Culinary Characters Unlocked

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – THE BUSALACCHI FAMILY – EP 19

Joe Busalacchi came to America from Sicily as a child and grew up to share his family recipes with a legion of fans through an empire of restaurants in his adopted hometown of San Diego. And it’s truly a family business, with Joe’s sons and nephew helping him continue his passion of serving the food he grew up with. And the menu is full of surprises, as was our conversation with the Busalacchi family.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – CHEF PREETI WAAS - EP 18

Born in southern India and with no culinary training, Preeti Waas is a two- time James beard award nominee for the Indian home cooking she dishes up at her restaurant Cheeni in Durham, North Carolina. And she says 90 percent of that menu consists of dishes that cannot be found at most Indian restaurants here. She also offers a history lesson on some of India’s most popular foods, and their roots in Scotland and Portugal.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – GREGORY GOURDET - EP 17

He’s won three James Beard Awards in a row—Best Cookbook, Best Restaurant, and the 2024 award as Best Chef in the Northwest. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, was mentored by the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and cooked various Asian cuisines before opening Kann in Portland, featuring Caribbean cuisine and spotlighting the Haitian dishes he grew up on.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – ZIGGY GRUBER - EP 16

Born into a prominent delicatessen-owning family in New York and trained in London, where he worked at a Michelin three-star restaurant, Ziggy Gruber has become deli royalty in, of all places, Texas. His restaurant, Kenny and Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen, is among the very best in the country, serving up a massive menu of traditional deli and Jewish food, alongside his own take on American favorites such as sushi.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED – PAUL SMITH - EP 15

Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Paul Smith won the 2024 James Beard Award as Best Chef in the Southeast for his work at his 1010 Bridge restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia. It’s the first James Beard Award ever brought home to that state, where Smith was born, then returned after cooking at a wide range of fine dining restaurants across the country. He combines traditional Appalachian cuisine with an envelope-pushing creativity.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED –MARTHA SANDERS HOOVER - EP 14

After law school and a stint as a sex crimes prosecutor, pregnant with her third child, and with no experience in the
culinary business, Martha Sanders Hoover decided to open a restaurant. Now she has a dozen in and around Indianapolis. A pioneer in farm to table, with a deep
commitment to employee happiness, and giving back to the community, she is a six-time James Beard semi-finalist, one of Food & Wine Magazine’s “Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink,” and a force of nature.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - CHEF JOHN SHIELDS - EP 13

Chef John Shields and his wife, Chef Karen Uri Shields, recently won a third Michelin Star for their Chicago restaurant Smyth, while their other restaurant (in the same building) the Loyalist has been cited as serving the best burger in that city. He discusses their journey together, the restaurant in a small Virginia town that put them on the map, and being mentored by both Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz.

CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED - SARAH SIMINGTON - EP 12

Sarah Simington has changed breakfast forever. She invented Cap’n Crunch encrusted French toast. And Cannoli French Toast. And a host of other breakfast and brunch creations she serves up at her Blue Moon Cafe (and spin-off Blue Moon Too) in Baltimore. Born into a restaurant family, raised—as she puts it—on a diner stool, she brings a rock-n-roll attitude to the food, and the experience. You may find her behind the counter singing into a spatula to create a meal and a show.   

CHEF DONALD YOUNG - CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 11

Chicago chef Donald Young won a Michelin star before he turned thirty. Mentored by legendary chef Roland Liccioni, Young earned his chops at a variety of remarkable restaurants, including a stint at a Michelin 2-star in France. Young now stages surprise pop up dinners (diners aren’t told where they’ll be eating until shortly before the meal). He’ll even cook his superb cuisine at diners’ homes. He specializes in dry aged duck.

THE 2FOODTRIPPERS - CULINARY CHARACTERS UNLOCKED EP 10

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch met over bagels, discussed his obsession with cheese, and as their relationship grew, they bonded over their shared love of food and got married. Eventually, they made food their jobs, traveling the world (now from their home base in Lisbon) to taste local cuisines and write about their experiences, on their website 2foodtrippers.com and on social media. On this episode, they discuss favorite foods, favorite food cities, the differences between food in America and food elsewhere, and why they've begun to prefer mom and pop restaurants over the Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy.