Chef Elizabeth Falkner has spent her career treating food as something far more than sustenance. It is art. It is theater. It is a living expression of culture, memory, and the human desire to connect. In this conversation, Elizabeth and I explore what it means to create with intention, why diversity in ingredients isa reflection of the world we want to build, and how the culinary community found ways to care for one another when the pandemic threatened to unravel everything they had built. Elizabeth shares the story behind T'Maro, a date-based spirit born from creativity and collaboration, her work in food rescue and waste reduction, and the simple, grounding joys that anchor her even in the most demanding seasons of life. This is a conversation about resilience, beauty, and what food can teach us about showing up fully... for our communities and for ourselves. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:26 Discovering a passion for culinary arts 07:32 Food as theater and art form 09:02 The physicality and teamwork in the culinary world 12:11 The evolution of California cuisine and women chefs 17:08 Inspiration from art, travel, and culture in cooking 20:24 The creative process in pastry and savory dishes 22:31 Documenting the pandemic's impact on chefs 28:21 Concerns for mental health and community support 30:40 The story of the date spirit and innovation in spirits 37:22 Using spirits in cocktails and mindful drinking 39:11 Food rescue and reducing waste 45:21 The diversity of food and the importance of variety 48:18 Simple joys and gratitude in everyday life 51:05 Family, community, and appreciating the moment 53:48 Connecting with the audience and closing remarks More about Elizabeth Falkner Elizabeth Falkner is an award winning chef who worked her way up in fine dining and then owned restaurants in San Francisco and then moved to open others in New York. She continues to cook at Food & Wine Festivals, fundraisers, and other events and has cooked for countless celebrities and personalities across multiple platforms. Elizabeth works also as a recipe/formula developer/consultant on projects and brands such as Molino Bianco/Barilla, Starbucks, Hershey, Pepsi, Compass Group, Nestle, Cliff Bar, Mondalez, Wrigley’s, Quaker, General Mills, Emmi Cheeses fromSwitzerland, M&M/Mars, Behave Candy, and more. She has appeared on television on multiple networks and all of the cooking competition reality series for the last twenty years and is a world recognized pioneer and leader in culinary. Chef Falkner is a fitness advocate and loves playing sports and staying “Fit to Cook” and continually speaks to working on life balance in the industry. She’s an author of three cookbooks, she cooks, speaks and teaches all over the world. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the James Beard Foundation and serves as the chair of the JBF awards committee. She’s on the culinary councilof City Harvest, NYC and Forever Oceans. In 2020 she re-located to Los Angeles and produced and hosts a documentary called, “Sorry We’re Closed”, which made festival circuits and won Best Documentary Feature at Pasadena Film Festival 2023, streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Elizabeth and her partner, Heather Freyer founded T’MARO Brands Inc. and launched three innovative alcohol beverage products in 2024. T’MARO Amaro, T’MARO Eau de Vie and T’MARO Cacao Nib. All made with organic California dates. Connect with Elizabeth: Instagram: @cheffalkner @drinktmaro Countdown Boxing Club LA with Ariel Connect with Melanie Work with Melanie Download How toConsciously Create a Life of Joy Here
