you know being treated pleasantly. It's becoming a lost art.” To hear Chef Griffin talk about supply chain disruptions, his recipe for the BurgerFi Spicy Wagyu Burger better known as the SWAG Burger, technology, and more check out this episode of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!

A Classically Trained Chef’s Journey to Making Burgers | BurgerFi

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I talk with Greg Pryor, known to his instagram followers as Caster Azucar, a cook with no formal training about social media, his cooking that comes from his love of creating and why he sees food as an adventure. Pryor talks about the amazing feeling of trying something sensational in a restaurant and says he has had those experiences in New Zealand. He chats about eating at Michael Meredith’s restaurant saying it was incredible and couldn’t believe what he had done with a potato and cabbage dish. Pryor adds, “there’s something that is my drive to try and get people to experiment more at home and appreciate food more when they go out, but also appreciate the adventure that is food.” Pryor shares with us his recipe Burnt Butter, Pistachio, and Potato Soup, which he says came from looking for something that was hearty, warm and fall-like. This recipe comes with an option to add grilled salmon. Pryor talks about creating echoes of the foundational flavors, saying that the dish is about bringing layers of flavor and texture to something as simple as a soup. Tune into the podcast to learn more on how Pryor feels about following recipes, what he has to say about cooking with sous vide, and his thoughts about the industry on this episode of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!

A Creative Drive to Recipe Development | Caster Azucar

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Gerard Craft, executive chef and owner of Niche Food Group about his snowboard photography days, his introduction to the kitchen and being named Food & Wine Best New Chef. Craft talks about how he started out washing dishes, doing some basic cooking and how he loved the camaraderie of the kitchen. He says about cooking at that time, “being able to come in everyday, produce something, make people happy. Clean up at night and you’re done. I think it was kind of just what I needed and I really enjoyed.” Adding, “restaurant people are just different and I gravitate towards restaurant people.” Craft through a recommendation of a career counselor talks about opting for culinary school.Craft shares his experiences from working in Bistro Toujours in Park City, heading to Los Angeles for a run at Chateau Marmont with trips to farmers markets, and a stop at Ryland Inn in New Jersey. Now Craft’s Niche Food Group has several restaurants. Chef Craft takes us on his journey through opening Niche, his first restaurant in Saint Louis, he talks about the growing pains of opening a business, and how a visit from Kate Krader and being named Food & Wine Best New Chef was a game changer. We talk about feijoada, this incredibly delicious recipe that has a sentimental connection to Craft, it’s Brazilian origin, and making farofa to top off this stew. To hear Craft speak openly on mental health, the importance of changing the culture in restaurant management and becoming an employee first restaurant group, tune in to this episode of Chef AF on iTunes now.

No Such Thing As An Overnight Success | Niche Food Group

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I talk with Derek Kaplan from Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop. Kaplan, a former football player and City of Miami fireman, shares how his love for baking came about, getting started with a key lime pie recipe, and how Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop came to fruition. Kaplan talks about being exposed to an extensive array of foods at an early age and its impact on how he saw food. When asked about selling pies in the beginning, Kaplan said, “I used to think I was going to change the world, selling pies in a cup.” He adds, “I had this idea I was going to revolutionize the way people ate pies.”I asked Kaplan about a little space in Wynwood between the dance club Electric Pickle and a barbershop, he said it was his first Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop. He also shares how he had a food truck and utilized a commissary kitchen to get his business started. We talk about how Kaplan built his name, brand, and customer base before opening this location. He goes on to say “I always looked at the store as access points.” Kaplan offers up the recipe for White Chocolate Guava Cookies and how he invented this deliciously decadent cookie that you can find at his Bake Shop. You can get Kaplan’s cookie recipe here. Tune into the podcast to learn more about Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop’s plan for the future, Kaplan’s advice for aspiring food entrepreneurs, and the importance of caring about your brand on Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at Spotify!

A Homegrown, Hand-Made Success Story, Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Chef Josh Mouzakes from ARLO San Diego. Mouzakes shares how he discovered he had a passion for culinary arts at just thirteen years old and his colorful introduction to the restaurant industry in Eastport, Long Island. Chef Mouzakes talks about his extensive professional training starting at vocational school in tenth grade and then he headed to Johnson and Wales University. He says that his path changed there and in regards to culinary school you will get out of it, what you put into it. Mouzakes was very involved with the American Culinary Federation, while at school. During that time Chef was able to build relationships and work on his craft, also adding an internship in the United Kingdom and at The French Laundry. Chef Mouzakes was working at JW Marriott in downtown Houston before landing ARLO, a new restaurant in Town and Country Resort in San Diego. He talks about menu development, ARLO being innovative, and changing the menu every season. You can listen to this episode to find out how the Floating Crudité came about. Chef shares with us his recipe for Thai Carrot Pasta, one of the first vegetarian dishes that they tried at ARLO. It was developed by Mouzakes when he was in need of something satisfying while getting healthy. Tune into the podcast to learn more about Chef Mouzakes' belief in creativity in the restaurant, thoughts on plant-based food, and the importance of using local ingredients on Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at iTunes Now!

From Dishes to Fine Dining with Joshua Mouzakes, Chef at ARLO

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode of Chef AF, I talk with Executive Chef Fabrizio Schenardi from Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World. Schenardi shares how he became interested in becoming a chef, takes us through his journey over the years, and we dive into his insights on the food and beverage industry. Chef Schenardi trained in Torino, Italy in the 1980’s and during that time it was hard and intense work. He had several mentors that have helped him along the way, including Franco Seletti and Raffaele Trovato, says Chef Schenardi. Chef Schenardi shares with us his vast experience and takes us on a tour through the restaurants that have impacted his knowledge. We get an understanding of his role with Four Seasons Resorts over the years and Chef Schnardi’s connection to Ravello, an authentic Italian restaurant. Chef gives us an inside look at one of his recipes, Hamachi Crudo that is on the menu at Ravello. Chef Schenardi talks about the taste profile, the color and presentation of the dish, and it’s playful mix of three distinguished cooking techniques. This Hamachi Crudo recipe brings all the goods, including an arugula - pistachio pesto! Tune into the podcast to learn more about Chef Schenardi’s advice for young cooks, consumer insights, and his dining predictions on Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at iTunes Now!

Chef Fabrizio Schenardi on Decades of Experience and the Importance of a Recipe

The next generation of culinary artisans are changing up the industry. These artisans have a whole new approach to reaching and satisfying the next generation consumer. In this podcast we will explore chefs and artisans from around the world diving into their story and passion. In this episode, I talk with Paul Barron, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rever Networks about the season three launch of Chef AF “It’s All Food”. We cover the new platform and what our listeners can expect to hear on the show.Barron and I discuss how our show will give a voice to the culinary minds that are changing the food industry. We will dive into what drove them to cook, get their insights on challenges, changes, and what the industry is facing today. We also reveal how Chef AF will be able to transport our guest’s cuisine to our listeners through a new bonus recipe that has been added to the format. Here they will talk about a favorite dish, seasonal menu item, or a recipe that is authentic to who they are as a chef. Our audience will be able to get that recipe from our blog at Foodable Network. Tune into the podcast to learn more about the new season of Chef AF “It’s All Food” or you can listen at iTunes Now!

Chef AF Season 3 Kickoff | Lisa Pepe w/ Paul Barron

In the latest episode of Chef AF, host Chef Adrianne Calvo sits down with Chef Venoy Rogers III, the executive chef of American Kitchen Bar & Grill at B Resort and Spa. Chef Adrianne and Chef Venoy explore sustainable sourcing, chef-to-guest relationships, and working in Miami.

Staying Inspired and Cultivating Creativity

In this episode of Chef AF, Chef Adrianne Calvo and Chef Richard Hales discuss the road to becoming a successful chef. Chef Richard Hales is one of Miami’s most decorated chefs and has had numerous awards and television appearances. Listen in to hear interesting stories and advice on becoming a successful chef!

The Road to Becoming a Successful Chef

In the latest episode of Chef AF, host Chef Adrianne Calvo sits down with Randy Fisher, the president of CREaM. Before founding CREaM, Fisher was a partner and senior vice president for Miami hotel development and management firm The Continental Companies (TCC). He continues to serve as an event producer for the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Chef Adrianne and Fisher explore the experience of working as a chef in the sports industry, and discuss what goes into the culinary production for major sporting events like the Super Bowl.

Large Scale Culinary Event Production in the Sports Industry

Join Chef Adrianne Calvo as she speaks with Chef Demetrio Zavala, Corporate Culinary Director for Shula’s Restaurant Group. We discuss The challenge and opportunity of the plant-based revolution and how chefs are adapting to these trends. We are also exploring the trending topic of animal protein vs. plant-based for menu innovation.

Beef vs Plant-Based - Steakhouse Chef on Vegans

In this episode of Chef AF, host Chef Adrianne Calvo chats with public relations account manager Lisa Schwartz. With over twelve years of experience working with high-profile clients, Schwartz is part of Miami’s Rockaway public relations and marketing team. She currently manages eight executive chefs—one of them being Chef Adrianne herself. Chef Adrianne and Schwartz explore the culinary industry from the perspective of a publicist.

Tales From the Chef Whisperer: A Culinary Publicist’s Perspective

Featuring chefs who understand the changing landscape of food today. This podcast will guide you through the challenges of chefs and food artisans who are rethinking the way we consume, produce, market, and develop our relationship with food. Chef AF is a podcast show where the audience gets to know the mind of the people working behind the scenes of a restaurant or foodservice operation.

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Chef AF

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