232 episodes

Join Chris Spear as he interviews food and beverage entrepreneurs who've taken a unique path in the culinary world. His guests include caterers, research chefs, personal chefs, cookbook authors, food truck operators, farmers, and more – all individuals who've paved their own way in the culinary world. With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including his own personal chef business, Perfect Little Bites, Chris is dedicated to helping others grow and succeed in the food and beverage industry. Tune in to hear their inspiring stories and valuable insights on the road less traveled in the food and beverage industry.

Chefs Without Restaurants The Chefs Without Restaurants Network

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 71 Ratings

Join Chris Spear as he interviews food and beverage entrepreneurs who've taken a unique path in the culinary world. His guests include caterers, research chefs, personal chefs, cookbook authors, food truck operators, farmers, and more – all individuals who've paved their own way in the culinary world. With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including his own personal chef business, Perfect Little Bites, Chris is dedicated to helping others grow and succeed in the food and beverage industry. Tune in to hear their inspiring stories and valuable insights on the road less traveled in the food and beverage industry.

    Advice For Writing a Better Cookbook from All Under Heaven's Carolyn Phillips

    Advice For Writing a Better Cookbook from All Under Heaven's Carolyn Phillips

    In this mini-episode of Chefs Without Restaurants, host Chris Spear is joined by the acclaimed author Carolyn Phillips to discuss the art of writing a successful cookbook. Known for her works such as At the Chinese Table, All Under Heaven, The Dim Sum Field Guide, and the upcoming The Art of Chinese Baking, Carolyn shares invaluable insights for aspiring cookbook authors. With accolades including being a James Beard Award finalist and a nominee for the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing A...

    • 14 min
    The Office’s Brian Baumgartner Spills the Beans on Chili and Barbecue

    The Office’s Brian Baumgartner Spills the Beans on Chili and Barbecue

    This week on Chefs Without Restaurants, I speak with Brian Baumgartner, the actor best known for his role as Kevin Malone on the TV show "The Office."Brian’s portrayal of Kevin provided countless laughs and unforgettable moments, especially the iconic chili scene. Beyond his on-screen persona, Brian has ventured into the culinary world, turning a 30-second cold open into a culinary journey that includes a best-selling chili cookbook and an upcoming barbecue book.On the show, we dive deep into...

    • 55 min
    Cooking with Pat Lee: A Food Content Creator's Journey

    Cooking with Pat Lee: A Food Content Creator's Journey

    🎙️ This week on Chefs Without Restaurant I speak with Pat Lee, a food content creator and private chef who resides in Delaware. 💰 Pat started his career working in the financial industry. But in the early days of the Covid pandemic, he lost his job. Like many of us, he was spending a lot of time at home. Being unemployed, he was looking for ways to tighten his budget. One of the things he did was focus on cooking food at home.🔪 This eventually led to him creating cooking videos, teaching peop...

    • 56 min
    Using Pizza to Raise Awareness and Money for Muscular Dystrophy with The Real Billy Z

    Using Pizza to Raise Awareness and Money for Muscular Dystrophy with The Real Billy Z

    This week my guest is Billy Zureikat, known online as The Real Billy Z. He's a home cook, baker and pizza-maker who's life took an unexpected turn. He went from an active lifestyle, playing basketball and working at ESPN radio, to a challenging 8-year medical journey that resulted in a diagnosis of limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2L.As his body underwent changes, he found solace and a newfound passion in the kitchen. He traded his jersey for an apron, re-focusing his energy on becoming a bette...

    • 1 hr 15 min
    Modernist Cuisine, Sustainability, Culinary Traditions and More with Nathan Myhrvold

    Modernist Cuisine, Sustainability, Culinary Traditions and More with Nathan Myhrvold

    This week my guest is Nathan Myhrvold of Modernist Cuisine. Nathan graduated high school and went to college at 14. He holds a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics, as well as a master’s degree in mathematical economics, from Princeton University. His master’s degree is in geophysics and space physics, and he did postdoctoral cosmology work with Stephen Hawking. Nathan then spent 14 years at Microsoft, where he was their first Chief Technology Officer.While working at Microsoft, ...

    • 58 min
    Stolen Recipes, Scrapple, Bill Murray and Bad Service

    Stolen Recipes, Scrapple, Bill Murray and Bad Service

    This week I'm sharing a clip from another podcast I was featured on a couple of years ago. I share a couple of funny stories that I've never shared before. The first story is about how actor Bill Murray inadvertently ruined my anniversary dinner. I love Bill, and this isn't something he intentionally did, but the story relates to good (and poor) customer service.The other story is about scrapple, an original recipe of mine, and how a large spice company might have appropriated this recipe, pa...

    • 19 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
71 Ratings

71 Ratings

Buyituseitbreakit ,

I’m an unprofessional chef, I love this show

Absolute gem - the host, guests, topics, conversation flow… this is an all-around banger of a podcast for food lovers and anyone coming into the food industry sideways (like me)

Schweiter Family ,

One of only a few Shows I listen to.

Foody much?

I am a business man, and I have owned, and will own again, a food business… I currently own a hospitality and service business that is not food, but my Wife and Daughter are both Chefs; one with and one without a restaurant.

This is one of maybe about two podcast that I listen to on a regular basis.

I have other podcast that I follow, but I usually hit “mark as read” two minutes in… But not this one. #truestory

You have to understand that I own over a month (24hours x 31 days) worth of Audible books and have been listening to myriads of Podcast hours since they first became a thing.

Most Podcast and Audio Books are GARBAGE, but Chris Spears and his “Chefs Without Restaurants” is NON-pretentious and real. Unlike most podcast, you can actually get something out of it consistently.

Heck, it is even entertaining most of the time.

It is always interesting and useful.

I am sure that you will find it to be a favorite for yourself, as well. #100

Tfb20153 ,

Such a Great show!

There are a lot of food podcasts, but I really think that Chris’ voice and perspective is unique and such a welcome addition to a sea of content.
It’s one of the few shows I stop what I’m doing to play and I’m never disappointed.

Top Podcasts In Arts

Fresh Air
NPR
The Moth
The Moth
99% Invisible
Roman Mars
The Bright Side
iHeartPodcasts and Hello Sunshine
The Magnus Archives
Rusty Quill
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Carl Fiadini

You Might Also Like

A Taste of the Past
Heritage Radio Network
Food Network Obsessed
Food Network
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Milk Street Radio
Special Sauce with Ed Levine
Ed Levine
The Sporkful
Dan Pashman and Stitcher
Cooking Issues with Dave Arnold
Cooking Issues