Run the Pass with Chef Andre Natera

The pandemic threw a lot of curveballs at the restaurant industry. It forced chefs to get creative with their offerings and shift their business models to pick-up and to-go while focusing on new revenue streams.On this episode of Run The Pass, Host Andre Natera talked with Chef Uno Immanivong about her career and how she’s pivoted to make money during the pandemic. Chef Uno is a first-generation Asian American of Laotian descent. She was born in a Thai refugee camp where her parents dreamed of giving her a better life.“I never thought I’d go down this route, but we sell a ton of pouch drinks because we’re across from SMU, and it’s easy to pop in the freezer or go to the pool,” Immanivong said.She auditioned for a reality cooking show with Anthony Bourdain and, when he chose to mentor her, it massively altered the course of her life. In 2013, Uno left banking to pursue her passion for cooking, and the journey created the hugely popular Chino Chinatown in Trinity Groves, Red Stix Asian Street Food, and Chef Uno Brands.Making money in this day and age is no easy task, and Chef Uno Immanivong takes stock to ensure she has multiple income streams. She does off-site catering, pre-packaged catering, pre-planned meals, and to-go drinks, such as pouches.“I never thought I’d go down this route, but we sell a ton of pouch drinks because we’re across from SMU, and it’s easy to pop in the freezer or go to the pool,” Immanivong said. She focuses on her pick-up and to-go business because she doesn’t want folks in her restaurant at the moment. She also doesn’t use third-party delivery apps because they take too much of a percentage.

Workforce management has always been a challenge in hospitality. A year-plus into the pandemic, and the problems are both new and the same. For a look inside recruiting and staffing, Run the Pass host Andre Natera spoke with Eropa Stein, CEO of Hyre.Hyre is a workforce management software that Stein launched after realizing the considerable complexities of hospitality staffing. “It really started when I was consulting for a hospitality staffing agency, and they were using Excel spreadsheets.”The app started as just a way to fill the need of temp workers for events. Now, it’s a product that solves all staffing problems. “At first, it was getting rid of the middleman of using a staffing agency. A venue could go on the platform and put in who they needed, when, and the rate,” Stein explained.“A lot of people left hospitality, so now the new people don’t have the experience, so upskilling is important.” - Eropa SteinOnce workers complete a shift, they also get ratings, which helps them be more appealing to those hiring.In describing the company’s success, Stein said, “Opportunities like special day or moments were big selling points. We also got lots of referrals, and many workers found it exciting to perhaps work an event where someone famous would be.”Post-pandemic recruiting in hospitality is harder than ever, and the workforce looks different. “A lot of people left hospitality, so now the new people don’t have the experience, so upskilling is important. Finding people from different areas like retail, where they have similarities in skills can be an opportunity,” Stein noted.Others have changed their entire model with a skeleton crew that they supplement with temp staff. Overall, Stein commented, “For those returning after the pandemic, the landscape has changed, and they’ll need to adapt.”

On this episode of Run The Pass, Host Andre Natera talked with Michael Mohammed, the Chief Executive Officer and President at Chronic Tacos Enterprises, Inc., where he oversees the strategic vision of the fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand. The duo talked about Mohammed’s career, Chronic Tacos, and creating a vibe.Mohammed and his three brothers first became affiliated with Chronic Tacos back in 2010, when they helped finance the chain’s expansion into Canada. They noticed the potential for the brand and, in 2012, took it over. While they do have one store in Montgomery, Texas, most of their locations are in California. For him and the brand, it’s all about “living the taco life.”Founded in 2004 by two friends in Orange County, California, they set out to create taqueria-style food with a Southern California vibe. The taco life.“They wanted something fun, with an atmosphere,” Mohammed said. “The recipes they got from family friends are third-generation recipes, really authentic, and they wanted to kind of meld that into a vibe with music playing, a real, local feel and somewhere fun...It’s that southern California vibe.”His background isn’t in restaurants, though he has grown into the role. After earning an MBA at Saint Martin’s University in Washington State, he eventually landed at Boeing as a Financial Analyst. Then he stumbled into sales at his family’s business, Cattermole Group, where he worked his way up to President in 2004. In this role, he focused the company on investment and real estate projects.

The art of butchery was Cara Nicoletti’s birthright in many ways, growing up working in her grandfather’s Boston shop. She comes from generations of it but changed course after considering the sustainability of meat. She recently joined Andre Natera on Run the Pass to share her story.Nicoletti has a diverse background, working as a butcher, writing a cookbook, and hosting shows on VICE Munchies. In February 2020, she launched Seemore Meats & Veggies, which makes humanely raised, veggie stuffed sausages. “I started making sausages 11 years ago to help people eat less meat and stretch the meat further with fillers that were good like vegetables,” Nicoletti said.“We can’t keep up the demand for meat and do it in a way that’s good for the Earth. So we need to eat good meat but less of it.” - Cara NicolettiGrowing up around butchers, Nicoletti noted she was “more sensitive about where meat comes from,” and then working in restaurants saw all the waste. Although she hadn’t initially intended on becoming a butcher, she found an apprenticeship and stayed in the industry for several years.Sustainability became a big focus for Nicoletti—one which became even more true during the pandemic. “Our supply chain is flimsy, especially with meat, as we depend on four giant companies that control the meet supply in the U.S. It’s a deeply unsustainable market,” she said.Nicoletti spoke about the concept of regenerative agriculture and its critical role in the meat industry. “It’s when grazing animals diversify the soil. If they in stalls all day eating grain, it’s stripping the soil and creating monocultures. There’s no way we can keep up with demand and do it in a way that’s good for the Earth,” she explained.

Over the past year, workers in the restaurant industry faced a slew of challenges. From layoffs due to COVID, then often long hours working in a hot kitchen with a mask, all the while worried about keeping themselves healthy during the COVID-19 Pandemic.On this episode of Run The Pass, Host Andre Natera talked with Hemalee Patel, an internal medicine physician with a nutrition and lifestyle medicine background, for a unique episode about burnout, health, and wellness in the restaurant industry.One of the most important things Patel notes is that health and wellness are tied to your environment. Not just your surroundings, but the people you are around, as well. Healthcare is trending toward a more integrative approach to medicine, and it includes emotional well-being, as well as physical.“There’s so much evidence that when you take care of yourself, it not only increases your well-being, it also increases productivity, efficiency and improves a company’s ROI." -Hemalee Patel“I have a lot of family who work in the hospitality industry,” Patel said. “I think healthcare and hospitality are very similar in that you provide a service, and the outcome of that service is dependent on the experience.”She noticed that during COVID, her family had a ton of stressors. The industry had to shift constantly, from being close to having to reopen for business suddenly. This meant employees had to ramp themselves up to show up for work. According to Patel, this emphasized the stress of burnout in a profound way, who noted that taking care of oneself became more critical than ever.“There’s so much evidence that when you take care of yourself, it not only increases your well-being, it also increases productivity, efficiency and improves a company’s ROI,” Patel said. “You really get the best outcomes from people and maximize outcomes.”

On this episode of Run The Pass, Host Andre Natera talked with Byron Gomez about his career, Top Chef, his love of travel, and a super-secret project.Lately, he has been taking some time off, traveling, and networking, but mostly trying to get out after staying inside for a year during the COVID-19 Pandemic. He talked about some of the food in the nine cities he’s traveled to in the last month and a half. He’s currently working in Aspen at the 7908, which operates on a seasonal schedule, so they are off roughly a month between summer and winter and then between spring and summer."I worked for Daniel Boulud for five years, I would say Cafe Boulud was my culinary school" - Byron GomezWhile traveling, he enjoyed his time at the Garrison, one of Chef Natera’s restaurants in Austin, Texas. Next, he traveled to New Orleans and had some excellent Turtle Soup at Commander’s Palace.His love for food, though, started long before the spotlights of Top Chef. He landed his first job when he was 15 years old. A family friend approached his family and asked if he wanted to work. It was a very famous restaurant known for its flame-grilled burgers: Burger King.Gomez was destined for greater things. Before heading to Colorado, Gomez spent the last 13 years working at some of the top restaurants in New York. A self-taught chef, he worked his way up through some Michelin star restaurants, such as Café Boulud, the classical French One Star Michelin restaurant. After moving on, he worked at a two-star Michelin restaurant, Atera, which featured a Nordic cuisine tasting menu.Listen to hear more about Gomez’s career, his time on Top Chef, and a secret project he’s working on.

On this episode of MarketScale’s Run the Pass, host and Executive Chef Andre Natera brought in Patrick Mitchell to talk about the American Culinary Federation, the mindset that goes into competitions, how to get into food challenges, and the certifications for chefs.Mitchell is an “Executive Chef/Culinary Advisor for Ben E. Keith Foods based in Ft. Worth, Texas. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with 41 years experience in the industry. Patrick is an American Culinary Federation Certified Culinary Judge and a member of the American Academy of Chefs since 2005; in 2004, he was awarded the ACF’s Chef Professionalism award.”“Usually, these judges and chairs at the competitions are more than willing to help someone understand what’s going so someone can get into it." - Patrick MitchellHe started competing in 1979 while he was transitioning to culinary school. He got the bug, so to speak. Thirty-eight years ago, he ended up in Dallas with a team competing in the Culinary Olympics. Then it went international. In 2016, he competed for U.S. Chef of the Year and won. This qualified him for the international level, where he competed in the Global Chef’s Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in 2018.After competing for all these years, he pivoted into coaching. Now, when he talks to chefs that want to compete, he asks them what they want to do. Then find a competition, go and observe and talk to the folks running the show.“Usually, these judges and chairs at the competitions are more than willing to help someone understand what’s going so someone can get into it,” Mitchell said.Mitchell believes that certification under the ACF is important for chefs. The certifications allow chefs to be able to show that they have met specific standards when it comes to cooking. Everything from how to make specific cuts to sanitation is included in the certification process, so when a chef moves and wants a new job, the hiring manager will know they can fulfill specific skills.

Launching a new food concept is never easy. The pandemic and going to the route of a food truck make it an even more unique journey. Run the Pass host Andre Natera spoke with Chef Kevin Truong about doing just that and marrying two cultures in the kitchen with Fil N’ Viet.“I’m Vietnamese, and my wife is Filipino. There are similarities, and we wanted to combine them in fun ways. Filipino food is underrated, and our offering merges the familiar and unfamiliar.”“You have to think about space wisely. When you write a menu, you have to think of the whole operation and storage" -Chef Kevin TruongGetting the concept off the ground wasn’t easy, and Chef Truong urged that it requires “flexibility and adaptability.”While a food truck cuts down on overhead, it has limitations. “You have to think about space wisely. When you write a menu, you have to think of the whole operation and storage,” Chef Truong explained.Truong’s menu uses ingredients in multiple dishes to simplify and turn out great food in close quarters. But they also have something new each week. “We do a weekly feature to give returning guests something new to try, and it’s a creative output for me.”Running a food truck also requires daily grocery runs, unlike traditional restaurants. Other costs include propane tanks and the removal of wastewater.Chef Truong and his wife opened the food truck just a few months ago. It’s currently in a temporary location and will move to a food garden once it’s open. However, he noted they want to transition to brick and mortar. “A food truck forces you to be creative, but brick and mortar will allow us to do so much more with the food.”

Without flavor, every bite would be much less enjoyable. Discussing this world and unique cuisines, Run the Pass host Andre Natera welcomed a fellow podcaster and flavor expert, Emmanuel Laroche. Laroche is the host of Flavors Unknown and serves as the VP of Marketing for Symrise, a producer of flavors and fragrances.Since Laroche interviews so many chefs and often has the chance to dine across the world, Chef Natera asked about commonalities among the most successful. “They have passion for food and drive. They are always pushing themselves to succeed,” Laroche answered.With such a sophisticated palette and decades of experience in the flavor industry, Laroche shared he’s most interested in choosing things from the menu that are “new combinations and combine global flavors and techniques.” He also noted that traditional dishes with a new spin or have multiple influences always interest him.Raised in France but spending the last 20 years in the U.S., Chef Natera asked Laroche about the differences in food cultures. “Food is a very social thing in France. I was learning to make things at a young age with my mother. Also, lunch is the biggest meal there, unlike in the U.S.”What’s new on the flavor scene? Laroche shared that Symrise launched a new line of vanilla extracts that use beans from Madagascar. “Lots of new vanilla blends for bakery and ice cream.”He also spends his time studying food trends and performing customer research. Consumers drive what’s hot or cold in the world of taste.

On this episode of Run the Pass, host and Executive Chef Andre Natera brought in Chef Omar Flores to talk about the Texas food scene, his impressive career, how to scale restaurants, and the changes that will stick after COVID-19.Flores grew up in El Paso, and his family always had restaurants. His parents owned small Mexican restaurants with authentic vibes. Flores flew from the desert and headed east, where he attended the Culinary Institute Of America In New York.When he got back to Texas, he worked in Dallas, he met Tre Wilcox and Chef Kent Rathbun, and worked at the iconic Abacus. The restaurant closed in 2019, but Flores noted the impact it had on his career. He left Abacus for Driftwood (also now closed), a seafood restaurant, where he earned some accolades and made a name for himself.While he initially didn’t want to start a Mexican restaurant, his roots called him back. He opened up Whistle Britches, which is fried chicken with a Mexican twist. They are opening up a third in Southlake this spring. He also owns Muchacho, which is opening up a location in Southlake, as well.He looked at a restaurant as a chef for a long time but now looks at it as a business. He talked about the challenges of being a young chef trying to turn a profit off a restaurant. His perspective certainly changed over the years, as he learned what it means to run successful restaurants.