When was the last time you indulged in the rich flavors of port wine? Whether it was a festive holiday occasion or an exquisite tasting menu paired with delectable sweet treats, this episode is designed for both seasoned port enthusiasts and those new to the category. The aim here is to encourage everyone to break free from their preconceived notions, explore new drinking experiences, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for the birthplace of ports. In our upcoming On The Pass episode, we are joi...
Jan 31, 2024•58 min•Season 5Ep. 74
On This episode of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Jasmine L. Pierce, New York based hospitality publicist, freelance writer and founder of JLP Consulting. Over the last decade Jasmine has worked with notable clients like The Standard Hotels, The Jose Andres Group, Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group, and beverage brands like Louis XIII and Ten To One Rum to name a few. Jasmine is also a freelance writer with bylines in EBONY Magazine, POPSUGAR and The Zoe Report. In this episode, we...
Jan 29, 2024•15 min•Season 5Ep. 73
On This epiosde of the High Tea series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Jillian Dara, a freelance journalist and avid traveler. Jillian's expertise lies in crafting compelling narratives about travel, wine & spirits, and culture. Chances are, you've come across her articles in renowned publications such as Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Vine Pair, Wine Enthusiast, and more. In this episode, we discuss: ☑️Multigenerational travel ☑️Luxury deepens into more experiential travel ☑️ Sober and wellness ...
Jan 22, 2024•13 min•Season 5Ep. 72
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with with chef Franco Sampogna and operator Bernardo Silva, co-owners of FREVO, a contemporary French restaurant hidden behind a small art gallery in Greenwich Village, New York—a secret you'd want to share with everyone. The name "Frevo" in Portuguese means "to boil," reflecting not only the shared language of the co-owners but also the vibrant energy of New York City. Originally from Brazil and Portugal respectively, Franco and ...
Jan 17, 2024•51 min•Season 5Ep. 71
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Chef Tolu Eros. Chef Eros is a storyteller, entertainer and African ambassador on a mission to share and explore the wonders of West African food; a food and culture full of life and flavor, just like Eros. Chef’s formative years were spent between Benin City and Lagos, Nigeria, where he learned from his mother, “if food does not have love, you might as well not cook it at all!" It is that love for food and for building commu...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 70
You’ve probably heard the incredible story of Nearest Green, the former slave who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. If you have, I invite you to dive deeper into the story, the history, the mission and the legacy, guided by Fawn Weaver, Founder and CEO of Grant Sidney, Inc. (GSI), a privately held investment company, which owns Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Uncle Nearest is currently the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in U.S. history. A brand...
Sep 06, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 69
He's been referred to as the real life “Willy Wonka!” Gonzo Jimenez is a celebrated pastry chef, chocolatier and República del Cacao’s North American corporate pastry chef. We believe, if Willy Wonka was real, he would actually want to be Gonzo Jimenez. Gonzo, as he openly says, "had a very blessed start,” originally from Northern Argentina and was raised in a Spanish household surrounded by good food and long family meals. These strong family values helped him find his calling in food, but spec...
Aug 16, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 68
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Yiming Lin. He’s the creator and food ethnographer behind Literally.Starving—the highly popular social media platform and human interest food account he started in the summer of 2022 as a means of understanding his personal relationships with food and creating community as a new resident to New York. It's no surprise that in less than a year, Literally.Starving has garnered over 3 million subscribers from around the world and...
Aug 03, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 67
Did you know Colombia is home to 87 indigenous communities and 51,330 species of flora and fauna, which makes it the second-most biodiverse country in the world? Back in April 2023, Gabriel had the pleasure of spending time in Bogotá, Colombia with our next guests: Chef Leonor ‘Leo’ Espinosa and her daughter, the sommelier and drinks alchemist, Laura Hernández Espinosa. Both are the owners and creative visionaries behind the critically-acclaimed and globally recognized restaurant, LEO. Chef Leo ...
Jul 12, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 66
This episode was recorded and released in Feb 2021. 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...
Jun 21, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 65
Starting any business requires your energy, enthusiasm, and passion for the space, but to catalyze its success, you also need a mission, vision, and business plan. Our next guest, Sherry Villanueva, was a first-time hospitality entrepreneur, but with a focused vision and mission, she’s been able to successfully grow a multifaceted restaurant and hotel company. The mission is simple: Make people happy. Sherry is the founder and managing partner of Acme Hospitality and proudly serves as the owner ...
Jun 07, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 64
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with chef and restaurateaur Sean MacDonald. Sean is the chef/owner of Bar Monette—one of LA’s newest and most talked about restaurant openings located in Santa Monica. Sean was named Canada’s best young chef in 2016 by San Pellegrino and through the years, he has since made his mark on Toronto’s fine dining scene. Thanks, in large part, to his lovely wife Monette—for which his newest Santa Monica concept, Bar Monette, is named aft...
May 17, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 63
A little over 2 years ago, we released Season 2 episode 27 titled “The Future of Food and Tech,” featuring journalist and author of “Technically Food”, Larissa Zimberoff . So much has transpired in the last 2 years since the release of this episode and her book, “Technically Food”. Given the lightning-fast pace the food-tech space moves at, it only made sense to have Larissa back on the podcast for a Part 2. It brings us great pleasure to welcome Larissa back to the show to enlighten us, once ag...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 62
“Tea mind,” as referenced by Steve Schwartz, is the simple, celebratory act of serving tea and has well-documented, powerful health and wellness benefits on a physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional level. Over the years, researchers have discovered how the ingredients in a cup of tea can lift mood, improve focus, and perhaps even ward off depression and dementia. The combination of this simple act paired with quality ingredients lends itself to a 360 welness experience. Master Tea Blender an...
Apr 12, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 61
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with entrepreneur and sommelier Kristin Olszewski. Kristin is the Founder and CEO of Nomadica Wine—a premium, sustainably sourced canned wine brand that is looking to make waves in the industry, or as they say on the Nomadica website, they are sourcing universally gratifying wines with flavor profiles that are “serious enough for a glass, but vivacious enough to be sipped out of the can.” Kristin earned a degree in sustainable agr...
Mar 29, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 60
"Everywhere in the world there are tensions – economic, political, religious. So we need chocolate,” says the great Alain Ducasse—iconic chef, creator, and artisan of living . We couldn’t agree more and believe life is so much better because of chocolate. C hocolate is one of the most beloved foods and ingredients around the world. Almost every culture and society have a passionate love affair with it. There is no limit to the power chocolate has in cultivating emotive reactions, and it often ac...
Mar 09, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 59
The journey of an entrepreneur is often layered with numerous challenges and setbacks. It requires a certain level of determination, sacrifice, willingness to learn, and getting used to hearing alot of no’s. Layering on the challenges Black women face in our society adds another element of difficulty. Our next guest speaks to her own entrepreneurial journey as a Black woman, the hurdles she has faced, and her beautiful breakthroughs. Nina Oduro is an entrepreneur, host, social justice warrior, a...
Feb 22, 2023•59 min•Season 4Ep. 58
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Chef Charlie Mitchell, chef and co-owner of Clover Hill, a restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. Charlie is no stranger to the kitchen. Over the past 9 years, the 30-year-old Detroit native has worked sous chef and executive sous chef positions at Eleven Madison Park, Jônt in DC, Bresca in DC, the Greenwich village neighborhood classic Villanelle, and One White Street in Tribeca. An incredible resume for just under a decade in th...
Feb 01, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 57
“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” - Unknown This quote really embodies how Luis Vargas lives his life and runs his business. Luis is one of the worlds premier experiential travel executives and thought leaders. He is Founder and CEO of Modern Adventure, a certified b-corp, climate neutral and award winning travel company based in Portland, Oregon. Luis and the Modern Adventure team, as they say, are purveyors of joy, and believe that travel ca...
Dec 21, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Did you know, coffee consumption in the United States rose by 14% from January 2021 through January 2022, according to the National Coffee Association? And demand for top-quality coffee like organic and fair-trade is on a roll in every region of the world. Coffee was an important part of my early life for many years, but not for the reasons you may think. I wasn’t a consumer, or even the passionate consumer I am today until 2011. From 2002 - 2009 I was a barista at Starbucks, but never drank cof...
Dec 15, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 55
This epiosde was recorded in Jan 2020 and released in April 2020. Iconic award-winning Chef-Owner and Restaurateur Daniel Boulud discusses the early days in his career, why building a strong corporate culture is important, and how he’s maintained longevity with over 4 decades in the culinary industry. For more information on Daniel Boulud and his team: https://www.danielboulud.com Follow Daniel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielboulud/?hl=en Follow On The Pass: https://bit.ly/3BpHckD...
Nov 21, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 54
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Chef Pyet DeSpain, a rising culinary talent who hit national notoriety as the recent winner of Gordon Ramsey’s "Next Level Chef" Season 1 on Fox Network. Having grown up on a reservation and a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Pyet collides the cuisine of both her Native American and Mexican heritage. Having won "Next Level Chef" on national TV, she talks about finding a new sense of identity as a spokesperson to ...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 53
It all started in 1902 when Vittorio Fasano, an Italian from Milan arrived in São Paulo, Brazil with a dream to open a restaurant. Since then, the Fasano family — the biggest name in Brazilian hospitality for over a century — has built a legendary portfolio that expands over 26 restaurants and 9 hotels across South America and more recently North America. This episode's conversation takes place in person at Fasano Restaurant in New York, the newest addition to the group's roster, with Gero Fasan...
May 12, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Opening a successful restaurant in New York City is no easy feat, yet famed chef Daniel Boulud has managed to successfully open multiple restaurants in the city and around the world in places like Singapore, London, and Toronto. So how does one man do it all? The answer is The Dinex Group, chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant group — the machine that powers his concepts such as Daniel, Bar Boulud, Le Pavillon, and the newly announced Le Gratin. Our next guest is Sebastien Silvestri, CEO of The Dinex ...
Apr 27, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Whether you're exploring the spirited streets of Rio de Janeiro, laid-back beaches of Bahia, or the ultra stylish neighborhoods of São Paulo, you will get to experience a beautiful range of food, culture, and people across its different regions. São Paulo, the home of today's guest, is an international blend of influences from places such as Japan, Italy, Africa, France, Germany, and Lebanon. You would be remiss if you didn't try the foods from these cultures or explore the different restaurants...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 50
We hope you are all enjoying Season 3 thus far and have had the chance to listen to our last few episode with Fulani Chef Fatmata Binta, Chris Jackson & Hélène Seillan of VÉRITÉ wines, and Rafael Shin of Agua Mágica Mezcal. All incredible creative entrepreneurs with valuable wisdom and insight from their personal journeys. This is the last week of March 2022 and our hope for you is the energy and enthusiasm you started the year off with is not only still present, but building momentum. Despi...
Mar 30, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 49
The addition of Mezcal to menus has been on a high rise the last few years, yet it still feels like it’s just the beginning for this complex and storied spirit. Rafael Shin, Founder of Agua Mágica Mezcal, is looking to change how people interact with the sprit by honoring the Oaxacan culture and its people, where almost 90% of all Mezcals' are made. Having grown up in Mexico, Rafael shares personal stories about his introduction to Oaxaca, the first time he ever tried Mezcal, and the spark that ...
Mar 16, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 48
The story of our next guests starts with the late Jess Jackson, a monumental visionary and entrepreneur who built a wine empire around Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay — catapulting him into the category as one of northern California's most recognizable self-made billionaires. In the late 1990’s, Mr. Jackson asked Pierre Seillan, a Bordeaux winemaker from France to come to Sonoma, CA to help him realize his dream of creating one of the best wines in the world. Together, they created ...
Mar 02, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 47
What is West African food? You probably didn’t think of traditional Fulani cooking or Fonio, millet, and dawadawa which are a few of the grains, seeds, and locust beans that make up the traditional Fulani diet. Our next guest, helping us kick off Season 3 of On The Pass is chef Fatmata Binta, the mastermind behind the international nomadic restaurant Dine on a Mat, a 5-course Nomadic Dining Experience and Founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation. Fatmata, who comes from the African nomadic Fulan...
Feb 16, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Cultures around the world have been eating sea kelp for centuries, but in some places like America, the concept is quite new. Our next guest in the Hot Spot series is Courtney Boyd Myers, the co-founder and CEO of natural food startup Akua. Her company is known for making delicious and nutritious food products from kelp such as its fan favorite the Kelp burger with a mission to feed the planet sustainability while restoring the health of oceans. Unlike a lot of food tech products, the kelp burge...
Nov 18, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 44
