Chef's PSA

About Emmanuel Chavez Emmanuel Chavez is the Mexico City-born, Houston-raised chef-owner of Tatemó, the Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant in Spring Branch that has become one of the most celebrated in the country. Chavez immigrated to Houston with his family around age nine and spent his formative years working in his parents’ Tex-Mex restaurant, washing dishes at

Episode Overview In this episode, André Natera sits down with Emmanuel Laroche, host of the Flavors Unknown podcast and author of A Taste of Madagascar, to explore the global story behind vanilla and what it actually takes to write a serious food book. Laroche traveled to Madagascar, which produces roughly 80 percent of the world’s

Chef Dan Kennedy spent over 20 years in high end kitchens, most recently as head chef at Pasta|Bar Austin before the concept closed in February 2026. He is now working on Morri, his own concept in Austin. In this episode, Andre Natera and Dan Kennedy argue that social media has replaced technical skill with aesthetic

About Brandon & Jonathan Dearden Brandon Dearden is the executive chef and co-owner of Ember and Grano in Hamilton, Montana — two restaurants built around live-fire cooking and local ingredients. He trained at Alinea and Saison and was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Mountains. Jonathan Dearden is corporate chef at

Josh Sutcliff is executive chef at 55 Seventy in Dallas, a restaurant that has built a loyal following by putting delicious food and full dining rooms ahead of accolades. Drew Stephenson — known online as Drew the Food Guy — is a Dallas-based food commentator whose Instagram post about the city’s dining scene went viral,

Jam Sanitchat is the chef and owner of Thai Fresh in Austin, Texas — a restaurant, cooking school, and gluten-free bakery rooted in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood of South Austin. Born and raised in Bangkok, she has been cooking since the age of five and moved to Austin in 2001 as a graduate student at

About Chef James Trees James Trees is a Las Vegas-based chef, restaurateur, and James Beard Award nominee who built his career under legends including Eric Ripert, Michael Mina, Heston Blumenthal, and Gordon Ramsay. He spent several seasons behind the scenes on Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen before returning to Las Vegas to open Esther’s Kitchen

About Chef Jake Rojas Jake Rojas is a classically trained chef who built his career in some of the most demanding kitchens in the country, including working alongside Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas. He was the chef and co-owner of Tallulah on Thames and Tallulah’s Taqueria in Providence, Rhode Island — award-winning restaurants that earned

About Chef Laila Bazahm Laila Bazahm is a Filipino-Brazilian chef and restaurateur who left a career at J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank at 28 to pursue cooking. She trained in some of the world’s most demanding kitchens — including a stage at Mugaritz under Andoni Luis Aduriz, and time at Michelin-starred Saint Pierre in Singapore

About Chef Joey Chavez Joey Chavez is a Los Angeles-born chef who earned a football scholarship to Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where he also completed a culinary degree. After falling in love with the discipline of fine dining, he staged at some of the most demanding kitchens in the country — including Le Bernardin,