Chef's PSA

Episode Overview In this special panel episode, André Natera brings three culinary students, Michael, Victoria, and Axel, onto the show for an honest conversation about what it is actually like to be in culinary school and what happens when classroom training meets the reality of a professional kitchen. This is the first culinary student panel

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera dives into the mechanics of restaurant recognition and what it actually means to be evaluated by the Michelin Guide, health inspectors, and food critics. He draws on his own firsthand experience receiving recognition in Texas to break down what chefs and operators tend to get wrong about

About Rico Torres and Diego Galicia Rico Torres and Diego Galicia are the co-founders and co-owners of Mixtli in San Antonio, Texas, a rotating prix fixe restaurant that tours the culinary regions of Mexico, changing its menu each season to explore a different Mexican state or region. Torres is an El Paso native and self-taught

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera breaks down the ten most common and most costly mistakes new cooks make on their first day in a professional kitchen. These are not abstract principles. They are specific, avoidable errors that consistently get new hires off on the wrong foot and in some cases end a

About Jakub Czyszczon Jakub Czyszczon is a chef whose career spans some of the most technically rigorous fine dining kitchens in the United States. He worked at Senia in Honolulu and Sepia in Chicago before joining the opening team at Garrison in Austin, Texas, where he served as Executive Chef. Garrison earned recognition for its

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera breaks down what effective leadership actually looks like inside a professional kitchen, drawing on personal experience building and managing high-performing culinary teams. The episode goes beyond generic management advice to address the specific dynamics of kitchen leadership: how to inspire cooks who are working in high-pressure, physically

About Alex Gonzalez Alex Gonzalez is a fine dining service professional whose career includes work at some of the most technically demanding restaurants in the United States, including Alinea in Chicago, The French Laundry in Napa Valley, and Qui in Austin. He built expertise at the front-of-house level in kitchens where service is not merely

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera makes the case that a messy kitchen is not just an aesthetic problem. It is a performance problem, a sanitation problem, and a morale problem all at once. Drawing on his own experience running high-level kitchens, he explains the direct connection between kitchen cleanliness and the quality

About Chef Gabe Erales Gabe Erales is a James Beard Award semifinalist and one of the most recognized voices in modern Mexican fine dining. He is the chef and owner of Bacalar in Austin, Texas, a restaurant rooted in the traditional cooking of the Yucatan Peninsula, and Ometeo in Washington, D.C. His cooking is grounded

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera identifies ten specific habits that quietly hold back culinary careers, often without the cook even realizing it is happening. Drawing on 27 years of experience hiring, developing, and evaluating kitchen professionals, he breaks down the behavioral patterns that consistently separate the people who advance from those who