This week, I have Michael Twitty. He's a food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian and historical interpreter personally charged with preparing, preserving and promoting African American foodways, and its parent traditions in Africa and her diaspora, and the food culture of the American South. Michael is a Judaic Studies teacher from the Washington DC area, and his interests include food culture, food history, Jewish cultural issues, African American history, and cultural politics. He...
Feb 02, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Welcome to season two of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. I'm your host, Chris Spear. On the show, I have conversations with culinary entrepreneurs, and people in the food and beverage industry who took a different route. They're caterers, research chefs, personal chefs, cookbook authors, food truckers, farmers, cottage bakers, and all sorts of culinary renegades. I, myself, fall into the personal chef category, as I started my personal chef business Perfect Little Bites 10 years ago. And ...
Jan 27, 2021•11 min
This week we speak with Charles Hunter III. He’s a personal chef, recipe developer and food blogger based in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s the owner of The Salted Table Company, an in-home catering company that prepares meals for backyard weddings, dinner parties, business dinners and more, in the comfort of your own home. Charles and I have similar backgrounds as it relates to blogging, and the personal chef business, so I really wanted to ask him some questions about how he got started, and how h...
Dec 29, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 76
On this weeks show I have Ryan Dumapit. He has a degree in pastry arts, and food service management. But Ryan doesn’t have a singular path in the food industry. In fact, he also went to school for IT, and has worked for a point of sale company, as well as a fitness company. We talk about many of the positions he’s held including being a district manager for a contract food service company, and working logistics for a large grocery chain. He also partnered with a mutual friend of ours on a cateri...
Dec 21, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 75
On this week's Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, I speak with chef Alex Smith. While Alex has been in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years now, he’s only spent the last 10 years cooking. He started out in the front of the house, but discovered a passion for cooking. He’s been a line cook, kitchen manager, head chef and pitmaster. He’s worked at Fairmont resorts, five diamond restaurants, franchises, recreational cooking schools, and privately owned restaurants. He’s open seven resta...
Dec 14, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 74
On this week's Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, I speak with Philadelphia pastry chef Monica Glass. Upon graduating from Penn State, Monica moved to New York City to embark on a career in public relations. But after a brief stint in the corporate world, she realized she felt more at home in front of an oven than behind a desk. Monica set out to improve her culinary skills with an apprenticeship under Deborah Racicot, executive pastry chef at New York City’s Gotham Bar and Grill. After seven mo...
Dec 07, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 73
On this week's Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, I speak with Sam Hefter, the chef and owner of Hefter Catering in Kansas City. Sam's catering business focuses on upscale taco bars. We talk about how he came up with that idea, and why he doesn’t think he’s going to expand beyond tacos. We get into the set up, overhead and profitability of his catering business, and also discuss doing tastings with clients. Sam is very open about how he started, and continues to run his business, and would love ...
Nov 30, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 72
In this episode of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, host Chris Spear welcomes Chef Amethyst Ganaway to discuss her culinary journey, which spans over a decade in both front-of-house and back-of-house roles. Amethyst shares her deep-rooted connection to Gullah Geechee cuisine, offering insights into how her heritage and upbringing in North Charleston, South Carolina, have shaped her approach to cooking and food writing. Episode Highlights: Amethyst's Culinary Journey: From her upbringing in...
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 71
On this week’s Chefs Without Restaurants podcast I have renowned photographer Aliza Eliazarov. On November 17, she has a book coming out called On the Farm: Heritage & Heralded Animal Breeds in Portraits and Stories. The book invites us to take a closer look at the animal breeds taking center stage on sustainable farms and homesteads. It’s equal parts fine art and field guide. Passion for documenting issues surrounding food and farming has driven her work, and led to numerous projects, publi...
Nov 16, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 70
On the podcast this week, I have chef Tu David Phu. Tu is a first generation Vietnamese-American, born and raised in Oakland, California. You might know him from season 15 of the Bravo Tv show Top Chef . He’s also a San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef. Tu uses the medium of food as a vessel for meaningful work like cooking with incarcerated men in San Quentin , and being a community ambassador in Oakland, working with Asian Health Services and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center . We discuss ...
Nov 09, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 69
This week I speak with pastry chef, and self-proclaimed culinary renegade Kate Holowchik. After working her way through some of Boston's eclectic kitchens, she's now finding her personal voice with the launch of Lionheart Confections. Her desserts are a mix of the refined, with a touch of nostalgia. We discuss: empowering your staff standing up for yourself toxic work environments food as intellectual property pop-ups and so much more =========================== Kate Holowchik and Lionheart Conf...
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 68
This week I speak with Kareem Queeman, better known as Mr. Bake. He’s the owner and operator of Mr. Bake Sweets, a small dessert studio located in Largo, MD. He’s been baking for 20+ years. In the years that Mr. Bake Sweets has operated, he's done a few television appearances on Food Network, Fox, ABC, and Discovery Family. He's also a 2020 Business of Pride honoree by the Washington Business Journal. Mr. Bake prides himself on diversity, inclusivity, community outreach and always making the wor...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 67
On the show this week, I have chef Bill Smith. Bill was the chef at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for 25 years, before retiring in January 2019. I wanted to talk to Bill about his time working at Crook’s Corner, and what he plans to do now that he’s retired. Bill’s always been an activist. Many of his employees at the restaurant were from Mexico, and have become like family to Bill. He’s been talking about immigration, and trying to find ways to support those former employees. Me...
Oct 19, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 66
On the podcast this week I have chef Brendon Hudson. He’s owner and chef of Liliahna catering company. Brendon was recently voted Best Chef by Baltimore Magazine’s readers poll. We discuss the state of the catering and personal chef business, the rise of the micro-wedding, the Thumbtack platform and more. =========================== Brendon Hudson =========================== Liliahna’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/liliahnaa/ Liliahna’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/liliahnaa/ The...
Oct 12, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 65
On the podcast this week I have chef Kimberly Schaub. She’s spent much of her culinary career in the research and development field, working for companies like Beecher’s Handmade Cheese and Bulletproof 360 . She also spent some time with the Modernist Cuisine team, and contributed to their book Modernist Cuisine at Home. Currently, she’s doing business development for Griffith Foods. She also has a website, and podcast, called Peas on Moss. We discuss: · Getting into the culinary R&D field ·...
Oct 05, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 64
This is part 2 of a discussion I had with chef Justin Khanna. If you haven't listened to part 1 yet, I suggest listening to it first, as this episode jumps right into the middle of our discussion. On the podcast this week I have chef Justin Khanna. He's the co-founder of Voyager's Table, a bespoke event production company. He’s also the host of The Repertoire Podcast (formerly The Emulsion podcast), and has a YouTube channel that has more than 20,000 subscribers. Justin spent a number of years w...
Sep 28, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 63
On the podcast this week I have chef Justin Khanna. He's the co-founder of Voyager's Table, a bespoke event production company. He’s also the host of The Repertoire Podcast (formerly The Emulsion podcast), and has a YouTube channel that has more than 20,000 subscribers. Justin spent a number of years working in, and staging in, some of the best restaurants in the world including Per Se, Grace, Noma and Frantzen. This is part one of our interview. Part two will be released next. We discuss the tr...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 62
On the podcast this week I have Mike Tholis. Mike is the owner of Rendezvous Farm in Frederick, Maryland. Before starting his farm, Mike was a chef for 5 years in Washington D.C. restaurants, and has also worked as a butcher. After the government shutdown a few years ago, he realized how precarious the restaurant industry could be, and started planning his exit strategy. We discuss leaving the restaurant business, his innovative CSA model, pros and cons of farmers markets, and why he's hesitant ...
Sep 14, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 61
On today's show, we have Matthew Jennings, a chef and consultant who is also the Vice President of Culinary at Healthy Living Market & Cafe in Vermont. Along with Jason Rose, Matt is the founder of Full Heart Hospitality. Prior to his current role, he owned and was the chef at Farmstead restaurant and cheese shop in Providence, and later opened Townsman restaurant in Boston. He is the author of the cookbook "Homegrown" and has been nominated for several James Beard awards. In our conversatio...
Sep 08, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 60
On the podcast this week I have chef Jensen Cummings, the creator and host of Best Served Podcast. On his show he talks to hospitality industry leaders to learn about the trials and triumphs of their lives and careers. A fifth-generation chef/restaurateur, Jensen has run acclaimed kitchens, owned restaurants, developed concepts and now is focused on evolving the restaurant business model, and storytelling through his hospitality strategy brand, Best Served Creative. Jensen is really interested i...
Aug 31, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 59
On this week’s podcast we have chef Jamie Simpson. He is the chef liason at The Chef’s Garden, and the executive chef of the culinary vegetable institute. The Chef’s Garden has been delivering amazing produce and specialty products direct from the farm to chefs and restaurants for over 30 years. As many businesses have had to pivot due to Covid, The Chef’s Garden has also made some changes. While still offering their products to chefs, they now also offer home delivery boxes direct to the consum...
Aug 24, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 58
On this episode, Chefs Without Restaurants founder Chris Spear speaks with Ray Delucci of the Line Cook Thoughts podcast. The episode originally aired on January 12, 2020. The discussion revolves around starting a personal chef business, building a community, podcasting and various food industry issues. Chris shared advice for all the line cooks, and aspiring food entrepreneurs out there. If you haven't checked out Line Cook Thoughts, go do so. =========================== Line Cook Thoughts ====...
Aug 17, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 57
On this podcast I have Brandon Baltzley. Brandon is the owner of Brandon Baltzley Fitness & Nutrition, as well as a personal trainer and wellness coach at Planet Fitness, and the co-owner of The Buffalo Jump restaurant on Cape Cod with his wife. Brandon is also a chef with more than 20 years in the restaurant business, which he left for good at the beginning of the year. Battling substance abuse and obesity, Brandon decided that for the sake of both his mental and physical health, he would n...
Aug 10, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 56
On today’s podcast we have Kisha Washington. She is the executive Chef and Owner of 3 culinary industry businesses. The first is The Key Ingredient, which is a private dining and chef table experience. The second business is called The Kitchen Spectrum Collective, which is a platform for chefs. It’s a one stop shop for website building, branding, menu development and more. And the third culinary business is a non-profit organization called CookzCreed Foundation that provides scholarships and gra...
Aug 03, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 55
On this week’s podcast I speak with chef Hari Cameron. Hari is the chef consultant at Arcobaleno, as well as the chef partner at Grandpa Mac. I met Hari a few years ago when he was the chef and owner of a(MUSE.) restaurant in Rehoboth, Deleware, a restaurant that he closed on New Year’s Eve 2019. We discuss the move from fine dining to fast casual, as well as his new position with Arcobaleno. Arcobaleno makes kitchen equipment, and have become known for their pasta extruders. Hari’s extensive us...
Jul 28, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 54
On this week’s podcast we have chef Carolyn Crow. Carolyn is the owner of Black Bunny Bakery, as well as an event planner for the city of Gaithersburg, Maryland. We discuss how she’s been juggling event planning, programming cooking classes for Gaithersburg’s Casey Community Center, preparing baked goods for Black Bunny Bakery, and her new series of online cooking demos. We also talk about favorite desserts, baking resources, department of health regulations and if food should always be deliciou...
Jul 20, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 53
On this episode, we have Christina Xenos. She is a Los Angeles-based personal chef, and owner of Sweet Greek Personal Chef Services. She’s also a recipe developer, does cooking classes and is the co-author of Opa. The healthy Greek Cookbook. She was also recently on an episode of “A New Leaf” on NBC, and The Cooking Channel’s Food: Fact or Fiction. We discuss Greek cooking, getting on a national TV show, how Covid-19 has impacted her personal chef business, and cooking at The James Beard House w...
Jul 14, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 52
On this episode of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, we have David Pietranczyk. He’s the chef and product expert at Breville Polyscience. He also does some of their photography, videography and marketing. We discuss · Modern kitchen equipment · Impostor syndrome · Virtual conferences and learning · Niche Facebook groups · Michelin restaurants, and if they can live up to the hype =========================== David Pietranczyk and Breville Polyscience =========================== The PolyScienc...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 51
On this episode, we have Certified Master Chef Rich Rosendale. Rich has a number of business ventures including Rosendale Collective, RC Culinary Lab, Rosendale Events, the Rosendale Online learning platform, and the Leesburg, Virginia restaurant Roots 657. Rich led the United States culinary team at the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition, and had that experience documented in the movie The Contender. We discuss diversifying your business, and how he’s been adapting during the Covid-19 pandemic. W...
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 50
On this episode, we have Jeff Givens, owner of Southern Skies Coffee Roasters. We talk about how he started his business, his successes and some challenges, including marketing. We dive into coffee talk, getting into brewing ratios, roasting, gear and thoughts on the addition of cream and sugar (spoiler alert…Jeff says drink what you like). I hope you enjoy this episode. If you’re into coffee, this one’s for you. =========================== Jeff Givens & Southern Skies Coffee Roasters ======...
Jun 30, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 49
