From New Orleans to Around The World: Chef Paul Gaskins & The Inn at Celebration

Hello Food Fam . This is the Walk Talk podcast where you will find the perfect blend of food fun and cooking knowledge . I'm your host , carl Fiodini . Welcome to the number one food podcast in the country . We're recording on site at Ibis Images Studios , where food photography comes alive and I get to eat it .

Thank you very much .

You had a helper today . I don't want to forget Chef Jesse over here . Chef Jesse , my right hand , I don't want to . Don't think you were getting left out , baby , you know what I mean . Okay , let's talk about the dishes . You did two dishes today Spectacular , talk about it .

First dish that I did was a spinoff of a classic Benedict . Basically , I took the lamb . We had a tomato , harissa , bacon jam on top of a pumpernickel toast with a poached egg , arugula , a little bit of homemade hollandaise sauce and then topped with a slice of a fresno chili . Underneath all that was the wonderful lamb that you provided for us .

Yeah , but it wasn't too much bite .

No not at all . I prefer the bite to be at the end , not in the beginning .

Is that currently on the menu ?

That dish . That second dish is currently on the menu , the first dish once I get that lamb in the door , we're on board .

If you put that dish on the menu , is it going to look the same way ? Is it going to be the same portion size ?

It would look very similar . The only difference is I probably would just add a little more potatoes to it like a side to it . I probably would just add a little more potatoes to it like a side to it . The concept of what we're thinking about is do a five Benedict kind of setup on the menu .

You can call me Benny from now on Because you know what , if you start slapping these things on the menu , you can rest assured that I'm going to do that .

There'll be about five of them on there . We'll do some , and every single one of them will be different .

Pronounce the name again of the chicken Chicken karaage , karaage .

Yes , yes , what makes it a karagi ? It's the breading , basically the breading and the seasoning . And the breading japanese chicken is , it's traditionally is very plain and simple . We just add a lot of flavor to that . So we have a flour mix that we make in-house and it has about 10 different spices and flavors to it . So I'll leave it at that .

I don't want to give no too much away no , don't give it away too much , although I mean , we , we shot film of this thing , of this wonderful dish true , and so everyone's going to see it understood that okay like , let's not get it twisted here . People are going to see this . I want them to come to the restaurant .

Okay , all right , because they're not going to make it at home , like no , okay , I get that . Come to the hotel , come to the restaurant let me be more specific .

I'm not going to make it at home , so you know you're gonna . You can you believe I'll be there for that ? I understand when you say four or five . Is there going to be a station specifically for this ?

correct . That's the thought process .

I'm gonna try to build a station , that's just I'm the type of guy when I go out to eat and there are eggs benedict on the menu , I get them . I just do .

The goal with our menu is to intrigue the guests to come , try one dish , come back and try another dish , come back back , and then , hey , there's something new , there's something different . So that's our plan and that's our goal .

I saw the renovation happening at the property . We met as the renovation was starting . It was like in its infancy . Yes , I've seen renovations before . There's a lot of challenges , it's not easy and the entire staff everybody's . You know nobody likes it , Nobody likes it . What role did you play in this renovation ?

Being one of the leaders in the hotel community there , I would say that just keeping people motivated and keeping people busy and giving them tasks , yes , you might have half the hotel under renovation , but at the same time , if you keep people informed of what's going on and what's happening as rooms were being released back to us , as areas of the hotel were

It's 2025 . How are we motivating staff right now ?

You work right along with them , you put your hands in there and you get just as dirty . You put the gloves on and you cook right along with them .

There are no more ivory tower leadership roles . I'm guessing right ? You do have to be in the trench with your teammates .

Yes , you have to be in the trenches with your teammate , but at the same time , I think if you keep them informed , it goes a long , long way . You can get people to buy into what you're selling .

You're talking about Louisiana . You're talking about LA , and to bring those together in some kind of culinary form is tricky . How are you taking your experiences into the hotel now ?

The thought process is the fusion . There's a lot of fusion there . So , la , you got fresh flavors , you got obviously like avocado movements and things of that sort , and then Louisiana is very homey , very , very down to earth .

The produce bread basket is California . Yes , that's true , and Arizona Chefs that I've worked with over the years when they come to Florida and they're like , oh my God , what is this ? And I'm like , look , this isn't like where you're from , where you can go outside and there's a farm and you go pick it and you know , and the sun's out .

It's a whole different deal .

But you're also like salads versus grits . You know what I mean . Louisiana , there is no . Can I get a light Anything ? Can I have a vinaigrette ? No , you're gonna . Here's a ranch . You know this is what you're gonna get . How are you threading the needle there ?

with every dish we try to always create something that has a fresh element to it and then something that really , really is kind of homey . We have a shrimp and grid dish in the hotel but it has a kind of a fresh element the sauce . And not only that , but we make , I would say , 90 of our stuff in-house . I try not to buy .

They're soft shell crawfish already taken out . They come that way . I love it . I never had crawfish in my life . I am now a believer and I'm connected now with the company that does it and Boudin too . I don't know where that's been my whole life .

Absolutely right , that is . That's New Orleans . All day you talk about crawfish .

Are these things that you were eating ?

Oh , I eat crawfish , oh yeah , and boudin too . And boudin yeah . The thing about the crawfish . I grew up where you know you rip it off the back end and not the grossing one , but you kind of suck on the head there . So it's something different .

I can appreciate that I don't do that . But I'm Italian , my heritage , my , don't do that my I . But you know , I'm italian , my heritage , my family , my grandparents came from over there and and they did things like that I , I couldn't . I don't eat tripe like . There's a lot of stuff I just I stay away from you know , that's one of them .

last time in new orleans is about about a year , a little over a year now a little over a year since I've been back to new orleans .

My buddy's out there , our buddy putra vera . He's a , he's a chef in the area . He's , you know , walk and talk . Uh , you know , contributor , good dude , and he's sending me pictures of this . You know , like eight inches of snow everywhere and I'm like man you know what . I'd love to be there with my kid .

That's all you gotta do . It's only a couple hours up the road .

Yeah , a few hours up the road . I'm not gonna do that in a way , johnson and wales how ?

do you ?

I mean super comade man . That man , that's a big deal . You know , when I was going through college I had already done— You're going to come off with some humble thing , aren't you ? Yeah ?

pretty much . I started in the military , so I was a prior Air Force right out of high school , did four years in the military and during that stint I met a gentleman that was a chef in San Francisco and he was an inspiration to me . And that inspiration led me to Johnson Wales .

I've not been to that campus , but I did go . I did a food show one time , a million years ago at the Rhode Island campus . The Rhode Island campus , that place is beautiful . Yes , I mean it's like a cathedral .

Yeah , it's on the campus of Old Dominion . They share campus with Old Dominion , so , yeah , it's pretty awesome . People are always nice . They're always nice . Every time I've gone up there it's always been walking down the street . People say hello and are general .

It's a tiny little town . There's a hotel and I can't remember what it's called , but there's a clock tower with a bell , yeah , and we were in that hotel and it was just really cool . I felt like I was in another time , just 100 years ago or something like that .

I don't know you know , when people say , celebration is a lot like that , or it's like going back in time and the people are genuine and it's a small town . You know where the hotel is , it's one of a kind . So to come visit us is you'll see it . It's a different environment , a different environment there the end of celebration .

It's a really pretty hotel . It fits the area . You know there's food everywhere . It's a really pretty hotel . It fits the area . You know there's food everywhere . It's a foodie little city . How long have you actually been over there ?

I've been there almost four years now .

I don't want to pass by this sumo cum laude thing that's probably so special for you . How many people were in your class , or was it just you , and then that's why .

Well , I mean , that would be easy .

I'm a winner . I did it .

No , our class was probably about 200 to 300 people .

Yeah , that's pretty amazing . Has that done anything for you in your career ?

During my career . I thought , doing so well in school being summa cum laude , I can pick my internship . We had to do a six-month internship somewhere else .

I ended up in Traverse .

City , michigan , in the dead of winter , and I had to drive up there too in a little Honda Accord there at the time , and I had to drive there in the dead of winter and I thought and I had to drive up there too in a little Honda Accord there at the time , and I had to drive there in the dead of winter , and I'm thinking why I had friends that didn't

It's not cold there at all . No , it's not cold there at all . How old were you ?

At the time I was about 26 . Okay , but going up to Traverse City was probably the best thing that ever happened to me . I had two instructors when I was going through Johnson Wales One was a French instructor and my Italian teacher and they both had recommended me to go to Traverse City . There just happened to be a chef up there .

So they weren't looking for you to find glitz and glory , correct . They were looking for you to learn and learn under somebody who knows what they're doing . Exactly All right , so that makes sense to learn and learn under somebody who knows what they're doing . Exactly , exactly All right , so that makes sense .

It's . You know it could be up to others .

You've worked all over from new Orleans to Vegas .

What are some of the coolest culinary experiences that you've had along the way Besides the Emmys and things of that sort , working in Vegas ? Vegas was very interesting . I worked at a small hotel . It was actually my second executive chef position at the time and it was a very small hotel and I got to learn how to be the boss .

So New Orleans allowed me to do fine dining really worth fine dining there . So nor does allow me to do fine dining .

Jambalaya and gumbo . Yeah , exactly Now . Those are homey foods that really do well .

Supposedly we're getting king cakes shipped up over here . We had some folks on last year before Mardi Gras and everything that that . You know we were talking about king cakes . I've never had one . So pooch is going to be shipping some and I can't wait for that . Just don't get the baby that's what they said , yeah , or ?

the or the king , but the baby . Jesse gets the baby every year . That's crazy stuff .

Go ahead and explain that real quick . Yeah , I'm not going to do it justice .

Explain that so tradition is january 6th , is is all king's day , so generally january 6th and different parts of the world , we do king cake and what , basically what we do and I'm taking the cake and we cut it .

Yeah , it's a pretty weird . I don't want to say weird .

It's a weird tradition .

It's an interesting tradition that I don't understand , not in any capacity , but I love the way these king cakes look and I just want to get into all that . So what will end up happening is I'm going to eat the king cake , probably by myself , okay , and it ain't going to matter , okay , and I'm like no , there was no baby here .

he's no longer with us . He passed away . His name was chef william funny thing , his last name is mentor so you're doing all of these different things .

You're learning , you're growing , you're traveling around the country . You're traveling outside of the country . Today , the inn Celebration Orlando . People don't understand what it takes for a hotel to be gutted rooms , kitchen , dining room , common areas and still remain open . People don't get it .

I think , more than anything , it just keeps you grounded . Your experiences keep you grounded and if , as a leader leader of men , leader of women , leader of team out of anybody needs to be grounded , you need to be grounded . You need to always keep full faith that everything will come out . And it'll come out that optimistic kind of personality .

So basically , you're taking positive energies , experiences , you're putting them together and basically people feel that and they go . Ok , I'm going to subscribe to this and I'm going to follow suit . People think about a kitchen renovation in your house and how your whole life stops .

If you ask me , chefs run off adrenaline and that's our junkie . We're junkie , adrenaline junkies in that sense . So challenges , multitasking , things of that sort , we run off those things . Those are the things that excite us , it makes us want to go do what we do .

If it's slow ? Well , first of all , if it's a slow night anywhere , nobody's motivated and people are in the restaurant and there's three tables and somehow your food took 35 minutes to come out and you're like how does ? this even happen . There's nobody here . How come ? Because nobody wants to do anything .

so technically , the emmys . There's two parts to it . So you have the Emmys with , obviously , all the celebrities and then all the hoopla that goes along with that . The governor's ball consists of the back-of-the-house staff , that's your camera crew , everyone who's put it together , so your stage directors and everyone else , so you actually make food for them .

You glazed by this before earlier in our conversation , and the reason I'm bringing up hey , what does the governor's ball is ? Because you were working the Emmys . That's cool . How do you even get that gig ?

It just worked out that way that I was where were you working ?

when you got that ? I want to know about this Emmys thing man because to me that seems like that's not an easy thing to fall into .

So I was working under Joachim . He's a famous chef that owned the Patina Group at the time . I mean , I don't believe he owns it anymore . He kind of sold it and went about his way . So at the time I worked under him and he would come every year .

You get to meet the celebs too , or ?

no , I met a few . I met a few . So you served David Bowie . I remember that one for sure , David Bowie . He wanted some paella one time so he came by and I was able to service him some paella .

When you get into the business , you don't think about that , you don't think about oh man , I'm going to serve , you know , david Bowie , you know more along the lines like oh , I'm going to serve the early bird special folks that come in , because that's you know . That's kind of where you start off typically .

You say that because earlier in my career I had a chance to do a lot of versions of like media and things of that sort . But I had a chef that told me once before just two kind of chefs . There's the glamour chef and then there's the family chef . At the time I had a young son , so I chose the family . So I chose family over the glamour .

I think today there's a lot of that . The industry has changed a lot . You know post uh , post covid and everything . It's not perfect , but it's changed . I think that in most cases , the establishments are giving a little bit more , maybe not with money , maybe sometimes with money , but they're giving . They're a little bit more .

Most definitely , please apply . We're looking for all positions , anything from a cook to dishwasher . If you don't want to work in the kitchen , we have other positions in the hotel , so it's there are you yourself , big on mentoring definitely , definitely . I've .

I always wanted . It'll never happen , but I always wanted to do , you know , to pick like a city and then and log the culinary lineage , meaning you know , find the oldest , baddest restaurant that's in that town , see who that chef is and how that chef got there , who trained that chef and who trained that chef and the one before .

When I first met my wife , one of the shows that got us going was Amazing Race , and Istanbul is the bridge city between Asia and Europe . So it's always been a lifelong dream to go to Istanbul and I made that happen with my wife . Obviously , obviously , we took some family with us , but we made it happen . And the queen , the cuisine was just amazing .

That's a major clash of culture very much so and yeah , and with that , you , you're gonna , you're bound to find so many . You , you know , hidden nuggets .

On both sides of that river , the Bosphorus , on both sides you find it .

Yeah , I mean , frankly , these days I don't really feel much like traveling . Like you know , I don't have the travel bug like a lot of people do , but there are a few places that I would want to go to . Turkey is one of them for me .

And Turkey was just that .

That's exciting to me . Well , that's it . I don't know . I feel like it on a plane man . That 16 hours , I think , something like that . Yeah see , like I'm not , I'm not down for that . I mean , I went to hawaii and it was like 9 or 12 or whatever it was . I was . This is too much , like I would not be a pioneer .

Backbone , backbone . Yeah to what I do , yes , yes , she's always been the biggest support to me , whether bouncing ideas off of just someone to come home and talk to and love me unconditionally . Basically , in a sense , is she a foodie .

She is she . When you met , was she a foodie yes , she was .

So us getting together and you know , being that couple , it just made it even better .

So she's , she's made my career so much , so much more john , you know these jet fighter chefs , man , they get all the chicks . It's the truth . Growing up , it was always like , oh , I can cook a little bit . And you know , all the women are like , oh , fawning over the . You know , I know it's another story . How long have you been married ?

12 years , 12 years , all right , that's an eternity for a chef yes , because , because chefs have a reputation of not being so committed to something .

It just always happens , though , the relationships implode because it's a demanding job .

You need somebody who understands what you do .

Well , I'm bringing that up because it sounds like you've met somebody that can embrace that . What kind of work was she in when you all met ?

When I first met my wife , she was a front front of house manager oh , so you were doing , you were , you were .

That was like the uh , the forbidden fruit there .

You weren't supposed to be doing that I would say yes , if I if it , you know if I complete the fifth , but yeah , no fraternizing man okay , you know what those relationships last forever .

Those relationships are the best ones . They they last forever . That's true . That's true . Wow , front of the house . You went to the dark side too , man , like for front of the house At home , 12 years . What are you cooking ? By the way , what is your wife's name ?

Adriana .

Adriana , adriana , I just want to thank you personally , you know , for allowing Chef to make it out here today and to do all of this wonderful content . I just want to give you a big shout out from Walk Talk Media , thank you , thank you . I appreciate that Sincerely . What are you making at home ? What does she love ?

You know , my wife is such a foodie , she's always on Instagram . She's always looking for the latest little buzz thing , so any new dish that she sees on Instagram . Oh , you got to make that for me , so I'm always cooking .

But does she do it like she looks at a picture she shows you ? Look how this look how they made it .

I do get that version of it . I definitely get that version of it . But you know I tweak food so I'm big on fusion , big on fusion .

Chef , I might be sending you pictures like that too . I might be like oh man , I got to send this over to Chef Paul and see if he's going to what he can do with this . You might be getting those pics from me now .

I understand .

We're going to keep it relegated to food . Don't worry , the menu at the end it's a new menu . Tell me about what the inspiration for the menu is . Is it global ? Is it homey , hometown , local ? So ?

we have a mark for the hotel . Our mark is basically based off of our olive trees . They're like the staple . We have two olive trees in the back of one of the patios there , so it's one of the marks for the hotel . So that's on one of the patios there , so it's one of the marks for the hotel .

I mean Peruvian food is amazing .

Is truly amazing . So , I incorporated some of those in one of the dishes today . One of the sauces that was born with the chicken karagi . The ahi paste that I use is a peruvian item the fish .

The level of culinary with fish , seafood and for coming out of peru is awesome . Yeah , so if you're going to take , all right , so you're taking , you're taking Peruvian elements of Peruvian food and Mediterranean . I mean , I feel like you're living your best life , I'm enjoying it .

You know going to work every day , my team . I enjoy my team every day . I enjoy the challenges of work every day . And then every three months , two months , three months or something . I'm looking at dishes constantly , but every two or three months we change . We're looking for the next thing to bring you through the door , basically .

And we are here for you on that . And what I mean by that is , obviously , you see what we do here at the studio , definitely . Yeah , you see what John does , specifically John , specifically John , like me , you know , I'm , I'm , I'm the connector , networker guy , right , and I could run a camera , but what this cat does is on another level .

Yes .

You can even bring Jesse . Yes , you can even bring Jesse . He was well-behaved , just saying . You know , let me give a shout out to you , man , because I said this to you earlier today If it wasn't for Jesse , you wouldn't be here today and we would never be talking . True , that's definitely true .

On Open Table . You can definitely make reservations . But through the Inn of Celebration there's a website and in the website you'll find the restaurant . It's Lakeside Kitchen and Bar and then you can definitely reach out . My name is there , chef Jesse's name is there . You reach out to any of us .

But what about you ? You just started your social media .

Yeah , my wife is . My wife is big in social media , of course , but they all are , yeah , they all are . So she , she started a page for me . So , chefpaulg , and that's my , basically my , my tag , in the sense . So I just started a social media page for myself , with the help of my wife , of course , and I'll be posting .

That's me excellent man , thank you for coming in today , both of you . I am looking forward to what we can do together and I feel like it's going to be a lot . Hey , the future is there , right , and ? And there's a and there's a handful of other super chefs that we work with that we're going to do things .