While The Cookies Cool

Chef Gavin Kaysen is the chef/owner of Spoon and Stable & Demi in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He represented the USA in 2007's Bocuse d'Or as a competitor, before becoming Team USA's head coach and leading the team to second place (the first medal and podium placement ever for the United States) in 2015 and a historic first place medal in 2017's Bocuse d'Or competitions. In addition to an incredible professional resume, Chef Kaysen is a James beard award winner, one of the founding mentors of the nonprofit ment'or BKB Foundation, and the chef/owner of Soigne Hospitality Group. He started the Heart of the House Foundation at the very beginning of the COVID pandemic along with other members of his team to provide support for furloughed employees, and has launched a highly successful virtual cooking class series, GK at Home.

He is such a gracious, driven, and inspiring Chef and it was a true privilege to sit and speak with him.

In this episode, we had an absolute blast speaking with Chef Vic Vegas. He is such a friendly, warm, and fun person to chat with, and we already can't wait to feature him again in a second episode! Not only did we get to talk about food (of course) and some of Chef Vegas' very exciting future plans, but we also got to hear about some of his favorite holiday traditions! 

Chef Vic Vegas is the mastermind behind the sinfully good Sinful Subs in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a corporate chef for Nicholas and Company and a highly in-demand restaurant consultant. He is one of Jon Taffer's culinary experts on Bar Rescue, and has made many appearances across the Food Network, including on The Next Food Network Star and Chopped All Stars, among others. His brand new diner, Black and Blue Diner, is set to open as Las Vegas' first new restaurant of 2021. It was a wonderfully fun conversation and we hope you enjoy! 

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

In our tenth episode, we got to sit and chat with fellow Michigander, Chef Jared Bobkin. Chef Bobkin is the Executive Chef for the brand new Feast, hoping to open soon in Chesterfield, Michigan. He is the Creative Director for Flavored Nation, a traveling food festival that celebrates each state's most iconic dish. He competed on seasons 15 & 17 of Fox's Hell's Kitchen, earning one of Chef Gordon Ramsay's coveted black jackets, and supports For the Love of Lulu, West Michigan Bulldog Rescue. 

Chef Jared is a very charitable person with true passion for the culinary industry. He was very easy to talk to and has a lot to say! (In a good way!) We truly enjoyed our conversation about his culinary start, current state, and of course, being on Hell's Kitchen!

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you! 

In this episode we had the pleasure of talking with fellow Michigander, Chef Ken Miller!

Chef Ken Miller is the Executive Chef of Toasted Oak Grill & Market in Novi, Michigan, known for their "pasture to fork philosophy" . He is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to foraging for local ingredients to feature, as well as in the art of fermenting, pickling, and preserving foods. He is an intelligent chef and strong advocate for preventing food waste, utilizing everything possible from carrot peels to offal cuts, treating food with the respect and care it deserves. 

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

In this episode we had the pleasure of interviewing one of Becca's former bosses and mentors, Chef Chris Gadulka! 

Chef Chris is the Executive Chef for the brand new farm-to-table restaurant Sylvan Table, set to open in 2021, where he will be working hand-in-hand with Sylvan Table's own in-house farmer to curate the freshest menu possible. He worked at the famed Tribute Restaurant in Farmington Hills, Michigan at the start of his career, before moving on to become the Chef/partner of Fleming's Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Birmingham, Michigan. He is the former Executive Chef for the Toast Restaurant Group, responsible for running both their Birmingham and Ferndale locations. He is a fantastic mentor with a wealth of knowledge, and we were thrilled to sit and chat with him! 

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Chef Chris Cosentino. We had a great conversation ranging from comic books to his participation in Chefs Cycle, and were truly thankful to have had him as a guest! 

Chef Chris Cosentino is the chef and co-owner of San Francisco's Cockscomb Restaurant, as well as Jackrabbit in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of the 2012 cookbook Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal, as well as 2017's Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart with Guts. He was the season 4 winner of Bravo's Top Chef Masters, and has been featured on various other culinary tv shows, including Iron Chef: America on the Food Network. He is a passionate member of Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile annual bike ride that raises money and awareness for No Kid Hungry, and even authored his own Marvel comic book. 

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you! 

In this episode we talked with Chef Michael Laiskonis who was a wealth of knowledge and a pleasure to interview!

Chef Michael Laiskonis is the Creative Director for the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. He is the man behind the ICE Chocolate Lab, the nation’s first education-focused bean-to-bar facility, providing unprecedented opportunities for experimentation, research and development, workshops, and small batch production. He spent 8 years as Chef Eric Ripert’s Pastry Chef at Le Bernadin in New York, awarded 3 Michelin Stars and a 4-star rating from The New York Times, their hightest rating, as well 5 years as Chef Takashi Yagihashi’s Pastry Chef at Tribute in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He was named among America’s Top Ten Pastry Chefs by Pastry Art & Design in 2002 & 2003, and Bon Appetit’s Pastry Chef of the Year in 2004. He is a 2007 James Beard Award Winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and received the International Association of Culinary Professional’s 2014 Culinary Professional of the Year Award. He is an active writer for publications including Gourmet, Saveur, & The Huffington Post, among others, and is a highly sought-after consultant. He has made a number of appearances on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, as well as served as a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts.

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

In this episode we had a very pleasant conversation with Farmer Lee Jones! We had an absolute blast talking with him, not just about produce, but life in general. We had the opportunity to not only learn about The Chef’s Garden, but also about the farm and his family’s history, as well as talked about relationships, which was a beautiful reminder of what’s really important in life. He is a very warm, friendly person and we had a great time listening to his stories. Farmer Lee Jones is the man responsible for running The Chef’s Garden, a 300 acre farm well-known for their hand-harvested, picked-to-order produce delivered overnight to acclaimed chefs worldwide. In addition to overseeing his family’s Huron, Ohio farm, he is also the chairman for the Culinary Vegetable Institute, one of the world’s most well-respected vegetable research facilities, also located on the property. His gardening philosophy is all about practicing sustainable, old-world farming techniques; avoiding the use of all pesticides and chemicals, emphasizing soil health, and all in all, “growing vegetables slowly and gently, in full accord with nature.” Farmer Lee Jones is also a highly sought-after speaker and expert on sustainable agriculture, who has presented at a number of national and international conferences and seminars, including the ACF National Convention, the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Flavor Summit, and the Women Chefs and Restauranteurs National Conference. He is a James Beard Award winner, serves on the boards for a variety of chef-centric magazines, and was the first farmer to ever judge Food Network’s Iron Chef America, as well as appearing on Food Network Star, Restaurant: Impossible, and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

On this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing the very well-known, and overly humble, Chef Cory Barrett. We truly enjoyed the conversation and look forward to hearing from him in the future.

Chef Cory Barrett is currently a Pastry and Baking Instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He has worked alongside celebrity Chef Michael Symon, as both Executive and Pastry Chef at Lola, Symon’s celebrated Cleveland restaurant, as well as competing as Symon’s sous chef for more than 15 episodes of Iron Chef America on the Food Network. He was the Pastry Chef at the former Tribute in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and at the Wynn Las Vegas’ Okada. He is a 3 times James Beard Award Semifinalist, an ACF Central Region Pastry Chef of the Year and ACF National Pastry Chef of the Year Runner Up, as well as the winner of the fifth season of the Spring Baking Championship also on the Food Network. He has been featured in Michael Symon’s “Live To Cook” and Michael Ruhlman’s “Ratio”, as well as in Food & Wine Magazine, O Magazine, & Bon Appetit, among other publications.

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

In this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chef Julie Selonke. We had a great time and even got to nerd-out a little bit about Star Wars at the beginning. If that's not your thing, skip to about the 10 minute mark, where the interview begins! Chef Julie Selonke is the Program Coordinator, as well as a Chef Instructor, for Oakland Community College’s Culinary Studies Institute. She got her culinary start at Oakland Hills Country Club, under Chef Brian Walsh, ultimately spending nearly 10 years there, as Sous Chef and Interim Executive Chef. She honed her skills at Tribute Restaurant, working for Chef Takashi Yagahashi, where she worked alongside some of the country’s biggest chefs, including Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelson, David Burke, Massahara Morimoto, and Claudia Fleming. She has experience as a private chef, is a Certified Executive Chef through the American Culinary Federation, and was honored as the ACF Regional Educator of the Year. She is one of the kindest people you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet, and we had a wonderful conversation with her, so please enjoy!

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!

Chef Eric Voigt is the former Executive Pastry Chef and current Executive Chef for Big Rock Chophouse & The Reserve in Birmingham, Michigan. A graduate of Oakland Community College’s Culinary Studies Institute, he has over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Chef Voigt has honed his skills at the former Tribute Restaurant, working with James Beard Award winning Pastry Chef, Chef Michael Laiskonis, & Chef Cory Barrett, as well as at two Michael Mina (a James Beard Award winning & Michelin starred chef) restaurants in Detroit’s MGM Casino, Saltwater and Bourbon Steak. Chef Voigt was named the American Culinary Federation’s Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association 2015 Pastry Chef of the Year. He has been featured in Michigan Blue Magazine, Hour Magazine, Style Magazine, Dessert Professional, and the Detroit Free Press, among other publications, as well as on the Food Network. He is also an incredible mentor and a true pleasure to work with, and we enjoyed talking with him immensely.

If you're interested in supporting our podcast and helping to fund future episodes, please consider heading to https://anchor.fm/while-the-cookies-cool/support; thank you!