Episodes
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On today's episode, I am excited to share the audio recording of a live event I recently emceed for HRN. Lessons Learned: Tales from Small Business Owners features captivating stories from four storytellers who opened up about their trials and tribulations in the restaurant business. Sponsored by TD Bank, the event took place at the Tilit NYC Showroom. In addition to introducing our fabulous guests, I sprinkled some of my own stories throughout the night.
The first small business storyteller was Eric Huang of Pecking House, Brooklyn. An Eleven Madison Park alum, the pandemic caused Eric to reexamine his career and business. He found that fried chicken made him rethink everything.
Johnny Spero of Bar Spero in Washington D.C. told the story of finding success with his Georgetown restaurant, Reverie, but then being met with catastrophe when it burned down. He emphasized not giving up on your passion and being sure to stop and feel your feelings.
Yajaira Gonzalez of Pop and Pour in Washington Heights spoke about her business surviving the pandemic. Yajaira said her strength came from her ability to find positives even in the face of challenges. She advised that people should do their research before making decisions, be flexible, understand sacrifices, and use professionals when needed.
Buddy the Bar's Claire Sprouse, owner of the now-closed Hunky Dory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn closed out the evening. She told the crowd that believed that her location and community kept her going while she was in business. The timing of the pandemic and the need to prioritize her personal life helped her make the decision to permanently close the restaurant, however. She said she thinks anyone considering the restaurant industry should take a deep look at what they really want before jumping in.
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On today’s episode, I'm joined by Steven Satterfield, the executive chef and co-owner of Miller Union, a celebrated ingredient-driven restaurant located in Atlanta's West Side neighborhood. The restaurant, which opened in 2009, has become an institution and has been recognized as a top restaurant in America by Eater, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and Esquire.
Together we talk about opening his restaurant and how he has kept it running smoothly after all these years of operation; growing up in Savannah; seasonal Georgia cooking; and the many local ingredients he works with, including peanuts and okra.Photo Courtesy of Heidi Geldhauser.
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Episodes manquant?
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On today’s episode I welcome Jeff Byrd and his daughter-in-law Lauren to discuss their restaurant Two Birds Taphouse in Marietta Georgia. The restaurant is truly a family labor of love. Jeff, his wife, his son and Lauren joined forces to open Two Birds in 2016. Jeff was a recently retired attorney and had no previous experience in restaurants or hospitality and from the start took on the massive role of being the day to day operator on site, a job which he continues to this day. Lauren, who now lives in Brooklyn, had extensive hospitality experience coming into the project but had never opened her own restaurant. She is now the Director of Customer Success at BentoBox where she spends all day dealing with helping other people promote their own restaurants. On today’s episode we discuss the pros and cons of working with your family, what it's like to own a restaurant when you have never worked in one before and what it's like to own a restaurant from afar. We also talk about COVID and how it affected Two Birds and its staff, and the decisions they made that helped the restaurant make it through.
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On today's episode of theLINE, I have the pleasure of presenting an episode of Dyed Green, a podcast about food and culture in Ireland. Hosted by my brother, Max Sussman, and his wife, Kate McCabe, each episode features dynamic conversations with chefs, farmers, scholars, and more - exploring Ireland’s rich culinary history, its dynamic creative culture, and challenging outdated stereotypes.
In this episode I got the chance to join Max in interviewing Jess Murphy. Jess is a celebrated chef, restaurant owner, writer, and activist. Originally from New Zealand, she moved to Ireland and opened the Michelin Green Star Kai restaurant in Galway’s West End. We talk to her about why we should all think about today’s Irish food on the same level as other internationally acclaimed cuisines.
If you enjoy this conversation, make sure to subscribe to Dyed Green to get the episodes as they launch! (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).
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On today’s episode, I welcome Chef Jae Jung, the chef and owner of KJUN, a Korean-Cajun pop-up currently operating in New York City.
A graduate of the CIA, she moved to New Orleans where she became enamored by Cajun cuisine. Since moving to NYC in 2014 she has worked at Oceana, Le Bernardin, the NoMad Restaurant, and most recently as the sous chef of Café Boulud. In 2021, she launched KJUN as a pop-up operating out of a ghost kitchen, introducing New Yorkers to the exciting blend of Korean and Cajun flavors.
She has been featured in the New York Times, Eater, FOOD & WINE Magazine, Bon Appétit Magazine, the New Yorker, and Bloomberg Pursuits, which recently named KJUN one of the Best New Restaurants in New York. And she is appearing on this season of Top Chef 19.
On this episode, we spoke about growing up in Korea and moving alone to the US, the cuisine of New Orleans, and finding your own culinary style while working in some of the best kitchens in the world. Now, onto the episode.
Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website, and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today.
Photo Courtesy of Bravo and Emily Shur.
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On today’s episode of theLINE, I welcome Ben Van Leeuwen, the co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, where he leads product development and commercialization.
Van Leeuwen has come a long way since the first yellow truck hit the streets of NY in 2008. The company has grown from ice cream trucks to national distribution and brick and mortar locations in New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with Colorado and Connecticut soon to open. They recently secured an additional round of fundraising which will allow the company to expand even more over the coming years.On this episode, we chat about supply chain issues, rising costs of goods, wholesale vs. scoop shops (and you’ll hear which is better for the business). And for entrepreneurs looking to launch or grow your own business, you’ll hear from Ben on building and scaling a brand, and what securing financing can help a founder achieve.
Photo Courtesy of Caitlin Ochs.
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On Today’s episode of the Line, I welcome the co-owners of the Austin, Texas restaurant Birdie’s. Tracy and Arjav moved from NYC to Austin with the hope of building an equitable neighborhood restaurant. Birdie’s is a casual order-at-the-counter spot that serves elevated plates. Tracy, a Texas native, handles chef duties, and Arjav, who was born in New Delhi and grew up in Portland, handles the front-of-house and the wine list.
Together they wanted to create a restaurant for the long term both for themselves and their employees, so they built in things like healthcare, an equitable pay and tip model, and a winter and summer break when they shut down the restaurant for two weeks each season to provide a paid vacation for the entire team to recharge.
Among its accolades, Birdie’s has been named a best restaurant in Austin by Eater, and was chosen by the NYTimes in 2021 as one of the 50 most exciting restaurants in America.
On this episode of the Line, recorded in late 2021, we talk about how to build efficiency and maintain momentum while running a busy restaurant, creating a style and a vibe of a casual restaurant while coming from a higher-end background, keeping staff happy while maintaining your sanity as owners, and of course so much more.
Photo Courtesy of Mackenzie Smith Kelley.
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On today’s episode, Eli welcomes Lauren and Peter Lemos, owners of Wax Paper in LA. With over 30 years of hospitality experience between them, they launched their restaurant in 2015 on a shoestring budget in a shoebox-sized space. Now with two locations of Wax Paper Co., a growing team, and a new restaurant concept called Lingua Franca on the way, Lauren and Peter sat down to share their story of opening a restaurant and truly figuring it all out along the way. If you are an industry veteran looking to start your own thing, this episode is definitely for you. Get ready for a wide-ranging and expansive conversation that touches on build-outs, the health department, trying to get a bank loan, cooking with constraints, how to build a better business for the long term, and of course, navigating a restaurant during Covid.
Photo Courtesy of Marielle V. Chua.
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On today’s episode, Eli is joined by Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland, the founders of Talea Beer Co. After several years of planning, fundraising, and overcoming the many roadblocks it takes to get a physical location up and running, they opened the Talea Brewery and Taproom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in March of 2021.
Talea is the only exclusively woman and veteran-owned and founded production brewery (and taproom) in NYC. We discuss balancing work and family, ABV, opening during the pandemic, and their future expansion plans.
Photo Courtesy of Talea Beer.
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Chef Todd Richards is an award-winning chef known for his contemporary cooking style rooted in Soul & Southern cuisines. Todd is the founder of The Soulful Company Restaurant Group in Atlanta which includes Lake & Oak Neighborhood BBQ, Soul: Food & Culture, and the upcoming Kuro. He is also the author of SOUL: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes and the host of the HRN podcast Soul By Chef Todd Richards.
We recorded this episode live at Samesa while Todd was in New York doing research for his next cookbook. We discuss how he started his career, the mentors that have shaped his work, and his own approach to mentoring and management. Particularly in light of the current labor shortage in the hospitality industry, Todd shares his insight on pricing food and taking care of his employees with fair wages, retirement funds, and opportunities for ownership. Plus, we talk about catering to dietary restrictions and food allergies - including Todd’s own - and why they present an opportunity to keep challenging yourself and expanding the menu.
Subscribe to Todd’s HRN podcast Soul by Chef Todd Richards. (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).
This episode was sponsored by JUST Egg.
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This episode features Darren and Charlene Lopez Young, the owners of The Fattened Caf, based in St. Louis. When The Fattened Caf started as a once-a-month popup Charlene and Darren were exploring the dream of so many food entrepreneurs with the goal of opening a restaurant. The COVID shutdown led them to pivot their popups into a company selling Longganisa-style sausages. With the focus now on growing the sausage company, they have big hopes of expansion and growth. sausage that is commonly served for breakfast with fried rice and a fried egg. On today’s episode we talk about incubators and business accelerators, when to make the decision to leave your traditional job behind to start your own business or run it full time, the St. Louis food community and the difficulties faced as a minority-owned business.
Photo Courtesy of Rolf Ringwald
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On today's episode of theLINE: Chef Suzanne Barr. Suzanne was previously the Head Chef and a partner at True True Diner in Toronto, Canada, the owner of the popular restaurant Saturday Dinette, and the inaugural chef-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel. She has participated in the James Beard Foundation Chef’s Bootcamp, been a featured speaker at the Mad Symposium in Copenhagen she was chosen as one of six finalists to present a project at the Women In Hospitality United symposium in New York City. Suzanne was also one of the chefs featured in Maya Gallus’ documentary film The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution. With her restaurant closed, she spoke to theLINE from her home in Toronto Canada which is currently still under lockdown.
Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Barr / Milestone PR
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As we mark the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, now is a time to reflect on what we've endured. The audio I'm sharing today was collected in those first weeks of the pandemic, when restaurants, bars, and cafes sat dark and quiet across the nation. Owners were unsure if they would ever be able to re-open and hundreds of thousands had lost their jobs as millions were quarantining at home. You'll hear from chefs and restaurant owners from around the nation in their own words about the impossible and life-changing decisions they had to make as they adapted to the realities of COVID-19.
And before we begin: I am working on a future episode of theLINE and I want to speak to you; if you are a front of house or back of house worker, whether you've been working or not working during the past year of the COVID pandemic, if you were fired or furloughed or decided to leave the hospitality industry or take a break. I want to hear your story about what the last year has been like for you. If you are willing to share your story and you'd like to speak to me, you can get in touch with me by emailing [email protected]. Or you can send me a DM on Instagram to @thesussmans. I would love to hear from you to connect with you and be able to potentially share your story on a future episode.
In Part One, Stories from:Steven Satterfield - Chef/Owner Miller Union Atlanta @millerunionchef
Alex Raij Founder, Chef, Owner Txikito, El quinto pino, La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie NYC @alexraij
Andy Hollyday Chef/Co-Owner Selden Standard Detroit @chefandy42
Dave Mancini Chef/Owner Supino Pizzeria Detroit @supinopizzeria
Hannah Jacobs Co-Owner Babydudes Brooklyn @babydudes
Dan Kluger Chef/Owner Loring Place NYC @dan_kluger
Marina Michelson Co-Owner Paper or Plastik Cafe @paper_plasticAnd after the break, perspectives from:
Aktar Nawab, Chef and Owner - Alta Calidad - NYC, New Orleans, Omaha @altacalidadbk @chefaktar
Max Katzenberg & Greg Baxtrom - Co-Owner and Chef/Co-Owner - Olmsted and Maison Yaki Brooklyn @olmstednyc @nyhospcoalition
Brent Kroll - Owner Sommelier - Maxwell Park Washington D.C. - @btkroll @maxwellpark_shaw @maxwellpark_navyyard
Camilla Marcus Restaurateur - Westbourne NY - @camilla.marcus @westbourne @roar.ny @indprestaurants
Whitney Otawka - Chef - Greyfield Inn - Cumberland Island, GA - @greyfieldinn @whitneyotawka
Nate Adler - Owner - Gertie - Brooklyn NY - @gertienyc @natejackadler @leeinitiativeHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Line by becoming a member!
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This is the second in a special series of COVID-focused episodes, showcasing voices from around the country as they reflect on one year of the pandemic. On the first half of today's episode we focus on New York, featuring Caroline Schiff, Patrick Miller, Jessica and Trina Quinn, and Bryan Noury. Then, in the second half, we move to Detroit to hear from Kiki Louya and Lisa Ludwinsky.
Photo Courtesy of Lizzie Munro
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One year of COVID. In this first of a special series of COVID-focused episodes reflecting on one year of the pandemic, theLINE is showcasing voices from around the country. On today's episode: Ashleigh Shanti in North Carolina, Angela Garbacz in Nebraska , Alex Raij in Brooklyn NY, Matthew Bell In Tennessee and Julie Horowitz in Manhattan.
Photo Courtesy of Julie Horowitz
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On this episode I speak with Zarah Kahn the chef of Botanica, located in Silverlake in Los Angeles. A self-described farm and produce nerd, Zarah majored in environmental studies and forestry at University of Washington. Growing up in Seattle, cooking was always part of her family ritual and she was required to cook dinner one night a week for her family. After working at Delancey & Essex and running the kitchen at the London Plane, she made the decision to move to Los Angeles to continue her cooking career. She arrived in LA on March 8th of 2020 right as COVID-19 was about to explode nationwide. In this episode we talk about finding friendship during lockdown in a new city, remaining optimistic even in the midst of a global pandemic, the power of family meal to inspire, and what it is like to take over and lead a kitchen during COVID-19.
Photo by Alicia Pollett
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On today's episode I welcome St. Louis native chef Ben Grupe. Like many traditional chef trajectories, Ben began his career in the industry as a dishwasher. He worked extensively at country clubs and became addicted to competition as team captain for the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team in 2016 and while competing in the Bocuse d'Or, the most prestigious culinary competition in the world. He was recently a James Beard Award semi-finalist (2018) for "Best Chef Midwest." His new restaurant venture, Tempus, opened after a year of delays in October 2020. Never planned as a takeout or to-go restaurant, we speak extensively on this episode about opening up a restaurant during a pandemic and the unique challenges Ben faces as a brand new operator.
Photo by RJ Hartbeck
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On today's episode, I welcome Dario Wolos, founder of Tacombi. After spending 5 years at an internet startup in London, he moved back to Playa Del Carmen and in 2005 purchased a VW bus which became the first location of Tacombi. In 2009 he decided to move Tacombi to NYC, and while biking around NYC he found the spot which is now Tacombi Nolita. With over 10 brick and mortar locations, a production facility in NYC, and a planned expansion in 2022 on the east coast, Tacombi is taking big steps to grow the brand. On today's episode we spoke about the difficulties and pressures of expansion, the community kitchen initiatives Tacombi has championed throughout the pandemic, and how building a great business takes time.
Photo Courtesy of Tacombi.
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On this episode of the Line I am joined by Co-Owner Patricia Howard and her partner and Executive Chef Ed Szymanski about the various versions of their restaurant project called Dame. It has existed as a fish and chips pop-up and has also hosted multiple other chefs during what they called their Sunday Series. Patricia and Ed donated nearly $20,000 in profit to NAACP, Harlem Grown, Hot Bread Kichen and Soul Fire Farm this summer from their various efforts. They are currently open as Dame Deli and Bottle Shop serving Ed’s seafood conservas along with wines, local spirits, fresh produce and prepared goods from many of their friends who dropped in for pop-ups. On this special episode we talk about trying to open and stay open during COVID, how a small team and a lack of funding can help you be nimble and scrappy, what it means to have a strong partnership and if COVID changed any of their ideas about opening and operating a restaurant.
Photo Courtesy of Evan Sung
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On this episode of theLINE we welcome Ji Hye Kim, chef and managing partner of MISS KIM, a Korean restaurant influenced by her ancestors and by Michigan produce. After graduating from U of M and spending several years working in hospital administration in New Jersey, life brought her back to Ann Arbor where a desire for a career change brought her to Zingerman's. Enduring a 90% pay cut, she worked at various Zingerman’s businesses and with the Rome Sustainable Food Project, as well as running an Asian street food cart for 4 years before opening the brick and mortar location of Miss Kim in 2016 as a part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. Ji Hye was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef Great Lakes in 2020. She was admitted to and participated in the James Beard Chef Boot Camp for Policy Change and Food Lab Detroit’s Fellowship for Change in Food and Labor. On today’s episode we discuss changing careers, the true time it takes to create, develop and open a food business and how to make the industry more equitable in the future.
Photo Courtesy of MISS KIM
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