#203 CHEF NICOLE GAJADHAR

Nicole Gajadhar is a highly respected Chef, culinary consultant and executive known for her profound impact on the New York City dining landscape. Her career trajectory showcases a rare blend of Michelin-level precision, large-scale operational mastery, and deep cultural roots that inform her sophisticated yet approachable cuisine. She is a trailblazer in the culinary industry, particularly as a BIPOC and female leader.Her career is marked by operational depth and a mastery of diverse culinary styles:Michelin Experience: She previously served as Chef de Cuisine at Nix, the Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant by Chef John Fraser, later aiding in the reopening of Fraser's The Loyal.Operational Scale: She consulted on the menu creation for JetBlue’s Mint program, a unique project requiring the development of high-quality, logistics-friendly dishes viable for high-altitude service.NYC Foundation: Her professional roots were built in influential New York kitchens, starting with an internship at Tabla. She gained foundational experience at 10 Downing, Tertulia, and The Lion before joining the AvroKO Hospitality Group in 2012, where she ultimately rose to the title of Chef de Cuisine at Saxon + Parole, spearheading culinary development for the group and its respective clients, and contributing to The Poni Room and Ghost Donkey..Chef Gajadhar’s deep respect for quality ingredients was instilled in her at an early age. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in NYC, her cooking is profoundly influenced by her East Indian and Caribbean heritage, emphasizing seasonality and flavor.This rich cultural background is expertly balanced with formal academic training. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Hospitality Management from the New York City College of Technology, which included study abroad in Florence, Italy, providing her with a sophisticated global perspective.Gajadhar’s leadership style is defined by her focus on building collaborative, diverse, and inclusive kitchen teams—a commitment she champions as a female contributor in the industry. Her personal mission remains centered on creating memorable food and lasting experiences for guests.Leadership and Executive Experience:Chef Gajadhar previously served as the Corporate Executive Chef for Golden Age Hospitality, where she commanded the culinary vision for the group's extensive portfolio. In this role, she oversaw culinary direction, kitchen development, and build-out for venues including the Parisian-inspired Elvis, Le Dive, and Deux Chats, as well as Monsieur, Happiest Hour, the Milan-inspired Bar Bianchi & helmed the kitchen at the high-profile New York hotspot, The Nines.A Philosophy Rooted in Culture and Craft:

Spencer Coplan is a community-first chef with 20 years of experience cooking across the country. Originally from Bainbridge Island in Washington’s Puget Sound, Spencer’s career has taken him through kitchens including James Beard Award-winning Lark, Michelin-starred Michael Mina, and Memphis’ Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman.His cooking is rooted in seasonality, regional ingredients, ethical consumption, and a nose-to-tail, leaf-to-root approach, shaped by time spent working with farmers, producers, and chefs including Home Place Pastures and the traveling chef duo We Are Slow Burn.A little over a year ago, Spencer took over as Executive Chef of Restaurant Kinsley inside Hotel Kinsley in Kingston, NY. Today, he and his wife, Jordan, run the property together as Chef and GM, with a focus on feeding and supporting their Hudson Valley community.In 2026, Spencer has also cooked with the Trotter Project for the Excellence Lunch and participated as a guest chef at the James Beard Foundation’s Nine Chefs, One Table dinner.

Rasika learnt the power of food and how something as simple as her grandmother's cooking could bring her family together in joy, unity, and tradition at a very young age. After deciding to pursue a career in hospitality, Rasika graduated from Manipal University with a Bachelors in Hotel Management and immediately began working in kitchens around the world. Following her culinary dreams, Rasika moved to the United States and accepted a Commis Chef position at Thomas Keller’s Michelin 3 Star restaurant, The French Laundry. Her persistence, talent, and dedication led her to become Chef de Partie and gave her a deep understanding, appreciation, and love for fine dining. Under world renowned Chef Mourad Lahlou's guidance, Rasika became the Chef de Cuisine of Mourad in 2022, one of the youngest CDCs in the industry. In the same year, she won The Star Chefs - Rising Star Award in the San Francisco/Oakland area and has collaborated with chefs around the country in a variety of culinary events. She has also participated in the upcoming season of Top Chef USA set in Wisconsin.

SUCIO TALK IS BACK!!!NEW EPISODES WEEKLY!!THIS EPISODE IS SOLO SUCIO,I SUCIO TALKED ABOUT:EAT WITH ARTHUR IN GREENPOINTMICHELIN STARSMENTORINGSHOUTOUTS NOMA & RENE REDZEPICHEF CULTUREUPCOMING EPISODESEMAIL: [email protected]/ISSUES/CONCERNS/STORIESTHEY WILL BE READ LIVE ON THE AIR!!!#CHEF #PODCAST #COOKS #FOOD #COMEDY

Clay Williams is a James Beard Award-winning photographer covering food, hospitality, and the people and places that define our culture. For more than 15 years, his camera has taken him on adventures through sugar cane fields in South Louisiana, to the Mare Piccolo with mussel farmers in Puglia, Italy, on the back roads of Jamaica to eat peppa shrimp and crayfish, and in and out the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, food trucks, and local gems.His work has appeared in the pages of Food & Wine, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Travel + Leisure, as well as in several cookbooks including the New York Times Bestseller Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by the late Edisto Island Matriarch Ms. Emily Meggett, as well as books by chefs Todd Richards and Kwame Onwuachi. In 2025, we'll see the publication of Gursha, highlighting Jewish Ethiopian cuisine and culture, Vegan takes on Jamaican and Mauritian food by musician and host Charlise Rookwood, and Indigenous food by chef Crystal Wahpehpah, among others.In 2019, Clay co-founded Black Food Folks, a platform for professionals working in food and food media. The organization has provided physical and virtual spaces to connect, collaborate, and share stories. From 2020 through 2022, Black Food Folks hosted over 200 live online conversations among members of the community and provided over $180,000 in grants to Black-run organizations in food and food media throughout the country.Clay is a member of @DiversifyPhoto and completed Missouri Photo Workshop 74 in Excelsior Springs.When he isn't behind the camera, Clay might be in front of the stove cooking at home or out exploring the world, seeking new experiences and stories. He lives in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.Clay is available for assignments and projects  in New York, Philadelphia and across the globe.

Sucio Talks to Chef Kevin Finch!!A Salt Lake City native with a Michelin-starred resume that spans New York @betony, Bangkok, Shenzhen @ensue, San Francisco @ateliercrenn , and beyond, Kevin brings a global culinary perspective rooted in discipline, curiosity, and intention. With each chapter of his career, he’s depended on his reverence for seasonality and place — from the burst of a summer tomato in his aunt’s garden to sourcing unfamiliar ingredients halfway across the world. These experiences have shaped a thoughtful, produce-forward style of cooking that honors technique while welcoming constant evolution.Arthur is Kevin’s first restaurant — a space where precise technique, thoughtful sourcing, and a deep sense of place quietly lead the way. Relaxed yet refined, it’s built to feel both timeless and playful — a place to return to, again and again. #chef #cheflife #chefpodcast #chefs #cooks #michelin #NYC #greenpointbrooklyn #greenpoint #brooklyn

Miche Fox is renowned for her unique approach to culinary arts, blending seasonal and botanical ingredients with her hunter/gatherer roots to create dishes that sustain both body and planet. Most Recently, Her culinary journey includes humanitarian work in Eastern Ukraine, where she provided essential comfort and nourishment to Internally displaced citizens. With over 15 years of experience managing high-profile events and large-scale operations, Miche is a champion of diversity and inclusion and brings a dynamic blend of culinary expertise, event management, and a passion for disaster relief. Her ability to deliver on complex logistics, ensure seamless coordination, and compassion has defined her career in the culinary world.#chefs #travel #freedom #humanitarian #suciotalk

Chef Monique Feybesse

Thomas Lo, M.D., D.ABA, aka "Chef Dr. Lo," is a board-certified Anesthesiologist, Chef, CEO, and Entrepreneur. After graduating from Yale University with a degree in Molecular Biology, Dr. Chef Lo began his professional culinary career studying at the French Culinary Institute in New York. With a strong background in fundamental culinary techniques, Thomas interned at Veritas and Lupa Osteria and then joined the opening team of Virot restaurant at the Dylan Hotel in New York. Chef Dr. Lo is also the owner and culinary director of Spy C Cuisine restaurant in Forest Hills, New York. Spy C Cuisine has quickly gained critical accolades from the New York Times and received its first Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2020. With the understanding of the molecular physiology of taste, Chef Dr. Lo enjoys playing with the palate by synergistically combining flavor combinations and balancing the harmonies of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. By contrasting various textures of his dishes, Chef Dr. Lo attempts to introduce the complexities and subtleties of food to you. As a Chef Physician, he is able to educate his customers, patients, and fellow colleagues on the medicinal aspects of haute cuisine. As a chef anesthesiologist, Chef Dr. Lo is known for his Sichuan Mind-Numbing Sauce, which must be properly prepared and used for dishes to provide the perfect balanced flavor profile. When given in the proper amount, harmony is achieved; but when too much is given, the flavors are overpowering. Although this would not be like a true overdose that Chef Dr. Lo sees in the operating room, the taste of the dish becomes acrimonious.

Gregory Gourdet Chef and Founder - Kann and SousòlAuthor, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health - 2022 James Beard Foundation Award Winner2023 James Beard Foundation Award Winner for Best New Restaurant2024 James Beard Foundation Award Winner for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific RegionCulinary Director Printemps - New York Gregory Gourdet is a three-time James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, best-selling author, and television personality. He is best known for his award-winning cuisine, bevy of TV appearances, and trendsetting role in the culinary boom of Portland, Oregon.A native of Queens, NY, Gregory attended the Culinary Institute of America, becoming the school’s first student to land an internship with celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. For nearly seven years, Gregory honed his culinary skills at three of Jean-Georges’ trailblazing restaurants, climbing the kitchen ranks to become one of his chef de cuisines. Gregory ran the kitchen at Portland’s Departure Restaurant + Lounge for 10 years, leaving in 2019 to focus on opening Kann. An avid traveler and lifelong student of food and culture, Gregory has made a name for himself by infusing methods and ingredients from all over the world, balanced together with his Haitian heritage, and creating signature flavors adored for their seasonality, boldness, complexity, and spice. He was named “Chef of the Year” by both Eater Portland and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and is a two-time Bravo Top Chef finalist.In 2021, Gregory released his first cookbook, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health, the ultimate guide to cooking globally-inspired dishes free of gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, and grains. The book is a national bestseller and a 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best General Cookbook. August 2022 brought about the opening of Kann, a live-fire dinner house that showcases traditional Haitian flavors alongside dishes inspired by the cuisines of the African and Caribbean diaspora. Kann was quickly recognized by Eater, The New York Times, and Robb Report as a “Best New Restaurant”; Esquire named Kann the #1 “Best New Restaurant in America.” Portland Monthly and The Oregonian also named it restaurant of the year. Kann was named the James Beard Foundation Awards 2023 “Best New Restaurant.”In September of 2022, Gregory opened Sousòl, Kann’s subterranean sibling cocktail bar. Sousòl draws inspiration from the greater Pan-Caribbean for its food and drink menu. It also features a full zero-proof menu for an inclusive experience for drinkers and non-drinkers alike. In 2023, Sousòl was named one of Esquire’s “Best Bars in America.”In 2024, Gregory’s culinary career was recognized by the James Beard Foundation Awards, which named him “Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.” The same year, Kann was featured on the inaugural “25 Best Restaurants in Portland, OR Right Now” list by The New York Times and was featured on La Liste’s 2025 list of the world’s best restaurants. In his role as Culinary Director of Printemps New York, opening March 2025, Gourdet will oversee five concepts, ranging from fine dining to a casual cafe—each a celebration of artistry, unparalleled quality, innovation, culture, and creativity.Gregory sees food as nourishment and is committed to moving the restaurant industry forward sustainably and equitably. He is a member of the US State Department’s American Culinary Corp. He is also an ambassador for the Marine Stewardship Council.He spends his spare time trail-running in the woods for hours.Gregory is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and openly gay. He is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and Ben’s Friends, a national recovery group for the restaurant industry.