Episódios
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Hanalei Souza is the sous chef, author, and content creator behind @ladylinecook, one of the most recognized culinary humor and leadership voices on Instagram with 88,000 followers. She has been in the industry since 2018, has worked at the same restaurant for seven years in a mountain town, and is the self-published author of the kitchen memoir "Nice Work, Boys!" She started making cooking videos on YouTube at age 14, posted with no audience for 11 years, and went viral on Instagram in 2022. She was flown to Texas by commercial kitchen equipment brand Cuchimix, which is how she ended up at Just Push Record Studios in Austin for this episode. The episode was also recorded twice because André forgot to press record the first time.
This episode opens with the night a man was literally on fire outside her restaurant. Hanalei grabbed a kitchen fire extinguisher, pulled the pin, chased him down the street, helped save his life, and then went back inside to finish the last three hours of service. That is the opening story. It gets better from there.
Why a title earns zero automatic respect in a kitchen and how the only path to genuine authority is being the person who can actually do every job in the buildingWhat the night she burned $300 in New York strips as a new sous chef taught her about leadership, integrity, and why a good chef does not fire you for one mistakeWhy creators who build their platform by complaining about the industry are doing more damage than the toxic kitchens they claim to exposeAndré Natera and Hanalei Souza cover the clipboard fear she had as a line cook and why she now runs four of them, why 80 percent of her job as sous chef is still hands on the food, the transition from being everyone's friend on the line to being the person responsible for their stations, and the social media conversation that the culinary world needs to have about what viral actually means and who it serves. The episode closes with her Mount Rushmore of chefs, her Mount Rushmore of culinary content creators, and a shoutout to Cuchimix and the women's chef coat she co-created with Funky Chef.
Guest
Hanalei Souza on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/ladylinecook/Lady Line Cook Website → https://www.ladylinecook.com/Links
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachef -
Chef RJ Yoakum is the chef de cuisine at Michelin-recommended Sushi Kozy in Dallas, a kaiseki-inspired omakase restaurant from chef-owner Paul Ko. A 2025 James Beard Award finalist for Emerging Chef, he previously led the kitchen at Georgie in Dallas to its first Michelin recommendation and trained at The French Laundry, Angler, and The Clove Club in London.
He is 32 years old. He has trained in some of the most demanding kitchens in the world. And in this episode, he says that the more successful he became in Dallas, internally he was broken.
Why four excellent elements on a plate always beat seven mediocre ones, and how learning to edit is what separates mature cooking from the need to prove yourselfHow cooking meat and fish whole on the bone and portioning after service protects yield, improves consistency, and teaches teams to develop real judgment instead of following a timerWhat nobody tells you when you leave a three-star kitchen to lead your own, why the resume gets you in but culture has to be built from zero, and why the army disappears the moment you need it mostAndré Natera and RJ Yoakum cover the TFL classics that shaped his approach, the asparagus question of when technique serves the ingredient versus when it gets in the way, the mentorship of David Breeden and Thomas Keller and what it actually transferred, the imposter syndrome that followed his success in Dallas, and the leadership lessons that only made sense once he was on the other side of them. The episode closes with his Mount Rushmore, rapid fire questions, and what he is building at Sushi Kozy.
This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com
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Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher are the husband-and-wife chef-owners of Lenoir, a MICHELIN Guide restaurant in Austin's Bouldin Creek neighborhood open since 2012. They also formerly owned Métier Cook's Supply next door and opened Boni's Bar, a Spanish drinks and bites concept, in Spring 2026. Todd is a native Texan who trained at The Danube under David Bouley and served as chef de cuisine at the Four Seasons Austin before opening Lenoir. Jessica cooked through the Bouley restaurant family and at Tabla with Floyd Cardoz and Gray Kunz before moving to Austin. They met through the Bouley restaurants and have built Lenoir together for 14 years.
This episode is about the gap between technically skilled and genuinely great, and what it actually takes to close it.
Why great cooking is built through process, patience, and accumulated experience, and why social media trends actively work against that developmentThe foundational cookbook list every serious cook should own, from Ducasse's Grand Livre de Cuisine to Jacques Pépin's La Technique to Paul Bertolli's Cooking by HandHow mentorship through observation, athletic team dynamics, and genuine hospitality have kept Lenoir evolving for 14 years without losing what makes it worth returning toAndré Natera, Todd Duplechan, and Jessica Maher cover Todd's stage at The Danube, being hired, and the 12-course meal at the pass that changed how he understood professional cooking, how they met through the Bouley restaurant family, what separates cooks who develop into great chefs from those who plateau, and the teamwork and hospitality philosophy that has driven Lenoir's 14-year evolution. The episode closes with rapid fire kitchen gear, the chef Mount Rushmore, and the story behind Métier and Boni's Bar.
Guest
Todd Duplechan on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/duplechananigans/Lenoir on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/lenoiratx/Boni's Bar on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/bonisbaratx/Links
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachef -
Chef Brian Lewis is the founder and CEO of Full House Hospitality Group and a three-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef Northeast, with nominations in 2018, 2022, and 2025. A Culinary Institute of America and Johnson and Wales University graduate, he apprenticed under Jean Louis Palladin, Marco Pierre White, and Eric Ripert before becoming the founding executive chef of Richard Gere's The Bedford Post Inn, which earned Esquire's Best New Restaurant in 2009 and an Excellent review from The New York Times. In 2015 he founded Full House Hospitality Group, which now operates The Cottage in Westport and Greenwich, Connecticut, and OKO in Westport and Rye, New York, with 125 employees across four locations.
This episode opens with a story about a job interview that most chefs would have walked away from. Lewis did not walk away. He secretly prepared an eight-course meal before anyone asked, controlled the entire tasting, and landed the role that gave him what he calls a PhD in opening and operating a restaurant from the ground up.
How he built Full House Hospitality Group around a single principle: only expand when operations can thrive without you in the room
Why empowering teams with genuine autonomy inside defined guardrails is the only leadership model that scales across four restaurants and 125 people
How strategy and psychology replaced technique as his primary tools when he made the shift from chef to CEO
André Natera and Brian Lewis cover the identity shift required when a chef stops being the creative voice in the kitchen and starts leading other chefs to express theirs, the role of kindness as a non-negotiable management standard, navigating reviews and social media pressure across multiple concepts, and the research trip to Japan that preceded the launch of OKO. The episode closes with rapid fire kitchen gear, stocks and dashi minimalism, and the chef Mount Rushmore.
Guest
Brian Lewis on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/brianlewischef/Full House Hospitality on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fullhousehg/Links
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachef -
Chef Jason Dady is one of San Antonio's most prolific restaurateurs, having opened 20 restaurants over 25 years through the Jason Dady Restaurant Group. A San Antonio UNESCO City of Gastronomy Chef Ambassador and Food Network veteran with appearances on Iron Chef Gauntlet, BBQ Brawl, and Beat Bobby Flay, Dady most recently opened Mexico Ceaty, a 25,000-square-foot food hall on San Antonio's River Walk at the Shops at Rivercenter. The concept opened April 20, 2026 and includes eight distinct dining and drinking venues celebrating Mexican and San Antonio food culture, with direct River Walk access.
This episode covers the full operational story behind Mexico Ceaty, from a decade-old idea to 196 employees hired in one week.
How an 18-month lease negotiation, financing setbacks, and a small Houston bank shaped the opening before a single taco was served
How targeted social media ads and structured onboarding placed 196 employees across nine concepts in a single week
Why SOPs and recipes calibrated to the gram are not micromanagement but the only way to maintain standards at scale.
André Natera and Jason Dady cover the Eataly-inspired origin of Mexico Ceaty, the nine concepts inside the space, the transition from chef-operator to CEO, profit margin realities across fine dining and fast casual formats, and the EOS Traction L10 meeting structure that creates leadership accountability without requiring the founder in every room. The episode closes with career advice, the importance of stages as learning rather than labor, and rapid fire chef questions.
Guest
Jason Dady on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chefjasondady/Mexico Ceaty on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/mexicoceatysa/Links
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachef -
Chef Matt Peters is the first American chef to win gold at the Bocuse d'Or, the most technically demanding culinary competition in the world. He trained under Thomas Keller at Per Se and The French Laundry and at Adour Alain Ducasse in New York before spending over a year preparing for the 2017 Bocuse d'Or in Lyon. He is currently Head Coach for Team USA at the 2027 Bocuse d'Or, coaching Chef Vincenzo Loseto and Commis Tyler Higson, and competed this year on CBS's America's Culinary Cup.
This episode is the most detailed inside account of America's Culinary Cup that any competitor has given publicly. Peters does not filter it.
What the sequestering process, point structure, and unexpected challenges like cooking someone else's food actually feel like from the inside
Why precision and technical refinement can work against you on television, and what the criticism that his food was too chefy actually meant
The sauce argument: why Keller-style clean reductions and Ducasse-style fat-emulsified sauces represent two fundamentally different philosophies, and why the choice defines your cooking voice
André Natera and Matt Peters cover the beef stroganoff versus Bocuse-style dish debate from episode one, mental fatigue from the finale curveballs, his honest format critique, the training timeline for Team USA 2027 on the road to Lyon, and where smart product use fits into a scratch cooking philosophy.
Guest
Matt Peters on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chefmattpeters/Links Block
Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachefSubscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Evan LeRoy is the co-owner and pitmaster of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Texas. A Michelin star recipient in the MICHELIN Guide Texas 2024, number two on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints in 2025, and 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef Texas, LeRoy has spent nearly a decade redefining Texas barbecue through whole-animal butchery, locally sourced meats, and a cooking philosophy that refuses to treat barbecue as a fixed menu. His debut cookbook, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling from Austin's LeRoy and Lewis, co-authored with Paula Forbes, is out May 12, 2026.
In this episode, he gets direct about the one thing most chefs with new recognition do not want to admit: the star changed everything, and not all of it in ways that are easy to manage.
What earning and retaining a Michelin star actually does to a barbecue operation in terms of volume, scrutiny, and internal pressure
Why Texas barbecue's dominance as the national formula is creating a copycat monoculture that is hurting the genre
The complete brisket process from trimming for airflow to Dalmatian rub ratios, wood selection, wrapping decisions, and the overnight heated rest
André Natera and Evan LeRoy cover the ways success can quietly destabilize priorities, how portioning precision and pricing realities shift under heightened expectations, and the three-year process behind translating LeRoy and Lewis's restaurant technique into nearly 100 home-cook-friendly recipes for the cookbook. The episode closes with how LeRoy steps away from the pressure and what he is watching in the broader BBQ landscape.
New School Barbecue is available wherever books are sold, out May 12, 2026.
This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com
Guest
Evan LeRoy on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/evanleroybbq/Standard Links Block
Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachefSubscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Phillip Frankland Lee is the co-owner and executive chef of Scratch Restaurants Group, the Michelin-starred hospitality company he operates with his wife and executive pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee. The group includes Sushi by Scratch Restaurants, Pasta|Bar, NADC Burger, and Shokunin. Lee is a Top Chef Season 13 competitor, San Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 finalist, Zagat 30 Under 30 honoree, and Food Network record holder for most consecutive competition wins. This is his third appearance on Chef's PSA.
His argument is direct: you can open a restaurant for $10,000 or less, break even in 60 days, and scale that model to 32 locations if you keep the footprint small, the staff lean, and every concept focused on one core product.
How taking over already-permitted spaces eliminates the buildout cost that kills most restaurant openings
Why small tasting-menu formats scale better than large casual concepts and how the math actually works
Where chef inspiration ends and outright copying begins, and why that line matters more now than ever
André Natera and Phillip Frankland Lee cover the organic growth of NADC Burger from free pop-ups to multiple locations, the conversion of a Pasta|Bar location into a 22-seat boutique steakhouse, Lee's open world RPG framework for handling adversity, hard lessons from sharks and risky partnerships, and the detailed debate on homage versus originality in culinary culture. The episode closes with a preview of his upcoming podcast Fire the Board and new Austin-area concepts.
Guest
Phillip Frankland Lee on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/phillipfranklandlee/Links
Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachefSubscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Chef Josh Sutcliff is the Corporate Executive Chef and Partner at 55 Seventy, a private members club for wine lovers with locations in Dallas and Houston. A Le Cordon Bleu graduate, CultureMap Dallas Rising Star Chef of the Year, and Zagat 30 Under 30 honoree, his career includes chef de cuisine at FT33, executive chef at Mirador, and stints at The Joule and Knox Bistro.
He started washing dishes at 13. Federal agents had just arrested his father. His family was living in a camper. The kitchen gave him stability when nothing else did, and the chaotic, pirate-energy environment he found there never stopped feeling like home.
Why consistency and station setup reveal more about a cook than talent ever will
How to map a chef career by starting at the end goal and working backward, not forward
What the shift from chef to business thinker actually requires when you are scaling new openings
André Natera and Josh Sutcliff cover the sports mindset that shaped his approach to kitchen teams, what makes young cooks succeed or stall, his systems for onboarding and standardized recipes, and the long game of reputation and networking in a small industry. The episode closes with the transition from day-to-day cooking to corporate executive chef and what that demands from a leader.
Guest
Josh Sutcliff on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jsutcliff/Links
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Lead Like a Chef App https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachefShop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Chef David Bull is Austin's first Iron Chef America competitor, Food and Wine Best New Chef 2003, two-time James Beard Foundation nominee, and Regional Vice President of Food and Beverage at LaCorsha Hospitality Group. He led the Driskill Grill to three consecutive Austin American-Statesman number one restaurant awards, competed on Iron Chef America in 2006 as the first Austin chef to do so, and has since overseen 16 restaurant and hotel openings with LaCorsha across Texas, most of them historic renovations. He is also co-founder of the Mineral Wellness Center, a faith-based nonprofit in Mineral Wells dedicated to reducing mental health stigma and providing counseling and community resources.
This episode covers the full arc: Austin's first celebrity chef, 16 properties, and the decision to walk away from all of it for something bigger.
Why management agreements protect standards across multiple properties in ways licensing never canThe lease clauses, CAM charges, and pro forma details that quietly sink most restaurant deals before they openWhy mental health stigma in professional kitchens is a leadership and retention crisis, not a personal weaknessAndré Natera and David Bull go deep on the Iron Chef America experience, the operational realities of scaling a hospitality group, the trust required in a business partner before any contract is signed, evolving kitchen culture and mentorship across every staffing level, and Bull's personal decision to step back from fine dining and co-found the Mineral Wellness Center. The episode closes with a preview of his upcoming Restored and Delivered concept in Mineral Wells.
This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com
Guest
David Bull on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chefdavidbull/Chef's PSA
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Brandon Harpster is the National Corporate Chef for Training and Events at RATIONAL USA. He trains chefs across the country, runs RATIONAL's culinary academies, and develops cooking programs that translate connected kitchen technology into repeatable, scalable results for working operators.
This episode starts with a brunch disaster. A steamship round failed overnight at a country club, no monitoring, no alert, no way to intervene. Harpster uses that story to frame the entire case for connected cooking, and then spends the next hour proving it.
How the iCombi Pro handles delta-T roasting, built-in resting, and consistent brunch egg production at volumeHow the iVario Pro runs overnight stock for better clarity and yield with no one in the buildingHow a 15-minute risotto program that requires only three stirs is a repeatable kitchen system, not a shortcutAndré Natera and Brandon Harpster cover the iCombi Pro, iVario Pro, and iHexagon across real kitchen scenarios including Peking duck skin development, brisket hybrid smoking workflows, zone heating, sous-vide-style cooking, and pasta-in-sauce preset functions. They also discuss what RATIONAL's corporate chef network actually does, how the training academies work, and what a field role in this industry looks like for chefs who want to move off the line.
RATIONAL
RATIONAL USA Linktree → https://linktr.ee/rational_usaRATIONAL USA Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rational_usa/Chef Brandon's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/brandon.harpster/RATIONAL ChefLine → https://www.rational-online.com/en_us/customercare/contact-us/chefline/ | 866-306-2433Chef's PSA
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Chef Chad Welch is an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Administrator, a Jacques Pépin Foundation ambassador, and the executive chef with The Urban Stillhouse, an elevated dining concept with locations in St. Petersburg, Florida and Somerset, Kentucky. Horse Soldier bourbon bottles are formed with steel from the World Trade Center.
He did not plan to become a chef. A Navy paperwork error put him in the galley instead of the engine room in 1992, scaling Armed Forces recipe cards to 5,000 portions aboard the USS America aircraft carrier, cutting frozen Cornish game hens on a band saw on his first day at sea, and cooking through storms that sent equipment crashing across the kitchen floor.
What Navy galley cooking actually teaches about systems, scale, and pressure before culinary schoolWhy the shift from scratch kitchens to convenience products cost the industry a generation of skillHow the pre-Google era of memorization and mentorship built a different kind of chef, and what that means for anyone training todayAndré Natera and Chad Welch cover his first post-Navy restaurant job doing scratch pub cooking, his Mexican food upbringing and deliberate choice not to cook it professionally, the classic versus molecular cooking debate, and his work with the Jacques Pépin Foundation. The episode closes with the Horse Soldier Bourbon origin story and career advice from a chef whose entire path began by accident.
This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com
Guest
Chad Welch on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/handthatfeeds/The Urban Stillhouse St. Pete → https://www.instagram.com/urbanstillhousestpete/The Urban Stillhouse Somerset → https://www.instagram.com/urbanstillhousesomerset/Links
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ -
Everyone wants the spotlight.
Until it actually hits.
Andre sits down with Emmanuel Chavez from Tatemo in Houston to talk about what happens when your restaurant gets attention before you’re ready for it.
Tatemo went from a tortilla operation to a full tasting menu fast. Recognition came with it. So did pressure.
This conversation gets into what it takes to run a tight kitchen with almost no space, how leadership changes when expectations spike, and the mistakes that come with building something in real time.
• What early success actually feels like• How to run a tasting menu in a small kitchen• Why leadership matters more than technique
Follow Chefs PSA and send this to a chef who thinks they’re ready.
Emmanuel Chavez on Instagram
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.comVisit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.comSponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com
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Chef Andre Natera sits down with Emmanuel Laroche, host of the Flavors Unknown podcast and author of A Taste of Madagascar, to explore the global story behind vanilla production and the process of writing a food book.
Laroche shares his experience traveling to Madagascar, where roughly 80% of the world’s vanilla is produced, including the realities of hand pollination and the challenges of sourcing ingredients in remote regions.
The conversation also covers Madagascar’s broader food ecosystem, including pepper, honey, cocoa, and caviar, and explores why many farmers grow vanilla for export rather than local use.
Laroche breaks down his writing process and explains how aspiring authors can move from concept to published book through traditional publishing channels.
• How vanilla is grown and why it requires hand pollination• How to write and publish a food book• Why understanding ingredients changes how chefs cook
Follow Chefs PSA and share this episode with someone interested in food, travel, or writing.
Flavors Unknown on Instagram
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com
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Chef Dan Kennedy spent over 20 years in high end kitchens, most recently as head chef at Pasta|Bar Austin before the concept closed in February 2026. He is now working on Morri, his own concept in Austin.
In this episode, Andre Natera and Dan Kennedy argue that social media has replaced technical skill with aesthetic performance, and duck is the clearest casualty.
Why duck is almost always undercooked and how proper skin rendering changes the entire dishWhy wagyu and high-fat cuts need more heat than most cooks give them, not lessHow to build a tasting menu around timing and satiety instead of story and egoKennedy covers proper rendering technique, skin drying and aging, heat control, extended resting, and pre-service prep decisions that determine outcome before service starts. They also cover lamb, octopus, and grilling over binchotan and wood embers, using cake testers and feel over thermometers, and finishing with fat and flaky salt. On tasting menus, Kennedy favors 5 to 9 courses with canapés, cold starters, and two desserts, structured around deliciousness over narrative. The episode closes with reactions to America's Culinary Cup, commentary on Pasta|Bar's closure, and Chef's PSA merch.
This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com
Guest
Dan Kennedy on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/cocinero_dk/Dan's Hip Hop Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6WjAtI8aeONJSnk1FUAeYf?si=vvki6CM9SUSJ-k1BuOm15gLinks
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Sponsored by Rational USA → https://rationalusa.com -
Chef Andre Natera sits down with identical twin chefs Brandon and Jonathan Dearden to discuss rivalry, restaurant leadership, culinary school value, and the realities of running profitable restaurants.
Both twins competed on Top Chef and built careers in very different directions. Brandon pursued fine dining and stages at elite kitchens, while Jonathan focused on leadership roles and restaurant management
The conversation covers lessons from high-intensity kitchens like Alinea, the real value of culinary school, hiring pitfalls with impressive resumes, and how menu engineering helps restaurants stay profitable.
They also discuss competing on Top Chef, the importance of building a chef brand online, and how AI tools are beginning to influence restaurant operations.
What You Will Learn
• The real return on investment of culinary school
• What Michelin-level kitchens teach about discipline and systems
• How restaurant owners engineer menus for profitability
Brandon on Instagram
Jonathan on Instagram
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com -
Chef Andre Natera sits down with Dallas chef Josh Sutcliff and food commentator Drew Stephenson to unpack the viral debate surrounding the Dallas dining scene.
After Drew’s Instagram post sparked widespread reactions among chefs and diners, the conversation expanded into a deeper look at restaurant success, Michelin expectations, and the economic realities of running restaurants in Texas.
They discuss the polarizing response to Mamani, why tasting-menu-only restaurants often struggle in Texas, and the operational realities of Dallas restaurants, including large spaces, high rent, and limited kitchen infrastructure.
The episode also examines how chefs balance creativity, identity, and profitability while navigating diner expectations, influencer culture, and the evolving fine-dining landscape.
Restaurants discussed include Lucia, Sushi Cozy, Petra and the Beast
Drew Stephenson on Instagram
Josh Sutcliff on Instagram
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com -
Chef Andre Natera sits down with Jam Sanichat, chef-owner of Thai Fresh in Austin, Texas, to explore how restaurant culture, wage models, and culinary traditions intersect.
Jam explains why she eliminated tipping at Thai Fresh and replaced it with a transparent service fee designed to provide stable wages and reduce front-of-house and back-of-house pay disparities.
The conversation also traces her journey from teaching Thai cooking classes and selling prepared foods at farmers markets to building Thai Fresh into a full restaurant and cooking school with vegan desserts, gluten-free ice cream, and a sustainability-focused sourcing philosophy.
Jam shares how she crowdfunded a memoir-style cookbook through Kickstarter, breaking down the strategy behind a successful campaign including reward tiers, promotional planning, and production timelines.
For cooks and chefs interested in Thai cuisine, Jam explains the five-flavor balance that defines Thai cooking and discusses pantry staples like fish sauce, pandan, and curry paste that help create bold, layered flavor.
This episode blends restaurant economics, cookbook publishing insights, and practical Thai cooking knowledge for anyone curious about the intersection of hospitality business and culinary tradition.
Thai Fresh Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thaifresh/
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com -
Most chefs should not open a restaurant.
James Trees explains why ownership is finance and leadership, not cooking. From prime cost and food cost velocity to EBITDA, triple net leases, and delivery app traps, this episode is a restaurant business masterclass.
If you are thinking about opening your first restaurant, learn the numbers first.
How prime cost actually works
Why food cost velocity matters more than percentages
How to negotiate leases and protect downside
Built for chefs serious about ownership and profit.
Follow Chefs PSA and share this episode with a chef who wants to open a restaurant.
James Trees Instagram
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com -
A Michelin-trained chef faces thyroid cancer and the real possibility of losing his taste.
Chef Jake Rojas shares his diagnosis, treatment, feeding tube recovery, and how the experience reshaped his priorities around health and leadership. From El Paso competitions to three-star kitchens in Las Vegas, this is a conversation about discipline, identity, and why flavor is the only thing that truly matters.
What Michelin kitchens teach about execution and respect
How serious illness reframes leadership and priorities
Why deliciousness outweighs presentation and hype
Built for chefs who want longevity, not just accolades.
Follow Chefs PSA and share this episode with a chef who needs permission to prioritize their health.
Jake Rojas on Instagram
LINKS & RESOURCES
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com - Mostrar mais
