Andrew Talks to Chefs

Andrew Friedman

Our top chefs, as you’ve never heard them before. Author Andrew Friedman, one of the nation's chief chroniclers of professional kitchen life, interviews a diverse cross-section of the best and biggest names in the business, bringing his personal relationships and industry knowledge to bear in coaxing personal and professional revelations from his guests.

  1. Drew Nieporent (legendary restaurateur & author of "I'm Not Trying to Be Difficult") on Critics, Chefs, and HIs Long-Awaited Memoir

    12/04/2025

    Drew Nieporent (legendary restaurateur & author of "I'm Not Trying to Be Difficult") on Critics, Chefs, and HIs Long-Awaited Memoir

    Legendary restaurateur Drew Nieporent (Nobu, Montrachet, Tribeca Grill, et. al) discusses his memoir I'm Not Trying to Be Difficult and opines on the state of the industry in a no-holds-barred and free-ranging conversation recorded over lunch at Nobu in Lower Manhattan. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. Please check out the Cookbook Collection program benefitting Citymeals on Wheels that is described on this episode.   THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram.  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

    1h 21m
  2. Kyle Knall (Birch - Milwaukee) on Mentorship, Chef-Farmer Synergies, and his Upcoming Cassis Restaurant

    11/06/2025

    Kyle Knall (Birch - Milwaukee) on Mentorship, Chef-Farmer Synergies, and his Upcoming Cassis Restaurant

    Chef Kyle Knall shares about his formative years in New York City, and how and why he relocated to Milwaukee, where he's found success with Birch restaurant, and plans to open his second venture, Cassis, this winter. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. Please check out the Cookbook Collection program benefitting Citymeals on Wheels that is described on this episode. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram.  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

    1h 10m
  3. Chris Shepherd (Southern Smoke Foundation) on Finding the Kitchen, Cooking Instinctually, and Answering the Call

    09/12/2025

    Chris Shepherd (Southern Smoke Foundation) on Finding the Kitchen, Cooking Instinctually, and Answering the Call

    As the Southern Smoke Foundation's big fall fundraiser approaches on October 4, 2025, Chris Shepherd--who co-founded the foundation with Lindsey Brown (also his wife)--sits down with Andrew to discuss the crucial, grant-based work the organization does for hospitality professionals. He also shares his own personal story and how cooking became its professional focus, until he shifted gears into the altruistic realm. He also discusses two recent  beer collaborations he and the foundation have been involved with: the nonalcoholic Aftershift (with Athletic Brewing Company) and Behind You! Beer (with Roadhouse Brewing).  Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram.  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

    1h 24m
  4. When It's Time to Say Goodbye to the Industry: A Special Conversation with Chef Andrew Turner, Proprietor of Valley Wine Merchants (Newberg, OR)

    08/05/2025

    When It's Time to Say Goodbye to the Industry: A Special Conversation with Chef Andrew Turner, Proprietor of Valley Wine Merchants (Newberg, OR)

    Chef Andrew Turner came up cooking for legends like Alain Ducasse, Hubert Keller, and Joachim Splichal, and became a chef in his own right for several years. Then, he decided that having the personal life he craved would mean leaving the industry into which he'd poured so much of himself. In this short conversation, Andrew shares from both sides of that progression: His time in those kitchens and evolution as a cook and chef, and what life on the other side, operating his business, Valley Wine Merchants, has been like. Huge thanks to Andrew Talks to Chefs’ presenting sponsor, meez, the recipe operating software for culinary professionals. Meez powers the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast as part of the meez  Network, featuring a breadth of food and beverage podcasts and newsletters. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish. We'd love if you followed us on Instagram.  Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch. For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed. Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

    46 min
4.8
out of 5
278 Ratings

About

Our top chefs, as you’ve never heard them before. Author Andrew Friedman, one of the nation's chief chroniclers of professional kitchen life, interviews a diverse cross-section of the best and biggest names in the business, bringing his personal relationships and industry knowledge to bear in coaxing personal and professional revelations from his guests.

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