Best What Cooks My Rice Podcast Podcasts (2024)

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27: How to Raise Money for Restaurant Growth | Akash Mirchandani, Kitchen Fund 43:07

11M ago43:07

43:07

Akash Mirchandani is a Partner at Kitchen Fund, a leading investment firm focused on the emerging restaurant space. Kitchen Fund aims to fuel the brands that are changing how we eat, including investments in some popular restaurants you may have heard of such as sweetgreen, CAVA, and Curry Up Now. Prior to Kitchen Fund Akash worked in Blackstone’s …

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26: Top 10 Lessons Learned From Season 1 49:27

1y ago49:27

49:27

Host Bryan Tublin shares his top 10 lessons learned from Season 1 of My First Restaurant. Top 10 Lessons Learned: Know why you’re getting into the business Test your concept first! Timing and momentum matters Raise enough capital – Things always cost more and take longer than you think Choose the right contractor for your buildout Centralized Commi…

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25: From Line Cook to Restaurant Owner | Dominica Rice-Cisneros, Bombera 50:13

1y ago50:13

50:13

“I work really hard, and my staff works really hard, so I have to be in love with that city and that community to do the work that I do.” — Dominica Rice-Cisneros is the Chef & Owner of Bombera in Oakland, California. During her long career as a line cook, Dominica worked her way up in fine dining establishments such as Chez Panisse and The Four Se…

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24: Secret Shoppers, Diversified Growth, & Running Two Businesses at Once | Mistie Boulton, Oren’s Hummus & EyeSpy 58:19

1y ago58:19

58:19

“You want more happy employees that are gonna turn to happy guests, and in order to do that you don’t want your team to feel overwhelmed.” — Mistie Boulton is the CEO of Oren’s Hummus, and the President and Founder of EyeSpy Critiquing & Consulting, a mystery shopping and operations improvement business for the service industry. Mistie brings 20+ y…

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23: The Rise of “Fast Premium” and Roman Style Pizza | Gabriel Baldinucci, Baldinucci Pizza Romana 50:36

1y ago50:36

50:36

“Don’t ever even consider opening a restaurant unless you have worked in and ideally managed one.” — This week’s guest is Gabriel Baldinucci, co-founder of Baldinucci Pizza Romana, a “fast premium” pizza restaurant based in Austin, Texas. In this interview we discuss the origins of the concept, as well as: Why Gabriel believes the market for “fast …

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22: How Refining Operations Can Help You Grow | James Deng, Poké House 46:01

1y ago46:01

46:01

“The people that are super successful have their operations on lock.” — James Deng is the Founder & CEO of Poké House, a poké chain based in Northern California with 9 locations and counting. James opened Poké House’s first location in 2015, and has since grown the concept to 5 company-owned locations and 4 franchise operated units, with big plans …

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21: From Pop-ups to Pizza Trendsetter | Marc Schechter, Square Pie Guys 1:37:44

1y ago1:37:44

1:37:44

“Lean into your network, don’t be afraid to grow it, and don’t be afraid to ask people for help and reach out to people who have done it before. You never know what you’ll get back, you just have to ask.” — Marc Schechter is the Co-Founder of Square Pie Guys, a Detroit style fast casual pizza chain based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With three lo…

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20: Creating a Civic Gathering Space | Manny Yekutiel, Manny’s 38:27

1y ago38:27

38:27

“The least understood thing about opening a public facing business is the feeling of it, the emotional journey you have to go on” — Manny Yekutiel is the owner of Manny’s, a civic and political event space with a bookshop, coffee shop, bar, and restaurant, located in San Francisco. As you’ll quickly find out, Manny is not your traditional business …

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19: Tackling Climate Change Through Food Waste | David Murphy & Kayla Abe, Shuggie’s 53:34

1y ago53:34

53:34

“Don’t pick the cheapest person, don’t pick the person who says they’re going to do it fast… pick the person that is the most responsible.” — In this episode we’re joined by David Murphy & Kayla Abe, co-owners of Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine, a climate solutions restaurant highlighting upcycled ingredients, where they take all kinds of things…

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18: Saved by a Second Location | Todd Parent, Extreme Pizza 1:08:01

1y ago1:08:01

1:08:01

“Whatever you think it’s gonna cost double it, whatever you think you need for working capital triple” — This week’s guest is Todd Parent, Co-Founder & CEO of Extreme Pizza, a Bay Area-born chain with over 30 locations from coast to coast. Todd had a unique journey to restaurant ownership, starting in the dish pit of a friend’s restaurant in New Je…

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17: The Restaurant Lease Episode | Roberta Economidis, GE Law Group 53:59

1y ago53:59

53:59

“At some point you have to say, ‘I’m not going to make a bad business decision to get my dream space.’” — Today our guest is Roberta Economidis, co-founder and partner of Georgopoulos & Economidis, a boutique business law firm based in San Francisco, with a specialty in the hospitality industry. Roberta has helped restaurants and hospitality busine…

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16: How to Open With No Cash, No Chef, & No Time | Jennifer Peters, Just BE Kitchen 41:05

1+ y ago41:05

41:05

“I wanted to close the gap between who I was and what I did.” — Jennifer Peters is the Founder & Foodie of Just BE Kitchen, a two-unit fast casual concept in Colorado, with an allergen friendly menu focused on serving “mindful mouthfuls from a conscious kitchen” through meals that are gluten, grain, refined sugar, and dairy-free. As you’ll hear in …

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15: SPECIAL GUEST - The Kitava Story | Sam Oches interviews Bryan Tublin about Kitava 46:20

1+ y ago46:20

46:20

This week we’re flipping the script. Guest host Sam Oches, Editorial Director of Informa’s Restaurant & Food Group, interviews Bryan about his journey to start and grow Kitava. Sam and Bryan discuss Kitava’s origin story, including the path from pop-ups and farmers markets to opening a brick-and-mortar location inside an old McDonald’s. Other topic…

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14: Building a Scalable Brand Through Passion & Culture | Leo Kremer, Dos Toros Taqueria 57:22

1+ y ago57:22

57:22

“The guest experience will never rise above the level of the team experience” — Leo Kremer is the Co-Founder of Dos Toros Taqueria. As a Berkeley, CA native, Leo and his brother Oliver grew up eating Mission-style burritos from local taquerias throughout the Bay Area. After spending time as a professional musician, including with Third Eye Blind, a…

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13: Pioneering the Fast-Fine Restaurant Movement | Charles Bililies, Souvla 1:18:19

1+ y ago1:18:19

1:18:19

Charles Bililies is the Founder & CEO of Souvla, a group of fast-fine Greek restaurants with six locations throughout San Francisco. Charles has built Souvla from a passion project into a brand with a cult-like following, having been named a “Top 100 Restaurant” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and a recipient of the StarChefs award for “Best Concep…

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12: The Story of Ike’s (Part 2) | Ike Shehadeh, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches 54:38

1+ y ago54:38

54:38

“The universe will pay you in direct proportion to the value that you are giving.” This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation with Ike Shehadeh. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, go back and listen to Episode 11 for full context! In this deeply philosophical episode, we cover: The difference between wealth and financial success How to make decision…

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11: The Story of Ike’s (Part 1) | Ike Shehadeh, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches 56:44

1+ y ago56:44

56:44

“I’m working LESS now with a hundred locations than I did with one… It’s a MYTH that it’s hard to expand.” - Ike Shehadeh --- Imagine the following… > You’ve been kicked out of college > Your first business goes broke and you become homeless > While working three jobs to make ends meet, you decide to open a sandwich shop > On your first day no one …

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10: Embracing Your Target Market | Benson Wang, Palm House Hospitality 1:06:03

1+ y ago1:06:03

1:06:03

“You need to be all in, otherwise it doesn’t really work.” - Benson Wang Benson Wang is the co-founder and CEO of Palm House Hospitality, an experience driven lifestyle and hospitality company based in the Bay Area with a diversified portfolio in restaurants, nightlife and lodging. In our interview we discuss: - How Benson and team make data-driven…

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09: Staying True to Your Roots | Nelson German, alaMar, Sobre Mesa 58:30

1+ y ago58:30

58:30

“The end goal is to make people happy, and tell our stories through food” - Chef Nelson German -- Nelson German is the Executive Chef/Owner of alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa in Oakland, CA. His restaurants tell the stories of the African and Caribbean diasporas through cultural foodways, and have achieved local and national accolades. Chef Nel…

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08: How to Make It in a Seasonal Economy | Jaime Sparrow, Sunbird 47:11

1+ y ago47:11

47:11

Jaime Sparrow is the owner of Sunbird Cape Cod, a zero-waste cafe specializing in fresh, local, and sustainable food. In this interview Jaime shares her journey from working in San Francisco restaurants to moving back home to open a food truck, and eventually a cafe, in a seasonal economy heavily driven by tourism. We discuss how Jaime and her husb…

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07: Creating the Domino’s of Chinese Takeout | Hanson Li, Salt Partners 1:01:49

1+ y ago1:01:49

1:01:49

Hanson Li is the founder and managing partner of Salt Partners, a San Francisco based restaurant group with a current portfolio around the 4 major food groups: ice cream, Chinese take-out, bars, and bakery. This episode provides a super detailed perspective on running and growing restaurants, including what makes it so difficult, the tech stack Han…

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06: From Cookbook Author to Multi-Unit Restaurant Operator | Amanda Frederickson, Radish 41:42

1+ y ago41:42

41:42

Amanda is a cookbook author and owner of Radish, a fast casual restaurant with two locations in Nashville. In this interview Amanda shares the opportunity she saw for a healthy fast casual concept when she moved to Nashville, and how she took matters into her own hands by opening Radish. We discuss how she planned for and opened her first two locat…

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05: Building a College Town Institution | Alex Brandwein, Brandwein's Bagels 48:05

1+ y ago48:05

48:05

Alex Brandwein is the owner and founder of Brandwein’s Bagels, an authentic New York-Style Bagel Shop located in Chapel Hill, NC. In this interview Alex tells the story of how a “breaking point” in his finance career led him to make the big life change to become an entrepreneur, and ultimately open a bagel shop while he was in grad school at the Un…

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04: Building a Restaurant to Fit Your Lifestyle | Mat Schuster, Canela 57:54

1+ y ago57:54

57:54

Mat Schuster is the Chef and Owner of Canela Bistro & Wine Bar, a Spanish restaurant in San Francisco specializing in ingredients and dishes from Spain and California. Mat also serves as the President of the Board for the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, and generously lends his talents to helping restaurants succeed in the Bay Area. In this int…

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03: Finding Your Michelin Star Business Partner | Ben Moore, Mamahuhu 57:20

1+ y ago57:20

57:20

Ben Moore is a Partner and Co-Founder of Mamahuhu, a fast casual Chinese American restaurant concept that puts a modern spin on classic Chinese American favorites. In this interview Ben shares the story of how he fell in love with Chinese culture after living in Shanghai, was ultimately inspired to modernize Chinese American cuisine back in the Sta…

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02: How to Save Your Restaurant From the Brink of Failure | Laurie Thomas, Rose's Cafe, Terzo, GGRA 51:35

1+ y ago51:35

51:35

Laurie Thomas is the Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, and the Owner of Rose’s Café and Terzo in San Francisco. In this interview Laurie shares her journey from working in marketing for a tech company in Silicon Valley to becoming an investor in a restaurant group in San Francisco, and ultimately transitioning to running…

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01: Growing a Food Truck Empire | Evan Kidera, Señor Sisig 1:08:42

1+ y ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Evan Kidera is the Founder and CEO of Señor Sisig, a Filipino Fusion food truck innovator and now growing restaurant chain in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this interview Evan shares how he got started in the food truck scene, grew his concept to multiple food trucks, then ultimately decided to focus on growing the business through brick-and-morta…

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Trailer: Introducing My First Restaurant 2:25

1+ y ago2:25

2:25

Learn how to start, run, and grow a successful restaurant business from those who have been there before. My First Restaurant features interviews with successful restaurant owners about the process of opening their first restaurant, and what it took for them to succeed. Hosted by Bryan Tublin, Co-Founder & CEO of Kitava, a clean casual restaurant b…