CAFE Episode 108 - Learn to Work, work to learn
CAFE Talks Podcast
WORK is a four-letter word that is an important part of a person’s meaning and purpose. It is one key to becoming a contributing member of society and in the case of this podcast, a vehicle for building a person’s competence, confidence, and productive future. Throughout history, the skills of the craftsperson and the foundation for the knowledge worker have been closely aligned with tactile work. Education works best when work is part of education. Join CAFÉ Talks Podcast for a conversation with Alexandra Levit, CEO of Inspiration Work – a futurist consulting firm and author of her...
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CAFE Episode 107 - Influencers to pay attention to
CAFE Talks Podcast
Today, there is so much information to sift through, so many changes that impact our careers and lives, and so many unknowns on the horizon. Our success as chefs and educators lies in our ability to know where to access information and how to qualify its relevance. Referred to as your network of influence, this portfolio of contacts, resources, and well researched data is your professional differentiated product; this is what, in many cases, will define your career trajectory and your effectiveness within that career. Please join CAFÉ Talks Podcast was Chefs Chris Koetke, Mark Molinaro, and...
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CAFE Episode 106 - Transitioning from operations to classroom
CAFE Talks Podcast
As challenging as it is to execute a large-scale banquet or orchestrate the line in a busy restaurant, it can’t compare to that first time you stand in front of a class filled with students – some of whom who are excited to learn while others are not quite sure. You may know “how” tasks are accomplished in the kitchen, your taste receptors are likely fine-tuned, and your ability to problem-solve is never questioned, but now, it’s all about different learning styles, patience, coaxing with encouragement while never faltering from your high standards, critiquing instead of criticizing,...
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CAFE Episode 105 - Ending Poverty with a Job
CAFE Talks Podcast
Education and training are the great equalizers. They lead to jobs, careers, and a sense of fulfillment and self-worth. Jobs provide purpose and direction, social interaction, and the ability to put for food on our table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads – the essentials of existence. With a growing population of poor, frightening increases in homelessness, food insecurity, and mental health challenges – job creation is an important first step in finding resolution. Nearly one-third of first job employees get their start in some type of restaurant operation – we are an...
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CAFE Episode 104 - Assessing flavor memory
CAFE Talks Podcast
When all is said and done; after a restaurateur invests a fortune in an operations ambience, perfect location, the right music, detailed training, and a well thought out marketing strategy, success comes down to flavor. This is what pulls guests in and keeps them coming back. Ah, but flavor includes all these factors in addition to the typical understanding of flavor. Smell, texture, sound, taste, and visuals are the building blocks of flavor, but even if all these factors are spot on, we can’t forget the importance of context which includes all those efforts surrounding the food. Learn how...
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Food Insecurity
CAFE Talks Podcast
Imagine not knowing when you will eat next or where that meal will come from? Think about the relationship that sound nutrition has with your ability to learn, understand, focus, grow, and solve everyday problems. When you are hungry, everything else seems to carry less weight. Consider that nearly 25% of young people in America today (including college students) are food insecure. Try to digest how that might be possible in the wealthiest country in the world; a country that produces more food than it needs. Yet, here we are, in the grips of a serious problem that impacts so many. As...
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The Entrepreneurial Chef
CAFE Talks Podcast
It’s every chef’s dream – to own a restaurant that carries their signature. A culmination of years, if not decades of experiences, skill building, brand creating, networking, and product testing can lead to an operation that is theirs to mold. Ah…but the skill set that got a chef to this point is suddenly significantly different and more complex. All the anxiety and stress of preparing a station in time for the onslaught of orders never goes away even when the chef is now an owner. They may not find themselves sweating out the plethora of orders on a Saturday night, multi-tasking...
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Episode 101 -The Global Impact of Cooking
CAFE Talks Podcast
One hundred countries, millions of chefs, unique traditions and styles of cooking, sustainability, and a commitment to giving back. This is World Chefs, an organization of culinary organizations commited to the betterment of the food industry, the profession of chef, and the core beliefs of its founder – Auguste Escoffier. At a time when the world seems so fractured and in disarray – chefs unite around the importance and binding nature of food and food preparation. Food is one of the most important communication tools that brings people together and points to what makes us the same and...
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CAFE Episode 100 - An Educational EcoSystem
CAFE Talks Podcast
The best partnerships require a willingness to listen, the flexibility to change and the desire to embrace it, recognition of each other’s challenges and needs, and a touch of creativity. In culinary education, this partnership process requires consideration for the community, partner businesses, faculty, maximization of space, and, of course, the student. Tune in to the 100th episode of CAFÉ Talks podcast for an inspiring conversation with Chef Jorge de la Torre from Sun Valley Culinary Institute as we examine their program that breaks from tradition to partner with all stakeholders in...
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CAFE Ep99 - Only so many fish in the sea
CAFE Talks Podcast
We have all heard the phrase: “There are plenty of fish in the sea”, of course used in a different context, but with increased demand at the plate and concerns over the impact of global climate change, the reality is that seafood supply is not guaranteed. Chefs and educators have a role to play in helping consumers stretch their palates and move towards more sustainable fish and sustainable fishing processes used domestically and internationally. Join CAFÉ Talks Podcast for a conversation with Tally Hite, Seafood Watch Outreach Partnership Lead as she offers insight into the work of...
info_outlineWhen all is said and done; after a restaurateur invests a fortune in an operations ambience, perfect location, the right music, detailed training, and a well thought out marketing strategy, success comes down to flavor. This is what pulls guests in and keeps them coming back. Ah, but flavor includes all these factors in addition to the typical understanding of flavor. Smell, texture, sound, taste, and visuals are the building blocks of flavor, but even if all these factors are spot on, we can’t forget the importance of context which includes all those efforts surrounding the food.
Learn how important the whole package is to a restaurants flavor reputation and how, as educators and trainers, we can teach methods for understanding and building flavor. Join CAFÉ Talks Podcast for a deep dive discussion with Chef Robert Danhi, a culinary professional who has dedicated his career to this essential topic for every cook, chef, baker, and restaurateur.