There are only four ingredients needed to produce whiskey, and yet there are endless possibilities that can be expressed. Some put an emphasis on the water while others others focus on the wood with their own specific maturation philosophy, yet few really focus on the quality of whiskey's key ingredient: barley. Majority of whiskey today is produced with commodity barley, but our next guest Matt Hofmann is looking to change this ecosystem by focusing on regionally-grown and shortening the distan...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 43
In the last decade with the rise of social media and our abilities to document every detail of our lives, the word experience has become synonymous with our generation. It's been said that consumers today care more about experiences than possessions which is why brands have had to evolve the way they interact with their customers. From store pop-ups to brand themed restaurants, companies are leaning into that word by creating memorable activations that change the way they connect to their custom...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 42
For this addition of our Rising Talent series on On The Pass, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Andy Kadin, a Rising Talent 2019 Finalist. Andy is the owner and baker behind Bub and Grandma's, one of LA’s most beloved bread. What launched in 2014 as a small and humble business, after leaving behind an advertising career, has now evolved into a wholesale bakery with over 150 customers around LA, many of which are some of the city's most well known restaurants. Andy shares how he got his start, the evolu...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Imagine walking into a bustling restaurant filled with intoxicating energy. The awards hanging on the walls, food is hitting the table, the wine is flowing, the music is setting the mood, and you even spot a celebrity face or two in the corner booth. When that picture is painted, it's not hard to see why restaurants get romanticized. Yet, what is usually hidden behind the curtains is often the turmoil of day to day operations and the sad reality of how many perceived successful restaurants can b...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 40
It's no surprise that being a chef is challenging — the commitment, hours, and lack of sleep that all strains relationships. Now add the layer of being a South American female in what has been a predominately white male environment which has made it even harder to get ahead. This has been chef Victoria Blamey’s experience over the past 17+ years. In reference to Victoria in Episode 31, chef Dan Barber said, “anyone who’s had her experience, any man who’s accomplished what she’s accomplished, wou...
Aug 18, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 39
On this latest edition of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Santiago Lastra, Chef and Co-Owner of Kol restaurant and Kol Mezcaleria in London. Santiago —who is originally from Mexico —was recently named GQ Food and Drink Award's Best Chef 2021. Santiago humbly talks to us about working on Rene Redzepi’s Noma Tulum pop-up, one of the most globally recognized pop-ups of all time, and what he learned through that experience which allowed him to explore Mexico's rich culinary history a...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Launching today is our new series Rising Talent on On The Pass in conjunction with The Art of Plating Rising Talent 2021 program. This series highlights some of the emerging individuals on the list who are are all making an impact on our industry. To kick off our first episode of this series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Jenny Dorsey, an On The Rise awardee on the 2019 Rising Talent list. Jenny is a Chef, writer, artist, and activist who fuses interdisciplinary storytelling with food as medium to ...
Jul 21, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Beaches, caipirinhas, açaí, and the Amazon are probably just a few things that come to mind when Brazil is mentioned, but there is so much more to this diverse nation than our preconceptions. Being Latin America's largest country, it's layered with both international and indigenous influences, history, experiences and cuisine across its different regions. In this episode, we learn about Curitiba through today's guest Manoella “Manu" Buffara, chef-owner of Manu, a restaurant that has singlehanded...
Jul 07, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 36
When you’re innovating in a category, there is no clear roadmap––you have to pave your own path. This week’s guest did just that and focused on creating a brand, building community and tapping into the deep social connection that we all so desperately crave. On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Jen Batchelor, Co-founder and CEO of Kin Euphorics, functional non-alcoholic adult beverages made with adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals. Each of their mood-boosting blen...
Jun 23, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 35
How do spirits brands create memorable experiences and build a loyal following? Veteran spirits executive Robert Furniss Roe believes it comes down to the few fundamental principles of authenticity, differentiation, flavor and building brands with a certain humanity behind them. Having been the former President and Regional CEO at Bacardi Limited, he follows those principles through to Samson & Surrey, a boutique spirits house he Co-founded whose portfolio of brands includes Bluecoat America...
Jun 02, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 34
From the dense city life of CDMX to tranquil sands of Cabo, Mexico has become one of the top travel destinations in the world, yet so much of it has been undiscovered. In this conversation, legendary hotelier Carlos Couturier, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Grupo Habita, a boutique hotel group with destinations across Latin America, passionately takes us on a journey through Mexico through his eyes as a hotel developer. Over the last two decades Carlos and his partners have been credited wit...
May 19, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Having kids changes your life and for our next guest it was the catalyst to better understand food and nutrition, which - like a true entrepreneur - led him to the launch of a new venture. On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Jacob Pechenik, Co-founder and CEO of Lettuce Grow, an outdoor and indoor hydroponic growing system that allows it’s users to grow their own fresh food such as veggies, herbs, leafy greens, and fruits at home without pesticides and with 95 perc...
May 05, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Can chefs step up and takeover our broken food system? Chef Dan Barber thinks they can and should. Dan is the Co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, author of The New York Times Bestseller "The Third Plate", and Co-Founder of Row 7 Seeds, a company developing and exploring new varieties of vegetables and grains. We dissect today’s broken food system and take a deeper look at the current state of our farms, how the seeds today have been modified for high yield rather than grown for n...
Apr 22, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Can healthy soil save our planet? The short answer is Yes. The long answer is we radically have to rethink how we cultivate and giveback to our farm lands. Our next guest, Anthony Myint, Co-Founder of Mission Chinese Food SF and Zero Foodprint (ZFP), a nonprofit organization building a renewable food system rooted in healthy soil, is taking action to be apart of the daunting solution to a better future. Anthony is the 2019 winner of Basque Culinary World prize and 2020 James Beard Humanitarian O...
Apr 20, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Breaking barriers and expectations while staying authentic to one’s vision despite the world's exterior pressures is a way of life for our next guests. On this episode of the “Hot Spot” series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with chef Jeremy Chan and Ire Hassan-Odukale, the creative and business minds behind Ikoyi, a London based restaurant in St James Market. Having no real prior restaurant experience, within a year of jumping onto the scene Ikoyi was awarded a 1 Michelin star along with other numerous ...
Apr 07, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Our guest this episode is Brian Canlis, someone who along with his family has had a reputation for setting the bar for hospitality through their 70 year old restaurant Canlis, a Seattle institution created by his grandfather Peter Canlis. Since the 1950’s, the restaurant has won multiple awards including their most recent James Beard award for Outstanding Hospitality. Today, Brian and his brother Mark are at the helm of Canlis. Bringing a fresh perspective, they’ve made changes to keep the resta...
Mar 24, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 28
You don’t have to be in the food-tech space to know there is a lot going on. A simple google search will send you down an endless labyrinth of information overload. You’ve probably heard of companies like, Impossible foods and Beyond Meat, who have raised millions, grown significantly, and can now be found at many local grocery stores and mainstream restaurants. There’s a whole host of other brands, technologies, and innovations that are being developed such as eggs made of mung beans or protein...
Mar 10, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 27
What is Ávila? There's more to the agave spirits category than just Tequila and Mezcal. On this episode of the “Hot Spot” series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Micah McFarlane, CEO of Revel Spirits, an emerging agave spirits brand making Ávila, a regionally specific product with deep roots to Mexico's second smallest state Morelos. With big ambitions to put this new agave subcategory on the map, Revel Spirits combines the techniques of roasting (mezcal) and steaming (tequila) piñas to create an exc...
Feb 24, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Who is Shep Gordon? You’ve probably heard the popular phrase "Chefs Are The New Rockstars" — you can thank Shep for that. He's the visionary who brought chefs like Roger Vergé, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roy Yamaguchi and Daniel Boulud to the mainstream and coined the term “Celebrity Chefs.” Coming from a colorful life as a music manager to artists like Alice Cooper, Luther Vandross, Blondie and Teddy Pendergrass to name a few, Shep brought his show business know-how to the culinary arts whe...
Feb 10, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 25
If anyone knows what goes into making a great cocktail, it's Lynette Marrero, award-winning bartender, mixologist, and philanthropist who is often regarded as a pioneer in the cocktail space. To help us kick off Season 2 of On The Pass, Lynette joins us to talk about her formative years spending summers in Puerto Rico, to her transition from the musical theatre stage to behind the bar post 9/11. She shares her process in pairing cocktails with food and her approach to working closely with chefs ...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 24
We kicked off the 1st Episode of Season 1 with Maria Nguyen, Founder of The Art of Plating, so it was only right to bring her back for the season finale. We wax lyrical on all the things we've learned and loved this season, our biggest takeaways, and who we'd like to have on for Season 2. Thank you to all our listeners and we will see you in 2021. Happy Holidays! Remember to take advantage of Perrier Jouet X The Art of Plating: Champagne Week Use code TAOP20 from Nov 25th - Dec 31 for a 20% disc...
Dec 17, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 23
If you're not a rum drinker, this episode will surely turn you into one. On this Episode of the “Hot Spot” series, Gabriel Ornelas chats with Marc Farrell, Founder and CEO of Ten To One Rum, an emerging rum brand grounded in celebrating the Caribbean's diverse culture. Coming from a beyond impressive resume — one that includes studying at MIT at the age of 16, Harvard Business School at 26, and becoming one of the youngest executives at Starbucks at 36 years old — Marc shares with us his wisdoms...
Nov 25, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 22
One of today's most charismatic Chefs, Nyesha Arrington, award-winning Chef, TV personality, and travel enthusiast, graces our studio with a reflection of her journey — one that is laced with stories, wisdom, lessons, and her unconventional philosophy on why she’s a Chef. We talk about where Nyesha stands today as she contemplates her most authentic existence in today’s new reality. Having worked every position in the kitchen to opening and closing several restaurants of her own, Nyesha shows us...
Nov 11, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Marissa Hermer, Owner of The Draycott and Olivetta in Los Angeles, is one of LA's newest and most exciting restaurateurs. In a city with a relentless dining scene, she's carved a name for herself by creating neighborhood restaurants that feel like a home away from home. In this episode, Marissa shares the catalyst for her starting a restaurant group shortly after a life changing move from London to LA with her family. We talk about her restaurants in depth as she highlights the challenges of bei...
Oct 13, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 20
On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Mélanie Masarin, Founder & CEO of Ghia, a non alcoholic aperitif recently launched this past summer 2020. Inspired by her own personal sober curious and wellness journey, Melanie gives us an in depth view of how she went about creating the product and enlightens us on the difficulties of launching in middle of a global pandemic. For more information on Ghia: https://drinkghia.com...
Sep 30, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 19
AgTech entrepreneur Christine Moseley, Founder + CEO of Full Harvest, the first B2B marketplace for imperfect and surplus produce, sheds light on the global food waste problem, how she's tackling it at the farm level, and ways consumers at home can incorporate good practices in theirs daily lives. This episode will inspire you to think differently about food waste and encourage you to take action. For more information on Full Harvest: https://www.fullharvest.com...
Sep 16, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Hotelier Amar Lalvani, CEO of Standard International (parent company of Standard Hotels, Bunkhouse Group and One Night) recounts unbelievable stories from his formative years. He talks about the very first moment that left a mark on his journey into hospitality, how he navigated the acquisition of The Standard brand from the iconic Andre Balazs, and his plans for future growth. For more information on The Standard: https://www.standardhotels.com...
Sep 01, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 17
On this episode of the "Hot Spot" series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter, co-founders of Crowns & Hops Brewing Co, a Black-Owned craft beer brand soon to be opening a brewery in Inglewood, California. Beny and Teo discuss what originally hooked them to craft beer, their evolution as a company and their bigger than beer mission for racial equity in the space. For more information on Crowns & Hops: https://crownsandhops.com...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Award-winning food, travel and author of cookbooks like Claridges: The Cookbook and Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, Meredith Erickson chats with us about her early days and how Joe Beef served as a catalyst for her authoring career. We also dive into her solo project Alpine Cooking, a highly acclaimed cookbook meets travelogue where Meredith lived, skied and ate her way through the Alps. For more information on Meredith: https://mereditherickson.com https://www.instagram.com/ericksonmeredith...
Aug 04, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Spirits veteran, Jeff Kozak, CEO of WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, the most awarded Rye Whiskey maker in the world, discusses his entry into the spirits space as a commodity trader, the craft spirits movement over the past 10-15 years and WhistlePig's role in it as well as how WhistlePig has shown up for the community during these challenging past months of COVID-19. For more information on WhistlePig: https://whistlepigwhiskey.com https://www.instagram.com/whistlepigwhiskey/?hl=en...
Jul 20, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 14
