726: Diego Galicia on Providing Insurance with only 6 Employees
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 06/29/2020
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_outlineOriginally from Toluca, Mexico, Diego Galicia moved to San Antonio in 2001. He studied at The University of Texas-San Antonio, and the Culinary Institute of America. As a student at the CIA he worked at John Besh's Luke, a local french bakery, and Patty Lou's. Galicia also has served stints at Azul Condesa, Atelier Crenn, and Moto.
In 2013, along with co-chef partner Rico Torres, Galicia opened Mixtli (mish-ly) located in San Antonio, TX. Mixtli has been regarded as one of Texas' most avant-garde restaurants. Every 45 dinner their 90-minute tasting menu changes-- spotlighting a piece Mexico's history with each rendition. Galicia and Co-Chef/owner Rico Torres have been named to Food and Wines list of "Best New Chefs, in 2017, and the duo has also been listed as James Beard Semifinalists.
Check out The Subtle Art of Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson as mentioned in today's episode.
Show notes…
Calls to ACTION!!!
- Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
- Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
- Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)
Favorite success quote or mantra:
- "Be more concerned with your character and not your reputation because your character is what you really are and your reputation is merely what others think you are."
In today's episode with Diego Galicia we will discuss:
- Pressures of being a chef
- Keeping your circle small
- Reflecting on mistakes
- What can a restaurant job can supply for you when you're down on your luck
- Cooking is a team sport
- Never be afraid to ask fellow chefs for help
- Become a master of numbers
- Restaurants live and die by their numbers
- Lessons from a corporate kitchen job
- Tell a story with your menu
- Partnerships
- The secret to providing health insurance for your staff is that you aren't an asshole
Today's sponsor:
Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.
Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Commitment
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Patience
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- If they have a car
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Respect
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Recognizing that "The customer is always right" is not true
- What is one book that is a must read to make us a better person or restaurant owner?
- What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Take care of their staff
- Name one service you've hired.
- Alsco - Linen Service in Texas
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
- Tock for reservations
- LegalZoom for legal advice
- Ehealthinsurance for affordable health insurance.
- 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?
- Cooking is a gift for human beings
- Have respect
- Don't judge people
Contact info:
website: www.restaurantmixtli.com
Instagram: @mixtlicloud
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 Diego Galicia for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!