Latest / On Point With Jaclyn Jeffrey / On Point With Chef Moe

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On Point With Chef Moe · On Point With Jaclyn Jeffrey

0:00
SPEAKER_04: Gotta feed your family with five dollars.
0:02
SPEAKER_04: Episode 39.
0:03
SPEAKER_02: I'm damn episode.
0:09
SPEAKER_01: This episode is sponsored by KMS Team at Compass.
0:17
SPEAKER_02: So today we have Chef Moe on the podcast as well as his son, and we'll get to why his son is here in a moment.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: Chef Moe, otherwise known as Morris Levine from Brooklyn, a chef and now a viral TikTok sensation, which is just amazing.
0:38
SPEAKER_02: So, like many people, I came to know you from your videos on TikTok, where you show how you can make affordable meals that are delicious, that are inexpensive, and that use just several handful of ingredients.
0:53
SPEAKER_02: But what really struck me is I started looking at the um comments on the TikTok videos.
1:00
SPEAKER_02: And what I saw is that there's like a whole story here and a way bigger mission than the recipes.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: So I took the liberty of pulling a few quotes, of which there are tens of thousands, but I just picked a few.
1:15
SPEAKER_02: And some of what I read are, and I don't know if I'm sure you don't see all of them, so some of these may be a surprise.
1:21
SPEAKER_02: Um at 29, I'm facing having to move alone with my two kids.
1:27
SPEAKER_02: And with rent being$1,800, this meaning your videos is going to save me.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: Someone else said, you're out there saving lives.
1:36
SPEAKER_02: And the one that really struck home for me is someone said, someone is going to be able to afford to feed their children tonight because of a content like this.
1:46
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, the more I read those kind of comments, I thought, you know, there's a bigger, there's a bigger story here, a bigger mission than just the recipes.
1:54
SPEAKER_02: So what started Sebastian as a simple video to do a demonstration has now grown into something much, much bigger.
2:03
SPEAKER_02: It's a platform around educating the community around food scarcity.
2:09
SPEAKER_02: Um, it's also a platform for understanding that there are ways to have affordable, nutritious meals that don't take a lot of time or a lot of money.
2:17
SPEAKER_02: And even here, we're in Fairfield County, and this is an area that is considered affluent.
2:23
SPEAKER_02: People make fun of the affluence in the community.
2:26
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but even here, uh, you know, inflation has hit us, costs are rising, and food scarcity is a problem right here, as evidenced by the fact that every town here has a has a food pantry.
2:39
SPEAKER_02: So I think uh Chef Mo, your perspective on uh on food, on family, on dignity and compassion is going to resonate with a lot of the people who are listening.
2:49
SPEAKER_02: So welcome to the podcast.
2:51
SPEAKER_02: But first, before we get into your story and what you're doing, uh Sebastian, you played a key role in uh in all of this.
2:59
SPEAKER_02: And you took your dad, who, as he described to me, had about seven followers on TikTok, all of whom were related to him.
3:09
SPEAKER_02: And I don't know if you know, but I looked before we started recording.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: You now have 1.7 million followers.
3:19
SPEAKER_04: That's a lot.
3:20
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
3:21
SPEAKER_02: From five family members to 1.7 million TikTok followers.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: And it's all thanks, Sebastian.
3:28
SPEAKER_02: Of course, to your dad's good work.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: Um, but but what you did.
3:31
SPEAKER_02: So I know you've got things to do tonight, so I appreciate you being on the call.
3:35
SPEAKER_02: But I just wanted to get in a sense if you go back to that day when you asked your dad to make this video.
3:40
SPEAKER_02: Uh, what were you doing?
3:42
SPEAKER_02: What what were you thinking of?
3:43
SPEAKER_02: Why did you ask?
3:44
SPEAKER_00: It was simply because my girlfriend was coming over and I wanted to make her like a nice meal.
3:48
SPEAKER_00: And like I wanted like my dad's cooking because he makes the best chicken Parmesan, and I wanted just him because I didn't want to just have it a list of stuff and do this and that.
4:00
SPEAKER_00: I'd rather have a video how to do it, like what to do, how to do it exactly.
4:05
SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, I asked him to send me a video, and then I was like, you know what?
4:11
SPEAKER_00: Because he has a really good personality and stuff, and I always tell him all the time to like make a TikTok trying to like do like just do meals and stuff.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: He's like, no, no, no, no, no, how to do that.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: So one day I just took that video that he sent me and I posted it.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: And then here we are now.
4:30
SPEAKER_02: Did he know you did it?
4:31
SPEAKER_02: Did you tell him before no?
4:33
SPEAKER_00: No.
4:34
SPEAKER_02: And so how did you let him know that something had happened here?
4:38
SPEAKER_00: When one day I looked at it and it blew up, and because I saw the notification on the thing, and it just it was like 99 plus like followers and likes, and it just like blew up.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: I didn't really didn't expect it to blow up the way that it did.
4:52
SPEAKER_02: Actually, that was that was my question when you posted it.
4:54
SPEAKER_02: I mean, what what were you thinking?
4:56
SPEAKER_02: Did you have any idea that things were gonna happen the way they did?
4:59
SPEAKER_00: I had no idea.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: I thought it would be like like maybe like 2000, 3,000 views, and like something little.
5:04
SPEAKER_00: I didn't expect it to blow up the way that it did.
5:06
SPEAKER_02: So, what do you think about this?
5:07
SPEAKER_02: Why do you think it's happened?
5:09
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, because my dad, my dad, he's like his he has a really good personality and like he's a people person, and he's also really good at cooking.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: So he was I feel like he was able to like mix that together and the way that he explains how he cooks, like someone that's never been in a kitchen before could like cook off of his video.
5:30
SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, when I had a pre-conversation with your dad, I told him when I see a video and a I mean a recipe, and the minute it says separate or fold in egg whites, I'm done.
5:40
SPEAKER_02: And I just walk away and go do something else.
5:42
SPEAKER_02: And in that brief call, your your dad told me how to do it.
5:45
SPEAKER_02: So I understand what you're saying.
5:48
SPEAKER_02: So, what's it been like for you watching dad become like this TikTok sensation here?
5:54
SPEAKER_00: It's crazy because like like at work, my like my coworks will be like, Oh, yo, I just tried this thing that your dad made it, uh, and I just tried it out on the video, this and that.
6:02
SPEAKER_00: It's just crazy.
6:03
SPEAKER_00: Or like, we'll go out to eat and we'll have a server, and the server will be like, Are you Chef Mel?
6:09
SPEAKER_00: Like the one I'm thinking.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: It's funny.
6:13
SPEAKER_02: And so let me ask, I just had um actually just one last question that you can go right to your to your basketball game.
6:20
SPEAKER_02: Um, so watching your dad go through all of this from the five followers who were related to him to 1.7 million people and everybody knowing him.
6:30
SPEAKER_02: Uh, what what do you think you've learned about your dad that maybe you didn't know before?
6:35
SPEAKER_00: I don't think I learned something new because I I knew like his potential and what he can do, or just like a push and a shove to get the ball rolling.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: I knew what he was capable of doing.
6:49
SPEAKER_00: He just I just had to like give a little initiative.
6:52
SPEAKER_02: Oh my god, chef mo, doesn't that sound like you should be saying that to him instead of vice versa?
6:58
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
6:59
SPEAKER_01: Well, Sebastian, I know you've got I know you have stuff to do.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: Is there anything else you want to say, either about what you did, why you did it, or or anything else about your dad?
7:08
SPEAKER_00: No, he's an amazing father, amazing chef.
7:11
SPEAKER_00: And I'm very proud of him to get the amount of following so fast.
7:15
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, actually, I was gonna ask you that.
7:17
SPEAKER_02: How how fast is it?
7:18
SPEAKER_02: Isn't this fairly recent?
7:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I remember I spoke to him, it was like he was at 600,000 followers, and then in like two or three weeks, it was like 990,000, and then probably four to five days after that, 1.2 million.
7:34
SPEAKER_00: And then so now and then you just said 1.7, so it just keep on going up.
7:37
SPEAKER_02: They do.
7:38
SPEAKER_02: And what's interesting about that is when I looked at your TikTok pages, I was researching uh last week, it was 700 some odd thousand.
7:46
SPEAKER_02: And now I looked before, as I said, before we got on uh on this interview, and now it's uh 1.7.
7:52
SPEAKER_02: So something good is happening out there, right?
7:54
SPEAKER_00: Yes, right.
7:56
SPEAKER_02: Uh well, Sebastian, I really appreciate the time.
7:58
SPEAKER_02: We wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth about what you did and uh and why you did it.
8:02
SPEAKER_02: So we appreciate the time.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: Of course.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: Okay, great.
8:05
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: Take care.
8:08
SPEAKER_02: Thanks.
8:09
SPEAKER_02: My son.
8:11
SPEAKER_02: What a kid.
8:12
SPEAKER_02: He's a good boy.
8:13
SPEAKER_02: He is, he is.
8:15
SPEAKER_02: So you know, so your son does this video, and neither one of you could have had any idea, like, you know, where this was going to go.
8:23
SPEAKER_02: When did you realize, Chef Mo, that this was what you were doing was about more than cooking and more than recipes.
8:32
SPEAKER_04: Well, in the beginning, it was really just um to kind of show how to make restaurant favorites at home.
8:41
SPEAKER_04: You know, the the cost of food is rising.
8:45
SPEAKER_04: The um to go out to eat has become very expensive.
8:49
SPEAKER_04: So people don't do it as much.
8:51
SPEAKER_04: And, you know, I'm in the restaurant business.
8:53
SPEAKER_04: I see the numbers going down, I see the covers, the plates that we're sending out on Friday night, 150, 200, 300.
9:00
SPEAKER_04: You know, we're lucky if we hit 100.
9:02
SPEAKER_04: You you see the decline.
9:04
SPEAKER_04: And I've always believed that it's important for families to be together.
9:08
SPEAKER_04: When when you go out to eat with your family, with your friends, it's love, it's you know, you're making memories.
9:15
SPEAKER_04: I want people to continue to do that.
9:18
SPEAKER_04: So why not show them how to make those restaurant dishes at home?
9:23
SPEAKER_04: And then I I had um I had a follower, you know, had messaged me and kind of just changed my whole perspective and platform and the way I looked at it and just changed it up.
9:38
SPEAKER_04: I've heard about this.
9:39
SPEAKER_04: Can you tell us what it was?
9:41
SPEAKER_04: Sure.
9:42
SPEAKER_04: Um I I made a dish.
9:45
SPEAKER_04: It was actually chicken franchise.
9:48
SPEAKER_04: And I had gotten a comment on it saying, wow, that looks fantastic, great job.
9:55
SPEAKER_04: And I try to engage with everybody as much as I can.
9:59
SPEAKER_04: Um, content some content creators, you know, they make it and and they make it big.
10:05
SPEAKER_04: But the biggest problem is they all forget who put them there.
10:09
SPEAKER_04: You know?
10:10
SPEAKER_04: So I make sure to do my very best to answer everybody, to stay engaged, to talk to them, to, you know, I'm here teaching you something.
10:20
SPEAKER_04: You're gonna have questions.
10:22
SPEAKER_04: It has to be answered.
10:24
SPEAKER_04: So um, and I thanked, I thanked them a little while after, maybe a day or two, I don't, I don't remember exactly how long, but that same person had privately messaged me, sharing a little bit of their story uh of how she was a uh stay-at-home mom, you know, a homemaker.
10:47
SPEAKER_04: Her husband had a very good job, and he was the breadwinner and paid the bill.
10:51
SPEAKER_04: She never worked, and everything was okay.
10:55
SPEAKER_04: Life was great.
10:56
SPEAKER_04: They have three beautiful children, he has a good job, and unfortunately, he was in an accident and he he passed away.
11:06
SPEAKER_04: So she was explaining how her life so drastically changed so fast, and how she went from a nice home to a one-bedroom apartment.
11:20
SPEAKER_04: How food wasn't even a thought.
11:23
SPEAKER_04: It was like, okay, what are we doing?
11:24
SPEAKER_04: What do you want to order?
11:26
SPEAKER_04: To what can I feed them?
11:29
SPEAKER_04: It was such a drastic change so fast for her and Shell Shock.
11:33
SPEAKER_04: And she was just sharing her story, I guess, you know, venting to a stranger or whatever it was.
11:39
SPEAKER_04: But but the way the conversation started was that looks great.
11:43
SPEAKER_04: I can't wait till next month, till I have the money to buy the ingredients to get it.
11:49
SPEAKER_04: So I'm like, oh, what do you mean?
11:50
SPEAKER_04: What do you need?
11:51
SPEAKER_04: And that's how we got into her story.
11:54
SPEAKER_04: And I don't know, that just here at home, you know, I'm the breadwinner, I'm the provider.
12:01
SPEAKER_04: I I just felt it.
12:02
SPEAKER_04: I really did.
12:04
SPEAKER_04: I thought about my family, my children, my wife.
12:07
SPEAKER_04: Like something happened to me, and it really just opened my eyes to a lot of different things.
12:14
SPEAKER_04: And I just, I don't know, I wanted to help.
12:17
SPEAKER_04: I just wanted, I had to.
12:19
SPEAKER_04: And you know, she was like, no, no, that's not I I fostered it.
12:23
SPEAKER_04: I thought to take some help.
12:25
SPEAKER_04: I'm like, let me let me send you some please, you know.
12:27
SPEAKER_04: And I didn't stop until she said, okay.
12:30
SPEAKER_04: And um it just clicked.
12:36
SPEAKER_02: And so how did it change?
12:37
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I how did it change things for you in terms of either what you were doing or what you wanted to do?
12:43
SPEAKER_04: Uh as far as the platform, it really was just restaurant-style dishes.
12:49
SPEAKER_04: But then after that encounter with this person, kind of really did open my eyes to a lot of different things.
12:56
SPEAKER_04: And then just hearing stories and comments and messages from other people talking about their hard times and people just sharing and just talking.
13:08
SPEAKER_04: You know, it really opened my eyes.
13:10
SPEAKER_04: It humbled me for the things that we take for granted, you know, just the smallest things, salt and pepper, yeah, you know, napkins, even plates, a pan, a frying pan.
13:26
SPEAKER_04: You know, at one point I wasn't thinking, like, you know, maybe in my mind, I'd like, come on, you don't have salt and pepper.
13:34
SPEAKER_04: But but then hearing stories from people, yeah, they don't.
13:39
SPEAKER_04: That's what really woke me up.
13:41
SPEAKER_04: And I said, you know, people should not feel bad.
13:47
SPEAKER_04: People shouldn't have to feel um sad, you know, especially when you're sitting and you're eating with your family.
13:54
SPEAKER_04: I wanted to show people ways where they can still feel proud to make that dish, even though it's very little.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, I I as I was looking at the comments in in researching for this, I saw not those comments, but I saw comments like that about the struggles, et cetera.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: So so you transitioned a bit of what you're doing in your account.
14:19
SPEAKER_02: So now, and I've seen your videos, they're fast, they're quick, they're easy.
14:23
SPEAKER_02: Even someone like me who couldn't fold egg whites now could could do some of that.
14:29
SPEAKER_02: So, what's your goal with um with with the videos that you post?
14:33
SPEAKER_04: The goal with the videos is to show people that, you know, a lot of people will are scared to make a dish or they feel they don't have all the ingredients, they can't afford the ingredients, but that's okay because we could still make a flavor profile.
14:52
SPEAKER_04: We can cook without seasonings, we can extract natural flavors through the science of food, through the culinary arts, through the culinary techniques.
15:04
SPEAKER_04: We can bring those flavors out to reach what you're looking for.
15:09
SPEAKER_04: So you don't need a$30 ingredient.
15:15
SPEAKER_04: That$3 ingredient will do the same thing.
15:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
15:18
SPEAKER_02: I mean, what I love about your videos is first you show people how to get the ingredients at a Walmart or a dollar store or an Aldi, etc.
15:26
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
15:26
SPEAKER_02: But then what do you do with that?
15:28
SPEAKER_02: And how do you and the meals that you make, uh, I mean, they look good, they sound like they taste good, they look like they smell good.
15:35
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it it and I can see what you mean going back to the to the dignity of sitting around the table and eating a meal that looks good, smells good, and tastes good and didn't cost a fortune.
15:45
SPEAKER_04: Yes, the all-around goal is just for everybody to be able to enjoy what they want.
15:54
SPEAKER_04: For them to feel satisfied enough that they were able to provide a good meal to their families, to themselves.
16:05
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, many people assume that food insecurity happens somewhere else and to somebody else.
16:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, other than what you've already said.
16:12
SPEAKER_02: I mean, what have you learned about that whole concept through the comments and what you're doing?
16:18
SPEAKER_04: Um, I've learned a lot about food insecurity.
16:22
SPEAKER_04: And I've been in the food industry a long time.
16:25
SPEAKER_04: I have I have been in restaurant kitchens a very long time.
16:29
SPEAKER_04: I've been cooking, you know, and I've learned a lot.
16:34
SPEAKER_04: A lot.
16:34
SPEAKER_04: I didn't food insecurities can happen at any time to anybody for any reason.
16:40
SPEAKER_04: We don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow.
16:43
SPEAKER_04: We don't know, you know, what's gonna happen in the corporate world or the banking world, what's gonna happen, you know, in our financial world.
16:53
SPEAKER_04: Anything can happen.
16:56
SPEAKER_04: Dealing with all these people and talking to them and getting to know them, they're all amazing.
17:03
SPEAKER_04: Everybody has a story.
17:05
SPEAKER_04: It's looking at the you know, looking through life through somebody else's eyes.
17:10
SPEAKER_04: One day you're okay, you don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow.
17:14
SPEAKER_04: This company could shut down.
17:16
SPEAKER_04: How many people have lost their pensions when companies close?
17:19
SPEAKER_04: Look at the that whole mobile scandal.
17:21
SPEAKER_04: People work dirty 40 years, they lost it all.
17:25
SPEAKER_04: Anything can happen.
17:27
SPEAKER_04: So you really, you know, food insecurity, it's it doesn't have an age, a race, a color, agenda, comes for everyone.
17:37
SPEAKER_04: It can happen to anybody.
17:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and when you and I and you've talked a little bit about this, do you from the comments you get?
17:44
SPEAKER_02: I mean, to what extent does pride enter into you know, people being willing to to get help or ask for help?
17:51
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
17:52
SPEAKER_04: Pride is a very big thing.
17:54
SPEAKER_04: Uh, a lot of people are ashamed, a lot of people uh they you know they feel bad.
18:02
SPEAKER_04: It's is that it's as if they feel like they're failing.
18:06
SPEAKER_04: No, that's not true.
18:08
SPEAKER_04: You know, in my in my videos, there are a hundred million chefs.
18:15
SPEAKER_04: You could go online and learn techniques, you can go and learn uh uh dishes, you could buy cookbooks, there's millions of them.
18:26
SPEAKER_04: I want you to know I see you, I hear you, and you matter.
18:30
SPEAKER_04: And I make sure you know that that's it's perspective.
18:36
SPEAKER_04: Okay, that's all it's about.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: Okay, you're gonna make me cry.
18:39
SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna go on to uh something a little less um a little less emotional.
18:44
SPEAKER_02: So let me ask you this.
18:45
SPEAKER_02: Practically speaking, when someone like me or the average person goes food shopping or is thinking about food, what what do you think is the biggest mistake people make when they try to stretch their food budget?
18:58
SPEAKER_04: Um not so much as a mistake as it is to um an education to food or not having the knowledge, you know, that someone else would have.
19:12
SPEAKER_04: You know, you're gonna go out and you're gonna do what you feel or think is best, but being educated in food and knowing uh starches as opposed to you know uh flowers to know uh starch being rice and pasta, potatoes, knowing how that could stretch, knowing how many different things you can do.
19:36
SPEAKER_04: Food education is very important, so it's not that people make mistakes, it's that they just don't know.
19:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but you sure make it easy on your videos.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you show us what to do.
19:47
SPEAKER_04: But that's what I'm trying to make awareness to everyone to explain what we can do, how we can do it, the best way to do it, um, how how we could stretch that dollar that far.
20:02
SPEAKER_04: Maybe we can make two meals out of this, you know.
20:05
SPEAKER_04: For example, take an ounce of pasta, we'll boil up to a cup.
20:11
SPEAKER_04: You know what I mean?
20:12
SPEAKER_04: And just like little things like that, little educational things like that.
20:17
SPEAKER_04: One potato, what can you do?
20:19
SPEAKER_04: You can make french fries, you can make a baked potato, you can make the list is endless.
20:24
SPEAKER_04: So the more educated we get, the more we're able to do the further we could stretch.
20:32
SPEAKER_04: So I just wanna I wanna open the window for everyone to let them see like, don't get stuck here because we can do this, we can we can spread our wings, we can try different things.
20:45
SPEAKER_04: That's another thing.
20:46
SPEAKER_04: You have to be willing to try different things.
20:49
SPEAKER_02: Well, you how much how often do you post your videos?
20:51
SPEAKER_02: Because there's so many, and they're all unique and different and short and sweet, and they get right to the point, and it makes it easy to do.
20:58
SPEAKER_02: How often do you do it?
20:59
SPEAKER_04: Uh every day, three times, four times a day.
21:02
unknown: Wow.
21:03
SPEAKER_04: Wow.
21:04
SPEAKER_04: I I've been going for about five months, maybe six months now, around that.
21:11
SPEAKER_04: Never missed a day.
21:12
SPEAKER_02: Good for you.
21:13
SPEAKER_02: Good for you.
21:14
SPEAKER_02: So let me ask you if I said I'm going to walk into a store and I've got$20.
21:20
SPEAKER_02: Yes, what would you want me to be thinking?
21:22
SPEAKER_02: What would you want me to do to maximize what I get for the$20?
21:28
SPEAKER_04: Um my advice to you would be take into consideration how many people you're feeding, how long you need that$20 to stretch, and nutrition.
21:42
SPEAKER_04: A lot of shell uh shelf stable items are high in sodium.
21:47
SPEAKER_04: I would tell you to keep an eye on that.
21:50
SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, watch the nutrition level.
21:53
SPEAKER_04: Some of these uh shelf stable items aren't the highest in nutrition.
21:59
SPEAKER_04: So So we have to make up for it somewhere.
22:02
SPEAKER_04: So really get educated in that.
22:05
SPEAKER_02: Can you give an example?
22:06
SPEAKER_02: Because I just saw a video you did where you talked about exactly that.
22:11
SPEAKER_02: So how can you give an example of how you would make up for the fact that some item that you're buying off the shelf has X amount of sodium in it?
22:19
SPEAKER_04: So if you're going, you'll get an item that is a little higher in sodium.
22:25
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
22:26
SPEAKER_04: And then let's just let's just use, I'm gonna pull off the top of my head um beef stew.
22:34
SPEAKER_04: If you're looking at beef stew, it's a little high in sodium.
22:38
SPEAKER_04: What can we do?
22:39
SPEAKER_04: What can we put with this beef stew that's not so high in sodium?
22:44
SPEAKER_04: You know, so you've got to pay attention to the sodium level.
22:47
SPEAKER_04: Because if we have a high sodium in beef stew, then we have a high sodium in the side, then we have a high sodium over here.
22:53
SPEAKER_04: Before we know it, everybody's everybody's head's gonna explode, you know?
22:57
SPEAKER_04: So really be conscious of the nutrition.
23:00
SPEAKER_04: If the sodium is high, let's take it down with something else, or and so on and so forth.
23:08
SPEAKER_02: And so, what are the the few ingredients that you always recommend?
23:12
SPEAKER_02: One, because they're affordable, and two because they're versatile.
23:16
SPEAKER_04: Uh vegetables and starches.
23:19
SPEAKER_04: I definitely always recommend that, as well as number one protein, beans, you know, uh tuna or chicken.
23:27
SPEAKER_04: You they have canned tuna, canned chicken.
23:29
SPEAKER_04: Some people don't like tuna.
23:31
SPEAKER_04: Wherever you can find that protein, that vegetable, that starch, those will stretch and make you feel fuller longer.
23:39
SPEAKER_04: You could get more versatile, you could switch them up a little better, and you'll get the best bang for your buck with that.
23:46
SPEAKER_02: So on your videos, um, what what's the average cost of a meal that you're demonstrating?
23:52
SPEAKER_02: For how many people typically and the average cost, would you say?
23:56
SPEAKER_04: Um, well, I do two types.
23:58
SPEAKER_04: I do feed your family for five dollars and then feed your family for ten dollars.
24:03
SPEAKER_04: Right.
24:03
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so the average cost on the five dollar meals would run anywhere between four dollars and twenty-five cents to five dollars, more or less, right under$4.95 like that.
24:19
SPEAKER_04: Okay, and then the ten dollar meals uh usually will run between nine dollars and eighty cents to maybe ten dollars and maybe twenty-five cents.
24:30
SPEAKER_02: Wow, it's really amazing.
24:31
SPEAKER_02: I mean, hopefully, you know, when people look at your at your videos, if you didn't know that and you just looked at the finished product, you would never believe that.
24:40
SPEAKER_04: Well, the way it starts, yeah, you see the ingredients and the way the video starts.
24:43
SPEAKER_04: But then when you see the video at the end, you're like, wait a second.
24:46
SPEAKER_02: Where did that come from?
24:47
SPEAKER_02: Wow, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
24:49
SPEAKER_04: And that's all created with no seasonings, no extras, no this.
24:54
SPEAKER_04: We're just extracting, we're emulsifying sources, we're extracting flavors, rendering fats, and adding all of that together.
25:02
SPEAKER_04: And that's what I teach in these videos.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: And and you teach it so that someone like myself, I mean, I could actually do this.
25:09
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
25:10
SPEAKER_04: Everybody can use it, whether whether you need whether whether you have the money to buy the food, whether you don't, whether you're rich, whether you're poor, it doesn't matter.
25:19
SPEAKER_04: There is something in the video for everyone.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, it's all so incredibly uh timely.
25:25
SPEAKER_02: Um, so now that you are who you are and recognizable, um what does success mean to you now?
25:36
SPEAKER_04: I was able to help.
25:38
SPEAKER_04: If I got successful, I helped.
25:41
SPEAKER_04: You know, and that's it.
25:44
SPEAKER_04: That's what it's about.
25:46
SPEAKER_04: It's about that woman whose life changed overnight and she couldn't feed her kids.
25:52
SPEAKER_04: That's what it's about.
25:54
SPEAKER_02: So you talked about this, you know, at the beginning.
25:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, you've said, I've heard you say before, uh, that your focus is on helping people, is not on becoming famous.
26:05
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, I'm not really interested in that.
26:07
SPEAKER_02: Um how do you stay focused on the mission when the guy in the restaurant says, Oh, you're chef Mo?
26:13
SPEAKER_02: Uh you know, how do you how do you do that?
26:16
SPEAKER_04: Um people have been very nice.
26:19
SPEAKER_04: People have been um very kind.
26:22
SPEAKER_04: I I did expect a lot of backlash.
26:24
SPEAKER_04: I did expect a lot of negativity.
26:26
SPEAKER_04: And don't get me wrong, you get your here and there's, you know, people making jokes.
26:30
SPEAKER_04: Oh, I saw, yeah.
26:31
SPEAKER_04: You know, but on the whole, everybody eyes have been open, and it's not, oh my god, George F.
26:39
SPEAKER_04: Mo, oh, let's take pictures and stuff.
26:41
SPEAKER_04: It's wow, you opened my eyes.
26:44
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
26:45
SPEAKER_04: It's that type of that it's it's it just blows my heart away.
26:51
SPEAKER_04: How many people have come and said, You have changed me, you have opened my eyes, you have made me understand what food insecurities are.
27:00
SPEAKER_04: You made me understand how I can help somebody.
27:02
SPEAKER_02: Actually, that's exactly what I was gonna ask you, which is excuse me.
27:07
SPEAKER_02: What would what would you say to someone who like right now, this week, who what what could someone do to help someone in the community or the community when it comes to this whole topic?
27:19
SPEAKER_04: Well, there's you have food pantries.
27:21
SPEAKER_04: There are local food pantries everywhere.
27:23
SPEAKER_04: Everybody forgets they need spices, they need can openers.
27:27
SPEAKER_04: They get a ton of canned food, but nobody has a can opener, you know, they're using knives and things you get injured.
27:33
SPEAKER_04: Um donate to your to your uh food pantries, uh, you know, uh just help.
27:39
SPEAKER_04: Whatever, whatever you feel makes you feel good that you consider is help, do it.
27:46
SPEAKER_04: Okay, whether it's carry someone's bag or uh helps help a woman bring her groceries in or whatever you feel is help.
27:54
SPEAKER_02: No, the world needs more chef moes here.
27:57
SPEAKER_02: Let me ask you if listen, and and you might have just answered this question, uh, but if if a listener walks away from this remembering just one thing, what would you want it to be?
28:08
SPEAKER_04: I see you.
28:11
SPEAKER_04: And you're okay.
28:13
SPEAKER_04: You're gonna be okay.
28:14
SPEAKER_04: You're gonna be all right.
28:17
SPEAKER_02: So let me ask you, that was a take a deep breath, don't shed a tear, just keep moving on here.
28:22
SPEAKER_02: Um to the extent that you can talk about things, uh, either big picture or small picture, you know, with all that's been happening here, what's what's next for you?
28:31
SPEAKER_02: And um, where are you hoping to be able to take all of this?
28:37
SPEAKER_04: I I I'm rolling with the punches.
28:40
SPEAKER_04: It's it's happening so fast.
28:42
SPEAKER_04: Um I'm still catching up to where it is.
28:45
SPEAKER_04: And uh I just I just hope that you know we're we're really bringing awareness to food insecurity.
28:52
SPEAKER_04: I really hope that we're uh really opening the eyes and the minds of people.
28:57
SPEAKER_04: Um, there is one message that really sticks in my head, and I think about it every day.
29:03
SPEAKER_04: Uh, a man said to me in a private message, I was coming to troll you.
29:11
SPEAKER_04: Like he said that.
29:12
SPEAKER_04: Those were the words.
29:13
SPEAKER_04: I mean, I'll send you the but after watching your video, I respect you that I changed you.
29:25
SPEAKER_04: I changed one per I know for sure I changed one person, I hit my goal.
29:31
SPEAKER_02: Well, I think it's more than one, and on that note, I hope you don't mind, but I was going through, I mean, with a million plus followers, there's thousands and thousands and thousands of comments.
29:42
SPEAKER_02: But so many, but I came upon one, and I'm sure there's many more, but I thought it was now that people have had a chance to get to know you on this interview, um, and me too, uh, I thought it was a great way uh to close out the interview.
29:57
SPEAKER_02: And what this person said um was keep this up, and he may enter Bob Ross, Mr.
30:04
SPEAKER_02: Rogers, or Steve Irwin territory.
30:07
SPEAKER_02: This level of genuine, kind, and helpful, hopeful impact cannot be overlooked.
30:13
SPEAKER_04: Wow, that was that's beautiful.
30:15
SPEAKER_02: And I don't think you're gonna be overlooked, Chef Mo.
30:17
SPEAKER_02: I don't think so.
30:18
SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much.
30:19
SPEAKER_04: I really appreciate you.
30:21
SPEAKER_04: I appreciate you having me and 100%.
30:24
SPEAKER_02: And before we sign off, though, anything else that's important to you you want people to know?
30:28
SPEAKER_02: Anything else?
30:30
SPEAKER_04: Just be kind.
30:31
SPEAKER_04: It's it's easier to be kind, it really is.
30:34
SPEAKER_04: Okay, you know, there there's a lot of things going on in the world, and we may not agree with each other's opinions and thoughts, but that doesn't mean we can't be kind.
30:46
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thanks again to Sebastian, and I wish you the best of luck.
30:51
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Chef.
30:53
SPEAKER_04: None of this would have happened.
30:54
SPEAKER_02: That's right.
30:56
SPEAKER_02: That's right.
30:56
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much, and thanks to Sebastian.
30:59
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
31:00
SPEAKER_04: Thank you, bye bye.
31:01
SPEAKER_01: Take care.
31:02
SPEAKER_01: Bye.
31:04
SPEAKER_04: If you ever want garlic bread and you don't have fresh garlic, I learned this hack from a little old lady many years ago, and it blew me away when I tasted it.
31:13
SPEAKER_04: I still use it till this day at home.
31:15
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely delicious, quick and cheap to make, and I'm gonna show you.
31:19
SPEAKER_04: I'm the ammo.
31:20
SPEAKER_04: First, grab the bread you're gonna use.
31:21
SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna use a house-made simolina bread.
31:24
SPEAKER_04: Cut your bread open and spread about two tablespoons of butter on each side.
31:28
SPEAKER_04: You know it's gonna sound crazy, but measure out a half a tablespoon of granulated garlic.
31:33
SPEAKER_04: You're gonna sprinkle it, a half a tablespoon on each side, more or less.
31:36
SPEAKER_04: If you like a lot of garlic, put a tablespoon.
31:38
SPEAKER_04: I honestly like a lot of garlic, so I put a tablespoon on each side, and that's what it looks like.
31:42
SPEAKER_04: This is just a preference, a very, very small pinch of oregano.
31:47
SPEAKER_04: I feel it adds a little depth to the garlic bread.
31:50
SPEAKER_04: Now I'm gonna grade some parmigiano veggiano right on top.
31:54
SPEAKER_04: Then go ahead and drizzle olive oil right on top.
31:57
SPEAKER_04: Now I'm gonna slice some fresh mozzarella that I picked up from Three Brothers from Brooklyn bagel store in Stroudsburg.
32:04
SPEAKER_04: They have a really good product.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: I swear this started off as normal garlic bread, but you know what they say?
32:09
SPEAKER_04: When in Rome, slice yourself up some roasted peppers, get them in a bowl, let's hit them with just a very small pinch of salt, then throw in about two or three cloves of minced garlic or a half a tablespoon of granulated garlic.
32:20
SPEAKER_04: Add about a half a tablespoon of olive oil, and a handful of fresh chopped parsley.
32:24
SPEAKER_04: I don't have any more fresh, so I'm gonna use dry.
32:26
SPEAKER_04: Then a chefnade, some fresh basil, just a fancy way to say, slice it to ribbons.
32:32
SPEAKER_04: Then you're gonna wanna add about a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, even white vinegar.
32:37
SPEAKER_04: You want the vinegar for the balance.
32:39
SPEAKER_04: Because we're gonna use the peppers right away.
32:40
SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna add about a teaspoon of grated paragano for that umami.
32:44
SPEAKER_04: Once you got your ingredients incorporated, go ahead and mix this really well.
32:48
SPEAKER_04: There you go, we have some marinated roasted peppers.
32:50
SPEAKER_04: Now that our garlic bread was sitting off to the side, let's get it the garlic bread in the oven for three minutes at 400 degrees.
32:57
SPEAKER_04: It's been about three minutes.
32:59
SPEAKER_04: I took it out of the oven so I could put the mozzarella on top.
33:02
SPEAKER_04: If you're not gonna add the mozzarella on your garlic bread, leave it in the oven for five to six minutes or until toasted to how you like it.
33:09
SPEAKER_04: I got the mozzarella and the roasted peppers on the bread.
33:12
SPEAKER_04: It goes back in the oven for about four minutes until the cheese melts and the bread toasts.
33:17
SPEAKER_04: It's been about four or five minutes.
33:18
SPEAKER_04: I just took it out of the oven.
33:20
SPEAKER_04: It smells fantastic.
33:22
SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna hit it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, as well as some chef nad.
33:27
SPEAKER_04: There's that word again, and then a very small pinch of flaky salt at the end.
33:33
SPEAKER_04: We got a little carried away with the garlic bread, but I'm telling you, it is fantastic.
33:38
SPEAKER_04: And here it is.
33:39
SPEAKER_04: We're gonna give it a try.
33:41
SPEAKER_04: Oh, it smells so good.
33:47
SPEAKER_03: This is it, guys.
33:49
SPEAKER_03: Try it out.
33:51
SPEAKER_03: Let me know how you like it.
33:53
SPEAKER_03: It's a meal all by itself.
33:56
SPEAKER_03: Until next time.
33:58
SPEAKER_01: Thank you to KMS team at Compass for sponsoring this episode.