659: Matt Selby on Kindness is Everything
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 10/17/2019
737: Jennifer Weishaupt on Engineering Ideal Operations
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Trained engineers, Erich and Jennifer Weishaupt had no plans to own a restaurant. That all changed when a friend purchased a property in their community and asked them to run a breakfast restaurant there. They took the challenge head-on and leveraged their years of experience with critical thinking and project management to revitalize the Mid-City New Orleans neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 12 years later, they've scaled to 18 locations throughout the Gulf Coast under the brand of Ruby Slipper and Ruby Sunshine. In addition, Jennifer has served on the Board of Directors of...
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736: Josh Kopal on Always Grateful, Never Satisfied
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Entrepreneur, restaurateur, and environmental advocate, Josh Kopel, was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Throughout his 20+ year career in food and beverage, he has managed venues ranging from the Alligator Bayou Bar, as well as the hottest Hollywood nightclubs, bars, and ultra-lounges. He went independent in 2010, opening his first concept Five0Four, in Hollywood, CA. Ten years later, he's created a family of brands ranging from Michelin-rated fine-dining to fast-casual, all with a central focus on Southern hospitality and Southern cuisine. Check out his website . To learn...
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735: Nina Compton on Positive Vibes All Around
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Hailing from the island of Saint Lucia, Nina Compton is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park. She started her professional career working under the mentorship of Daniel Boulud at his namesake restaurant . Nina then moved on to Miami where she continued to work in leading restaurants and hotels including Scott Conant's where she served as chef de cuisine. After being runner up on Top Chef season 11, and voted fan favorite, Nina moved to New Orleans to open her own restaurant, Compère Lapin in 2015. In 2018, was followed by . Go to as mentioned in today's episode to...
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734: Drew Delaughter on Operating Without Fear or Greed
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
was created by Drew Delaughter, Chef Blake Aguillard, and Trey Smith. Drew and Trey met in 2008 at culinary school in Hyde Park, NY. They both moved to New Orleans after school. Drew worked at Susan Spicer’s working his way up to Captain, gaining valuable service experience, as well as, wine and spirit knowledge. Smith went to work for Chef Michael Gulotta at where he met and worked alongside Blake. After some European traveling, and working in other cities, the trio reunited and Saint-Germain was born. Check out as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! ...
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733: Ariane Daguin on Humane and Sustainable Farming
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Ariane Daguin is the founder, owner and CEO of , the renowned gourmet food purveyor. Famous for providing humanely-raised meats, from game and foie gras to organic chicken and prepared charcuterie, the name D’Artagnan is synonymous with top-quality food produced with care. Today we're here to discuss how the meat industry has been impacted by COVID-19, how Ariane has pivoted her company to keep quality meat on American tables, the issues of factory farming that have been brought to light by the pandemic, and why returning to sustainable methods is crucial to the environment and consumer...
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732: Michael Gulotta on Employees-First Culture
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Born and raised in New Orleans, Michael Gulotta began cooking in local restaurants at a young age. After graduating from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, he joined the newly opened , where he was named Chef de Cuisine in 2007 and led the award-winning kitchen for 6 years. In 2014 Michael opened to rave reviews and accolades. Today, Michael has scaled the operation to include and a second Mopho located in the new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Check out as mentioned in today's...
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731: Dr. Kara Farley on COVID-19 and Blue Ocean Health Services
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Dr. Kara Farley is a veteran, wife, mother of two, and physician. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred during Dr. Farley's last tour as a Naval Flight Surgeon. During that time, Dr. Farley was a lead member of the public health emergency services team where she created and implemented protocol aimed at decreasing transmission between sailors and soldiers. During her transition out of the military, she realized that the civilian sector was in need of these same services she created. In June she started , which aims to give your business the tools for success during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond....
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731: Dr. Kara Farley on COVID-19 and Blue Ocean Health Services
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Dr. Kara Farley is a veteran, wife, mother of two, and physician. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred during Dr. Farley's last tour as a Naval Flight Surgeon. During that time, Dr. Farley was a lead member of the public health emergency services team where she created and implemented protocol aimed at decreasing transmission between sailors and soldiers. During her transition out of the military, she realized that the civilian sector was in need of these same services she created. In June she started , which aims to give your business the tools for success during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond....
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730: Dennis Bagneris Giving People the Space to Grow
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
In 2008, Janet Davas founded . Her vision was to create a place where young adults who had been neglected or criminalized could come for a hot meal, a job opportunity, and a support system. Fast forward 12 years since its inception, we're sitting with Liberty's Kitchen CEO, and longest standing employee, Dennis Bagneris. In that time Liberty's Kitchen has evolved into a workforce development training program, which functions as a social enterprise, dedicated to transforming the lives of the "Opportunity and Vulnerable Youth" population of New Orleans, LA., by providing them with the support to...
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729: Page Pressley on Clarity of Vision
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Page Pressley got his start in culinary where he grew up; Santa Fe, New Mexico. He continued on to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Upon graduation, Pressley returned to the Southwest to manage kitchens at several highly acclaimed establishments. In 2011, he moved to Austin, Texas to join the Uchi team as sous chef, and later becoming a corporate executive chef for . He returned to the line at in Mexico City until 2015, when he moved back to Austin to head up the opening team at as chef de cuisine and partner. Today Pressley serves as Founder & Chef ...
info_outlineOriginating from Denver's Five Points Community, Matt Selby got his start in the restaurant industry at the once-popular, Rattlesnake Grill. His skill in the kitchen and ability to lead others was quickly recognized by those in the industry. It was clear opportunities were inevitable. Those Opportunities came in 1997 when Selby was approached by Josh Wolkon to Join Vesta, a Secret Sauce restaurant concept.
Selby parted ways with Secret Sauce in 2013, and has been earning a living as a consultant, opening restaurants, overseeing multiple locations as culinary director, and occasionally serving as a line cook. He's recognized for being key in contributing Denver's Culinary foundation, not only for his skills in the kitchen but more importantly for his patience and passion to serve as a mentor to the next generation of professionals.
Show notes…
Favorite success quote or mantra:
- "Kindness is everything."
In this episode with Matt Selby well will discuss:
- Leadership skills
- Passion
- Bring up your team
- Give value
- Thew difference between customers and guests
- the difference between commanding and demanding respect
- What will get you through the hardships of the industry
- Inherent leadership
- Engage with people always
- The pros and cons of consulting
- Speak up for yourself while giving leeway to others
- Best inventory practices
- Reducing waste in the kitchen
- Marijuana in the industry
Today's sponsor:
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Wisetail’s user-friendly platform focuses on engaging, growing, and empowering your workforce while enabling your culture to thrive in multi-site businesses. It is easily configurable to an organization's brand and technical specifications. In addition, Wisetail provides a social community for their customers to share best practices and continuously improve the learning experience.
Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Kindness
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Kindness to a fault
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- Motivation
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Getting out of bed
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Professionalism/directness
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Pay attention, be proactive
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Pay attention
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
- If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
- Giving back
- Being kind
- Working hard
Contact info:
West of Surrender website (current client)
Email: selbymatt5@gmail.com
Get in touch: 720-387-5311
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
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Huge thanks to Matt Selby for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!