662: Oliver Ridgeway on Do it Nice or Do it Twice
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 10/28/2019
748: Evan Hennessey on Finding Comfort in Vulnerability
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Chef Hennessey is an award-winning chef and Dover, NH native. He graduated from at the Atlantic Culinary Academy in 2001. He has had experiences cooking alongside some of the best chef’s in the country including: Chef Charlie Palmer at New York City’sn , Chef Grant Achatz at Trio in Chicago, Andrew Carmellini at , Thomas Rice and Ken Oringer at Clio, Eli Kaimeh and Thomas Keller at . Chef Hennessey has worked as the Executive Chef of 43 Degrees North, and , as well as Chef de Partie of , all in Portsmouth, NH. Chef Hennessey is trained in classical French techniques and methods and...
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747: Workshop-Anarchism is Business with Ari Weinzweig
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Like most success stories, Ari Weinzweig's started over a casual conversation and a beer, with his now partner Paul Saginaw, about their dream business. In 1982, those casual conversations began to manifest into what was then Zingerman's Delicatessen. Today, Zingerman's is much more than a deli; it is a community of businesses, which consist of the following services: catering, event planning, bakery, baking classes, creamery, mail ordering, ZingTrain, restaurant, coffee-house, and candy manufacturer. These business combined, do over 35,000,000 in annual sales. Check out...
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746: Matt Jennings on Homegrown Vision
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Matthew Jennings grew up in Boston, MA. During his summer teen years, Jennings got his start as a prep cook in Nantucket, MA. He went on to study at the New England Culinary Institute, and to work as a cheesemonger before opening his first business, Farmstead, in Providence, RI. After 10 years of successfully running and scaling Farmstead restaurant, Jennings followed his gut and made the move to his hometown of Boston to open Townsman. Jennings received countless awards and accolades for both restaurants. Yet, in 2018 he walked away from it all. Today, Jennings shares his knowledge with...
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745: Workshop- Knowing with It's Time to Scale with Chris Schultz
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Chris Schultz spent 15 years with the Starbucks management and leadership team before joining , aka the MOD Squad in 2009. Schultz helped MOD Pizza go from 1 location to 100 locations in 2016 as Senior Vice President of Operations. Today, Chris serves as their CEO. You can see, Chris Schultz has developed a track recording of helping great brands scale. That's what we're here to talk about today: When You Know You're Ready To Scale. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite...
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#BONUS EPISODE-- Talking Shop with Jamie Bissonnette
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
BONUS Episode!!! we're connecting with our most recent guest, Jamie Bissonnette, to reflect on his episode, pull back a few extra layers, and ask the questions you wish I did. These recordings are happening weekly at . Join the network and be a part of the she transformation.
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744: Jamie Bissonnette on How to Network Like a Boss
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Collinsville, CT native, Jamie Bissonnette is a graduate of the . After cooking and eating around the nation and overseas, Bissonnette landed in Boston in 1999. After working around Boston, Bissonnette was recruited to help Garrett Hawker open . Two years later Jamie was recruited by Ken Oringer to open KO Prime. Oringer and Bissonnette partnered to develop Boston favorites , Coppa, and . Check out the first time Jamie joined RU back on ! Visit to help save local restaurants. Tell congress to NOW! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join the...
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743: Rudy Miick on Core Values as Decision-Making Tools
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Repeat guest and friend, Rudy Miick, is joining us to discuss Core Values. Rudy is the founder of , where his clients run 3-5x the industry average. While others have been writing books about the ability to shift business culture, he's been doing this work successfully in real-time… defining, refining, and implementing what has, in recent years, been called Conscious Capitalism, Conscious Leadership, and Trust and Track management techniques. Thirty years and more than 1,600 successful projects later, Rudy's work still builds on purpose and is guided by clearly defined values that...
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742: Keith Sarasin on The Power of Vulnerability
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
At the age of 15, Keith Sarasin started working at a local sub shop washing dishes and making subs. By 2012 he held titles from Sous Chef to Executive Chef, and eventually private chef before founding . concept came about from Keith’s time working with local farms in the New England area. He wanted a way to support local farms while sharing the stories he learned from his time with various farmers. Since 2012, has hosted over 81 farms to table events across New England and fed more than 20,000 customers raising over $140,000 for local farms. In addition to his time in the kitchen,...
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740: Anthony Cruz & Gene Colley on The Pursuit of Perfection
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Gene Colley, a former operator of heavy river equipment, and Anthony Cruz, former fine-dining trained line-cook turned healthcare professional, joined forces in 2016 to tackle food market/event/festival gigs with their pop-up fish taco concept, Gulf Tacos. After making a name for themselves by winning a few local food competitions, the duo saw an opportunity to ride the Nashville Hot Chicken wave in 2018. With this seen opportunity, Southerns Food was created and they've been selling out of sandwiches, daily, ever since. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to...
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739: Isaac Toups on Taste Your Food and Work Clean
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Chef Isaac Toups represents the new guard of Cajun chefs, known for his sophisticated approach to a cuisine that's best known for deep rustic flavors. His culinary style is the direct result of his New Orleans fine dining experience, coming up in Emeril Lagassi restaurants and growing up Cajun, born and raised in Rayne, LA, in the heart of Cajun country. With over 300 years of New Orleans family roots, Isaac and Amanda opened restaurant in the spring of 2012. 5 years later Toups' Meatery was followed by . Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the...
info_outlineChef Oliver Ridgeway, was born and raised in Sussex, England. For Ridgeway, life in the kitchen began in his father’s restaurant, where his own passion began to emerge. After studying cooking at Crawley College, Ridgeway worked in multiple hotels and even a cruise ship before landing in U.S. where he held multiple chef positions and even cooked for VIP's during the Olympics. In 2011 Ridgeway made the move Sacramento where he took the Executive Chef Role at Grange Restaurant & Bar, and Camden Spit & Larder in 2018.
Show notes…
Favorite success quote or mantra:
- "Do it nice or do it twice."
In today's episode with Oliver Ridgeway we will discuss:
- Born into the industry and staying with it
- Traveling there ENTIRE world and what you learn
- Cutting your teeth on a cruise ship kitchen
- Hotel kitchens
- Airport restaurant kitchens
- The importance of world travel
- The importance of connections
- Working as a chef at the olympics
- You have to give a shit
- Standards, expectations, and aiming points for your team
- Accountability
- Keep your ego and temper in check
- How to let team members go during hard financial times
- You don't know everything so surround yourself with people who know things you don't
- Resentment in the industry
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Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Leading by example
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Addressing the issue of team members who try hard but it isn't hard enough
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- What makes you happy? What drives you?
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Telling good people that they aren't good enough
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Working with efficiency and urgency
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Making "no" sound like "yes"
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
- What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Look at the long road rather than just the immediate
- 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?
- Be kind
- Cook from the heart
- Do it nice or do it twice
Contact info:
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 Oliver Ridgeway for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!