Andrew Talks to Chefs

Douglas Keane [https://chefdouglaskeane.com/about/] has enjoyed tremendous success at his Cyrus restaurant in Geyserville, CA [https://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/]. At the same time, he's observed the need for change on many fronts in the hospitality industry, and instituted some of those changes himself. in his first book, Culinary Leverage: A Journey Through the Heat, he divides his attentions between relating his own story and offering thoughts for how to improve the industry he loves [https://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/product-page/culinary-leverage-a-journey-through-the-heat]. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez [https://www.getmeez.com/], the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters [https://www.getmeez.com/network]. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food [https://www.amazon.com/Dish-Lives-Labor-Behind-Plate-ebook/dp/B0BDZLY2M1] (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chefpodcast/?hl=en].  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. [https://www.instagram.com/degestation/?hl=en] For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed [https://www.instagram.com/toquelandandrew/?hl=en]. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out [andrew@andrewtalkstochefs.com?subject=Andrew%20%20Talks%20to%20Chefs/Note%20from%20a%20Listener] with any feedback and/or suggestions!

The James Beard Foundation's Independent Restaurant Industry Report 2025 (which we highly recommend all listeners read), offers insights and possible solutions to a wide range of challenges and opportunities for American restaurants [https://cdn.sanity.io/files/2t27tguw/production/37d06a9c5a8e4693d873e4f1d53a71ce2718ee03.pdf]. Produced in collaboration with Deloitte, the survey is based on interviews with 50 independent restaurateurs and survey responses from more than 350 industry leaders. The JBF's VP of Impact Anne McBride joins Andrew for a detailed discussion of the survey and subjects as varied as changing dining and drinking habits, employee wages, and creative marketing strategies for restaurants of all price points and levels of formality. A free-flowing and, we think, informative idea exchange based on real, up-to-the-minute data that we hope will be of value to anybody in the industry, and hugely informative to non-industry pros who enjoy dining in restaurants. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez [https://www.getmeez.com/], the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters [https://www.getmeez.com/network]. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food [https://www.amazon.com/Dish-Lives-Labor-Behind-Plate-ebook/dp/B0BDZLY2M1] (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chefpodcast/?hl=en].  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. [https://www.instagram.com/degestation/?hl=en] For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed [https://www.instagram.com/toquelandandrew/?hl=en]. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out [andrew@andrewtalkstochefs.com?subject=Andrew%20%20Talks%20to%20Chefs/Note%20from%20a%20Listener] with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Author John Birdsall [https://www.john-birdsall.com/] makes his return to the pod to discuss his new book What Is Queer Food? How We Served a Revolution [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324073796]—a deeply personal and sweeping look at the intersection of queer life in the United States, and food culture here. Zooming in from his home in Tucson, John reflects on the stories, people, and moments that shaped the book, and why food has always been central to identity and community. The conversation touches on everything from making writing personal, to quiche, to what it means to write for queer and non-queer audiences simultaneously.  Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez [https://www.getmeez.com/], the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters [https://www.getmeez.com/network]. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food [https://www.amazon.com/Dish-Lives-Labor-Behind-Plate-ebook/dp/B0BDZLY2M1] (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chefpodcast/?hl=en].  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. [https://www.instagram.com/degestation/?hl=en] For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed [https://www.instagram.com/toquelandandrew/?hl=en]. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out [andrew@andrewtalkstochefs.com?subject=Andrew%20%20Talks%20to%20Chefs/Note%20from%20a%20Listener] with any feedback and/or suggestions!

As longtime fans of the pod know, there's nothing we love more than a crossover episode with a show we're friendly with. It reminds us of when we were kids and Saturday morning cartoons did the same thing, with characters from one show appearing on another, and vice versa. (That's why the animated episode image today.) So we're thrilled to welcome Nidal Barake, a marketer by trade [https://gluttonomy.com/], whose One of Each podcast presents interviews with an international who's who of chefs and other creatives who happen to be passionate about cuisine [https://oneofeachpodcast.com/], restaurants, and cooking. (Be sure to check out his show, starting with the episode he launched today featuring Andrew as his guest.) Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez [https://www.getmeez.com/], the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters [https://www.getmeez.com/network]. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food [https://www.amazon.com/Dish-Lives-Labor-Behind-Plate-ebook/dp/B0BDZLY2M1] (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chefpodcast/?hl=en].  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. [https://www.instagram.com/degestation/?hl=en] For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed [https://www.instagram.com/toquelandandrew/?hl=en]. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out [andrew@andrewtalkstochefs.com?subject=Andrew%20%20Talks%20to%20Chefs/Note%20from%20a%20Listener] with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Ari Miller’ [https://www.instagram.com/arimillerx/?hl=en]s evolution from journalist to chef was anything but traditional. In this revealing conversation, he shares how food became both his creative outlet and medium for making sense of a dark and complicated world. From growing up in a dysfunctional household consumed with historical atrocities, to finding meaning in kitchens in Tel Aviv and Philly, Ari shares stories about the mentors who shaped him, the politics of sourcing, and why he believes every dish contains a story—whether or not it’s given voice. We also dig into his viral “friz wit” cheesesteak, the meaning of “relationship cuisine," and the role of cooking in his life today. It is a conversation about identity, memory, and the power of food to tell complex, human stories. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez [https://www.getmeez.com/], the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters [https://www.getmeez.com/network].  THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food [https://www.amazon.com/Dish-Lives-Labor-Behind-Plate-ebook/dp/B0BDZLY2M1] (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chefpodcast/?hl=en].  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. [https://www.instagram.com/degestation/?hl=en] For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed [https://www.instagram.com/toquelandandrew/?hl=en]. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out [andrew@andrewtalkstochefs.com?subject=Andrew%20%20Talks%20to%20Chefs/Note%20from%20a%20Listener] with any feedback and/or suggestions!