Chris Shepherd (Southern Smoke Foundation) on Finding the Kitchen, Cooking Instinctually, and Answering the Call

As the Southern Smoke Foundation's big fall fundraiser approaches on October 4, 2025, Chris Shepherd--who co-founded the foundation with Lindsey Brown (also his wife)--sits down with Andrew to discuss the crucial, grant-based work the organization does for hospitality professionals. He also shares his own personal story and how cooking became its professional focus, until he shifted gears into the altruistic realm. He also discusses two recent  beer collaborations he and the foundation have been involved with: the nonalcoholic Aftershift (with Athletic Brewing Company) and Behind You! Beer (with Roadhouse Brewing). Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Chef Andrew Turner came up cooking for legends like Alain Ducasse, Hubert Keller, and Joachim Splichal, and became a chef in his own right for several years. Then, he decided that having the personal life he craved would mean leaving the industry into which he'd poured so much of himself. In this short conversation, Andrew shares from both sides of that progression: His time in those kitchens and evolution as a cook and chef, and what life on the other side, operating his business, Valley Wine Merchants, has been like.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

This spring, amidst the frenzy of James Beard Foundation Awards weekend in Chicago, chef-proprietors Adam McFarland & Tom Rogers welcomed Andrew to their hit restaurant John's Food & Wine for a LIVE! podcast session before an industry audience. In a tight 42 minutes, the chefs shared their respective backstories, discussed the restaurant's innovative service model and staffing practices, and discussed how they navigate the increasingly common challenge of co-cheffing. They also answer audience questions from colleagues from around the US. Longtime listeners know how much we love a live show and this was a truly special one. Enjoy!Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

For the first time, we welcome a bartender to the pod: Maria Rodriguez of Cantina Rosa in Chicago, Illinois. The bar is part of friend of the pod Erick Williams' restaurant group, and is focused on Mexican spirits, especially agave-based ones such as mezcal and tequila. In this conversation, recorded on site at Cantina Rosa, Maria shares her path to her career and she and Andrew observe the similarities between a chef's journey and that of a bartender. They also discuss the essential components of a great cocktail and great beverage programs.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Jackie Carnesi has reinvigorated Brooklyn's Kellogg's Diner, a 24-hour destination diner (if there is such a thing) that serves traditional diner food alongside killer Tex-Mex, culled from Jackie's memories of her Texas childhood. In this conversation, recorded on-site at the diner, she recounts her slow discovery of the pro kitchen, initially reluctant migration to NYC, and early jobs working with chefs like Chris Cipollone and Alex Stupak. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Chef Yara Herrera, a native of Los Angeles, worked in some of LA's most demanding kitchens (Spago, Providence, Majordomo) before moving to New York City and Momofuko Ko. During the pandemic, after gaining attention for her own food in pop-up form, she was approached by the owners of Rolo's--the hit restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens--about partnering on a Mexican-American restaurant, which came to be in the form of Hellbender. In this free-ranging conversation, Yara discusses her circuitous route to the kitchen and why it took several years to begin exploring the cuisine of her own heritage.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Douglas Keane has enjoyed tremendous success at his Cyrus restaurant in Geyserville, CA. At the same time, he's observed the need for change on many fronts in the hospitality industry, and instituted some of those changes himself. in his first book, Culinary Leverage: A Journey Through the Heat, he divides his attentions between relating his own story and offering thoughts for how to improve the industry he loves.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

The James Beard Foundation's Independent Restaurant Industry Report 2025 (which we highly recommend all listeners read), offers insights and possible solutions to a wide range of challenges and opportunities for American restaurants. Produced in collaboration with Deloitte, the survey is based on interviews with 50 independent restaurateurs and survey responses from more than 350 industry leaders. The JBF's VP of Impact Anne McBride joins Andrew for a detailed discussion of the survey and subjects as varied as changing dining and drinking habits, employee wages, and creative marketing strategies for restaurants of all price points and levels of formality. A free-flowing and, we think, informative idea exchange based on real, up-to-the-minute data that we hope will be of value to anybody in the industry, and hugely informative to non-industry pros who enjoy dining in restaurants.Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Author John Birdsall makes his return to the pod to discuss his new book What Is Queer Food? How We Served a Revolution—a deeply personal and sweeping look at the intersection of queer life in the United States, and food culture here. Zooming in from his home in Tucson, John reflects on the stories, people, and moments that shaped the book, and why food has always been central to identity and community. The conversation touches on everything from making writing personal, to quiche, to what it means to write for queer and non-queer audiences simultaneously. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

As longtime fans of the pod know, there's nothing we love more than a crossover episode with a show we're friendly with. It reminds us of when we were kids and Saturday morning cartoons did the same thing, with characters from one show appearing on another, and vice versa. (That's why the animated episode image today.) So we're thrilled to welcome Nidal Barake, a marketer by trade, whose One of Each podcast presents interviews with an international who's who of chefs and other creatives who happen to be passionate about cuisine, restaurants, and cooking. (Be sure to check out his show, starting with the episode he launched today featuring Andrew as his guest.)Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!