Line Cook Thoughts – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, I chat with Michael Pini on his business, Brooklyn Pasta Lab. Brooklyn Pasta Lab was established in 2017 and is run by Michael Pini, who has been a chef in NYC for over a decade. Michael has worked in NYC’s top restaurants including, Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad Hotel, Betony, as well as the famous Bruno e Franco La Salumeria in Bologna, Italy. Brooklyn Pasta Lab produces premium fresh pasta for top restaurants in NYC, saving chefs time and money so they can focus on running their kitchens more efficiently. Visit www.brooklynpastalab.com Check out the newsletter at linecookthoughts.com

In this episode, I chat with Maura McMahon. Maura McMahon is currently the Employment Manager at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. She recruits globally to build the best-in-class staff at one of the historic hotels of America. Mohonk's Food and Beverage team has earned accolades including the #2 Hotel Restaurant of the year 2023 by USA Today. She credits the professionalism of her culinary, pastry and dining services teams as a driver to attracting talent locally and worldwide. Maura has succeeded in the competitive space of college recruiting in the US and abroad. She manages J1 internship and trainee programs for Culinary, Pastry, Front Office and F&B as well as managing H2B recruiting for other departments of the resort. Before Mohonk, Maura managed the Career Advising office of The Culinary Institute of America where she worked for 18 years. Maura is a Certified Hospitality Educator from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and earned her Master's degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from St. Joseph's University in 2023. In the episode we talk about why Maura enjoys recruiting so much, the art of the job interview, resume building and much more. You can connect with Maura on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mauramcmahon845/ Subscribe to the Line Cook Thoughts newsletter here: linecookthoughts.com

In this episode I chat with Bobby Hicks, the founder of Retro Recipes Kitchen. In the podcast we talk about some of his favorite (and least favorite) retro recipes. We also chat about his process, how he goes about finding his recipes, the process of content creation in this space and much more. Follow him on socials @retrorecipeskitchen or @thisfellow Check out his patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/RetroRecipesKitchen Subscribe to the Line Cook Thoughts Newsletter here: linecookthoughts.com

On this episode I chat with Val Goodrich about her self published food magazine: Good, Rich Life. We talk about the independent work she did to bring the magazine to life, how she curated her content, and future plans for food media. Get the magazine at https://www.goodrichlifemag.com/

On this episode, I chat with photographer and artist Joseph Weaver. We chat about his photography career, and how he gets great shots of food and the people who create it. We then talk about modern Kintsugi, an art style focused on restoring broken ceramics. A great conversation with someone who has taken different paths in our diverse industry. 

On this episode I chat with Chef Sophie Lynn. We chat about her career so far, managing it during the pandemic, and taking the role of Executive Chef. She shares how she has achieved her goals, the work it took, and what she is aiming for in the future. Finally, she stresses the importance of your team, and why they are integral to your success. 

On this episode, I reflect on the change 2020 has brought me. I then share the top 10 most listened to episodes of this podcast in the past year, and contemplate what the future may hold. Thank you all so much for this year, and I will see you in 2021!

On this episode I chat with Lila Johnson about Square One Chocolates. Square One Chocolates is a small, pop-up business on Instagram run by two recent graduates from The Culinary Institute of America, Lila Johnson and Tony Wuesthofen. The two basement entrepreneurs started Square One in acknowledgment of the change that is now required of them, as well as other culinarians, in response to COVID-19.  Get official Line Cook Thoughts Merchandise @ linecookthoughts.com 

In this episode, I address a topic that many have been reaching out to me for. As we as an industry look to diversify our skillset, many are looking to media and building brand as a way to do so. In this episode I share how I got started in all of my various media outlets. From Instagram, to writing, to podcasting I go over it all and give my experience. I do not expect everyone to follow this exactly, but I did want to share in the hopes of creating clarity and a path for those who want to create content. Good Luck!

In this episode, I get to chat with Kelsey Shade. Kelsey is a 22 year old social media influencer and freelance cook. With over 335k+ followers on Tik Tok, she has been able to transform her online success into a thriving career path. She shares how she went viral, how she's sustained it, what she is working on now, and gives advice for anyone trying to break through in food media.