Join Chef Simon Zatyrka, as he opens the door to candid conversations with the hospitality industry’s most innovative leaders. Each episode runs the gamut from chefs talking about the community and cultures of kitchens to tech innovators talking about pushing the hospitality industry forward. You can expect a blend of battle-tested restaurant wisdom and modern insights that often challenge “the way it’s always been done”.
You never know when the conversations about the business of hospitality are going to shift gears to discuss wood-fired cookery, the camaraderie of kitchen teams or the delusions of friends wanting to open a bar just because they like sitting in one.
New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe now to join a community of leaders who are as passionate about the business of hospitality, people and leadership as they are about food and cooking. Welcome to our sandbox.
Burnout Is Bad Business: The Case for Operational Clarity with Patrick Cassata
November 18, 2025
Burnout isn’t a badge. It’s a leak. Chef Patrick Cassata and I get under the hood on what actually keeps kitchens running: leadership reps, clean handoffs, and systems that protect people and profit. We talk delegation without martyrdom, expectations that stick, and why hospitality is the job even when tickets stack. Patrick’s path from ...
Removing Inconveniences Before Guests Notice: A Playbook for Hospitality with Jesus Mendez
November 10, 2025
You don't scale a taquería with vibes—you scale it with standards. In this episode, Jesus "Chuy" Mendez (Salud, Birmingham) shows how culture plus simple, repeatable systems drive operational clarity you can taste at the table. We get into writing real recipes (no "secret pinch"), rewarding the right behaviors, passing health inspections with ...
Restaurant Systems That Win: Covers per Labor Hour, Culture, Clarity with Jeffrey Boland, Sr.
October 28, 2025
If your labor is “fine” but your profits aren’t, you’ve got a leadership and systems problem—not a math problem. In this episode, Mac's Hospitality’s Jeff Boland (9-unit beer-bikes-barbecue group in the Carolinas) gets real about building restaurant systems that actually run, cutting bloaty menus without losing soul, and measuring the right ...
Tools That Work, Not Just Look Cool: A Pro’s Guide to Real Edges with Josh Donald of Bernal Cutlery
October 24, 2025
If your knives feel “sharp” but still fight the carrot, this episode will save you time and fingertips. We get into the craft behind truly effective edges with Josh Donald of Bernal Cutlery—what geometry really means, why knives get “wedgy” over time, and how to think about tools like an operator, not a collector. We also hit the real-world ...
Relentless Growth: Building Excellence Moment by Moment with Chef Franck Desplechin
October 15, 2025
Build a kitchen where you’re the accelerator - not the crutch. In this episode, Chef Franck Desplechin lays out a straight path from talented-but-chaotic to calm, accountable, and scalable. We break down why sous chefs stall, how to teach leadership like a skill, and the mindset shift that turns “chef-as-hero” into “chef-as-vision.” We get ...
The Weekly Manager Rhythm That Grows Real Kitchen Leaders
October 8, 2025
If your kitchen is held together by heroics, this episode is your reset. Chef Gerald Chin (Head of Culinary, MINA Group) breaks down how 30+ restaurants stay sharp: a non-negotiable expediting system, real SOPs everyone can find and use, and weekly manager reviews that grow leaders instead of babysitting them. We talk patience, holding the ...
How to Teach More, Yell Less, and Still Run a Tight Kitchen
September 30, 2025
Old-school training meets modern leadership. Chef Andrea Pancani spent eight years scaling teams across San Ambroeus Hospitality Group, and he’s blunt about what has to change: ego down, teaching up. We dig into why “meet them where they are” isn’t soft—it’s the key to operational clarity.
You’ll hear how daily huddles actually work when ...
Burnout Isn’t a Badge—It’s a Warning Light
Nio DiPietrantonio stepped into the kitchen at 16 because someone didn’t show up—and she’s been showing up ever since. In this episode, Nio and Simon get real about burnout, kitchen trauma, and how to build operations that don’t rely on heroics.
They talk systems that protect your people, ...
