Chef Aaron Brooks: From Four Seasons to Fire-Cooked Flavor in Miami’s Little River
Release Date: 05/09/2025
Showing Up When It’s Hard, Leadership, Consistency, and the Chef Who Gets the Call: Kevin Rasberry
Walk-In Talk Podcast
This week on the Walk-In Talk Podcast, we sit down with Kevin Rasberry, a chef whose work often begins when things are already broken. Kevin is the Director of Culinary and Executive Chef at The Grove at Trelago, and in recent months he’s been sent across Florida, Clearwater, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee, stepping into kitchens after chefs quit, teams fractured, or leadership gaps appeared. He’s the chef who gets the call when stability and execution matter most. Joining the conversation in studio is Michael Collantes, chef-owner of one-Michelin-star Soseki and Bib Gourmand...
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Holding the Star: Chef Michael Collantes on Michelin Pressure, Perspective, and What Comes Next
Walk-In Talk Podcast
This week on the Walk-In Talk Podcast, we’re on location with Chef Michael Collantes, chef-owner of Soseki, a one-Michelin-star restaurant that has not only earned its star, but held it through consistency, leadership, and discipline. Another restaurant in his group, Sushi Saint, has also been recognized with a Bib Gourmand, highlighting a different but equally demanding standard of excellence. This conversation goes beyond accolades. We unpack what it really takes to sustain a Michelin star behind the scenes, the pressure that follows recognition, the creative balance between starred and...
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James Beard, Michelin, and the Soul of King Cake
Walk-In Talk Podcast
🎭 EPISODE SUMMARY Mardi Gras at the Table: King Cake, Culture, and Culinary Legacy This special Mardi Gras edition of Walk-In Talk steps away from the stove and into tradition. Rather than a typical cooking session, this episode centers on king cake as cultural ritual, bringing together James Beard winners, Michelin-starred perspective, and one of the most respected food writers covering New Orleans today. Mr. Johnny Clutch, Pooch Rivera personally drove multiple king cakes from New Orleans to the studio, honoring the idea that some foods deserve to be carried, not shipped. At the...
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Chef Michael Collantes on Earning and Keeping a Michelin Star in Orlando, FL
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Walk-In Talk Media kicks off 2026 in-studio with Chef Michael Collantes, chef-owner of Soseki Orlando, a one-Michelin-star restaurant that has earned and retained its star. This conversation goes past accolades and into what it takes to sustain excellence, build teams across multiple concepts, and keep your life intact while doing it. We also introduce a new recurring chapter, Chef Mike officially joins the Walk-In Talk Media family as a recurring collaborator. Later in the episode, you will hear from Frederic Casagrande with The Live Fire Report, expanding WITM coverage of international...
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The Quiet Work of Belonging in Hospitality with Marina Baronas and Chef Carl Riding
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Belonging is not something you arrive at. It is something you build. In this episode of Walk-In Talk Media, Carl Fiadini sits down in studio with Marina Baronas, hospitality leader and author of A New Life, A New Menu: An Almanac of Belonging. Raised across Lithuania, Russia, and Azerbaijan, Marina came to the United States at nineteen without speaking English and built a life through the unseen work of hospitality. Her journey moves through kitchens, dining rooms, leadership, motherhood, burnout, and reinvention, offering an honest look at service as lived experience, not performance. Joining...
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Chef Massimo Orlando and Jack Ross on Italian Roots, Food Culture, and Resilience
Walk-In Talk Podcast
In this episode of the Walk-In Talk Podcast, Carl sits down with Chef Massimo Orlando and Jack Ross for a powerful conversation about Italian heritage, food culture, and the stories that shape who we are. Chef Massimo Orlando shares his journey from growing up in Italy and learning to cook in his grandmother’s kitchen to working professionally at a young age in the kitchens around Lake Como. His path took him across the ocean to Miami Beach and eventually to California, where he built a life, a career, and a community. Massimo opens up about mentorship, immigration, the impact of the...
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Barbecue With Purpose: Stan Hays and Champion Pitmaster Tillman Lee Nelson III
Walk-In Talk Podcast
In this episode, Carl sits down with Stan Hays, co founder and CEO of Operation BBQ Relief, to talk about what it really looks like to feed people on the worst day of their lives. From the recent deployment to Jamaica after a massive hurricane to the emotional weight of serving their thirteen millionth meal, Stan shares the stories behind the numbers, including the moment a simple pulled pork sandwich became a symbol of love, humanity and hope. Joining the conversation in studio is champion pitmaster Tillman Lee Nelson III of Tillmans BBQ. Tillman rolls in with award winning brisket, his...
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Chef Freddy Money - Michelin Excellence at Atlas and the U.S. Culinary Open
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Takeaways: The Walk and Talk podcast serves as a vital platform for food lovers and culinary professionals alike, highlighting the intricate narratives behind the culinary arts. Chef Freddie Money, the 2025 US Culinary Open champion, reflects on his journey, illustrating the significance of discipline and creativity in a professional kitchen. Traveling extensively allows chefs to immerse themselves in diverse culinary techniques and ingredients, fostering a broader understanding of gastronomy around the world. The evolution of the culinary industry emphasizes the importance of education and...
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Cooking Through the Cuts: How Chef Ciji Castro Fights Food Insecurity Through Tradition
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Chef Ciji Castro imparts invaluable insights into the art of transforming humble ingredients into delectable comfort food, emphasizing the critical need for resourcefulness in the face of escalating food insecurity. Throughout our dialogue, she shares her expertise in crafting a traditional puerco guisado, a slow-cooked pork stew, while ingeniously demonstrating how to stretch this dish to nourish a family of five for under ten dollars. Furthermore, Chef Castro elucidates the significance of culinary traditions, not merely as recipes but as vessels of resilience and community connection,...
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Chef Janine Pezarro: From Michelin Kitchens to the Warrior’s Path with Chef Brett Wright from Palm Beach Meats
Walk-In Talk Podcast
In this very powerful episode of the Walk-In Talk Podcast, host Carl Fiadini sits down with Chef Janine Pezarro and Chef Brett Wright to explore what resilience truly looks like behind the kitchen doors. Janine opens up for the first time about the murder of her family, the trauma that followed, and how she transformed that pain into purpose — from Michelin-level pastry kitchens to the founding of The Warrior’s Path, a course helping men reconnect with courage and emotional strength. Brett shares his own transformation — escaping gang life, finding salvation in cooking, and building Bib...
info_outlineThe sizzle of fat dripping onto hot embers, the aromatic smoke wafting upward, and the unmistakable char marks on a perfectly grilled steak – few things speak more directly to our primal connection with food than cooking over live fire. For Chef Aaron Brooks, this elemental approach to cooking bridges his Australian roots and his current home in Miami's vibrant culinary landscape.
Growing up on Australia's Gold Coast, Brooks found himself drawn to the kitchen rather than the famous surf breaks. Under his mother's guidance, he developed an appreciation for quality ingredients and the joy of bringing people together around a table. "Mom was always getting me to try new things," he recalls, describing how she embraced diverse cultural influences in her cooking. These early experiences laid the foundation for a culinary philosophy centered on simplicity, quality, and genuine hospitality.
Brooks' journey from backpacking Australian cook to executive chef took him through Four Seasons properties in Vancouver, Boston, and finally Miami, where he spent years leading Edge Steak and Bar before making the leap to Sunny's Steakhouse in the city's burgeoning Little River District. This transition allowed him to return to his passion: hands-on cooking with a focus on exceptional ingredients prepared over live fire.
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Walk-In Talk Podcast
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