On today's episode, I am excited to share the audio recording of a live event I recently emceed for HRN. Lessons Learned: Tales from Small Business Owners features captivating stories from four storytellers who opened up about their trials and tribulations in the restaurant business. Sponsored by TD Bank, the event took place at the Tilit NYC Showroom. In addition to introducing our fabulous guests, I sprinkled some of my own stories throughout the night.

The first small business storyteller was Eric Huang of Pecking House, Brooklyn. An Eleven Madison Park alum, the pandemic caused Eric to reexamine his career and business. He found that fried chicken made him rethink everything.

Johnny Spero of Bar Spero in Washington D.C. told the story of finding success with his Georgetown restaurant, Reverie, but then being met with catastrophe when it burned down. He emphasized not giving up on your passion and being sure to stop and feel your feelings.

Yajaira Gonzalez of Pop and Pour in Washington Heights spoke about her business surviving the pandemic. Yajaira said her strength came from her ability to find positives even in the face of challenges. She advised that people should do their research before making decisions, be flexible, understand sacrifices, and use professionals when needed.

Buddy the Bar's Claire Sprouse, owner of the now-closed Hunky Dory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn closed out the evening. She told the crowd that believed that her location and community kept her going while she was in business. The timing of the pandemic and the need to prioritize her personal life helped her make the decision to permanently close the restaurant, however. She said she thinks anyone considering the restaurant industry should take a deep look at what they really want before jumping in.

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On today’s episode, I'm joined by Steven Satterfield, the executive chef and co-owner of Miller Union, a celebrated ingredient-driven restaurant located in Atlanta's West Side neighborhood. The restaurant, which opened in 2009, has become an institution and has been recognized as a top restaurant in America by Eater, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and Esquire. 

Together we talk about opening his restaurant and how he has kept it running smoothly after all these years of operation; growing up in Savannah; seasonal Georgia cooking; and the many local ingredients he works with, including peanuts and okra.

Photo Courtesy of Heidi Geldhauser.

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This episode features Darren and Charlene Lopez Young, the owners of The Fattened Caf, based in St. Louis. When The Fattened Caf started as a once-a-month popup Charlene and Darren were exploring the dream of so many food entrepreneurs with the goal of opening a restaurant. The COVID shutdown led them to pivot their popups into a company selling Longganisa-style sausages. With the focus now on growing the sausage company, they have big hopes of expansion and growth. sausage that is commonly served for breakfast with fried rice and a fried egg. On today’s episode we talk about incubators and business accelerators, when to make the decision to leave your traditional job behind to start your own business or run it full time, the St. Louis food community and the difficulties faced as a minority-owned business.

Photo Courtesy of Rolf Ringwald 

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A native Philadelphian, and classically trained in Bergamo, Italy, Marc Vetri is known the world over for bringing a bold, contemporary sensibility to classic Italian cooking. He is the chef/founder of Philadelphia’s Vetri Family of Restaurants, which operates a collection of the country’s most critically acclaimed Italian restaurants.

Outside of his restaurants, Marc is deeply passionate about giving back to the community, in particular his hometown of Philadelphia. In 2009, he and Jeff Benjamin created the Vetri Community Partnership. The organization’s signature initiative, “Eatiquette,” is a school lunch improvement program currently serving the Philadelphia and Austin areas. Culinary classroom and after-school cooking programs overseen by Vetri Community Partnership further help reinforce lessons learned in the lunchroom. Marc and his business partner Jeff Benjamin are the founders of the “Great Chefs Event,” which brings together scores of the country’s greatest chefs to raise money and awareness for the pediatric cancer charity, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Claire Welle was born outside of Baltimore and attended the Culinary Institute of America. After culinary school, Welle cooked in San Francisco and Washington D.C. She dutifully studied baking, pastry, and bread making under a Tartine alum. Welle also spent time farming at a small organic produce farm outside Saratoga Springs in upstate New York.

Since moving to new York City, Welle cooked at Mas (farmhouse), Gwynnett St, Blenheim, and Rebelle. Currently, Welle is proud to lead an exceedingly talented group of people at her humble Brooklyn restaurant, Otway.

When she is not in the kitchen at Otway, you can likely find Welle at the Four Horseman or La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels drinking wine.

Ajay Walia is the owner of two, culinary-driven Indian restaurants in San Francisco, Saffron and the Michelin-starred Rasa. With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, Walia strives to change the perception of Indian food in Western culture.

While living in the U.S., Walia realized the misconception Americans had about Indian food and looked to change it in by following his passion for food and dream of becoming a restaurateur. Walia opened Saffron in San Carlos in 2002 with the intention to serve North Indian cuisine, celebrating India’s rich culinary traditions and flavors. The menu is a reflection of Walia’s interpretation of dishes curated from recipes and techniques based on his childhood, family and experiences.

A native of Saigon, Vietnam and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Chef Ryan McCaskey discovered his passion for cooking at an early age. As a youngster, he would watch his grandmother recreate handed-down recipes, helping her out as he could, and his interest was piqued. He began experimenting and by age 14, McCaskey was the family cook.

Fast forward to 2010: McCaskey began plans for Acadia, fulfilling a lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant. Acadia opened in late 2011 and has since garnered accolades from both local and national sources. The most noteworthy accolades in the five years since opening have been a two-star rating by Michelin in 2016, a one-star rating by Michelin after nine months (retained in 2013, 2014, 2015), 2015 5-Star AAA rating, Best New Restaurant - Jean Banchet Awards 2013, and three Semi-Finalist nominations for Best Chef Great Lakes by James Beard Foundation.

Brian Loiacono grew up in Long Island in a large Italian family where boisterous cooking and eating together were integral practices. Work in local Long Island kitchens during high school spurred him to push his limits, and at age 19, Loiacono began a stage at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, chef Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin-starred restaurant in Oxfordshire, England. Loiacono credits this experience with “the ass kicking he needed” as a base for his career, one that spurred him to pursue his craft.

Back in New York City, an evening assisting chef Kirk Avondoglio at a City Harvest event led to a career-shifting encounter. Post event Avondoglio and Loiacono went to Daniel Boulud’s three Michelin-starred flagship, DANIEL, where Loiacono was introduced to chef Boulud himself, who would soon be his employer. In 2007, at age 19, Loiacono began working as a cook at DANIEL. In 2008, when Boulud opened Bar Boulud, Loiacono joined the opening team under executive chef Damian Sansonetti, and remained there for the restaurant’s first two and a half years. In 2011, at age 23, Loiacono returned to DANIEL and soon became sous chef.

In 2013, Loiacono once again wanted a change and landed in Verona, Italy at Ristorante Perbellini, the new restaurant by two-Michelin star recipient Giancarlo Perbellini, for a short stage. Within a week of his return to the US, Brian joined The Smile team as executive chef at Ruschmeyer’s for its first summer. Word of Loiacono’s return stateside got back to his former boss and mentor, chef Boulud, who asked him to come back to the DB family. At age 25, Loiacono became db Bistro Moderne’s executive chef and remained there until July 2015, a time during which Brian was recognized a New York City culinary leader in Zagat’s “30 Under 30” ranking.

In late 2015, Loiacono teamed up with ACME’s owners Jean-Marc Houmard, Jon Neidich and Huy Chi Le to re-introducing ACME as a contemporary bistro, Loiacono combines his Italian-American upbringing with his classic French training to create a seasonal restaurant that showcases a variety of flavors and techniques, yet is quintessentially New York.

Chef Abram Bissell became Executive Chef of The Modern in 2014. Most recently, Abram opened The NoMad as Chef de Cuisine in 2012, directly following his role as Executive Sous Chef at Eleven Madison Park, during which time the restaurant earned three Michelin Stars, four New York Times stars, and membership in the Relais & Chateau association.

Earlier in his career, Abram worked in the kitchens of Post Ranch Inn’s Sierra Mar Restaurant in Big Sur, and L’Espalier in Boston. Abram attended the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. He was born into a half Jewish, half Italian family and raised in a fishing community in the Florida Keys, and that is deeply reflected in his cooking. The first dish he learned to make was conch fritters, and that still finds its way onto his menu in present day (but with lobster), and there are elements on various dishes that show his love of Jewish delis.

On this week's episode of The Line, Eli is joined in studio by chef Gunnar Gíslason. Born in Iceland, Gunnar has garnered international acclaim for his creative cooking, and his curious nature, love for reviving traditions, and eye for finding pristine products have been applauded by guests and media alike. Gunnar Gíslason and his family have relocated to New York City where he is the Executive Chef of Agern, located in Grand Central Terminal. Gíslason has teamed up with Danish restauranteur and culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer to introduce New Yorkers to New Nordic cuisine while using New York’s best available and local produce. Gíslason applies ancient techniques commonly used in Scandinavian cooking, such as salting, fermenting, pickling and smoking, across its menu.

SPIKE GJERDE is a chef, restaurateur and local food advocate based in Baltimore who is committed to supporting and preserving the Mid-Atlantic food system by purchasing solely from the growers, watermen and food artisans of the region. Spike leads a team of more than 250 across six locations in Baltimore including Woodberry Kitchen, Artifact Coffee, Bird in Hand, Parts & Labor, Grand Cru and canning operation Woodberry Pantry, plus A Rake’s Progress and The Cup We All Race 4 to open at The LINE DC hotel in Adams Morgan this May. In 2015, Spike became the first and only Baltimore chef to bring home the James Beard Foundation’s award for “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.” He was a finalist both years prior.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Jake Dell, the owner and Vice President of Katz’s Delicatessen, an iconic Jewish deli established in 1888, which the Dell family purchased in 1988.

After growing up in the restaurant industry, Jake Dell officially joined the business in late 2009 and is currently in charge of all major operations. Since 2009, Jake has worked to modernize the 130-year-old deli’s systems and processes while continuing to maintain the old world feel and taste for which Katz’s is famous. Most recently, Jake expanded shipping to include national reach and will open Katz's second location in the soon-to-open DeKalb Market. Jake Dell has a B.A. from Tufts University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. Jake’s favorite meal is Pastrami on Rye (which he prepares himself), side of latkes, and chocolate egg cream.

Elise Kornack is the chef and co-owner of Brooklyn’s Take Root, the 12-seat tasting-menu restaurant she runs along with her wife, Anna Hieronimus. Take Root has received a coveted Michelin star for three consecutive years and was named one of the "Best New Restaurants in America" by Esquire magazine in 2014. Kornack has been a semi finalist for the "James Beard Rising Star Chef" award for the last three years, one of the “50 Most Influential People” in the Brooklyn food scene by Brooklyn Magazine and New York Magazine's critic Adam Platt named her one of five "Best New Chefs 2015" by in the annual "Where to Eat" issue. As of March 2017, Kornack will close Take Root to move her residence to Ulster County with plans to pursue new creative endeavors upstate.

On today's episode of theLINE: Chef Suzanne Barr. Suzanne was previously the Head Chef and a partner at True True Diner in Toronto, Canada, the owner of the popular restaurant Saturday Dinette, and the inaugural chef-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel. She has participated in the James Beard Foundation Chef’s Bootcamp, been a featured speaker at the Mad Symposium in Copenhagen she was chosen as one of six finalists to present a project at the Women In Hospitality United symposium in New York City. Suzanne was also one of the chefs featured in Maya Gallus’ documentary film The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution. With her restaurant closed, she spoke to theLINE from her home in Toronto Canada which is currently still under lockdown. 

Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Barr / Milestone PR 

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This week on The Line, Eli is joined in the studio by Dianna Daoheung, a first generation Lao-Thai American who co-owns one of the most famous bagel shops in New York City, Black Seed Bagels. Tune in to follow the line of her career from growing up cooking traditional Thai dishes, to balancing the roles of chef and business manager.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Marc Meyer, the executive chef of Cookshop, Vic's, Hundred Acres, and Rosie's, all in New York City.

For the last twenty years, Chef Meyer has presented ingredient-driven cuisine and found that the best products are produced with sustainability of the planet in mind. Chef Meyer finds this to be the cornerstone of modern American cooking with roots stretching across the country.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Ayesha Nurdjaja, the executive chef at Hundred Acres, Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer’s farm-to-table restaurant in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, where she serves a newly revamped menu of enticing Mediterranean dishes that highlight local, seasonal ingredients.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Ayesha is the daughter of an Indonesian father and Italian mother. Growing up, she was always inspired by her father’s cooking and his use of exotic flavors, but her entrepreneurial spirit first led her to pursue a business degree at Pace University. After graduating in 2000, she realized that food is where her true passion lies, so she enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Ayesha graduated from culinary school in 2006 and, after watching chef Lidia Bastianich cook on PBS, walked into Lidia’s restaurant, Felidia, and asked for a job. They brought her on as a line cook and she worked her way up the ranks to become sous chef. Since then, Ayesha has helped lead the kitchen teams at Bar Artisanal and Michelin-starred Picholine under chef Terrance Brennan, and at Michelin-starred A Voce under chef Missy Robbins. She also spent time as executive chef at Il Bordello and most recently at Brooklyn neighborhood favorite Red Gravy, where for three years she offered her take on modern southern Italian cuisine.

In 2015, Ayesha met with restaurateurs Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer, who were looking for a new chef at their restaurant Hundred Acres. Ayesha was drawn to their passion for creating a welcoming place with honest cooking and they hit it off immediately. At Hundred Acres, her new menu draws on the rustic, vibrant flavors found throughout Italy, Morocco and Tunisia.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in studio by chef Marco Canora of Hearth Restaurant, Brodo, and Zadie’s Oyster Room.

In the more than a decade since Marco opened Hearth, the restaurant has become an enduring presence in the New York City dining scene, earning a strong local following, positive two-star reviews from The New York Times in both 2004 and 2013, and a prestigious “Outstanding Restaurant” nomination from the James Beard Foundation, regarded as one of the highest honors in the national restaurant industry. In January 2016, Marco reinvented the 12-year-old restaurant with a fresh new look and sharpened commitment to transparency and simple, clean food. The menu focuses on real food and nutrient density, offering quality fats, freshly milled grains, grass-fed butter and sustainable, local fish, all influenced by Marco’s Italian heritage. In 2016, Marco was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: New York City” award.

With a newfound dedication to mindful, nutritious eating, Marco opened his takeout window, Brodo, out of a side window at Hearth in November 2014, followed by a brick-and-mortar West Village location in November 2016. Brodo serves nourishing, sip-able bone broths in coffee cups with customizable add-ins such as ginger juice, freshly grated turmeric and quality fats such as butter and coconut oil, buzzed straight into the broth to create rich, frothy beverages. Marco has been recognized by many as a pioneer of the bone broth trend that continues to spread across the nation.

In June 2016, Marco opened Zadie’s Oyster Room down the street from Hearth. His ode to New York’s turn of the century oyster houses, it offers a menu of seven different preparations of the bivalve along with wine, beer, cider and other shareable bites in a bright, airy space on 12th Street.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Jean Adamson, owner of Vinegar Hill House.

Jean moved from Salt Lake City to NYC in the spring of 1997 to attend the French Culinary Institute. After graduating, Jean began at Balthazar where she worked every station before becoming the first female Sous Chef for the company at the end of her second year. After a stint in Europe, she was the head chef of Balthazar Bakery and later the Sous at Pastis. She later consulted for Frank Prinsinzano to help organize the kitchens of his mini empire, worked as Head Chef at Freemans, and then in 2008 opened her own restaurant in the dusty landmarked neighborhood of Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn.

Almost nine years later Jean still feels the values she learned throughout her years cooking and traveling hold weight in her current efforts within her life and her business. She continues to move forward in her practices as a business owner with consideration of the many parts of the restaurant industry and how they affect one another and the world around.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Chef Eduardo Sandoval of Tygershark in Prospect Heights. Tune in to follow the line of Sandoval's career, from growing up in Texas to serving Korean classics with Latin American flair in Brooklyn.

On the season premiere of The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Tracy Young, co-owner and creative director of Kings County Imperial in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tune in to hear them trace the line of Tracy's career, from working as a private chef aboard luxury yachts, to fusing casual Szechuan cuisine with Brooklyn-sourced ingredients, and soy sauce on tap.

On the season finale of The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in the studio by Chef Jake Novick-Finder of Gristmill. At just 12 years old, Jake started his first internship at Chanterelle in New York City, followed by extended periods at Gramercy Tavern during Claudia Fleming’s tenure, Union Square Café, and a chocolate shop in Paris. Now, as the executive chef and owner of Gristmill in Park Slope, he creates a seasonal rotating menu sourced from farmers and purveyors in the Northeast, including his mother’s personal farm in Rhinebeck, NY.

Chef Ron Silver opened Bubby’s as a one-man pie delivery service on Thanksgiving Day in 1990. He worked out of a small kitchen on the corner of Hudson and North Moore Street in Tribeca baking pies and selling them to restaurants and his neighbors. And today, Ron’s beloved restaurant and pie shop, beloved by thousands of New Yorkers and visitors alike, celebrates 25 years of feeding its community. Bubby’s now has locations in Tribeca and the Meatpacking District, across from the new Whitney Museum.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Bobby Hellen, executive chef of GG's in the East Village.

Growing up in a large Italian family in New York City, Chef Bobby Hellen has always felt most at home in the kitchen. Influenced by his grandmother, a devout Mets fan from Brooklyn who used to take pride in her homemade pastas, sausages, and cured meats, Hellen found cooking at a young age and learned to love the controlled chaos of a kitchen.

Tune in to follow the line of Hellen's career from culinary school to "meat prodigy" and beyond!

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, now is a time to reflect on what we've endured. The audio I'm sharing today was collected in those first weeks of the pandemic, when restaurants, bars, and cafes sat dark and quiet across the nation. Owners were unsure if they would ever be able to re-open and hundreds of thousands had lost their jobs as millions were quarantining at home. You'll hear from chefs and restaurant owners from around the nation in their own words about the impossible and life-changing decisions they had to make as they adapted to the realities of COVID-19. 

And before we begin: I am working on a future episode of theLINE and I want to speak to you; if you are a front of house or back of house worker, whether you've been working or not working during the past year of the COVID pandemic, if you were fired or furloughed or decided to leave the hospitality industry or take a break. I want to hear your story about what the last year has been like for you. If you are willing to share your story and you'd like to speak to me, you can get in touch with me by emailing theline@heritageradionetwork.org. Or you can send me a DM on Instagram to @thesussmans. I would love to hear from you to connect with you and be able to potentially share your story on a future episode.

In Part One, Stories from:

Steven Satterfield - Chef/Owner Miller Union Atlanta @millerunionchef

Alex Raij Founder, Chef, Owner Txikito, El quinto pino, La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie NYC @alexraij 

Andy Hollyday Chef/Co-Owner Selden Standard Detroit @chefandy42

Dave Mancini Chef/Owner Supino Pizzeria Detroit @supinopizzeria 

Hannah Jacobs Co-Owner Babydudes Brooklyn @babydudes 

Dan Kluger Chef/Owner Loring Place NYC @dan_kluger

Marina Michelson Co-Owner Paper or Plastik Cafe @paper_plastic

And after the break, perspectives from:

Aktar Nawab, Chef and Owner - Alta Calidad - NYC, New Orleans, Omaha @altacalidadbk @chefaktar

Max Katzenberg & Greg Baxtrom - Co-Owner and Chef/Co-Owner - Olmsted and Maison Yaki Brooklyn @olmstednyc @nyhospcoalition 

Brent Kroll - Owner Sommelier - Maxwell Park Washington D.C. - @btkroll @maxwellpark_shaw @maxwellpark_navyyard

Camilla Marcus Restaurateur - Westbourne NY - @camilla.marcus @westbourne @roar.ny @indprestaurants 

Whitney Otawka - Chef - Greyfield Inn - Cumberland Island, GA - @greyfieldinn @whitneyotawka

Nate Adler - Owner - Gertie - Brooklyn NY - @gertienyc @natejackadler @leeinitiative

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This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in the studio by Billy Durney of Hometown Bar-B-Que in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

After almost 20 years in the security and private protection field, during which he kept a close eye on some of the country's most public figures, Brooklyn native Billy Durney has fulfilled a longtime dream by taking the helm as pitmaster and owner at Hometown Bar-B-Que. Since first learning to smoke meat as a youngster during visits to his grandparents' cabin in rural Pennsylvania, Billy has spent years obsessing over his barbecue, traveling around the United States and abroad perfecting his techniques. Starting in the backyard, cooking for family and friends, he has now realized his lifelong passion for wood, fire and meat.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in the studio by Chef Rawlston Williams of The Food Sermon.

Originally from the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Chef Rawlston Williams draws vibrant flavors and cooking techniques from an array of cultures. He launched The Food Sermon as a catering venture before expanding to a pint-sized corner restaurant in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, earning an extremely loyal fan base and expanding from there.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Deuki Hong, former executive chef of Kang Ho Dong Baekjong and co-author of Koreatown: A Cookbook. Most recently, Hong has formed a hospitality group intended for restaurants from chefs who, like Hong, are young and talented, but may lack resources. The goal is to assemble a cadre of young talent that will be, as he tells Eater NY, “an Avengers of the food world.”

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined by Jay Chan, chef and co-owner of Fancy Nancy in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. From working in the kitchen as part of his high school's culinary program, to stints at Northern Spy and Mile End, to cultivating a genuine neighborhood establishment with fellow Northern Spy alum Kristin Walker, follow the line of Chan's career on this week's episode!

Leading il Buco Alimentari & Vineria’s artisan bread program, Head Baker Sheena Otto bakes all the breads on the restaurant menu, in addition those offered through the Alimentari’s bakery. Born and raised in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen, Sheena’s path into the culinary world was an untraditional one, though her long-time love of baking did eventually lead her to some of the city’s top bakeries and bread programs. She started her career investigating police misconduct in the NYPD, but confident that she hadn’t yet found her calling, Sheena moved to Washington, DC several years later to explore a career in Law. After a brief stint in DC, she returned to NYC and started working in a hedge fund until 2008, when she was laid off after the stock market crashed. Again in search of her next move professionally, Sheena took a job at a small Mediterranean deli, where her passion for baking was reignited. She became a baker at NYC’s iconic Amy’s Bread and simultaneously staged at SCRATCHBread in Brooklyn. She was hired as Head Boulangère at the Michelin-starred Atera and launched the restaurant’s much praised bread program. After three years, she became the sous chef at beloved Brooklyn bakery Bien Cuit, and honed her bread baking practice of using a slow fermentation process and only the best ingredients, which she now brings to il Buco Alimentari. In addition to il Buco’s classic breads like ciabatta, focaccia fino and filone, Sheena has added her own specialty breads to the menu, including a naturally fermented Buckwheat Rye (made with Anson Mills Rye), a Bourbon Raisin Fennel bread and a flavorful Multigrain bread with pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax seeds.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman sits down with Chef Hillary Sterling. Born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Sterling was inspired to cook by her grandmother, who had a passion for cooking and a knack for resourcefully combining ingredients. Years later, after earning a business degree from Indiana University, Sterling began taking night classes at a local cooking school in Bloomington, which promptly refocused her attention on food. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago in 2003, Sterling returned to New York City and worked in restaurants owned by Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Missy Robbins, and more. Currently, she is the chef at Vic’s, a new neighborhood Italian-Mediterranean restaurant in NoHo.

This week on The Line, Eli gets inside the mind of Jonathan Wu, Chef and Owner of Fung Tu in Brooklyn. Jonathan cites his mom as his greatest culinary influence, and garnering his culinary experience from his travels to Europe, he has managed to create a unique Asian dining experience, putting seasonality at the heart of his cooking.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in the studio by Matt Hyland of pizza destinations Emily and Emmy Squared. Tune in to hear them trace the line of Matt's career from from college to computers to chef whites.

This week on The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in the studio by Robyn Sue Fisher, founder of Smitten Ice Cream. With locations in both Southern and Northern California, Smitten believes that the quality, purity, and positive impact of ice cream can and should be better.

From a stint in business consulting, to enrolling at one of the best business schools in the United States, to patenting a technique for making ice cream in 90 seconds flat, tune in to follow the line of Fisher's career as an ice cream aficionado and innovator.

On the premiere episode of The Line, host Eli Sussman is joined in the studio by Zahra Tangorra, former head chef/owner of Brucie, which was a Cobble Hill destination from 2010 until closing its doors this past February. Tune in to hear her discuss growing up in her parents' specialty food and catering shop on the North Shore of Long Island (the Lovin' Oven), the miracle that led to her becoming a professional chef, and the challenges of running a successful restaurant for five years.

Currently, Zahra is focusing her creative energies on High Five Girl, a feminist lifestyle blog, as well as an in-demand restaurant consulting and catering team.

This is the second in a special series of COVID-focused episodes, showcasing voices from around the country as they reflect on one year of the pandemic. On the first half of today's episode we focus on New York, featuring Caroline Schiff, Patrick Miller, Jessica and Trina Quinn, and Bryan Noury. Then, in the second half, we move to Detroit to hear from Kiki Louya and Lisa Ludwinsky.

Photo Courtesy of Lizzie Munro 

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One year of COVID. In this first of a special series of COVID-focused episodes reflecting on one year of the pandemic, theLINE is showcasing voices from around the country. On today's episode: Ashleigh Shanti in North Carolina, Angela Garbacz in Nebraska , Alex Raij in Brooklyn NY, Matthew Bell In Tennessee and Julie Horowitz in Manhattan.

Photo Courtesy of Julie Horowitz 

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On this episode I speak with Zarah Kahn the chef of Botanica, located in Silverlake in Los Angeles.  A self-described farm and produce nerd, Zarah majored in environmental studies and forestry  at University of Washington. Growing up in Seattle, cooking was always part of her family ritual and she was required to cook dinner one night a week for her family.  After working at Delancey & Essex and running the kitchen at the London Plane, she made the decision to move to Los Angeles to continue her cooking career. She arrived in LA on March 8th of 2020 right as COVID-19 was about to explode nationwide. In this episode we talk about finding friendship during lockdown in a new city, remaining optimistic even in the midst of a global pandemic, the power of family meal to inspire, and what it is like to take over and lead a kitchen during COVID-19.

Photo by Alicia Pollett

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On today's episode I welcome St. Louis native chef Ben Grupe.  Like many traditional chef trajectories, Ben began his career in the industry as a dishwasher. He worked extensively at country clubs and became addicted to competition as team captain for the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team in 2016 and while competing in the Bocuse d'Or, the most prestigious culinary competition in the world. He was recently a James Beard Award semi-finalist (2018) for "Best Chef Midwest." His new restaurant venture, Tempus, opened after a year of delays in October 2020. Never planned as a takeout or to-go restaurant, we speak extensively on this episode about opening up a restaurant during a pandemic and the unique challenges Ben faces as a brand new operator.

Photo by RJ Hartbeck

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On today's episode, I welcome Dario Wolos, founder of Tacombi. After spending 5 years at an internet startup in London, he moved back to Playa Del Carmen and in 2005 purchased a VW bus which became the first location of Tacombi. In 2009 he decided to move Tacombi to NYC, and while biking around NYC he found the spot which is now Tacombi Nolita. With over 10 brick and mortar locations, a production facility in NYC, and a planned expansion in 2022 on the east coast, Tacombi is taking big steps to grow the brand. On today's episode we spoke about the difficulties and pressures of expansion, the community kitchen initiatives Tacombi has championed throughout the pandemic, and how building a great business takes time.

Photo Courtesy of Tacombi.

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On this episode of the Line I am joined by Co-Owner Patricia Howard and her partner and Executive Chef Ed Szymanski about the various versions of their restaurant project called Dame. It has existed as a fish and chips pop-up and has also hosted multiple other chefs during what they called their Sunday Series. Patricia and Ed donated nearly $20,000 in profit to NAACP, Harlem Grown, Hot Bread Kichen and Soul Fire Farm this summer from their various efforts. They are currently open as Dame Deli and Bottle Shop serving Ed’s seafood conservas along with wines, local spirits, fresh produce and prepared goods from many of their friends who dropped in for pop-ups. On this special episode we talk about trying to open and stay open during COVID, how a small team and a lack of funding can help you be nimble and scrappy, what it means to have a strong partnership and if COVID changed any of their ideas about opening and operating a restaurant. 

Photo Courtesy of Evan Sung 

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On this episode of theLINE we welcome Ji Hye Kim, chef and managing partner of MISS KIM, a Korean restaurant influenced by her ancestors and by Michigan produce. After graduating from U of M and spending several years working in hospital administration in New Jersey, life brought her back to Ann Arbor where a desire for a career change brought her to Zingerman's. Enduring a 90% pay cut, she worked at various Zingerman’s businesses and with the Rome Sustainable Food Project, as well as running an Asian street food cart for 4 years before opening the brick and mortar location of Miss Kim in 2016 as a part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. Ji Hye was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef Great Lakes in 2020. She was admitted to and participated in the James Beard Chef Boot Camp for Policy Change and Food Lab Detroit’s Fellowship for Change in Food and Labor. On today’s episode we discuss changing careers, the true time it takes to create, develop and open a food business and how to make the industry more equitable in the future.

Photo Courtesy of MISS KIM

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On today’s episode I welcome Jeff Byrd and his daughter-in-law Lauren to discuss their restaurant Two Birds Taphouse in Marietta Georgia. The restaurant is truly a family labor of love. Jeff, his wife, his son and Lauren joined forces to open Two Birds in 2016.  Jeff was a recently retired attorney and had no previous experience in restaurants or hospitality and from the start took on the massive role of being the day to day operator on site, a job which he continues to this day. Lauren, who now lives in Brooklyn, had extensive hospitality experience coming into the project but had never opened her own restaurant. She is now the Director of Customer Success at BentoBox where she spends all day dealing with helping other people promote their own restaurants. On today’s episode we discuss the pros and cons of working with your family, what it's like to own a restaurant when you have never worked in one before and what it's like to own a restaurant from afar.  We also talk about COVID and how it affected Two Birds and its staff, and the decisions they made that helped the restaurant make it through.  

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On today’s show, I welcome Lucas Sin, Eater Young Guns Class of 2019 and Forbes 30 under 30 and the chef/partner in Junzi Kitchen. Lucas opened his first restaurant when he was 16, in an abandoned newspaper factory in his hometown of Hong Kong with the help of friends and support from his family. While obtaining a degree in the Cognitive Science and English departments, he also hosted a popup out of his dorm and cooked at multiple restaurants in New Haven. In the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute he met his future Junzi Kitchen business partners and incubated the concept. In 2015, Junzi kitchen opened in New Haven and now has 3 additional locations in New York City. The company also has a new concept called Nice Day, which was born out of the pandemic and is focused on honoring classic American-Chinese classics. Nice day is currently incubating inside of a Junzi location, while they plan to launch its own brick and mortar location soon. In this episode we talk about pop-ups, not knowing what goes into opening a restaurant, the rapid growth of Junzi Kitchen and the past present and future of American-Chinese food.

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On today’s special episode of theLINE, recordings from a single day in May following FIG - a collective of social justice-oriented members of the food community  - talking about their efforts to feed people during the COVID-19 crisis. You will hear from one of the founders of FIG about the group came to be and how this food relief program began, a farm partners donating product, a chef who’s own restaurant is closed and is now handling delivery logistics, a catering company that lost all its business that is now producing hundreds of meals a week for those in need, a volunteer delivery driver finding joy during COVID while heading to a drop-off, and a leader at a community organization whose members are recipients of these FIG made meals. 

Photo Courtesy of Food Issues Group 

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On today’s episode we speak with Nic Jammet one of the three founders of Sweetgreen. The company the three friends started over a decade ago as a simple 500 square foot salad shack in Washington D.C. Since then it has grown to become a powerful brand with over 100 locations and a market value well over 1 billion dollars. The conversation was framed almost entirely through the lens of Pre and Post COVID as we spoke about the early growth of Sweetgreen, partnering with your best friends, innovation and technology in the context of a fast casual restaurant and what the future may hold for his company.

Photo Courtesy of Sweetgreen 

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In this special COVID-19 episode, audio recordings from some of the hospitality frontline workers that are going to work every day to feed our country. In what feels like a constant flow of insurmountable moments when day to day reveals a new crisis, these kitchens are doing what they do best - cooking to feeding communities. Featuring voices from around the country - Samantha Fore in Lexington, Jose Salazar in Cincinnati, Janet Kirker in Chicago, Nadine Bailey-Joyner in Washington D.C., Maiko Kyogoku in New York and Leo Robitschek and his team in New York . 

Photo Courtesy of Maiko Kyogoku

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On today’s episode we welcome Benjamin and Max Goldberg the co-owners of Strategic Hospitality in Nashville. The brothers operate and run properties all over Nashville including Merchants, The Patterson House, The Catbird Seat, PinewoodSocial, The Band Box located in First Tennessee Park, Bastion, Henrietta Red, Downtown Sporting Club, and The Party Line. In a very short time Strategic Hospitality has grown into a nationally recognized organization and pre-COVID employed nearly 500 people. In addition to their extensive civic involvement and business accolades, the Goldberg brothers have been nominated for the James Beard Foundation Awards for Outstanding Restaurateur 5 times over the last 6 years.

Photo Courtesy of Danielle Atkins

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On today's episode -  an interview with Dan Meiser and Chef James Wayman partners in 85th Day Food Community, a restaurant group in Mystic Connecticut that employs over 100 people and encompasses Oyster Club, Grass & Bone, and Engine Room. Oyster Club has earned regional and national attention, having been named the “Best Upscale Restaurant in CT” by the Connecticut Restaurant Association and one of the “Best Oyster Bars in America” by Travel & Leisure Magazine. We talked extensively about the crucial changes they've made to their businesses in order to have their busineesses survive this crisis. Dan is also chairman of the Connecticut Restaurant Association and speaks to some of the larger issues facing the state and the industry overall.

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Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are the owners and operators of the Border Grill restaurants which they began in 1985. They also operate BBQ Mexicana, a fast casual concept with two Las Vegas locations, and Socalo which opened in late 2019 in Santa Monica. Mary Sue serves on the boards of both Share Our Strength and the James Beard Foundation and she was previously selected to join the U.S. State Department on the American Chef Corps to promote diplomacy through food in Pakistan, Malta, and Italy. Susan Feniger sits on multiple boards in LA including the L.A. LGBT Center and co-founded Chefs Collaborative. In 2018, they were the recipients of the fourth annual Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, marking the first women to be honored. And also that same year, the duo received the 2018 Gold Award from the Los Angeles Times for culinary excellence and innovation in Southern California.

Photo by Bart Nagel

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