2 SHARP CHEFS & A MICROPHONE Lorraine Moss & Louiie Victa

Thank YOU for listening
It was a delicious ride, but like anything good, it must come to an end. After three seasons, 100 episodes, and almost as many guests, 2 Sharp Chefs are signing off.

Chefs Lorraine Moss and Louiie Victa share their favorite guests and episodes, their most awkward moments, and offer advice to future podcasters.

You've Come A Long Way, Chef
What does your career journey look like?
For Chef Rhoda Magbitang, the dream started in Manila, Philippines more than two decades ago, after she was turned down for jobs at Jollibee and McDonalds.

Now, in just a few months, the Executive Chef will work at the helm of the newest Auberge Resorts Collection property in Los Olivos, California, just north of Santa Barbara. The Inn at Mattei's Tavern will feature five dining venues at the storied location. The site was once a popular stagecoach stop during the Gold Rush and a secret hideout during Prohibition.

The former Bazaar Meat chef tells 2 Sharp Chefs Lorraine Moss and Louiie Victa why this opportunity is a dream job. She also shares what it was like working as the Executive Chef of Chateau Marmont, a notorious celebrity hot spot in West Hollywood.

As an immigrant and woman of color who has worked diligently for years honing her craft, she explains why she isn't uncomfortable being a role model and how she earns respect as a leader in the professional kitchen.

In Show and Tell, Rhoda brings nunchucks... because she's that kind of woman.

Podcast Mentions: Herman Story Wines, Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, Rene Redzepi, French Laundry, Thomas Keller, Think Food Group, PT’s, Republique, e by Jose Andres, David Thomas, Mindful Meats, Bardot

LA to Las Vegas to Chicago
How do you find work/life balance? Do you think it's possible?
Our chef friend Moses Ponce, Sous Chef of the upcoming, highly anticipated Bazaar Chicago, thinks it can happen with determination and passion. The chef has travelled across the country for work and for love.

Moses tells 2 Sharp Chefs Lorraine Moss and Louiie Victa his recipe for relationship success, shares his tips for kombucha home brewing, and offers sound advice for anyone thinking about moving for a hospitality job.

In Show & Tell, he explains why he's obsessed with his honing steel
And just in case, here's the definition of SCOBY:

Commonly used acronym for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”. It houses the bacteria and yeast cultures that turn sweet tea into kombucha. #themoreyouknow

*Podcast Mentions: James Beard House, Rainbow Room, Carla Hall, Lidia Bastianich, San Francisco Zoo, Bazaar Meat, Destroyer, Chateau Marmont, Nobu Chicago, TFG (Think Food Group), Chef Holly Jiven, Chef Jose Andres, Café By The River, Lao Sze Chuan *

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The Professional Wine Expert, Cook, & Lifelong Student
You love wine. You want to learn more, but do you have what it takes to become a professional sommelier? We know a guy who became certified while working as a professional cook, earning his Bachelor of Arts, and studying Chinese.

Las Vegas Sommelier Logan Pankhurst finds wine pairings a little easier than the average wine expert. He knows the exact ingredients in most sauces because he spent many years on the line as a professional cook at restaurants like Bazaar Meat, Carbone, and most recently at Zuma in The Cosmopolitan where he now works as a Certified Somm.

The new dad tells 2 Sharp Chefs Lorraine Moss and Louiie Victa why he decided to transition from back of house to suit and tie, what it's like to work hospitality hours with a baby at home and one on the way, and how he handles wine "experts" who don't know a lot about wine.

PODCAST Mentions: Toridokoro Raku, Resorts World, Court of Master Sommeliers, UC Davis Winemaking Certificate Program

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How will you promote yourself?
2 Sharp Chefs met Chef Joana Rodriguez while they were all feisty line cooks working the opening at Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres on the Las Vegas Strip. The young cook displayed so much skill and potential already. Rodriguez was a badass, but she kept her “head down and worked hard” as many will tell you to follow in the professional kitchen.

She moved on to help open Carbone at Aria, Chef Daniel Humm’s Nomad at Park MGM, and Chef David Chang’s Majordomo Meat & Fish - where she’s now the Executive Sous Chef. Did we mention Rodriguez also did a stint at multiple Michelin starred Joel Robuchon?

So what does she want to tell all of us about getting ahead in the hospitality business? Speak the F up! The chef tells Lorraine Moss and Louiie Victa how she gets cooks to be team players, why she’s hiring most candidates who want to work right now, and what she does when guys walk right by her when looking for the boss.

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Celebrating Pride, Providing Plant-Based
Are you looking for affordable plant based options? Do you want simple vegan meals delivered right to your door?
Tumn and Taylor's Vintage Vegan Diner went viral before they could finish their website. With one tweet, the Las Vegas based queer couple launched their plant based company into the stratosphere.

Tumn Parham and Taylor Riley-Parham tell 2 Sharp Chefs Lorraine Moss and Louiie Victa they had to transition to frozen meals because the hot meal catering became too labor intensive. But their mission to get vegan options into disadvantaged communities is still intact. The tofu lovers say they're on the lookout for a new spot to build a vegan drive-thru.

“Just finding those communities where it is underserved. Not necessarily placing it… where there’s a lot of vegan places," says Tumn. Taylor adds, "That’s not who our target audience is… our target audience is the people how we grow up... those are the people we want to reach because those are the people who are gonna change the world… our future."

And the Vintage Vegan owners' future includes an extended road trip in their rehabbed RV as soon as they can meet the demand of their thriving online business and their newly minted frozen vending machine downtown. Listen to the end of the podcast for an exclusive message from these awesome young entrepreneurs!

PODCAST MENTIONS: Stonewall Riots, Fergusons Downtown, Chuck E. Cheese, Vegenation

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