Culinary Characters Unlocked
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Joe Busalacchi came to America from Sicily as a child and grew up to share his family recipes with a legion of fans through an empire of restaurants in his adopted hometown of San Diego. And it’s truly a family business, with Joe’s sons and nephew helping him continue his passion of serving the food he grew up with. And the menu is full of surprises, as was our conversation with the Busalacchi family.
Joe Busalacchi came to America from Sicily as a child and grew up to share his family recipes with a legion of fans through an empire of restaurants in his adopted hometown of San Diego. And it’s truly a family business, with Joe’s sons and nephew helping him continue his passion of serving the food he grew up with. And the menu is full of surprises, as was our conversation with the Busalacchi family.
Born in southern India and with no culinary training, Preeti Waas is a two- time James beard award nominee for the Indian home cooking she dishes up at her restaurant Cheeni in Durham, North Carolina. And she says 90 percent of that menu consists of dishes that cannot be found at most Indian restaurants here. She also offers a history lesson on some of India’s most popular foods, and their roots in Scotland and Portugal.
He’s won three James Beard Awards in a row—Best Cookbook, Best Restaurant, and the 2024 award as Best Chef in the Northwest. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, was mentored by the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and cooked various Asian cuisines before opening Kann in Portland, featuring Caribbean cuisine and spotlighting the Haitian dishes he grew up on.
He’s won three James Beard Awards in a row—Best Cookbook, Best Restaurant, and the 2024 award as Best Chef in the Northwest. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, was mentored by the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and cooked various Asian cuisines before opening Kann in Portland, featuring Caribbean cuisine and spotlighting the Haitian dishes he grew up on.
Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Paul Smith won the 2024 James Beard Award as Best Chef in the Southeast for his work at his 1010 Bridge restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia. It’s the first James Beard Award ever brought home to that state, where Smith was born, then returned after cooking at a wide range of fine dining restaurants across the country. He combines traditional Appalachian cuisine with an envelope-pushing creativity.
After law school and a stint as a sex crimes prosecutor, pregnant with her third child, and with no experience in the culinary business, Martha Sanders Hoover decided to open a restaurant. Now she has a dozen in and around Indianapolis. A pioneer in farm to table, with a deep commitment to employee happiness, and giving back to the community, she is a six-time James Beard semi-finalist, one of Food & Wine Magazine’s “Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink,” and a force of nature.
Chef John Shields and his wife, Chef Karen Uri Shields, recently won a third Michelin Star for their Chicago restaurant Smyth, while their other restaurant (in the same building) the Loyalist has been cited as serving the best burger in that city. He discusses their journey together, the restaurant in a small Virginia town that put them on the map, and being mentored by both Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz.
Sarah Simington has changed breakfast forever. She invented Cap’n Crunch encrusted French toast. And Cannoli French Toast. And a host of other breakfast and brunch creations she serves up at her Blue Moon Cafe (and spin-off Blue Moon Too) in Baltimore. Born into a restaurant family, raised—as she puts it—on a diner stool, she brings a rock-n-roll attitude to the food, and the experience. You may find her behind the counter singing into a spatula to create a meal and a show.
Chicago chef Donald Young won a Michelin star before he turned thirty. Mentored by legendary chef Roland Liccioni, Young earned his chops at a variety of remarkable restaurants, including a stint at a Michelin 2-star in France. Young now stages surprise pop up dinners (diners aren’t told where they’ll be eating until shortly before the meal). He’ll even cook his superb cuisine at diners’ homes. He specializes in dry aged duck.
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch met over bagels, discussed his obsession with cheese, and as their relationship grew, they bonded over their shared love of food and got married. Eventually, they made food their jobs, traveling the world (now from their home base in Lisbon) to taste local cuisines and write about their experiences, on their website 2foodtrippers.com and on social media. On this episode, they discuss favorite foods, favorite food cities, the differences between food in America and food elsewhere, and why they’ve begun to prefer mom and pop restaurants over the Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy.
Chef Jennifer Jasinski is a powerhouse restaurateur whose Denver restaurants offer French, Spanish, and seafood menus, and whose cooking has won a James Beard award. She worked for her mentor Wolfgang Puck for years, rising to head chef in charge of dozens of his restaurants before opening her own. She talks about her journey, her passions, and why local product is great but not always the best.
Tony Gemignani is one of the leading figures in the world of pizza. His pies were just named sixth best in the world by a leading Italian pizza guide. He has won countless international championships and runs a pizza empire from his San Francisco flagship, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. He talks about all of it, including the pizza he’ll whisk away and replace if you take too long eating it.
Chef Anne Quatrano is the Grande Dame of the culinary scene in Atlanta, where her restaurant empire includes Bacchanalia, which is among the most renowned restaurants in the south. Much of what she serves was grown on her family farm. She has mentored a bevy of rising star chefs and is a major and pioneering force in farm to table cuisine. And a charming and witty interview, who has plenty of great advice for home cooks.
