The CHEF Radio Podcast

Monica Glass is a nationally recognized pastry chef with experience working in and consulting with Michelin restaurants, hotels, bakeries, cafes, catering, and cultural institutions. She has been recognized with “Best Pastry Chef” awards from Food & Wine Magazine, Boston Magazine, and Zagat, as well as being named a Food Network’s ChoppedSweets Champion in 2021.

On this episode, she joins Eli in the studio to discuss what she’s been up to on her culinary journey as of late. Monica and Eli spent time in NYC, Boston and Philadelphia honing her pastry skills over the years and now as her career continues, she is focusing on nutrition, well-being and health as her guiding light.

More info at http://chefmonicaglass.com/ or @chefmoni on social media

Jamila Robinson is the Food Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, a position she took on after serving as editorial director for Atlantic Media, managing content development for USA Today and overseeing food coverage for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jamila is also Chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Food Journalism Awards Committee and the North American Academy chair for the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

On this episode, Eli Kulp sits down with Jamila to talk about her Detroit upbringing, her childhood memories of food, and the current state of systemic racism in both the restaurant industry and beyond.

More info at https://www.inquirer.com/food/ or @jamilarobinson on social media.

In this episode, Eli sits down and chats with the incredibly talented and passionate chocolatier, Christopher Curtin, to talk about his journey of learning, which has led him around the globe in search of finding the best skills and techniques, as well as finding the best and most rarest cacao for his tremendous chocolate. His creative flavors and methods have put him and his chocolates amongst the world's best, which he credits to the foundations of hard work that he learned as a nationally ranked cross country skier in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.

What would you say if I told you that a Disney artist, who helped bring animated films to life as well as designed video games and Disney theme park attractions, won a James Beard award this year for Best Chef California? Well, in today's podcast, we welcome Justin in to talk about his highly improbable journey from a first-generation Thai kid who grew up in his parents restaurant to one day leaving his artistic profession to come back to take over after his father had a debilitating stroke. This podcast has all the elements of a heart wrenching and uplifting Disney film, and we can't wait for you to listen!

Here’s what else was talked about:

• Justin doing the inaugural Voi•ãge dinner at Kalaya with Chef Nok
• Starting out as an artist at Disney
• How certain aspects of his time at Disney still play into his decisions at Anajak Thai
• Justin’s and Eli’s shared love for drawing out dishes before they begin to develop them in real life
• Literally growing up in his mom and dad’s restaurant
• His mother would give him ”showers” in the bathroom at the restaurant!
• How beat up the physical space of Anajak is after 40+ years in business
• When he had to take over the restaurant for his ailing father and the difficulties of filling his shoes...literally
• Learning from other chefs and friends in the business
• Are drop lines for servers necessary, or should guests be left to figure out the dish?
• What kind of chef do you want to be?
• The importance of hiring people who compliment you and fill the void in your knowledge
• Justin’s early memory of trips to Thailand to visit family
• How his father, after his stroke, still came into the restaurant using a wheelchair to help direct and train Justin
• Justin’s incredible James Beard speech

Supporters of the show:

This holiday season make sure you reach for the true and authentic Parmigiano Reggiano to wow your guests with its incredible flavors and textures. Click on the link to find out some fun and creative ways to use the one and only King of Cheese this holiday season!🎁🧀

A huge shout out to our sponsors, Maxwell McKenney and Singer Equipment, for their unwavering support, which allows us to be able to bring these conversations to you. Check out their websites for all the amazing equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make your team more efficient and successful.

Meez, is one of the most powerful tools you can have as a cook and chef because it allows you to have a free repository for all of your recipes, techniques and methods so that you never lose them. Meez does way more than just recipe development though, it's an incredibly powerful tool that any chef or restaurant would benefit from.

This holiday season make sure you reach for the true and authentic Parmigiano Reggiano to wow your guests with incredible flavors and textures. Click on the link to find out some fun and creative ways to use the one and only King of Cheese this holiday season!🎁🧀