Chef's PSA

About Chef Francis Pascal Francis Pascal is the founder and Executive Chef of Vendador, Chicago’s highest-rated luxury private dining company. Born and raised in Albania, he came to the US with a deep connection to food as a community practice — a philosophy that shaped everything he built. Before going independent, he trained in some

About Chef Brent Weathers Brent Weathers is a culinary veteran with over 25 years of experience who started washing dishes in Tennessee and worked his way through some of the most demanding kitchens in the country, including helping open the acclaimed Knife in Dallas. Before cooking became his full-time identity, he was a DJ —

About Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is the chef and co-owner of Birdie’s in Austin, Texas — one of the most talked-about restaurants in the country and a James Beard Award-recognized restaurant. Birdie’s built its reputation on a natural wine-forward list, a rotating menu of refined but approachable food, and a genuine commitment to making fine

About Chef Jorge Luis Hernández Jorge Luis Hernández is the Corporate Chef and Director of Culinary Innovation for Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group in Austin, Texas. A San Antonio native of Mexican and Greek heritage, he studied at the Culinary Institute of America and spent over 15 years inside ThinkFoodGroup — the culinary organization built

About Chef Franck Desplechin Franck Desplechin is a chef, author, speaker, and founder of the hospitality leadership consulting firm Incrementum. He began working in professional kitchens at 15 instead of finishing high school, and built a career spanning more than 25 years in Michelin-starred restaurants across France and some of the world’s most prestigious luxury

About Chef Phillip Frankland Lee Phillip Frankland Lee is the Executive Chef and co-owner of Scratch Restaurants Group, the husband-and-wife operation he runs with pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee. He grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley, decided at 13 that he wanted to be a sushi chef, started as a dishwasher, and rose to sous

About Jess Pryles Jess Pryles is an Australian-born live-fire cook, author, TV host, and the founder of Hardcore Carnivore — a meat-focused brand and spice line built around the science and craft of cooking beef. Based in Texas, she has spent her career bridging the gap between food science and practical kitchen technique, writing multiple

About Leonard Botello IV Leonard Botello IV is the owner and pitmaster behind Truth BBQ, one of the most acclaimed barbecue operations in Texas. Raised in Lake Jackson in a family of restaurateurs — his father a chef and restaurant owner, his mother a baker — he grew up around food but initially pursued a

About Don Smolik and Kolter Livengood Don Smolik is the founder of Study The Blade, an Austin-based knife sharpening service that works with both professional chefs and home cooks. A former chef himself, Don built Study The Blade around the belief that understanding your tools starts with knowing how to maintain them. His work sits

About Benjamin Maides Benjamin Maides is a Swiss-born, Omaha-raised chef whose career has been defined by a commitment to seasonal cooking, direct sourcing, and ingredient-driven technique. After graduating from Metro Community College’s culinary program in Omaha in 2006, he spent years working in California, Colorado, and northern Italy — including time at the acclaimed Bouchon