Latest / Chef's PSA Podcast / Chef Thomas Bille: From Garden to James Beard Glory | Episode 173

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Chef Thomas Bille: From Garden to James Beard Glory | Episode 173 · Chef's PSA Podcast

0:00
Hello chefs, this is Chefs PSA. I'm your host Andre Antera.
0:02
Today I'm joined by chef Thomas Billy chef owner of Belly of the
0:06
Beast in Spring, TX. He was recently awarded best
0:09
chef Texas by the James Beard Foundation and earned A Michelin
0:12
Bib Gourmand for his restaurant. We talked about the importance
0:15
of growing your own garden, how that award changes everything,
0:18
super groups of chefs, and the reality of opening and closing
0:22
restaurants. Stay tuned.
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20 Chef, it's good to see you. Congratulations on the on the on
1:38
the big award. Thank you.
1:39
How do you feel about that feel? Great.
1:42
How was So what people don't know?
1:43
I'm going to share a quick story.
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What people don't know is at the awards the day before, you were
1:48
having dinner and I bumped into you at dinner.
1:49
Yeah. You were up at you were up at
1:51
Nick and Juniors in Chicago And, and you were, you were eating
1:55
with yours. And I came in by myself.
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I was going to have dinner with Junior and I bumped into you and
2:00
we were talking and it was great.
2:03
And then the next day, I'm in the crowd, I'm sitting in the
2:06
back row and it comes to best Chef Texas, right?
2:13
And I had seen you, you know, the night before.
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So I was like, OK, I'm cheering for you.
2:17
You know, I don't want, I got to be careful.
2:18
Like I don't want anyone to get mad.
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But I was cheering for you. And then you win.
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And I was like, oh, shit. And then I see you come off the
2:25
stage and I remember I gave you a big hug.
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So happy for you. And I was on like I was getting
2:33
butterflies and watching it. So that's how I felt.
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I can't imagine what you were feeling.
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So let's go back. How did it feel when you first
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found out you were nominated? So my first time ever getting a
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nomination was in 2024, the semi finalists, and they couldn't
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have came at a better time. Business was not doing well.
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Yeah, it was sad. Yeah, it was.
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It was a hard time, you know, And I get a text message because
3:03
I don't really keep up with this kind of stuff.
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And I had no idea that, you know, like, it wasn't in my
3:09
spectrum. Like, I wasn't like, aiming for
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this, right? I got a message from someone
3:14
that was a finalist that year. But he goes, hey man, I'm happy
3:17
to represent the city with you and this and that.
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And I'm like, what are you talking about?
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Dude? I'm prepping.
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I got to make gnocchi right now, you know, and.
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What is this cryptic message? Yeah, yeah, exactly.
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And he goes, he goes, he's just been nominated for James Bier.
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And I like put my phone down and I like ran to my wife.
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And I was like, I just been nominated for James Bier
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semifinalist. And we're like, I had to stop,
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like stop for like 10 minutes, just kind of like regroup.
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I didn't know what, Like, I didn't know how to accept those
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emotions, right? I was like, wow.
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But more than anything, it was like, man, this was like perfect
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timing because we weren't doing well at the restaurant when we
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first opened. We were.
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This is 2023. This is 2024.
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So we open November 2023 and then February 2024, I believe
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some somewhere around there when they they do the announcements.
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That's so we were four months in and it was a slow, very slow
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start. So I was us elated, man.
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I was like, Oh my God. And then we saw a quick bump
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from that, you know, But to Fast forward to 2025, more than
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anything, getting the finalist nomination, that one was like
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Sam. Let let me ask you who's the
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first person you call besides your wife?
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Besides my wife shoot man, I messaged my brothers and my dad
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like in our group text and I just tell him, hey, you know, my
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dad's a chef for 53 years. He worked in the kitchen.
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So I just kind of shot them that message just let them know.
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And my oldest, my oldest daughter, who's like wise enough
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to understand that right. So it it was like those four
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people that got the they got the message first, right?
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It's crazy. But you know, 2025 the finalist,
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I said, man, I got a one in five shot to win this.
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You know that that that was the first thing I ran through my
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head. I was like, I could win this one
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in five. It's 20%.
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It's not hard, right, right, right, because when you're on
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the shortlist, it's like, OK, is this possible?
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So, you know, and then we get to the night of and I was sweating
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balls, man, like when I'm in a suit, right?
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And my my palms were sweating. I'm already just like.
5:56
Mom's spaghetti. Yeah, we're all like, exactly.
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I'm like, Oh my God, you know, So I'm like kind of blacking
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out. And she says the names, didn't
6:07
really listen. And then she says my name again.
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And I was like, is she calling out the nominees, You know,
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because I, I was just like, I didn't know.
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Like I was like holding my breath and wiping my sweat and
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my wife goes, you won. And I was like, what the fuck?
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Which was the first thing I said when I, when I got on the mic,
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you know? Yeah, it was, it was amazing.
6:35
It was amazing, you know? Yeah.
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What was so for James Beard? So this is 35 years, I believe
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3035 years of the of the James Beard Foundation.
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And we were talking a little bit earlier about how a lot of the
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winners have come from from Houston, from in Texas, a lot of
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them have come from Houston. And it's good company to be in.
6:56
Very. It's a it's a very small group.
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How does it feel for you to be a part of that legacy?
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So I mean, being one in six in Houston, I believe it's amazing.
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You know, I'm I'm not from Texas, you know, I'm not
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originally from here, but this is home and I feel like,
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although my career was in LA, like the most of it, right, the
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bulk of it, I feel like I was able to truly express myself
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through food here when I opened my own concept.
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So, you know, and to be part of that tapestry of the culinary
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world in not just Houston, but Texas itself.
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I think it's amazing, man. Like I, I think that it's, you
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know, you're a chef. Those late nights, those 20 days
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in a row, you know, no days off, No, no birthdays, no, you know,
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no holidays. You give up.
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You give up a large part of. Yourself, I think, you know, you
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kind of lay it down and and not like these awards ever drove me
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that, you know, I mean, I never really aimed for them, but it
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was validating. You know, it was like, damn,
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somebody came and ate here or multiple times or whoever,
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however the process is and came and ate here at my little strip
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mall center restaurant, you know, with 48 seats and was
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like, hey, I think this is worthy of being a nominee.
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And I think this is worthy of winning.
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And that that to me was like, like super validating, you know,
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it was intense, you know, but, you know, representing the whole
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state, you know, like, obviously I know I'm not the best chef in
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Texas, but every dog has his. I mean you, you, if anyone ever
8:57
questions that, you can say, well this paper here says this
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award here says otherwise, this. Heavy ass silver medallion bro.
9:03
Yeah, I think it's heavy. You can take anytime one of your
9:07
cooks push back on you and anything you say, well, this
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this award here says I'm right. Yeah, I went from like before I
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used to point out my cooks and just like show them my name.
9:16
Like, hey, you know, like now you just like pop up like a
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death well chain. When it's funny because you
9:27
could talk like whenever your line cooks are just pushing
9:30
back. Yeah, slowly, slowly.
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What else did you what was that did you and the restaurant
9:39
experience is significant, what people call the the beard bump.
9:41
So after after you win the award, did you see a a massive
9:45
influx of business or how how much did business change once
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once you won? Oh, so let me tell you
9:52
something. So the day, the night before, I
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told my wife, turn off the reservations.
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You know, I was like, turn them off, like shut them down, keep
10:04
it on for one week. I told her and we were already
10:07
in the process of switching over systems because we we had like a
10:11
reservation system that was through the POS system and it
10:15
wasn't really good. It was like MS-DOS.
10:18
It was that had no features in it, right?
10:21
It was like literally you make a reservation and it gives you a
10:23
time and stuff like that. So we switched over.
10:26
We were switched over to open table and we I told her to shut
10:33
them off because you're the one that's going to be transferring
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all that information to the new system and she shut them off.
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And that week that we did have open, we were already closed.
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That week that we were there in Chicago, we were already booked.
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So that week that was open, it broke the Internet like we were
10:55
over reserved, which I don't like.
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The system got thrown off. It was wild, bro.
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So, you know, flash forward, we're getting emails.
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We're, I mean, I'd like to make a reservation.
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Your, your system's not working or whatever it was.
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So yeah, I mean, there's been a significant bump.
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We went from like one 1 1/2 weeks booked to like 6.
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Weeks booked out. Oh yeah, bills paid.
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Bills paid right Employees paid without worries, you know, Yeah,
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yeah, it's Yeah, You know, it's it's I can get a paycheck now.
11:30
Yeah, yeah, most of the time. Yeah, we're.
11:33
Having Christmas this year. Yeah, exactly.
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So it's, yeah, it might have prime rib this year, you know?
11:38
Yeah. But yeah, there's been a
11:42
significant bump and it's it's been great.
11:45
It's they continue to come, Yeah.
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And I mean, besides being on the number one culinary podcast
11:57
globally, besides that, have you gotten a significant amount of
12:00
media attention outside of outside of the recognition?
12:05
Yeah, we we've got in local news channels to come.
12:12
I was on a on a show called Eat Like a Local with I.
12:16
Listened to that one. So, you know, with Chris
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Shepherd and then who's also James Beer Award winner, just
12:25
some kind of random stuff. Like I was just on a YouTube
12:29
episode with Max Mujima that makes knives.
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I saw that. What?
12:34
What was that about? Bro this guy made me a freaking
12:37
samurai sword. Tori Hanzo.
12:40
Yeah, man, literally. That thing is so razor sharp.
12:46
So he reached out. So apparently.
12:50
I just I just started following him.
12:51
I want, I want to meet him. So apparently he he.
12:54
So he used to be a chef, right? Yeah, And he, I guess sent out a
12:58
message prior to all this, right.
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And he said, hey, I want to meet some chefs in Texas and I want
13:03
to make a knife for somebody there.
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And my sous chef put my name in the hat.
13:08
But a guest that comes in and eats often and he used to eat at
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our at the first iteration of Belly of the Beast nominated me.
13:18
And he actually got it from this.
13:19
And that guy's like a an exec sue at a Country Club.
13:24
And so he calls, he reaches out to me and I'm like, dude, what
13:27
is this? Like, you know, you, you, you
13:30
get all this spam messages like Hey, try my salt, try my always
13:34
try, you know, so I'm always like, you know, I don't even
13:37
check my. Yeah.
13:38
Exactly. And then I'm like, so then I
13:40
look and I'm like, so I go down his profile and I start looking
13:44
at it and I'm like, wow, this dude's legit.
13:46
So I'm like, so we hop in a call and he's like, hey man, like I'd
13:50
like to make a knife for you and this and that.
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And I'm like, like, are you selling me this or he's like,
13:56
Nah, bro. Like I'm like, I'm like, all
13:58
right, bet. Like, you know that that's cool.
13:59
Like, so he came and filmed it. He made this like this knife,
14:07
bro. Like I don't even use it during
14:08
the service to like sliced meats and stuff because I'm not used
14:11
to it. I'm actually, I respect it so
14:14
much because I know that first cut that's going to give me.
14:17
Yeah, when it when it does. Yeah.
14:21
I'm not probably not going to feel it.
14:23
It's Mark in its territory. Yeah, I'm not going to feel it
14:26
because it's that sharp. It's like sharpest knife I've
14:30
ever held in my life. Really.
14:31
Oh bro. So I want to do AI want to do a
14:34
knife episode. I haven't I haven't done one,
14:36
but I've been talking to there's a guy that I know.
14:38
He runs the social media site study the blade.
14:41
He does great. He does great work.
14:42
He took my knives like some some of my chef friends called the
14:46
antiques because I haven't fucking used them in forever,
14:48
right, But he took he took my antiques, sharpened him up,
14:52
brought him back to me like they look like he's based out of
14:55
Austin. So for people that are
14:56
listening, go follow, study the blade.
14:58
He does a good job. But we were talking about doing
15:00
a podcast again, because I want I mean, I I love knives, but I
15:03
also recommend people like, hey, don't go spend all your money on
15:07
knives. You don't know how to use them.
15:08
Like let's start there, like learn how to use your knife.
15:10
But but I do appreciate like a fucking beautiful knife.
15:14
Yeah, bro, great. You know what I mean?
15:19
Like this knife. And he said he used Dhamma
15:22
steel. That's like the most expensive
15:25
steel, real or whatever. And like, yeah.
15:29
And then like it's just a beautiful piece, man.
15:32
I couldn't like, I'm pretty sure he probably would retail it at
15:35
like 1400 dollars or something. Really.
15:37
Yeah. If you go on and shop, you're
15:39
like, what the, you know, like, yeah.
15:43
Yeah, I want, I want to, I want to talk to him.
15:46
So in that aspect, like, like the stuff that we're reaching,
15:48
like getting reached out to, like from local stuff, being on
15:52
different podcasts, being on this one especially, yeah.
15:57
And we, we've been, we've been talked to a lot.
15:59
Yeah. How do you see your restaurant,
16:01
specifically Belly of the Beast? For people that don't know, how
16:03
do you see your restaurant contributing to the Texas
16:06
culinary landscape? So, you know, I mean, besides
16:10
being a winner, I, I feel I'm in Spring, TX, man.
16:13
So we're, we're, we're north of Houston.
16:16
We're, we're in Harris County. So it's an unincorporated city,
16:21
right? And we're, we're a community
16:26
neighborhood. I I feel that I'm able to
16:30
because a lot of the food I do is stuff for my upbringing or my
16:34
travels and my career. But it's not specific because a
16:36
lot of people are have a misconception that you're only
16:38
doing Mexican food. You're not.
16:40
We're not, no. So I always call it new American
16:43
with through the lens of a first generation Mexican American,
16:45
right? And I always explain to them,
16:48
what's that mean, right? Like so at home, I grew up
16:51
Mexican, speak Spanish, eat Mexican food, you know, but then
16:55
you go out in the world and you're just eating every other,
16:59
everybody else's cuisine, right? So, and I grew, I grew up eating
17:04
those flavors at a very young age.
17:06
So I feel that I, I bring that into, to, to my repertoire and,
17:12
but also living in Texas, eating like Tex Mex or eating like
17:18
barbecue and stuff that is specifically from here.
17:23
I also fold that into to the restaurant, you know, so like
17:28
my, my sous chef, all the, all the fat that we trim, I, I give
17:32
him, I give it to him and I'm like, Hey, can you smoke this?
17:35
Then we render it out, add it to the beans to add like some
17:38
smokiness and stuff like that. So, you know, it's, it's
17:43
exciting to be part of that. Like, Hey, this is now Texas
17:50
style Mexican cuisine or New Mexican, New American cuisine.
17:55
Like I'm proud of that. You know, I'm proud of what the
17:58
team is doing. And yeah, it's, it's just
18:01
awesome. How does how did the award
18:05
affect how your relationship is with the community that you're
18:09
in #1 and then #2 how did it affect your team when you came
18:13
back after you won the award? So I think everybody is route
18:26
that I brought it home, right, you know, like to brought it,
18:29
brought it to Houston or the Houston greater greater Houston
18:32
area. But I think more specifically,
18:35
like putting like like being one of the like top restaurants in
18:40
spring is like, you know, you got Corkscrew with a Michelin
18:44
star, you got Rose Meyer who got the Michelin bib.
18:48
We have, we have a bib as well, but I think bringing, bringing,
18:53
bringing home the hardware like that.
18:55
I think it was like something was like, whoa, what's going on
18:59
out here? Like what's in the water over
19:01
there? You know, like, you know, I
19:04
think, you know, in the community loves it.
19:07
We, our guests are, are, are amazing.
19:09
They, they, the majority of them, you know, are like
19:14
genuinely happy. You know, like when I go touch
19:16
tables, they're like, we're so happy for your success, you
19:20
know, like, you know, like you could tell like it's genuine,
19:23
like man, congratulations. It's like, like the first thing
19:26
they say to to me when, when I touch their table, most of them,
19:30
right, most of them that are dining there, they know why
19:34
they're dining there, right, or they're just trying to come
19:36
check us out or whatever it may be.
19:39
But for the team, I, I feel like it's like like, you know, our
19:43
my, my day one, you know, obviously he's working a lot
19:49
more. He's got some hours on him, you
19:51
know, but not only that, I, I think I was able to hire more
19:57
people, which wasn't the case before, you know, I watch my
20:02
numbers, you know, like keep labor tight.
20:04
I do a lot. I'm super hands on, like I'm
20:09
very hands on. I still work the line, you know,
20:15
wash dishes, do all this stuff. But I, I.
20:17
I make sure that my team is being able to make a living wage
20:24
and stuff like that, you know, especially now that we're busy
20:27
enough to be able to support that, you know?
20:29
Yeah. I mean, it's so important being
20:33
able to be a good business owner Is is it's not just the awards,
20:37
it's not just the food, but it's also about the entire ecosystem
20:39
of what a restaurant delivers. And I don't think a lot of
20:41
people fully think about that, that understand the pressure
20:45
that goes with the business owner.
20:47
Hey everyone, I'm going to interrupt this podcast very
20:49
briefly for a special message from the James Beard Foundation
20:52
and Chef Elizabeth Faulkner. Hi, it's Elizabeth Faulkner, and
20:56
I'm a chef, cookbook author, former restauranteur, and I'm
21:01
the chair of the James Beard Award Committee.
21:04
And I happen to be on a culinary cycling trip in Sardinia.
21:07
So hence the background. And I just want to say I'm
21:10
thrilled to announce the 2026 Open Call for entries is open
21:13
for the James Beard Awards. You know, the James Beard
21:17
Foundation celebrates the all ends of the culinary spectrum.
21:21
And we are celebrating 40 years of the James Beard Foundation
21:26
this next year. So open call for entries means
21:30
if you're a chef or you know some or a bar manager, or you
21:35
can nominate yourself. You can.
21:36
Other people can nominate who they think deserves or who is
21:39
worthy of a James Beard Award. I was a nominee in 2005 and you
21:45
never know where the culinary world is going to take you, even
21:48
far in places like Sardinia. So if you want more information,
21:52
go to the James Beard website jamesbeard.org/awards and
21:57
nominate somebody. Absolutely.
21:59
There's a lot of pressure there. Yeah.
22:00
Well, I mean, you know what what they say is like a rising tide
22:03
lifts off ships. Yeah.
22:04
So and I, I always say if, if I eat, you eat right now.
22:09
So. And.
22:10
And I like to be able to spread that.
22:12
And like, you know, the team is super reliable.
22:15
They come in, they, they, they, they pump service out.
22:19
And, you know, I'm very laid back compared to the chef I used
22:24
to be. So.
22:24
Yeah. What?
22:25
What do you? Mean like you know I was.
22:27
You were intense, that. Was that was pretty strict, man,
22:29
you know, like, you know, look, look, I never what?
22:32
Do you mean are you? Throwing shit.
22:33
Look, look, no, I don't ever get physical.
22:36
But. But you know, like, I never gave
22:39
shit to anybody to not just give shit, you know what I mean?
22:42
But I hold accountability, right?
22:45
Yeah. So what's that mean?
22:47
You call out everything. You know what I mean?
22:50
Hey, Chef, what are you doing here?
22:51
Yeah, Chef, what are you doing? Like, so you know, some call it
22:53
micromanaging. I call it pursuing excellence.
22:57
Yeah. You know, if if you're something
23:00
my dad always says, don't practice mistakes, right.
23:05
You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
23:07
I love that that's going to be the chef's going to say credit
23:10
to your dad. Yeah.
23:10
Don't practice mistakes. And my favorite one is there's
23:15
something I made is like when you make a mistake, fix the
23:19
error, right? When you make the same mistake,
23:22
now you're making a choice to make that mistake.
23:24
Yeah, yeah, I agree. So.
23:26
That's a choice now, right? Like, so it's like, you know,
23:29
there's something wrong and you still decided to do it.
23:31
Yeah. I want to ask you about the
23:34
creative process in in in in your kitchen.
23:38
How does the menu writing process work?
23:41
I so it's very seasonal. Of course you got your staples.
23:47
I changed the menu pretty much seasonally like every two
23:50
months. Then I use like the micro
23:52
seasons, some stuff that only runs for a few weeks, things
23:57
very important. I I write it all myself.
24:02
You know, I think it's. How do you how do you get in the
24:05
in the zone? What when you're when you're
24:07
writing, walk us through what the room feels like.
24:11
You know, sometimes it's just like after a long day of work
24:16
and I'm driving home and I'm like, damn, what if I did this,
24:19
this and this and this? It just like pops into my head,
24:22
you know, Or there's sometimes that, you know, I'll like be at
24:27
home and I'll go to my my backyard and I'll chill out, you
24:32
know, by myself. I just play music and.
24:36
We'll get into that. Yeah, so, you know, I'll play
24:39
some music and and I just kind of like let the ideas flow, you
24:44
know, start writing ideas, you know, at my age and then how
24:48
busy I am. I think the creativeness has
24:51
slowed down a lot. What do?
24:52
You. What do you mean?
24:54
I think just, you know, being a business owner and I'm having to
24:58
deal with more than just running a kitchen, Yeah.
25:01
Or writing a like running a kitchen.
25:03
I think about like, what's the price on beef this week?
25:10
You know, like, you know, like, did I buy enough fish?
25:14
You know, like, like for example, like I got a huge event
25:17
this next Saturday offsite and we have a tiny restaurant, man,
25:24
I only have two. No, I have 1-2 door fridge and 1
25:30
three door fridge. That's it.
25:33
Regions and like a. 3rd of so you're prepping a lot of olive
25:39
minut. Yes every day like every day.
25:43
So but this event is for like 150 people it's a 5 cores plus
25:47
like Pascal bases, stuff like that.
25:49
So I'm like, where am I going to put all this stuff like, yeah,
25:52
you know what I mean, in my head.
25:53
And I was like, well, you know, I have to process all this stuff
25:57
now, like just to. And then the amount of waste.
25:59
That you have just to consolidate it, right, Just to
26:02
make sure I got the space. So it's like it comes in and
26:05
it's got to get processed and put away in the smallest
26:09
consolidated form it can be, right?
26:11
So you know, so like, you know, the create, like I'm thinking
26:16
more of creative ways of how to fit everything in or how to like
26:20
get product. But you know, menu wise, I, I, I
26:23
think a lot. So the process for me is I think
26:26
about, I think about what's in season, right?
26:31
And then I think about their flavor friends, right?
26:34
You know, like. Who's your best friend?
26:36
Yeah, like, like, like, OK, you know, so, you know, you got your
26:39
classes like fennel, orange, olive, right?
26:42
Like, you know what I mean? So like, I think of stuff like
26:44
that, right. So, you know, potato cream,
26:48
caviar, like, you know, like it's kind of like the way the
26:51
formula, right, right, right. And. 123.
26:54
Exactly. So just so that's how the
26:56
process goes as far as like the formula of like thinking of that
27:00
and then you start thinking kind of like outside the box, like
27:02
how can I personalize this? Like how can I make this my own?
27:06
For example, we have some empanadas at Papa Y Queso,
27:10
right? And I made that because I grew
27:13
up eating tacos lorados at Papa Conquest.
27:16
So like that's what my mom would make.
27:18
And I was like, well. Chorizo in there too.
27:21
Yeah, sometimes, you know, like, you know, like it is a, you
27:24
know, you got both right. But I was thinking how how can I
27:27
make caviar service my way, right.
27:31
And then I was like, well, I really don't want to make Taco
27:33
Loratos every day because that's more of a process.
27:36
But if I make empanadas, I could do that and then I could freeze
27:39
them and then just drop them in the fryer and not having to
27:41
worry about them exploding or whatever maybe.
27:45
And we got like a perfect set time that it comes in and goes
27:47
out and I'm like, well, let's serve that with Creme Fresh and
27:50
caviar, you know, and just kind of like change the process of
27:55
like it's just another way, another vessel of how to serve
27:59
that you're right, but personalized, you know, so, you
28:05
know, but I I think seasonality is a big thing.
28:09
One I mean the product is better, right tastier, you know
28:14
and it's true season, right You know but we can get strawberries
28:18
here long but. Are they're in season somewhere,
28:21
right? But are they really good?
28:22
So you said we have our staples, correct and then you build
28:27
around it. What are what are those staples
28:28
on the menu? So the staples on the menu are
28:30
the empanadas. We have like a tuna tostada got
28:35
this grilled like a lemongrass grilled shrimp with like crispy
28:39
pork belly Tom Yum kind of salad situation that I was doing since
28:44
the pop ups and I really love it.
28:48
We got our carne Asada, which by far is probably our biggest
28:53
seller. Waggy.
28:55
It's like Waggy Bavette and then I make, I call it Frijoles
28:59
Alago, so I make. What is this?
29:02
So, so it's so we use that smoky beef tallow and I refried the
29:06
beans and then I pump in Oaxaca cheese into them.
29:12
And then like. Yeah.
29:13
And so they're goopy, you know, so that that.
29:15
Sounds amazing. So yeah, so like actually when
29:17
they sit on the on the on the plate, you know, you wait like 5
29:22
minutes and it's just like almost solidified right there.
29:24
Yeah. So when you like scoop, it's
29:26
like, so you. Hold this alligo, everyone
29:28
listening right now to be like fucking taking notes.
29:31
That's why I thought that's why I thought it that because the
29:33
reason that is because the empanadas at Papa Queso, I make
29:37
poems alligo with it. Yeah, right.
29:39
So I I make like with Conte and everything right.
29:41
So, so I was like three holidays, have a go.
29:46
That's a brilliant idea. I love that.
29:47
Yeah. So, yeah.
29:48
So that's what's what's serves so that that doesn't move.
29:51
Our Tres Letches doesn't move, you know, and our ceviches are
29:58
always moving. It's pretty much like the
30:02
staples. It's probably like 5 or 6 that
30:04
don't move. Do you get inspiration from the
30:06
garden? I do.
30:09
I garden at home. Yeah, something I've been doing
30:11
since I was pretty young, way before cooking from California.
30:17
So, you know, you're, you're able to grow a bounty, I think.
30:25
You know, my friend, rest in peace, Thomas Coleman, who's an
30:27
older gentleman, we used to chill out at his house, smoke
30:31
some bud. And, you know, he, I would help
30:35
him garden, you know, and he taught me like, how to like,
30:38
garden organically and stuff like that.
30:40
And we'd grow like tomatoes like like Brandywine tomatoes like
30:44
this big cucumbers like the like zucchinis like like.
30:50
It's amazing how different how I tell people if you want to
30:53
understand food better, plant a garden because I feel like it.
30:57
You understand seasons and micro seasons, correct, Right.
30:59
You know, like, OK, cucumbers are good, but they're only good
31:02
this week. Like right now they're at their
31:04
best. Yeah, exactly.
31:05
You understand what the stem smell like or or like, you know,
31:08
tomato vines smell beautiful. You have such a beautiful aroma,
31:12
but you don't know that if you don't grow tomatoes.
31:14
Exactly. And you get to see the process
31:18
of the plant, fruit and the seed, right.
31:22
So for example, and I learned that from a chef that I used to
31:27
work for in LA, you know, specifically nasturtium, right?
31:31
So you got like nasturtium, you got your leaf, then you get your
31:34
flower and then you get the little bud, right?
31:37
The little seed. And we used to make capers out
31:40
of those. So you kind of able to use each
31:43
part and each stage of the plant, right, right.
31:47
So I, I, I see it like that, you know, I'm like, OK, and then,
31:51
and then for me, I like, I save all my seeds.
31:53
I grow like 9 different types of Chili's, you know, all my herbs,
31:57
a lot of the herbs from the the, the restaurant, like like I
32:01
haven't bought mint and like five months.
32:04
It's a weed. Yeah.
32:06
So much mint, Yeah. And those mint flowers are when
32:08
they when it starts to bloom. The mint flowers are are
32:11
beautiful too, like for garnish or whatever.
32:12
No, absolutely. I haven't bought basil in a
32:14
minute, you know, like I haven't bought Bertolaga Purslena.
32:19
Yeah. And my.
32:20
Oh, Hassanta. That thing is a huge tree, bro.
32:24
Yeah. And that thing keeps on giving.
32:27
So anytime I could make a baby, like I give it away to people,
32:30
I'm like, yeah, you know, take it.
32:32
And every winter it dies. And I in the spring it just
32:37
starts popping up everywhere. Yeah, yeah.
32:39
So I propagate them and stuff like that.
32:41
But it's very Zen. So while I'm in the, in the, you
32:44
know, in the garden, I'm like, man, I'm gonna make like like
32:49
psunomono with like these cucumbers or something like
32:52
that, you know, or like, damn, I have so many tomatoes.
32:56
What if I make like a fermented tomato water and then carbonate
32:59
it and then add it to like pork belly?
33:00
You know what I mean? I started like.
33:01
Thinking the idea starts percolating.
33:03
Yeah, yeah. You know, because it's really
33:05
Zen, right? So like all I'm thinking about
33:06
is that actual food and how we can how we can serve it in its
33:12
true form and manipulate. It as well I I love that chef.
33:16
I love that. So I used to, I used to garden a
33:17
lot too. And I had AI had a garden where
33:20
we'd grow a lot of our produce for the restaurant.
33:22
And I learned so much in gardening.
33:24
But the other cool thing that I, I don't think people understand,
33:27
when you plant your own food, you appreciate a lot more when
33:30
you have to grow it. And it's like, I, I, I've waited
33:32
six months for this, Like, you know that.
33:34
Don't, don't fuck it. Up $100 soil.
33:36
Yeah, like don't fuck this up. But the other thing is like you
33:39
could grow things that you can't buy.
33:40
Like I remember I had these nasturtiums.
33:43
You talk about nasturtiums. I had these nasturtiums, but
33:45
they were they were like tiger striped yellow.
33:48
Yeah, I know those. Yeah, yeah.
33:49
And I was like, everyone always asked me like, where are you
33:51
buying those words? Like I'm growing them.
33:53
Like it was like my chef. Advantage.
33:54
Yeah, no, yeah, no, absolutely that.
33:57
And I was doing that with borage flowers.
34:00
And people try to charge you a lot for borage flowers, you
34:03
know? Right.
34:04
Yeah, and what people don't know is that you could use the leaves
34:08
people. Right.
34:08
So I was just talking with David Breeden about that.
34:10
Like those taste like cucumbers. Yeah, delicious.
34:13
Time yeah, I, I I used to do like a cream borage leaf like
34:16
situation like cream spinach, but like bomb, you know, like
34:20
that. But they even like the growers
34:22
that I know which they're probably going to charge me now
34:24
but like, I'll be like, yeah, I'll be like hey, what do you do
34:27
with like the borage stems in the flat?
34:29
And I'll just get rid of mosaic, you know why don't you give them
34:32
to me? Let me let me let me process.
34:33
I'm going to do something, you know.
34:35
Yeah, yeah. But you know.
34:37
I love that. Yeah, it's.
34:39
The garden, man, the garden you could learn, learn so much from
34:42
from the garden you appreciate. Food just completely different
34:45
if you understand where it comes from, how it grows exactly, and
34:47
if you're growing it yourself. Yeah, especially when I get your
34:49
hands dirty. You know, it's like, I love the
34:52
smell of good soil, man. You know it's.
34:54
Like you grow chilas, Yeah. What do you grow man?
34:56
Right now I got chil tapping, I got Serranos, I got this black
35:02
habanero that just finally. Black Habanero.
35:04
Yeah, my mom brought it from Mexico.
35:08
That's one of those like you growing shit that else has,
35:10
right? Yeah.
35:11
Pasillas, I grew some chihuahuas, Uh huh, this
35:15
Chihuahua Rojo, some costeno rojos.
35:18
Those are wahakan jellies. My mom called this 1A Kanika and
35:24
it grew like a almost like a Casca bell, but I had like a
35:29
point to it. Strange flavor.
35:32
Is is good, really fruity. And then what?
35:36
What else did I grow? Awesome banana Peppers and stuff
35:38
like that. Yeah.
35:39
Yeah. I want to ask you, chef, because
35:44
a lot of people are looking at you right now with all the
35:46
success that you got. But it wasn't always easy,
35:48
right? Yeah.
35:49
Everyone, everyone just sees you as overnight success.
35:51
Like, yeah, they didn't see the all the grind up to this.
35:54
And then your dad was a chef. Yeah.
35:56
Grinded in advance for you, Right.
35:57
Exactly. Yeah.
36:00
What are some of the lessons that you learned from opening up
36:03
a restaurant that like if you could pass on maybe a couple of
36:05
key lessons to people that are thinking about opening up a
36:07
restaurant, right? What are some of those key
36:09
lessons? Honestly, I think the biggest
36:14
lesson that that I I learned on my own is how to manage yourself
36:23
right. So when you're an employee, you
36:25
got mostly, you got someone above you, right?
36:28
You got someone that writes your checks, someone that writes your
36:32
schedule and you know, you got projects that you got to turn in
36:36
in a timely manner, right? And then when you become
36:38
self-employed, you don't have a boss anymore.
36:41
You are the boss, right? So if you don't manage yourself,
36:46
like give yourself that discipline where like, well, I
36:50
need to get this done. I have to get this done.
36:53
You know, most people would be like, what are they going to do?
36:55
Fire me on my own, you know, But it's like, no, you have to
37:00
manage yourself. So it's like a lot of projects,
37:04
right? I do not like paperwork.
37:08
It's one of those things that when I sit at the computer, I'm
37:11
just like, it's like I try to get it done as fast as possible.
37:16
So I think it's the one of my biggest weaknesses is like doing
37:23
that well, getting myself to do that.
37:25
So you. Saw that ChatGPT yeah 5.9
37:28
brother. No, but you know what I'm
37:29
saying? It's, it's, I think it's the
37:31
hardest. I think 1 is, is, is
37:34
disciplining and managing yourself.
37:35
Yeah. 2 believing in what you do because owning, owning your own
37:39
business, it's a roller coaster. Some days you're on highs and
37:41
some days you just want to quit and go back to being an employee
37:44
because you know, it's more steady, you know, and I feel
37:47
like if you have belief in yourself and, and your product
37:51
that you're going to succeed and see it through the, to the end,
37:53
You know, I, I think it's one of the hardest things like that
37:56
self doubt, that imposter syndrome or whatever anybody is
38:00
going through at the time. You know, I think you just need
38:04
to like see through and understand that, you know, one
38:07
of the journey is beautiful. The struggle is beautiful 'cause
38:10
when you look back at all you paved, you'd be like, man,
38:15
remember when I used to have to do this?
38:16
Remember when I used to have to do this?
38:18
When you reach a certain level, you know I'm not there yet.
38:23
You know, I'm like, you're getting closer.
38:25
Yeah, I'm getting closer, you know, eventually I'll be able to
38:28
like Expo on the other side, you know, And, you know, although I
38:33
don't want to, you know, I really do enjoy cooking.
38:35
But I think that's like the biggest thing when you want to
38:38
open your own restaurant. Understand things too.
38:41
Like, you know, I would suggest, you know, 1 learn some pastries
38:48
from a pastry chef, you know, work the front of the house a
38:53
little bit, understand what goes on.
38:56
You know, I think also find out like all the stuff that you do
39:00
need at as a restaurant owner, like, you know, trash services,
39:06
you know, the oil payroll, yeah, payroll, all that stuff, I
39:11
think. Who's going to change out the
39:12
the the grease? Yeah, like learn the plum a
39:15
little, you know, like it's just you become a handyman, right?
39:18
Like even when you own a, a home, Yeah, you have to do that,
39:21
right. So I, I think I how I learned
39:26
all that, though, is I, I worked somewhere in LA and I had some
39:30
crazy responsibilities, more than every other soup show.
39:34
And it was responsibilities. I didn't have to deal with the
39:36
kitchen. Yeah, but you know what?
39:38
It Miyagi me, dude. Like, you know what?
39:40
I. Mean that's a Thomas job.
39:41
Yeah, it Miyagi. Me And so when it came to open
39:46
the restaurant, I'm like, Oh yeah, I got to set up an account
39:50
for this. I got to set up an account for
39:51
this and I got it all done. So I was able to do it because I
39:55
had to do that when I worked for somebody.
39:57
Yeah, yeah. You got to think of who's doing
39:59
the linen? Where are we getting our
40:00
exactly? Where are we getting our side
40:01
towels from? Are we washing who's washing
40:03
them or we're getting aprons? Are we paying uniforms?
40:04
Are we buying them? Like, yeah.
40:06
So they quit. Yeah.
40:07
They take the like, all these things that people don't think
40:09
about. Exactly.
40:10
Even like, yeah, like the shirts and all that stuff.
40:13
Yeah. And then you got taxes.
40:15
I won't, I won't bring that up. Yeah.
40:17
Yeah. Then.
40:18
You got no, but I I deal with that.
40:20
I I actually do that. My my wife does like in this
40:23
iteration. Yeah, she does that, and that's
40:26
why I shouted out to her like that.
40:28
She's the 90% man. She does so much in order for me
40:32
to just be in the kitchen. But when it does come to taxes,
40:34
I'm the one that doesn't. Yeah, I I calculate everything.
40:37
I do all that stuff. Have you ever had to close a
40:40
restaurant? Yeah, closed my own 2021.
40:43
How was that? So you learn a lot from opening,
40:45
but you also learn a lot from closing.
40:47
What were some of the the key takeaways that you learn from
40:49
closing a restaurant from? Closing a restaurant is, you
40:55
know, I think the, the reason I, I closed the restaurant is I was
41:01
wanting to look for a better, a bigger space, more commercial,
41:06
OK, it was a converted home and I had a lot of problems.
41:10
It was like a 50 year old home. So I had 50 year old problems,
41:15
you know, it's just no AC in the kitchen and stuff like that.
41:18
So, you know, I, I wanted something bigger and, and, you
41:22
know, a little more efficient for us, you know, but also you,
41:28
I think closing you have to deal with all that comes with it,
41:32
right? And like, like, did I not do
41:34
enough that it was like, like not like working hard enough,
41:39
you know, even though you're just like, I was working.
41:42
Yeah, it's usually not. It's usually not.
41:44
You're not working hard enough. You're working on the wrong
41:46
thing. Yeah, but but, you know, it's
41:47
like, you know, you have those doubts, right?
41:49
Like why, why, why is this happening?
41:51
But also like closing like like are you doing an asset sale or
41:54
are you going to do a transfer sale?
41:56
Like, you know, what are you going to do with all the
41:58
equipment? Like how to deal with the
42:00
landlord and making a deal like that or trying to like get
42:03
someone to like take over the space, stuff like that.
42:08
I think, I think those closing duties that you have to do,
42:11
making sure you pay your employees that last paycheck,
42:14
you know, I, I think that's very important, you know, stuff like
42:20
that. And then, you know, seeing if
42:22
you could help those employees get employed somewhere else or
42:25
if you are lucky enough to to, you know, sidestep or pivot and
42:30
have a job, maybe you could hire them there.
42:33
You know, just kind of like thinking about everything, you
42:35
know, like that encompasses having the restaurant or are you
42:39
going to keep the equipment and get storage unit, stuff like
42:43
that. And then also closing, like, I
42:46
mean, I didn't have to do that, but like, if you have to close
42:48
that DBA and that that license, you have to do your final taxes
42:52
and, and make sure you close the business properly.
42:54
Because believe me, when you do that, they're still going to
42:58
send you something and say that you didn't do it.
43:01
And then you just have to kind of show proof that, yes, I did
43:04
do it, you know, right, so much deal with that.
43:07
Right. On the, on the legal side, it's,
43:09
I mean, I, I, I everything that I have to deal with just for
43:11
Chef's BSA is a lot like, just from an, an accounting
43:14
standpoint. Like I, I spend, it's on my
43:17
calendar every day to do accounting work every day, every
43:19
day, seven days a week, I have to do accounting.
43:21
Wow. Yeah, it's a lot.
43:23
Yeah, there's a lot like the bookkeeping.
43:24
Yeah, the bookkeeping, I was like, you know, invoices and,
43:26
you know, yeah, making sure everything's coded correctly and
43:29
all that. It's a lot.
43:30
And I'm just a, a chef's PSA, like in a restaurant, it's like
43:34
you got more invoices, more vendors to pay and, you know,
43:37
accounts receivable and all that.
43:39
Thank you, wifey. Yeah, yeah.
43:40
Shout out to the people that are handling that because that's a
43:42
full time job. Yeah.
43:45
I want to ask Chef because I know you like music.
43:47
I like music too. What are you playing in the in
43:50
the restaurant? So what are you playing in the
43:51
dining room then? What are you playing during
43:52
prep? Are you playing music during
43:53
prep? Oh yeah, absolutely.
43:55
During service too. So same same playlist.
43:58
No. So in the during prep depending
44:04
who's around is typically just me and if it's if my mom's like
44:11
my mom makes the tortillas and stuff like that.
44:13
So, so I try not to play like super vulgar, like rap music.
44:18
Yeah, I like that. You know what I mean?
44:19
But like, I'll play like rancheros for her, like Spanish
44:21
music like once in a while, right?
44:23
Like sometimes I want to get her in the groove too, like, right.
44:26
That way she could like finish. And then I could just kind of
44:28
like, but you know, hip hop, classic hip hop, 90s hip hop.
44:32
Instead of like this is the greatest.
44:33
Yeah, yeah. Like some slum village, Mobb
44:35
Deep, you know, like, you know, this is like.
44:37
It's it's crazy, 'cause you, I was, I was thinking about this
44:39
the other day. It's like, I think I can't
44:42
remember who put out the list of like the best rap albums the
44:44
other day. It's like you had Mobb Deep's
44:46
infamous at #1 OK. And then I was looking.
44:48
I was like they. Got one?
44:49
Really. At #1 which I thought, like, you
44:51
can't argue with it, but it's like, man, there's a lot that
44:53
could argue to also be at #1 right.
44:55
But it was like some of the. I'm just kind of pulling off
44:57
some of the ones that I remember, like Supreme
44:59
Clientele, the first one. Yeah.
45:01
You know, Ray Kwan's only built for Cuban links, not Zilmatic,
45:04
you know, Jay ZS, reasonable doubt.
45:06
Biggie's ready to die. And I started looking at that as
45:09
like, this is all from the same era.
45:13
It's all the same. Like the when people talk about
45:15
the great, like they argue who's the greatest MCS, who's the
45:18
greatest albums. I guess it's the same 5 to 10
45:21
years. Absolutely.
45:23
I I think for the new school, because I am a Kendrick Lamar
45:27
fan, yeah, I would put good city, Mad kid in there.
45:30
Yeah, Good kid, Mad City and and DAMN, the DAMN album.
45:34
I would I would put that up there in, in in that in that
45:39
echelon, Yeah. You know.
45:41
But but he has Kendrick specifically.
45:45
I feel like he's got the the soul of that 90s hip hop.
45:48
Like absolutely the lyricist, yeah, that and the influence of
45:51
it, right. So, but, you know, when I listen
45:54
to Kendrick's music, I relate to it a lot because I mean, I grew
45:58
up in LA. So like, you know, there's,
46:01
there's things he says that I'm like, DAMN, I I literally lived
46:04
through that, you know, or, you know, for example, like that
46:08
song fear in in damn, right? Where, you know, he says like,
46:12
you know, he's talking about how, like, his mom's telling,
46:14
like, you better not be over there.
46:16
You better not be scuffing those shoes and stuff like that.
46:18
Those are things I heard, you know, or like, you know, you
46:21
know, like you're walking down the street and, you know, you
46:25
never know if you're going to get shot or whatever.
46:27
So it's like I had those same exact fears, you know?
46:30
So it's like the reason I like him so much is like, so
46:34
relatable to how I grew up. Yeah, you know, But you know, I
46:38
used to make music, so I know I used to make beats for for a
46:43
good while actually, like hip hop beats, like hip hop beats.
46:46
I had AI had AMP 3000, MPC 3000 at a Accord, Trinity and
46:52
Trident, and then just the Techniques 1200 that was sampled
46:57
off records. I used to go record shopping.
46:59
So record shopping was like my gardening how it is today for
47:02
me. Like I would go to the record
47:04
shop. Back in the days, dude.
47:06
Sam Goody or what was back in the days, Yeah.
47:08
Goody Tower Records Tower Records right Music plus.
47:11
Yeah, I used to. I used to go there and like just
47:13
just look what's new every. Yeah, I think every Tuesday, the
47:15
new every Tuesday, like who's who's out?
47:18
Yeah, so I would do that. Like I would go, I'd go to old
47:22
record shops too, you know, buy, sell and used and stuff like
47:24
that. And like I would, you know,
47:27
scroll through them, listen to them sit there.
47:29
I'm like, damn, it's a dope sample, man.
47:31
Like, you know, and like, you know, I go home and I like
47:34
truncate everything in the sample it.
47:36
And I didn't for years. I didn't sell anything, you know
47:39
what I mean? I just figured in my head like I
47:40
was like, you know, this isn't going to pay the bills, you
47:44
know, so. Do do you think it could now,
47:47
just with YouTube and everything's, you know, like I
47:51
got thoughts. I'm going to go on a rant.
47:53
I I hope that's OK. But I, I was, I was thinking
47:55
about how a lot of legendary hip hop artists are making a
47:59
comeback, you know? Yeah, what Nas is doing with
48:02
mass appeal. Yeah.
48:03
And he's got, you know, a new Ghostface album, which was OK.
48:05
Yeah, the new Ray Kwan album, which was not as good as Ghosts,
48:08
Right. And you got the Slick Rick and a
48:10
lot like Redman. Muddy Waters too.
48:13
The new mob deep ones about to come out.
48:14
So I, I look at that and I'm like, but the other thing
48:17
interesting is like you have this Woo block album that came
48:19
out a couple of years back was the locks and and Ghostface.
48:22
OK, they did an album together or, and it's like, why can't
48:26
rappers now? That's so quick?
48:28
It's easier with the technology, right, right.
48:31
Like you could do just making this up.
48:33
I think Jadakiss is doing an album with.
48:36
Who's Jadakiss doing an album with?
48:39
Beanie Siegel, I think. Really, yeah.
48:41
It's like you could do superhero team ups now.
48:43
Like they're old enough. Like, why can't we have a Nas
48:45
Jay-Z album? Yeah.
48:46
You know, like, yeah, we could do that.
48:48
Why don't they team up? Like, so you know, I think
48:51
Alchemist is like, he's about to drop some mad heat Erykah Badu.
48:57
Yeah, a most def album. Yeah, I heard he's doing a Nas
49:01
and then he's dropping the Mobb Deep album, right?
49:03
That's hard, bro. Like, you know, I mean, just
49:05
like, like big shout out to Al, you know?
49:09
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like he's very influential.
49:12
You know, like I think just growing up hearing that kind of
49:15
music and stuff like that is super influential.
49:19
And I also segue like writing recipes or writing music or
49:24
whatever. I mean, like writing menu items
49:29
is like in writing songs or something.
49:31
Like, yeah, I kind of, it's a creative process.
49:33
I do like parallels of them, you know.
49:35
But like we were talking about how, you know, Jada and beans,
49:39
yeah, they're going to make an album together.
49:40
Why can't chefs open restaurants?
49:42
Like when when chefs like I'm just kind of making this up.
49:44
Why can't Chris Shepherd open up a restaurant with Aaron Bluedorn
49:49
and it's a mash up like like they have like, why can't chefs
49:53
do like the offshoot restaurant and and mash it up like
49:57
different concepts? I think when they've already
49:59
established a certain level of of excellence.
50:02
I'm just kind of making this up. You got, you know, Thomas Keller
50:05
has enough restaurant. Daniel Blue has enough
50:06
restaurants. They could open one together.
50:08
Like their egos are gonna be OK with the rest of the rest of the
50:12
portfolio. Like I'm thinking like if if hip
50:14
hop can do that now, chefs can also do that now.
50:17
I think so too. Why not?
50:19
Yeah, why not? We could do that.
50:20
Yeah. Yeah.
50:21
You do that with. Pop ups, yeah, I do that with
50:23
collaborations and stuff like that, like right, you know, so
50:25
it's like. That's like a that's an album
50:27
feature when Chef comes in. Like we could, yeah.
50:30
It's an album feature. Yeah, You know, it's funny you
50:32
say that because I always think about, you know, still Matic
50:36
album the the the first track and he goes, you know, I'm
50:41
crowned, I'm crowned the crown. The best with lyrics, best
50:45
lyricist with no features and stuff like that.
50:48
Like I think that in my head to like, yeah, I had no features, I
50:50
gotta say. Right, right, right, right,
50:52
right. And you know, sometimes those
50:54
features boost you up a little bit.
50:55
Sometimes, yeah. Having no features is another.
50:58
Yeah, it's like, it's like, damn, you did it without like
51:00
having a you need to boost famous people in your in your
51:03
restaurant for you to like help you boost yourself up.
51:06
Yeah, yeah. Interesting.
51:08
I think I think you you'd like you saying like when a chef's
51:11
doing the the guest chef, like those are the album features.
51:13
But I also think that there should be collab restaurants.
51:16
Yeah. Money, no objects and all that.
51:18
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, exactly in a
51:20
perfect. World where?
51:21
In a perfect world where? Things are running.
51:23
Billionaire investors are calling up and saying let's do a
51:24
collab between, you know, I'm just making this up, but let's
51:28
do a whoever, me and you do a collab.
51:31
Absolutely. Why not?
51:33
We could do that. It'd be fun.
51:35
I think chefs need to start thinking like hip hop artists.
51:38
And the other crazy thing is I also think hip hop artists like
51:42
let's just take Wu Tang Clan. There's a lot of songs that they
51:44
never made videos for, like why can't they do it now?
51:48
Exactly. Even if it's animation or.
51:49
Something, yeah, like you could, you could take some of your old
51:51
songs, put a video to it now. Or if you know, like Ghostface
51:55
just put out Supreme Clientele 2, right?
51:57
Why couldn't he just take all the old beats from Supreme
52:00
Clientele 1, remix them a little bit and just rap over that like
52:04
it make it feel like Part 2? Exactly.
52:06
So this ties into chefs, right? Why can't chefs go back and just
52:10
do what they did? Like, hey, do you remember this
52:13
restaurant? I'm bringing it back, but it's
52:15
the remix. It's Part 2.
52:17
I think so too, man, like, you know what I mean?
52:19
Like, like I said, you know, I think of dishes as songs and
52:22
like stuff that you wrote. Like, man, if you wrote a song
52:24
like you, you, you're not going to say that the wolves never
52:27
going to like wrap cream whenever they do a show, right,
52:31
Like that's the song they wrote. Yep, like bring it back, you
52:35
know, like I do. I do like, you know, I have like
52:38
the seasonal like all right, this season we're going to do
52:42
this corn dish again. You know, I kind of like, yeah,
52:45
you kind of bring it back, right?
52:46
Like cuz it's a fan favorite and it's only here for a short time,
52:49
right? You know, so it's like.
52:51
Yeah, wish I could get on tangents about hip hop.
52:53
Yeah, absolutely. We we, we lost, we lost the plot
52:56
here for a second. Where we at?
52:58
So when we're wrapping up the show, I like to ask people like
53:01
station setup on your on your station when you're you're
53:04
finishing station on the line, whether you work in the pass or
53:07
you're inside export, whatever, right?
53:08
What? What is?
53:09
What is your salt in the kitchen?
53:11
My salt is it's a Mexican sea salt that I use.
53:17
It's, it's, it's a little thicker grain, almost like cell
53:22
grease. It's from La Paz, like Baja
53:27
California Sur, and actually make two different types.
53:32
I do a lime salt and a lemon salt, so I finish them that way,
53:36
Yeah. What's your all-purpose
53:38
workhorse? Salt for everything else.
53:41
That same salt, but in a finer grind.
53:44
It's called true salt. In the true salt, Yeah, I've
53:47
never heard of it. So I'm a Mortens fan, you know,
53:50
a Mortens. But when I found this salt, I
53:54
just fell in love with it, you know?
53:55
But it's called true salt and they sell it in the same kind of
53:58
box, the 3 LB box. But yeah, that's like my
54:01
everyday seasoning salt. What do you use like for for
54:04
finishing? For acid?
54:05
Is it vinegar? Is it lime?
54:07
Lemons. Lime.
54:08
Like all-purpose, it all depends, you know?
54:11
You know, some things get Sherry, some things get
54:13
champagne vinegar, a lot of things get lemon and lime, you
54:17
know? And do you?
54:19
Are you a cut the tape? Absolutely.
54:22
What color? I use yellow tape.
54:24
Yellow tips is like grips and bloods but.
54:27
Yeah, yeah. No, you know why I use yellow.
54:29
Tape, you got Crips and Bloods, you got the blood and blood out,
54:32
Yeah. You know why I use yellow tape
54:34
when it costs less? But I just like to be my own
54:38
person, bro. Like, yeah, yeah, blue and
54:40
green. Like bro, I got yellow tape
54:42
like. Where do you get yellow tape?
54:44
What? Brand is I I order it through
54:45
Amazon. Yeah.
54:46
It's yellow painters tape. Yeah.
54:48
And it works just as well. Yeah, you know.
54:50
It's so funny because people will argue in my comments in
54:53
terms like green and blue tape and they're like, no, the green
54:55
it, it, it leaves more. It's like, it's not that.
54:58
Like you got to use a little bit extra strength to pull.
55:00
It like, oh you're using like frog tape.
55:02
Frog tapes are more expensive, but the frog tape doesn't stick.
55:05
Yeah, it does but but I don't have a problem with sticks too
55:08
too much like it's. Yeah, cool little yeah.
55:11
Pull it. You gotta.
55:11
Pull it a little hard. Not that much goo, you know what
55:13
I mean? But you know, the yellow tape,
55:15
when you write on it, you could see, like, clearly.
55:17
Yeah. The blue tape for me, I can't
55:19
see on it. Yeah.
55:19
I'm like, you know, like, I like what?
55:22
Like the green tape. Yeah, but I use yellow tape.
55:24
Yeah, what about plate wipes? How you making your plate wipes
55:28
in the kitchen? Nah, it's a inside secret right
55:31
here. I do.
55:33
I get the sponges. The soft sponge.
55:35
Yeah, not the combo one, but like, sometimes I only have the
55:38
combo one, but I got a soft sponge and I cut them into
55:40
strips. Yeah.
55:42
And I do a little scitulated water and I have that.
55:44
Yeah. You know, vinegar.
55:46
Yeah. Little vinegar, little distilled
55:47
vinegar, some warm water. I like the sponge idea.
55:49
Yeah, I've I've done that too. They're great.
55:51
It's great, yeah. And then you squeeze it out.
55:54
Yeah. You know, I think it's, it's
55:57
more innovative than having to make the little roll ups.
55:59
I used to have to do like the little roll ups and then tie
56:02
them in the middle and time wasted.
56:06
Yeah, Like, yeah. I like, I like you're fucking
56:12
people are. People are.
56:13
Write this down. Yellow tape and sponges.
56:16
What about is there something that you do in your kitchen that
56:18
you think brings a significant amount of flavour that not a lot
56:22
of people do? Or a technique that you think,
56:24
hey, more people should do this? I think one of my favorite, I
56:34
mean two things. I think 1 I season in, in
56:39
levels, right? I season right away, you know,
56:44
if I'm sweating, you know, drawing it out.
56:47
I, I think in the in the middle and then obviously if it's a
56:51
puree or something like that, I season again, taste and then
56:55
adjust seasoning, adjust acid levels and stuff like that.
56:59
I think also adding touch of sugar sometimes to certain
57:04
certain dishes or certain sauces or purees, I think also kind of
57:08
brings out different nuances. I think I use I use fish sauce
57:16
and certain things put it. In your mole.
57:18
No, not in the mole, you know. So right now in the fig mole, I
57:23
use dry figs, fresh figs and fig leaves.
57:26
So I try to, yeah, you know, and and I think.
57:29
Those fig leaves have the nice. Yeah, like the aroma, like man,
57:32
if you make a simple syrup out of that fig leaves so.
57:34
It almost has like a coconut. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
57:37
It smells like the, the, the brown bottle, the exactly
57:40
whatever it is. Yeah, yeah.
57:43
That and I think getting like depths of flavor.
57:46
I'm old school man, you know, I was a saucer for a long time.
57:49
Fucking kings of the kitchen. Yeah, You know, so, you know,
57:53
roasting the bones. And so like I like to roast the
57:59
bones really deep, like in the in the pan, break them down
58:03
smaller pieces, you know, so you kind of really get that.
58:07
And then once you're at a level, I like to add a little bit of
58:12
water and then help it and then evaporate and then refry them
58:17
again and then build the sauce. And I got all this beautiful
58:21
fond and all this stuff. And then I just kind of build
58:23
upon that. And then what I like to do,
58:28
let's say it's like a Joux, at the very end, I add the herbs
58:34
and let it steep so you could actually taste the herbs.
58:36
Because if you start like with fresh herbs in the beginning,
58:39
they dissipate. So I, I, I treat it like a tea.
58:41
Yeah. Yeah, it's funny.
58:43
David Breeden was just on and, and he goes into stock a lot.
58:47
And that's the same method he does about, you know, straining
58:51
through the Yeah, through the through the herbs.
58:52
That's the way they did it at French Laundry Chef.
58:58
If you had a Mount Rushmore, 4 chefs that you think should be
59:00
on Mount Rushmore, who should they be?
59:03
Really excited about this question.
59:04
Are you? Yeah.
59:06
And it took me a while to think about this.
59:10
OK. And I'm gonna I'm gonna give
59:13
some reasons why on, on, on some of these chefs.
59:16
OK. So Ferran and Albert Adria,
59:20
Adria as one like, you know, as that team, I think what they've
59:26
done innovative wise is has not been surpassed.
59:31
I think, you know, I think it's been a foundation.
59:33
They were doing phones like in the 90s, you can tell it in and
59:36
catch on till like 2000s. You know, it's like how ahead of
59:41
your time were you? And also the drive and like
59:44
everything about like how the process of they, what they did
59:49
is like they weren't busy and they were like, no, we're
59:51
setting up for service like we're full house everyday.
59:54
I think that's like some dope shit, you know, to Michelle
1:00:03
Ross, some legend, I think. He doesn't get he, I think he
1:00:08
doesn't get enough love on this show, I don't think.
1:00:09
You know, it was between him and Orlando cast, to be honest with
1:00:12
you. Yeah, you know, but I think
1:00:13
Michelle Ross went when that book came out with like the
1:00:17
salad thing and everything. He's just like scratching your
1:00:20
hand, just like, whoa, yeah, you know, and, and just.
1:00:23
Everyone was doing that salad. Yeah, exactly, bro.
1:00:26
I think he really changed the game on on stuff like that.
1:00:30
So like Tardy Trotter, Yeah, I think he one of the godfathers
1:00:38
of American cuisine. I think he he set a good
1:00:41
foundation. I think he he.
1:00:43
Got a lot of people interested in fine dining?
1:00:45
Yeah, a lot. You know, and and, you know,
1:00:48
after seeing his documentary thing, a lot of it was self
1:00:51
learned. Yeah, you know, and I appreciate
1:00:54
that. You know, I, I think that was
1:00:55
like, like, damn, bro. You I almost got more respect
1:00:58
for the self learner than I do the person that had access to
1:01:01
the greatest kitchens. Exactly.
1:01:03
I, I think he just had these ideas just from like like and I,
1:01:08
I was able to meet him, you know, great guy.
1:01:12
Obviously I didn't work for him, you know, at his height, you
1:01:14
know, but but I met him. We were doing this event at a
1:01:19
hotel that I worked at and, and he came to me and he goes, chef,
1:01:24
can I borrow a knife? And I'm like, yeah, here you go,
1:01:28
chef, use mine, whatever, you know.
1:01:31
And he came back, you could tell that I think he was recovering
1:01:39
from from his sickness and stuff like that.
1:01:41
And he came back and he goes, you didn't think I was going to
1:01:44
get back your knife? I said, I said, honestly, chef,
1:01:46
you could have had it. You know what I'm like?
1:01:47
And he gave me a book. Did he really?
1:01:50
Yeah, He gave me a book and he signed it.
1:01:51
That's badass, you know. And I was like, you know, so it
1:01:54
was one of those things where I was like, it's like a kind of a
1:01:56
personal touch. And, you know, I got that book
1:02:00
and then I bought his other books and stuff like that.
1:02:01
And I was just like, like, damn, let's do.
1:02:04
Was making some beautiful food before people really thought
1:02:07
about doing that, you know? Yeah.
1:02:09
And another one is I don't know if he's, like, as well known.
1:02:12
And I indirectly, he has influenced me is Javier
1:02:18
Placencia. And I'm not.
1:02:21
I'm not. Yeah.
1:02:22
So Javier Placencia is a chef from Baja California.
1:02:27
He owns quite a few restaurants out there, him and his family.
1:02:30
But himself, Right. And he was actually on Anthony
1:02:34
Bourdain episode and my wife and I used to go to his restaurant
1:02:40
in, in Tijuana. And TJ, yeah, it's called, it
1:02:43
was called. I don't think he owns it
1:02:44
anymore, but it was called Mission 19.
1:02:47
And and I ate there almost like 17 years ago, bro.
1:02:51
And I, I, I could think about that menu still like in my head.
1:02:57
Yeah. And you know, he gave me this
1:02:58
aha moment because. It's chills.
1:03:02
Yeah, because you, you know, I thought about Mexican food in
1:03:06
that manner that he was treating it and it, it made me open up
1:03:10
the floodgates for me, you know, because I was like, oh, you
1:03:15
know, because I, I thought about a lot of Mediterranean mixing
1:03:19
with Mexican food and he was doing that and I was like, oh,
1:03:24
Mexican food could be a lot more.
1:03:27
And yeah, he indirectly influenced me, and I got to meet
1:03:32
him a few times, you know. Is he still around?
1:03:34
Oh, yeah, absolutely. He's got a Mission star in Baja
1:03:37
California soon for I think his restaurant called Ani Malone.
1:03:41
Hopefully he looks so you get. Us yeah, he, he's bad ass man.
1:03:45
And we did a food and wine event for him.
1:03:48
I, I did it in 2017, October 2017.
1:03:53
And Ensenada in the via the Guadalupe.
1:03:57
And he was there, you know, we were at his restaurant and, you
1:04:02
know, big wine country area like that.
1:04:03
It's like the nap of Mexico. And so, you know, food and wine
1:04:08
festivals, you know, when they're done, like people just
1:04:11
go home. Not this dude.
1:04:13
He brought out like satellite bars bro, put a band on and we
1:04:19
had a fucking party. Bro for the chefs.
1:04:21
For the chefs, a fucking party bro.
1:04:25
It was that dude. It was so bad ass drinking, you
1:04:30
know, chilling. And then my boys, my boys, James
1:04:37
and Cody, they they they provided the fish.
1:04:39
Baja kampachi at the time, right?
1:04:41
Yeah. And so we were like, we had
1:04:44
like, sashimi party, bro. Yeah, you know, we're breaking
1:04:47
down fish and just like feeding people, like the few guests that
1:04:50
stayed and stuff like that. We were feeding people.
1:04:52
We were like cooking it on the embers.
1:04:54
For for anyone listening that puts on these food and wine
1:04:57
festivals, this is the right way.
1:04:58
It was. The right and it was done so
1:05:00
organically. This is why chefs sometimes like
1:05:03
doing this is like, oh, we gotta clean up.
1:05:05
We gotta do all this like the party afterwards, like it's
1:05:07
important. Bro it was done so organically.
1:05:10
It was such a badass event. And and then he had his his crew
1:05:16
come, Yeah, and started to make us like goggles.
1:05:21
So everybody gets sober up bro. Yeah, that's great.
1:05:24
Yeah, that ass bro. It was that I'm over here like
1:05:27
drinking some like soup at like 2:30 in the morning just trying
1:05:31
to sober up. It's right back.
1:05:32
And I'm like, I'm like, yeah, I feel better already.
1:05:35
You. Know well chef, where can people
1:05:37
find you in the restaurant and online?
1:05:40
Online is BOTB food.com. The restaurant's IG is at Botb
1:05:46
Food. Chef, this was fun.
1:05:49
Yeah. Thank you.
1:05:50
Chef yeah, we can do this again. This is fun.
1:05:52
Absolutely. Get open that collab restaurant.
1:05:54
Yeah, let's do it. Let's do.
1:05:55
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1:05:57
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Porn of. Me.