In this episode of On The Pass , host Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Scott Linder — chef, creative collaborator, and co-founder of Matū and Matū Kai, two standout restaurants in Los Angeles that are quietly, and powerfully, reshaping the steakhouse as we know it. Scott takes us behind the curtain of Matū’s vertically integrated model — built in partnership with First Light Farms in New Zealand — and shares why owning the full story of the beef, from soil to service, was the only way forward. Thi...
Jul 02, 2025•49 min•Season 6Ep. 128
This week, Gabriel sits down with the deeply imaginative and visionary chef Aitor Zabala, the creative mind behind the newly reimagined Somni in Los Angeles. In this expansive and intimate conversation, Aitor opens up about the last five years — from losing precious creative time when the original Somni closed, to rebuilding not just a restaurant, but a philosophy. He shares how failure became a tool for growth, how time has reshaped his approach to leadership and storytelling, and why fine dini...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 127
Pablo Rivero is CEO of Resy + Tock and SVP of American Express Global Dining, leading the charge in reshaping how diners connect with restaurants worldwide. With a deep background in both strategy and hospitality, Pablo brings a rare blend of tech-forward thinking and boots-on-the-ground understanding of the industry. In this episode of On The Pass , Gabriel and Pablo dive into how he stays close to the heartbeat of restaurants even as his role becomes increasingly strategic. They discuss the ev...
May 28, 2025•41 min•Season 6Ep. 126
You may know Chef Kwame Onwuachi from his remarkable origin story — immortalized in his bestselling memoir, Notes from a Young Black Chef , celebrated on Top Chef , and most recently, reimagined on the latest season of Netflix Chef’s Table . His Harlem-born, Bronx-raised perspective, blended with global influences and deep cultural roots, has positioned him as one of the most compelling voices in food today. His New York City restaurant, Tatiana, has quickly become one of the most exciting and c...
May 14, 2025•37 min•Season 6Ep. 125
Our next guest is Chef Andrew Wong — chef, anthropologist, and cultural historian. Born in Britain and of Chinese heritage, Andrew’s culinary journey is a compelling blend of personal legacy and academic curiosity. It all began in 1985 when his parents opened a traditional Cantonese restaurant in London’s Pimlico neighborhood — the same location where his celebrated, two Michelin-starred restaurant, A. Wong, now stands. Since taking the reins in 2012, Andrew has reimagined what it means to serve...
Apr 23, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 124
Our next guest truly embodies joy—a sentiment beautifully reflected in the meaning of her name within her culture. Chef Fariyal Abdullahi is a multifaceted talent: an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, television personality, and the Executive Chef at Marcus Samuelsson's Hav & Mar restaurant, in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. Born and raised in Ethiopia as the youngest of six siblings, Fariyal's culinary passion was deeply influenced by her mother's exceptional cooking and the vibrant ...
Apr 09, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 123
In this special episode of On The Pass , we’re joined by Chef Ryan Cole, the visionary chef and co-owner of Salsify at The Roundhouse in Cape Town, South Africa. Recently recognized by 50 Best Discovery and acclaimed for its innovative approach to modern South African cuisine, Salsify was everything we could have hoped for—and more—for our first proper sit-down meal in Cape Town. Set within a historic landmark overlooking the breathtaking views of Camps Bay, Salsify blends heritage with culinary...
Mar 27, 2025•21 min•Season 6Ep. 122
Many of my most unforgettable hospitality and culinary experiences have been meaningful not just because of their quality, creativity, or service, but because they fostered a deeper connection to the local culture, people, and traditions. These experiences go beyond excellence—they tell a story, evoke emotion, and create lasting impressions. This is exactly what our next guest has dedicated his career to curating, preserving, and championing. Joining us on this episode of On The Pass is Laurent ...
Mar 05, 2025•49 min•Season 6Ep. 121
In Episode 6 of Effects of Change, Jamila and Gabriel sit down with Fawn Weaver, entrepreneur, author, and spirits mogul, CEO of Grant Sidney Inc. and owner of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. They discuss leading as your authentic self. Jamila and Gabriel close out the series by reflecting on everything they've learned through these conversations, the progress that has been made, and the work that still lies ahead. Learn More about Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey: https://bit.ly/464ow8N Follow Fawn...
Feb 19, 2025•44 min
In Episode 5 of Effects of Change, Jamila and Gabriel sit down with Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, and Tim Brooke-Webb, Managing Director of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Bars, and Hotels platform. They discuss awards, recognition, and the importance of these platforms as vehicles for discovery and community building. Learn More about The World's 50 Best Ecosystem: https://bit.ly/416kRGt Learn more about The James Beard Foundation: https://bit.ly/3X6Lk5J Follow Tim Broo...
Feb 19, 2025•47 min
In Episode 4 of Effects of Change , Jamila and Gabriel sit down with Melina Shannon-DiPietro, Managing Director of MAD, the nonprofit founded by chef René Redzepi of restaurant Noma, and Juliane Caillouette Noble, Managing Director of the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Together, they discuss sustainability, the supply chain, and the broader impact of how and what we eat. Follow Melina Shannon-DiPietro and Juliane Caillouette Noble on Instagram: https://bit.ly/40Zn5r8 https://bit.ly/4i4Xbcp ...
Feb 19, 2025•40 min
In Episode 3 of Effects of Change, Jamila and Gabriel sit down with Daniel Humm, chef and owner of the iconic New York fine-dining establishment Eleven Madison Park, and Elena Reygadas, The World’s Best Female Chef 2023 and chef-owner of Rosetta in Mexico City. They discuss philosophical change and the courage to cook the food they truly want to create. Learn more about Bon Appétit: https://bit.ly/49CWK51 Follow Daniel Humm and Elena Reygadas on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3EVVdg3 https://bit.ly/3...
Feb 19, 2025•52 min
In Episode 2 of Effects of Change, Jamila and Gabriel sit down with Sean Sherman—award-winning chef, educator, author, and activist—and Rupa Bhattacharya, Executive Director of the Strategic Initiatives Group at The Culinary Institute of America. Together, they discuss heritage, culture, and education through the lens of food. Learn more about Bon Appétit: https://bit.ly/49CWK51 Follow Sean Sherman and Rupa Bhattacharya on Instagram: https://bit.ly/412ibK1 https://bit.ly/439ckVI Watch On The Pas...
Feb 19, 2025•50 min
Jamila and Gabriel kick off this series opener by introducing Effects of Change, a Bon Appétit and On The Pass original six-part series. The series explores progress and features intimate conversations with some of the most influential change-makers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Learn more about Bon Appétit: https://bit.ly/49CWK51 Follow Bon Appétit and Jamila Robinson on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48mwHOi Watch On The Pass Original: RARE, A Chef's Story: https://bit.ly/3NKDU2N Foll...
Feb 12, 2025•24 min
How do you build a great partnership? And how does that partnership foster a strong company culture—one that extends beyond your guests to include your entire team? Our next guests have mastered this balance, creating a thriving hospitality group while continuing to expand their portfolio of offerings. In this episode of On The Pass , we’re joined by two culinary visionaries who have helped shape San Francisco’s dining scene—Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow, partners and co-executive chefs of ...
Feb 05, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 120
No matter where you are in the world, January is a time for reflection—a moment to consider how we’ve moved through the past and envision how we want to step into the future. January offers us a cultural and astrological milestone, the New Year, as an opportunity to start fresh. For many, Dry January becomes a product of this cultural shift, reflecting a growing interest in a more health-conscious start to the year. Some dive in wholeheartedly, others embrace a "Damp January," balancing moderati...
Jan 15, 2025•53 min•Season 6Ep. 119
At On The Pass we have a deep love for Mexican food—from the humble street taco to the artistry of fine dining. Mexican cuisine is vibrant, flavorful, and as colorful as the people, culture, and diverse landscapes it represents. It’s hard to imagine a time when the beauty and richness of this storied food culture weren’t widely celebrated, both in Mexico and across the globe. In many ways, we can thank our next guest and his partner for helping spark more appreciation for Mexican cuisine and cul...
Dec 11, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 118
Are you familiar with the three key tiers in Cognac production? These include the distillers, the grape growers, and those who age the eau-de-vie . In Cognac, it’s quite uncommon for a single brand to oversee every aspect of the process—growing grapes, distilling, and aging. However, our next guests are doing just that. Some might even say this challenger Cognac brand has been a century in the making. Our next guests, Guillaume Thomas and Andrew Weir, co-founders of Martingale Cognac, are no str...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 117
Our next guest is on a mission to support restaurants and reclaim market share in a sector her company helped revolutionize 26 years ago. Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, the pioneering platform for restaurant reservations, founded in 1998 in San Francisco. Today, OpenTable remains the leader in online reservations as part of Booking Holdings Inc., but being the first and largest doesn’t automatically mean it’s the best. Debby took the helm in 2020 during an extraordinarily challenging time for the ...
Oct 30, 2024•54 min•Season 5Ep. 116
Chef Mauro Colagreco has famously said, “We aren’t a restaurant with a garden, we are a garden with a restaurant.” He and his team are deeply committed to safeguarding the world’s culinary heritage, particularly through the preservation of biodiversity in both flora and fauna. This dedication has extended his role far beyond the kitchen and his numerous restaurants, positioning him as a global leader in sustainable gastronomy. An Argentine-born chef, Mauro has embraced a philosophy of circular g...
Oct 16, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 115
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Chef Jon Yao and Sommelier Ryan Bailey, co-owners of Kato, an Asian American restaurant that artfully explores the intersection of Los Angeles culture and the Asian diaspora. Kato originally opened in a small Westside strip mall, operating in a space just one-quarter the size of its current location in Downtown LA. At that time, Jon was just 25 years old. Despite its modest beginnings, the team’s innovative approach earned th...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 114
In January 2023, Gabriel traveled to the southern Pacific Coast of Mexico, in the state of Guerrero, to experience Playa Viva, an eco-luxury and regenerative boutique hotel founded by our next guest, David Leventhal, and his then-wife shortly after purchasing the land in 2006. Playa Viva is situated at the base of the Sierra Madre Mountains, just forty minutes from Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa International Airport (ZIH). This unique hotel embodies the concept "where your vacation meets your values™," ded...
Aug 07, 2024•51 min•Season 5Ep. 113
On this episode of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Clay Williams, Brooklyn-based James Beard Award-winning photographer. Clay has been capturing and helping tell stories about food, hospitality, and the people and places that define our culture for more than 15 years. His work has appeared in the pages of Food & Wine, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Travel + Leisure, as well as in cookbooks by Chef Kwame Onwuachi and Atlanta chef Todd Richards. In this episode, we disc...
Jul 29, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 112
On this episode of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Adam Teeter, New York-based Co-founder and CEO of VinePair. Adam and Josh Malin Co-founded VinePair ten years ago and together they’ve grown the platform into the largest multi-media publication about wine, beer and spirits in America, reaching almost 40 million people a month. In this episode, we discuss: ☑️Remake the industry in a new image ☑️Journalism through the lens of the glass ☑️Educating the next generation ☑️How dri...
Jul 22, 2024•32 min•Season 5Ep. 111
Our next guests are Ian Burrell and Aaisha Dadral, Co-founders of The Equiano Rum Company, creators of the world’s first African and Caribbean rums. This pioneering venture not only celebrates the rich heritage of rum but also champions the values of freedom and equality, inspired by the legendary figure Olaudah Equiano. Ian, known globally as the Rum Ambassador, has spent decades entertaining and educating audiences about the diverse and exhilarating world of rum. He is the visionary behind The...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 110
On this episode of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Matthew Kaner, Los Angeles-based sommelier, wine educator, correspondent and consultant. Matthew is the wine correspondent for Men's Journal which garners 12,000,000 unique monthly views. He’s also the Owner of “Will Travel For Wine Consulting” and literally will travel anywhere and everywhere on the globe for wine and food experiences. Matthew was named one of the Sommeliers of the Year by Food & Wine Magazine and in 201...
Jul 15, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 109
On this episode of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Rita Jammet, New York-based restaurateur, hospitality advisor and Founder of La Caravelle Champagne. Rita and her husband André owned and operated the iconic New York French restaurant, La Caravelle. The New York Times described La Caravelle as a “French Legend and a Paris in Manhattan experience to food enthusiasts and the A-list of American society.” After closing La Caravelle restaurant in 2004, Rita started to market and ...
Jul 08, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 108
Our next guest bathes throughout the year in an energy of potential and is constantly on a journey of exploration and discovery. Meet Jhonatan Cano, restaurateur, travel enthusiast, and global citizen. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Jhonatan always had a deep yearning to discover the world. He began his career in award-winning hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, and Conrad Hotel. Later, he joined José Andrés and the ThinkFoodGroup as an integral team member of the flagship Minibar ...
Jul 03, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 107
On this episode of the High Tea series, Bill Esparza, Los Angeles-based James Beard Award winning writer and author of LA Mexicano. Bill is a leading authority on Latin American cuisine as a freelance writer for publications such as New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Eater; he’s also appeared on several food television programs. In this episode, we discuss: ☑️Travel always inspires him to discover more ☑️Afro-Mexican cuisine of Oaxaca ☑️”The indigenous-exchange” ☑️Brief hist...
Jul 01, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 106
On this episode of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Esther Tseng, Los Angeles-based food, drinks and culture writer. Esther is an Academy Chair of the USA West region for The World’s 50 Best Bars and has served as judge for the James Beard Foundation . She has contributed to numerous publications like The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Eater, Civil Eats, Saveur, Resy, VICE, Time Out and many more. In this episode, we discuss: ☑️Esther’s re...
Jun 24, 2024•21 min•Season 5Ep. 105
