Chef's PSA Podcast

André Natera | Chef's PSA Media
  • 4.9 (142)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The no-nonsense chef podcast for culinary leaders. Chef's PSA with André Natera gives cooks direct insight into kitchen management and what separates the pros from the rest. Featuring conversations with James Beard Award winners, Top Chef champions, and Bocuse d'Or competitors, we reveal the Michelin standards and discipline required to build a serious career. Weekly mentorship for BOH pros who want to GET CHEF BRAINS. https://chefspsa.com

  1. Austin Made Him a Celebrity Chef. Then He Found a Bigger Mission. David Bull Episode 202

    4D AGO

    Austin Made Him a Celebrity Chef. Then He Found a Bigger Mission. David Bull Episode 202

    Chef David Bull is Austin's first Iron Chef America competitor, Food and Wine Best New Chef 2003, two-time James Beard Foundation nominee, and Regional Vice President of Food and Beverage at LaCorsha Hospitality Group. He led the Driskill Grill to three consecutive Austin American-Statesman number one restaurant awards, competed on Iron Chef America in 2006 as the first Austin chef to do so, and has since overseen 16 restaurant and hotel openings with LaCorsha across Texas, most of them historic renovations. He is also co-founder of the Mineral Wellness Center, a faith-based nonprofit in Mineral Wells dedicated to reducing mental health stigma and providing counseling and community resources. This episode covers the full arc: Austin's first celebrity chef, 16 properties, and the decision to walk away from all of it for something bigger. Why management agreements protect standards across multiple properties in ways licensing never canThe lease clauses, CAM charges, and pro forma details that quietly sink most restaurant deals before they openWhy mental health stigma in professional kitchens is a leadership and retention crisis, not a personal weaknessAndré Natera and David Bull go deep on the Iron Chef America experience, the operational realities of scaling a hospitality group, the trust required in a business partner before any contract is signed, evolving kitchen culture and mentorship across every staffing level, and Bull's personal decision to step back from fine dining and co-found the Mineral Wellness Center. The episode closes with a preview of his upcoming Restored and Delivered concept in Mineral Wells. This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com Guest David Bull on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chefdavidbull/Chef's PSA Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

    1h 12m
  2. Brandon Harpster on Cooking Smarter How Technology Changes Everything Overnight Ep 201

    APR 24

    Brandon Harpster on Cooking Smarter How Technology Changes Everything Overnight Ep 201

    Brandon Harpster is the National Corporate Chef for Training and Events at RATIONAL USA. He trains chefs across the country, runs RATIONAL's culinary academies, and develops cooking programs that translate connected kitchen technology into repeatable, scalable results for working operators. This episode starts with a brunch disaster. A steamship round failed overnight at a country club, no monitoring, no alert, no way to intervene. Harpster uses that story to frame the entire case for connected cooking, and then spends the next hour proving it. How the iCombi Pro handles delta-T roasting, built-in resting, and consistent brunch egg production at volumeHow the iVario Pro runs overnight stock for better clarity and yield with no one in the buildingHow a 15-minute risotto program that requires only three stirs is a repeatable kitchen system, not a shortcutAndré Natera and Brandon Harpster cover the iCombi Pro, iVario Pro, and iHexagon across real kitchen scenarios including Peking duck skin development, brisket hybrid smoking workflows, zone heating, sous-vide-style cooking, and pasta-in-sauce preset functions. They also discuss what RATIONAL's corporate chef network actually does, how the training academies work, and what a field role in this industry looks like for chefs who want to move off the line. RATIONAL RATIONAL USA Linktree → https://linktr.ee/rational_usaRATIONAL USA Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rational_usa/Chef Brandon's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/brandon.harpster/RATIONAL ChefLine → https://www.rational-online.com/en_us/customercare/contact-us/chefline/ | 866-306-2433 Chef's PSA Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

    1h 11m
  3. Cooking for 5,000 Before Culinary School Chef Chad Welch Ep. 200

    APR 17

    Cooking for 5,000 Before Culinary School Chef Chad Welch Ep. 200

    Chef Chad Welch is an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Administrator, a Jacques Pépin Foundation ambassador, and the executive chef with The Urban Stillhouse, an elevated dining concept with locations in St. Petersburg, Florida and Somerset, Kentucky. Horse Soldier bourbon bottles are formed with steel from the World Trade Center. He did not plan to become a chef. A Navy paperwork error put him in the galley instead of the engine room in 1992, scaling Armed Forces recipe cards to 5,000 portions aboard the USS America aircraft carrier, cutting frozen Cornish game hens on a band saw on his first day at sea, and cooking through storms that sent equipment crashing across the kitchen floor. What Navy galley cooking actually teaches about systems, scale, and pressure before culinary schoolWhy the shift from scratch kitchens to convenience products cost the industry a generation of skillHow the pre-Google era of memorization and mentorship built a different kind of chef, and what that means for anyone training todayAndré Natera and Chad Welch cover his first post-Navy restaurant job doing scratch pub cooking, his Mexican food upbringing and deliberate choice not to cook it professionally, the classic versus molecular cooking debate, and his work with the Jacques Pépin Foundation. The episode closes with the Horse Soldier Bourbon origin story and career advice from a chef whose entire path began by accident. This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com Guest Chad Welch on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/handthatfeeds/The Urban Stillhouse St. Pete → https://www.instagram.com/urbanstillhousestpete/The Urban Stillhouse Somerset → https://www.instagram.com/urbanstillhousesomerset/Links Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

    1h 13m
  4. Building a Restaurant Under Pressure With Emmanuel Chavez Episode 199

    APR 10

    Building a Restaurant Under Pressure With Emmanuel Chavez Episode 199

    Everyone wants the spotlight. Until it actually hits. Andre sits down with Emmanuel Chavez from Tatemo in Houston to talk about what happens when your restaurant gets attention before you’re ready for it. Tatemo went from a tortilla operation to a full tasting menu fast. Recognition came with it. So did pressure. This conversation gets into what it takes to run a tight kitchen with almost no space, how leadership changes when expectations spike, and the mistakes that come with building something in real time. • What early success actually feels like• How to run a tasting menu in a small kitchen• Why leadership matters more than technique Follow Chefs PSA and send this to a chef who thinks they’re ready. Emmanuel Chavez on Instagram LINKS & RESOURCES Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.comVisit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.comSponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

    1h 2m
  5. Emmanuel Laroche on Madagascar Vanilla and Flavors Unknown | Episode 198

    APR 4

    Emmanuel Laroche on Madagascar Vanilla and Flavors Unknown | Episode 198

    Chef Andre Natera sits down with Emmanuel Laroche, host of the Flavors Unknown podcast and author of A Taste of Madagascar, to explore the global story behind vanilla production and the process of writing a food book. Laroche shares his experience traveling to Madagascar, where roughly 80% of the world’s vanilla is produced, including the realities of hand pollination and the challenges of sourcing ingredients in remote regions. The conversation also covers Madagascar’s broader food ecosystem, including pepper, honey, cocoa, and caviar, and explores why many farmers grow vanilla for export rather than local use. Laroche breaks down his writing process and explains how aspiring authors can move from concept to published book through traditional publishing channels. • How vanilla is grown and why it requires hand pollination• How to write and publish a food book• Why understanding ingredients changes how chefs cook Follow Chefs PSA and share this episode with someone interested in food, travel, or writing. Flavors Unknown on Instagram LINKS & RESOURCES Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

    1h 10m
  6. Dan Kennedy on Meat, Fire, and Ego | Episode 197

    MAR 27

    Dan Kennedy on Meat, Fire, and Ego | Episode 197

    Chef Dan Kennedy spent over 20 years in high end kitchens, most recently as head chef at Pasta|Bar Austin before the concept closed in February 2026. He is now working on Morri, his own concept in Austin. In this episode, Andre Natera and Dan Kennedy argue that social media has replaced technical skill with aesthetic performance, and duck is the clearest casualty. Why duck is almost always undercooked and how proper skin rendering changes the entire dishWhy wagyu and high-fat cuts need more heat than most cooks give them, not lessHow to build a tasting menu around timing and satiety instead of story and egoKennedy covers proper rendering technique, skin drying and aging, heat control, extended resting, and pre-service prep decisions that determine outcome before service starts. They also cover lamb, octopus, and grilling over binchotan and wood embers, using cake testers and feel over thermometers, and finishing with fat and flaky salt. On tasting menus, Kennedy favors 5 to 9 courses with canapés, cold starters, and two desserts, structured around deliciousness over narrative. The episode closes with reactions to America's Culinary Cup, commentary on Pasta|Bar's closure, and Chef's PSA merch. This episode is sponsored by Rational USA. Learn more at https://rationalusa.com Guest Dan Kennedy on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/cocinero_dk/Dan's Hip Hop Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6WjAtI8aeONJSnk1FUAeYf?si=vvki6CM9SUSJ-k1BuOm15gLinks Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Sponsored by Rational USA → https://rationalusa.com

    55 min
  7. Top Chef Twins Brandon and Jonathan Dearden Ep. 196

    MAR 20

    Top Chef Twins Brandon and Jonathan Dearden Ep. 196

    Chef Andre Natera sits down with identical twin chefs Brandon and Jonathan Dearden to discuss rivalry, restaurant leadership, culinary school value, and the realities of running profitable restaurants. Both twins competed on Top Chef and built careers in very different directions. Brandon pursued fine dining and stages at elite kitchens, while Jonathan focused on leadership roles and restaurant management The conversation covers lessons from high-intensity kitchens like Alinea, the real value of culinary school, hiring pitfalls with impressive resumes, and how menu engineering helps restaurants stay profitable. They also discuss competing on Top Chef, the importance of building a chef brand online, and how AI tools are beginning to influence restaurant operations. What You Will Learn • The real return on investment of culinary school • What Michelin-level kitchens teach about discipline and systems • How restaurant owners engineer menus for profitability Brandon on Instagram Jonathan on Instagram LINKS & RESOURCES Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/ Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/ Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

    1h 24m
  8. Dallas Dining Debate with Josh Sutcliff and Drew Stephenson : Episode 195

    MAR 13

    Dallas Dining Debate with Josh Sutcliff and Drew Stephenson : Episode 195

    Chef Andre Natera sits down with Dallas chef Josh Sutcliff and food commentator Drew Stephenson to unpack the viral debate surrounding the Dallas dining scene. After Drew’s Instagram post sparked widespread reactions among chefs and diners, the conversation expanded into a deeper look at restaurant success, Michelin expectations, and the economic realities of running restaurants in Texas. They discuss the polarizing response to Mamani, why tasting-menu-only restaurants often struggle in Texas, and the operational realities of Dallas restaurants, including large spaces, high rent, and limited kitchen infrastructure. The episode also examines how chefs balance creativity, identity, and profitability while navigating diner expectations, influencer culture, and the evolving fine-dining landscape. Restaurants discussed include Lucia, Sushi Cozy, Petra and the Beast Drew Stephenson on Instagram Josh Sutcliff on Instagram LINKS & RESOURCES Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com

    1h 32m
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4.9
out of 5
142 Ratings

About

The no-nonsense chef podcast for culinary leaders. Chef's PSA with André Natera gives cooks direct insight into kitchen management and what separates the pros from the rest. Featuring conversations with James Beard Award winners, Top Chef champions, and Bocuse d'Or competitors, we reveal the Michelin standards and discipline required to build a serious career. Weekly mentorship for BOH pros who want to GET CHEF BRAINS. https://chefspsa.com

Information

  • Creator
    André Natera | Chef's PSA Media
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    202
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © André Natera | Chef's PSA Media
  • Show Website
    Chef's PSA Podcast

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