Spoon Mob

On this very special episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, we've compiled all the questions & answers from our "Burning Grill" segment at the end of each Chefs & Guests podcast from 2021 into one epic episode. Restaurant recommendations, food highlights, great memories, crazy stories, and more are all highlighted in this part 2 of a 3-part episode. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this very special episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, we've compiled all the questions & answers from our "Burning Grill" segment at the end of each Chefs & Guests podcast from 2021 into one epic episode. Restaurant recommendations, food highlights, great memories, crazy stories, and more are all highlighted in this 1st of a 3 part episode. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with chef/owner Andrew Smith of Roys Ave Supper Club & Isla about how he first got into cooking, working construction, why he chose the W.C.I. in Portland Oregon for school, getting his start at the Italian restaurant Riccardo’s, why he took on a second job at Blue Hour, how he wound up in Columbus Ohio, becoming an executive chef for the first time at The Rossi, taking on GM duties for the first time, the mentality of menu consultation and development, running the kitchen at Salt & Pine, how he wound up opening Rockmill Tavern, what chef accolades mean to him now, who would win in a cook-off between him and chef Jay Kleven, where the idea for Roys Ave Supper Club came from, the hardest part of operating a supper club, why using Instagram for a reservation list was a terrible idea, future plans, the state of the Columbus food scene, answers the question left behind from Andy Smith of Sobriety, Shaken, and more before taking on the “burning grill” questions! For more on chef Andrew Smith, Roys Ave Supper Club & Isla, visit spoonmob.com/andrewsmith and follow him on Instagram @chefasmith, @roys_ave_supperclub & @isla_cmh. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with Andy Smith, the founder of Sobriety, Shaken and president of the Ben's Friends Columbus chapter about how he first got involved in restaurants, getting fired, going to jail, going to rehab, how he wound up at all the restaurant's he’s worked at, the difference between working at independent restaurants versus corporate restaurants, how he got involved with Ben’s Friends, the goal of Sobriety, Shaken, how restaurants can become better working environments, covid changing restaurants, the challenges of staying sober, the difference between organizations like Ben's Friends & Sobriety, Shaken and the traditional 12 step Alcoholics Anonymous programs, what needs to change in the Columbus restaurant scene, answers the question left behind from chef Jordan Anthony-Brown of The Aperture, and more before taking on the “burning grill” questions! For more on Andy Smith & Sobriety, Shaken, visit spoonmob.com/andysmith and follow him on Instagram @soberjuggernaut & @bensfriendscolumbus. Visit sobrietyshaken.com & bensfriendshope.com for meeting details & contact information. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this week's episode of Parts Now Known, Ben & Ray travel to the Windy City to recap the Chicago episode. After Ben brings up Taylor Swift for some unknown reason, the guys chat about the Old Town Ale House, cafeteria style diners, Chicago food, improv, food appropriation, music documentaries, Cubs v White Sox, breakdown all the different styles of pizza, and more before checking off the episode categories and updating their episode rankings. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with chef/owner Jordan Anthony-Brown of forthcoming Cincinnati restaurant The Aperture about how he first got started cooking, his original career path, moving to New York with no plan, bs’ing his way into a few stages including one with Danny Meyer, moving to D.C., being noncommittal to the restaurant and corporate worlds, the life event that triggered his dive into the culinary arts, cooking on the line at Iron Gate, his thoughts on culinary school, writing for DCist & Edible DC, how he landed in the kitchen at Rose’s Luxury, the time when President Barack Obama came in, moving back home to Cincinnati, when he knew it was time to start working on a restaurant of his own, opening his pop up Elm Street Social Club, his plan & vision for The Aperture, the timeline to opening, the state of the food scene in Cincinnati, answers the question left behind from chef James Anderson of Ray Ray's Meat + Three, and more before taking on the “burning grill” questions! For more on chef Jordan Anthony-Brown & The Aperture, visit spoonmob.com/jordananthonybrown and follow him on Instagram @janthonybrown & @theaperturecinci. Visit theaperturecinci.com for additional details. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with chef/owner of Ray Ray's Hog Pit and Ray Ray's Meat + Three James "Ray Ray" Anderson about how he first got started cooking, coming up as a self taught chef, thoughts on culinary school, working as a professional photographer, opening the food cart after a few tries with brick & mortar restaurants, the original set up for Ray Ray’s back in the day, why he loves barbecue, how the food truck came to be, partnering with Ace of Cups, building smokers, the vision and concept behind starting Anderson Farms, the Esquire magazine profile, expanding Ray Ray's into Westerville, partnering with Land Grant, appearing on Triple D, the James Beard Award nomination, partnering with Nocterra Brewing, partnering with chef Matt Swint of Matija Breads, launching a drive thru pop up at the farm during covid, the stress and nerves of opening Meat & Three, bringing Bill Glover on to be the CEO of Ray Ray’s, BBQ competitions, figuring out his style of BBQ, answers the question left behind from sommelier Daniel Souder of Pleasantry, and more before taking on the “burning grill” questions! For more on chef James Anderson, Anderson Farms, Ray Ray's Hot Pit & Ray Ray's Meat + Three, visit spoonmob.com/jamesanderson and follow him on Instagram @thepigboss225, @andersonfarms_ohio, @rayrayshogpit & @rayraysmeatandthree. Visit rayrayshogpit.com for menu details, online ordering & catering/bulk orders. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this week's episode of Parts Now Known, Ben and Ray do their best to throw some sunshine on the dreary rain soaked episode that is The Philippines. The guys talk Christmas, debate what's the best holiday, Jolibee, pig roasts, the best part of a pig, mix mix, pizza, BBQ, and more before checking off the episode categories and updating their episode rankings. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with Pleasantry owner & sommelier Daniel Souder about how he got started in restaurants, pursuing a career as a professional poker player, getting his first restaurant job at Enoteca Emilia, how he first got into wine, taking a crash course for the intro sommelier exam, the biggest challenge when taking the certified sommelier exam, why he never sat for an advanced or masters exam, his time at The Phoenix event space, working at 1215 Wine Bar and Coffee Lab, how he and Joanna came to be partners on a place of their own, the concept behind Pleasantry, construction challenges and difficult neighbors in the OTR, how they got opening and longtime chef Evan Hartman to come on board, their short lived fast casual chicken concept Money Chicken, navigating covid, organizing the donation of meals to frontline healthcare workers, the vision behind his upcoming natural wine shop Iris Read, defining natural wine, why the natural wine market continues to grow, the past/present/future of Cincinnati’s food scene, what’s next for him professionally, answers the question left behind from chef Kaci Goff of Wolf And Woman, and more before taking on the “burning grill” questions! For more on sommelier Daniel Souder, Pleasantry & Iris Read, visit spoonmob.com/danielsouder and follow him on Instagram @souderdb, @pleasantryotr & @irisread_wine. Visit pleasantryotr.com for menu details & reservations. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with founder/owner/chef Kaci Goff of Wolf And Woman about how she first started cooking, culinary school, working in her first kitchens at wineries, taking over the pastry chef position during the opening of Malibu Pier Restaurant, her time learning pasta Union and Knead & Co. restaurants, her methodology for applying and working at the restaurants she has, the challenges of working in the Los Angeles food scene, moving to Seattle, the differences between cooking in L.A. and Seattle, starting her pop up Wolf and Woman, shifting her focus to cuisine from her Malaysian heritage, why she moved back to Southern California, how she spent her time during covid, the challenges of running a pop up restaurant, how she builds her menus, how she linked up with sommelier Taylor Berk to create Lucky Cricket, the difference between her two pop up restaurants, her future plans, answers the question left behind from chef Matthew Heaggans of Preston's: A Burger Joint, and more before taking on the "burning grill" questions! For more on chef Kaci Goff, Wolf And Woman & Lucky Cricket, visit spoonmob.com/kacigoff and follow her on Instagram @croquemadame_, @wolfandwomanpopup & @luckycricketpopup. Visit wolfandwomanrestaurant.com for menu details, reservations, online ordering, upcoming events & online shopping. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this week's episode of Parts Now Known, Ben has a homecoming of sorts as we recap the Charleston episode. We talk Sean Brock, oysters & champagne, Jeager, Waffle House, Rodney Scott, Chef's Table episodes, debate if Bill Murray is overrated/underrated/properly rated, Harrison Ford & Indiana Jones and more before checking off the episode categories and updating their episode rankings. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with founder/owner/chef Matthew Heaggans of Preston’s: A Burger Joint in Columbus, Ohio about growing up in West Virginia & Columbus, “retiring” early from AT&T, getting his start cooking at Chuck E. Cheese & Ruby Tuesdays, moving to D.C. to start his professional cooking career, returning to Columbus with a food truck, starting Swoop Food Group, the challenges of operating a food truck, launching his first pop up at the Hey Hey, running the kitchen at The Flatiron, becoming the executive chef at The Rossi, how covid has changed the dining public, opening Ambrose & Eve, what the restaurant scene in Columbus needs to move forward and become recognized nationally, how Preston’s originally started, moving into the North Market Downtown, the closing of Ambrose & Eve, starting the non-profit Service Relief, how to educate the public on real food costs, what makes a good burger, his upcoming standalone restaurant in Groveport, biscuit backlash, why the biscuit recipe took 5 years to develop, where he thinks the food scene in Columbus headed over the next 5-10 years, re-starting his food blog “A Dish In The Life”, future expansion plans for Preston’s, answers the question left behind from chef Joshua Cook of Ampersand Asian Supper Club, and more before taking on the "burning grill" questions! For more on chef Matthew Heaggans and Preston’s: A Burger Joint, visit spoonmob.com/matthewheaggans and follow him on Instagram @kitchebn_matt, @prestonsburgers, @honeysfriedchicken & @service_relief_kitchen. Visit prestonsburgers.com for menu details and online ordering. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray chats with chef Joshua Cook of Ampersand Asian Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio about how he first got started cooking, when he first fell in love with the profession, running a kitchen at 18 years old, becoming a dad and a sous chef at 19, working at Bravo and Brio before it became a corporate chain, how important working at Barcelona was for him, how and why he worked in all the kitchen's he has, leading Hubbard Grille to a 2011 Best New Restaurant award, moving to the front of the house to be the general manager at Asterisk Supper Club, how sensitive people are to menu changes, if it's possible to have great food at a wedding, how they decided on ramen for the concept at Ampersand, developing his ramen style, the challenges of ingredient sourcing for ramen, construction delays, covid challenges, changes in the Short North over the years, why vegetarian ramen is so hard to get right, answers the question left behind from chef Aaron Clouse of A&R Creative Group, and more before taking on the "burning grill" questions! For more on chef Joshua Cook and Ampersand Asian Supper Club, visit spoonmob.com/joshuacook and follow him on Instagram @joshcookpics & @ampersandasiansupperclub. Visit ampersandasiansupperclub.com for menu details, reservations, and online ordering. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.

On this week's episode of Parts Now Known, we recap the Istanbul episode by breaking down how Erdogan took over through the elections, the oddity that is oil wrestling, the food, that state of Turkey now, poetry readings, Facebook being down, the state of media in general and more before checking off the episode categories and updating their episode rankings. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). This episode is brought to you by Stello Mints. Visit www.stellomints.com and use the promo code "spoonmob" for free sample (shipping included) of CBD powered mints!

On this episode of Spoon Mob's Chefs & Guests podcast series, Ray talks with A&R Creative Group's executive pastry chef Aaron Clouse about how he first got started with baking and pastry, originally going to college for music, switching to culinary arts and enrolling at The French Pastry School in Chicago, landing at The Refectory right after graduating, teaching at The Food Lab, what a pastry chef at L Brands actually does, heading up the pastry department at the Gallerie Bar & Bistro at The Hilton, how he first got on the Food Network, what being on Guy’s Grocery Games was really like, creating the pastry program at Mmelo Boutique Confections, competing on the sixth season of Halloween Baking Championship, jumping to The Proper Garden after filming the show, how he used his downtime effectively during covid, joining A&R as the restaurant group’s pastry chef, what’s next for him professionally, future goals, answers the question left behind from Exquisito Chocolates Carolina Quijano, and more before taking on the "burning grill" questions! For more on chef Aaron Clouse and A&R Creative Group, visit spoonmob.com/aaronclouse and follow him on Instagram @aaronmclouse, @arcreativegroup, @themarket.iv, @hoofheartedbreweryandkitchen, @thecrestgastropub, & @alchemy.brands. Visit themarketiv.com, hoofheartedkitchen.com, thecrestgrastropub.com & alchemy-brands.com for menu details, reservations, and online ordering. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1). Audio Editing by @TrackEditPrint. Intro music by @kabbalisticvillage.