Spoon Mob

On this week's restaurant review, Ray talks about his two visits to one of Columbus's newest restaurants Cleaver. Ray talks about the news that broke after chef Jay Kleven came on the podcast, breakdown the dishes from the "Dinner Party", and reviews the recent take home meal. For more on chef Jay Kleven and Cleaver, visit spoonmob.com/jaykleven. 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 talks with executive chef and co-owner of the Tremont located Bar Oni, the notoriously NSFW chef Matthew Spinner. They chat about PPP loans, how he got started in the industry, working in Cleveland, staging overseas, working in San Francisco, opening Park Tavern, getting fired, moving to Chicago, his time at Next, moving back home to Cleveland, being offered to take over as chef at Ushabu, going PhD level deep on researching Japanese cuisine and culture, pivoting to a neighborhood Izakaya, the recent launch of Conforti before answering the "burning grill" questions, telling one of the best Anthony Bourdain stories you'll ever here from anyone in the industry, and absolutely eviscerating (rightfully so) GrubHub! For more on chef Matthew Spinner and Bar Oni, visit spoonmob.com/matthewspinner and follow him on Instagram @roast_baste_killah, @bar.oni.izakaya, & @conforti_togo. Visit bar-oni.com and confortitogo.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 the first episode of Parts Now Known season 4, Ray and Ben recap the Shanghai episode. The guys talk about China's economy, Xiaolongbao, soy, authentic Chinese and Shanghai food, millionaires and billionaires, the awkward dinner scene with Tim, China's buying power, the wedding scene, and more before breaking down the 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 week's restaurant review, Ray talks about the best of chef Jose Salazar's three Cincinnati restaurants, Mita's. Ray talks about Salazar moving to the U.S. from Colombia, working in the New York City restaurant scene, working at Per Se, taking over at Bouchon Bakery as executive chef, moving to The Queen City, deciding to open his eponymous restaurant in Over The Rhine, opening his second restaurant Mita's, opening his third restaurant Goose & Elder, and appearing on Cincinnati Magazine's annual top ten restaurants list while being nominated for a James Beard Award for four consecutive years. Then Ray breaks down the menu from his two visits thus far to possibly the best Latin American restaurant in the state of Ohio. For more on chef Jose Salazar and Mita's, visit spoonmob.com/josesalazar. 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 talks with Chapman's Eat Market's executive chef BJ Lieberman about how he got started later in the industry than most, going to the CIA, externing at chef Sean Brock's McCrady's in Charleston, being apart of the Husk opening team, his instant friendship with chef Aaron Silverman, moving back to the D.C. area, opening Rose's Luxury, appearing in the New Chefs On The Block documentary, helping open Pineapple & Pearls, opening Little Pearl, Chicago versus Columbus, renovating the old Max & Ermas space, opening Chapman's Eat Market in the middle of a global pandemic, all the little details at the restaurant, and what's next before answering the "burning grill" questions and settling the pig blood soup versus pig brain argument from the Parts Now Known Thailand podcast! For more on chef BJ Lieberman and Chapman's Eat Market, visit spoonmob.com/bjlieberman and follow him on Instagram @bjlieberman, @eatchapmans & @drinkchapmans. Visit eatchapmans.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 the season 3 wrap up / season 3 preview episode of Parts Now Known, Ray and Ben chat Game Stop Stock, the Super Bowl, coronavirus, Nashville, the Tennessee Volunteers Football scandal, travel, Tom Brady, and more. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).

On this week's restaurant review podcast, Ray talks about one of his favorite bakeries, Cincinnati's Brown Bear Bakery. Ray talks about chef Blair Fornshell's career, the meaning of the bakery's name, and pick's his favorite baked good from his multiple visits during a week long stay in the Queen City. For more on chef Blair Fornshell and Brown Bear Bakery, visit spoonmob.com/blairfornshell. 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 talks with former executive chef at Comune chef Jacob Inscore about how he got started in the industry, his thoughts on culinary school, working at Wolf's Ridge Brewing right after it opened, his desire to work at Watershed Distillery Kitchen & Bar, his time at Service Bar, launching pop up restaurants, staging at McCrady's in Charleston and Luskus in Brooklyn, starting at Comune, being promoted to executive chef, a simpler way to look at constructing vegetarian cuisine, the current state of vegetarian cuisine in Columbus, the BLM protests back in June, Comune's fundraising efforts, his upcoming move to New York, restaurants he'd like to work at and more before taking on the "burning grill" questions! For more on chef Jacob Inscore visit spoonmob.com/jacobinscore and follow him on Instagram @cobezilla. 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 the season finale Parts Now Known season 3, we make some caipirinha's, kick back and recap the Bahia episode. Ray and Ben talk about the weird Master Shredder scene, Ernest aka Jim Varney, hand line fishing, blow fish, Dan Rather, filming Brazilian butts, Lobster Wars, art museums, The Beetles, U.S. beaches, the food, and hiring a boat to day trip to a private island before breaking down the 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 week's restaurant review, Ray talks about one of the most influential restaurants Toronto has ever seen, Jen Agg's The Black Hoof. Ray recounts his experience at The Hoof a few months before its closure and breaks down some of the dishes he had from chef James Santon, The Hoof's last chef. For more on chef James Santon and The Black Hoof, visit spoomob.com/jamessanton. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).

On this week's episode of the Parts Now Known podcast, we jump in a Tuk Tuk and follow Bourdain and guest host chef Andy Ricker around Norther Thailand and the streets of Chang Mai. Ben and Ray talk Ricker's expertise in Thai cooking, rice whiskey, sticky rice, Thai cuisine flavors, eating fish a whole fish, grilled frog, smuggling nam prik, debate pig brain vs raw pig blood soup, talk karaoke, ice and beer, the lady with the cowboy hat, Ladyboys, Waffle House being a statistic for FEMA, Jewel, Papa New Guinea, the Netflix show "Alone", Wolfgang Puck's catering show on HBO Max, and hammered meat before going through the laundry list of memorable Bourdain quotes, crossing off the categories, and updating the 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 week's restaurant review podcast, Ray talks about one of the Bay Area's best restaurants that just so happens to be owned and operated by a woman chef, Atelier Crenn. Ray talks about how Dominique Crenn's upbringing influence her decision to pursue a culinary career, her move to S.F., bouncing around to different restaurants as executive chef, her first Michelin Star, opening each of her four restaurants in San Francisco, how a restaurant gets three Michelin stars, the bar/restaurant movement, his experience at Crenn, and highlights a few standout dishes from the tasting menu. For more on chef Dominique Crenn and Atelier Crenn, visit spoonmob.com/dominiquecrenn. 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 talks with sushi chef Kevin Wang of the private catering restaurant Akatsuki and a soon to be open yet to be announced Cleveland restaurant. They talk about Kevin moving from Taiwan to Wadsworth Ohio, his first job working at his aunt and uncle's restaurant, moving between Columbus and Cleveland, his career in tech that never came to be, how he decided on sushi as his culinary genre of choice, learning sushi by working in different restaurants, working in Cleveland, working in Columbus, why Salt & Pine didn't work, interviewing in New York City, launching a private catering company in Akatsuki, hosting a pop up restaurant event, things to look for at a good sushi restaurant, the best sushi restaurant in Columbus, his idea for his own restaurant, and this latest opportunity for him in Cleveland before Kevin answers the "burning grill" questions questions! For more on chef Kevin Wang visit spoonmob.com/kevinwang and follow him on Instagram @akatsuki_sushi. 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 Parts Now Known podcast we paddle across the Mississippi River to chat about the Deep South that is the Mississippi Delta. Ben and Ray talk about canoeing, pig ears, Jackson Mississippi back in the day, the plight of African Americans in the south, tamales, racism, southern cuisine, the Mississippi River, Ole Miss, the cut short writers in a bar scene, Mississippi style BBQ, the wide open spaces of the south, Netflix true crime docs, and civil war ships before hitting the categories, updating the rankings, and touching on the storming of the capitol event from the past week. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).

On this week's restaurant review, Ray talks about chef Kevin Wang's Akatsuki/Sushi Pop he attended, breaking down the courses and highlighting his love of sushi before teasing the upcoming interview with Kevin. For more on chef Kevin Wang and Akatsuki/Sushi Pop, visit spoonmob.com/kevinwang. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@spoonmob1), and Facebook (@spoonmob1).