Chef Rick Petralia on Fazoli's Partnership with CertiStar

08/12/21 • 30 min

We were honored to have Fazoli's Director of Culinary Innovation, Rick Petralia, join this week's episode. Chef Rick had a long and distinguished career in operations before taking on a role as chef. He shares his incredible journey from a math major to chef and how one cook calling in sick changed everything. He discusses the importance of cross-training and how working in operations made him a better chef. You'll also hear Rick's valuable insights on innovation and technology as CertiStar's most recent partner. He talks about the importance of reading reviews and how they are an invaluable tool. for success. Chef Rick and Shandee discuss TIKTOK as a growing social media promotion, specifically the pasta chip trend and how Rick upped the ante. Chef Rick shares the new and exciting things happening at Fazoli's and why their breadsticks are an essential part of his work.

Previous Episode

Her Unconventional Journey with Dr. Reneé Matthews

Dr. Reneé Matthews is a medical doctor that does not practice medicine in the traditional sense but educates about health in all media forms. She is a medical expert and correspondent, a professional health educator, blogger, author, speaker, and host. She hosts "Out of Office with Dr. Reneé," a part of Outcome Health, and is seen in 45,000+ doctors' offices across the US. She also hosts "Ask Dr. Reneé" which premiered as a platform to motivate and inspire people to live the life they deserve. She recently published "Mommy I Can't Breathe: The Modern Guide to Navigate Allergies and Asthma." The book details her real-life journey with severe asthma and allergies that began as an infant. Her story is proof that you can do all the things with an asthma and food allergies diagnosis. Dr. Reneé talks about her personal and professional journey and why some would categorize it as unconventional. She offers advice for those who want to take an unconventional path themselves. She also shares the most memorable, unusual, and random questions she has been asked. Dr. Reneé is passionate about addressing the health concerns of Black women. She talks about the problems Black women have in obtaining the best possible health and medical care. She offers the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the healthcare system, stay safe in the pursuit of care, and encourages patients to be active participants in their health and healthcare.

Next Episode

Shaping How We Think, Feel, and Act with Swapnil Patel

"Epi, You're My Best Friend" is written by the creative brilliance of Swapnil Patel. He self-published this children's board book to help educate his daughter and other young children with food allergies on the importance of bringing epinephrine (Epi) everywhere. Swapnili's Café, which provides food allergy resources, is his side hustle to his work in advertising. In this week's episode, Swapnil discusses his career and answers if advertising is anything like the media makes it seem (Mad Men, for example). He talks about his genius behind the ads of some iconic and famous brands. He shares his thoughts on how advertising has changed from print to the world of TikTok. Shandee and Swapnil discuss the uniqueness of the responsibilities when running a small business. He opens up about the unique and frustrating hurdles of being a food allergy parent and his goal of finding a solution to parents' anxiety and uncertainty. He found the book is an answer and, in the end, was a way to empower his daughter to advocate for her health and safety. He also shares his advice to newly diagnosed food allergy parents.

To learn more about Swapnil and his beautiful family and purchase his book and other items, please visit www.swapniliscafe.com.