loader from loading.io

James Beard, Michelin, and the Soul of King Cake

Walk-In Talk Podcast

Release Date: 01/16/2026

Showing Up When It’s Hard, Leadership, Consistency, and the Chef Who Gets the Call: Kevin Rasberry show art 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...

info_outline Holding the Star: Chef Michael Collantes on Michelin Pressure, Perspective, and What Comes Next show art 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...

info_outline James Beard, Michelin, and the Soul of King Cake show art 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...

info_outline Chef Michael Collantes on Earning and Keeping a Michelin Star in Orlando, FL show art 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...

info_outline The Quiet Work of Belonging in Hospitality with Marina Baronas and Chef Carl Riding show art 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...

info_outline Chef Massimo Orlando and Jack Ross on Italian Roots, Food Culture, and Resilience show art 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...

info_outline Barbecue With Purpose: Stan Hays and Champion Pitmaster Tillman Lee Nelson III show art 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...

info_outline Chef Freddy Money - Michelin Excellence at Atlas and the U.S. Culinary Open show art 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...

info_outline Cooking Through the Cuts: How Chef Ciji Castro Fights Food Insecurity Through Tradition show art 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,...

info_outline Chef Janine Pezarro: From Michelin Kitchens to the Warrior’s Path with Chef Brett Wright from Palm Beach Meats show art 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_outline
 
More Episodes

 

🎭 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 table are king cakes from Brennan’s Restaurant, gifted by the Brennan family, a James Beard Award–winning king cake from Dong Phuong Bakery, and a collaborative cake from James Beard recipient Neal Bodenheimer, owner of Cure and board chair of Tales of the Cocktail, created with Ayu Bakehouse and baked by Kelly Jacques, Food & Wine’s Best New Chef of 2025.

Joining the conversation is writer and author Matt Haines, making his third Mardi Gras-time appearance on the show, helping unpack what Mardi Gras and king cake truly represent beyond spectacle.

Also in studio is one-Michelin-star chef Michael Collantes, who brings a Michelin-level lens to tradition and helps bring a cocktail recipe from Bodenheimer to life.

This episode connects James Beard and Michelin worlds, chefs and writers, ritual and evolution, showing how food culture endures when it’s treated with respect.

This isn’t about recipes.
It’s about meaning.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • King cake is ritual, not novelty
    Timing, intention, and origin matter more than trend or distribution.

  • Tradition doesn’t conflict with excellence
    James Beard and Michelin recognition can coexist with deep cultural respect.

  • The journey is part of the story
    Physically transporting food reinforces its value and cultural weight.

  • Food, drink, and storytelling are inseparable
    Cocktails, baked goods, and conversation together preserve memory and meaning.

  • Writers and chefs protect culture in different but complementary ways
    Both are essential to keeping culinary traditions alive.

🤝 BRAND & CAUSE PARTNERS

Brand Partners

Cause Partners