Chef's PSA

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera takes on a deceptively simple question that the culinary industry rarely examines seriously: what actually makes food good? He works through the answer from multiple angles, drawing on technique, memory, context, and the subjective nature of taste to build a picture of what chefs mean when they […]

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera addresses one of the most universally experienced and least openly discussed realities of professional kitchen life: the bad service day. Every chef has them. What separates the operators who recover well from those who spiral is not talent. It is how they respond in the moment, how

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera makes the case for respecting and actively honoring the generations of chefs who built the craft before us. The culinary industry has a tendency to celebrate innovation and novelty while dismissing or ignoring the foundational work of older chefs and cooks who developed the techniques, standards, and

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera explores the psychology of eating and what it means for how chefs should think about the dining experience they are creating. The food on the plate is only one part of what a guest actually experiences, and the chefs who understand this consistently create more memorable, emotionally

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera pushes back against one of the most persistent myths in culinary culture: the idea that there is a shortcut, a secret, or a faster path to becoming a genuinely great chef. He shares his frustration with how social media and food content culture have created the impression

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera investigates one of the most pressing problems in the culinary industry: why people leave. Drawing on an Instagram poll he conducted with his audience, he shares what culinary professionals actually say drives them out of jobs and kitchens, and why the industry’s standard explanations for turnover frequently

Episode Overview In this special episode, André Natera sits on the other side of the mic. This leadership interview was originally planned for South by Southwest and was conducted by Emmanuel LaRoche, host of the Flavors Unknown podcast. LaRoche interviews Natera about his culinary career, the mentorship relationships that shaped his thinking, and the leadership

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera takes on a question that comes up constantly in the culinary industry but rarely gets a direct answer: which matters more, being the best new restaurant or being a restaurant that has lasted? He reflects on conversations with chef colleagues about the pressures facing new restaurants, the

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera makes the case that seasonal cooking is not a trend or a marketing angle but a foundational way of learning how to cook. He explains how following the seasons shaped his own culinary development, forced him to understand ingredient transitions that most chefs never fully learn, and

Episode Overview In this solo episode, André Natera addresses the tension that sits at the center of almost every serious culinary career: the gap between cooking from passion and running a business that survives. He argues that this dilemma is not a choice between creativity and commerce but a failure of preparation, and that the