Episodes

  • Michelin star winning chef Dave Beran on redefining perfection on the plate, coming up at the legendary Alinea in Chicago, and now running two restaurants of his own in Los Angeles

    Michelin star winning chef Dave Beran on redefining perfection on the plate, coming up at the legendary Alinea in Chicago, and now running two restaurants of his own in Los Angeles
    Feb 17 2026
    Unable to afford culinary school, Dave Beran finally got a break when a fine dining chef in Chicago took a chance on him. He quickly soared in that city, rising to Chef de Cuisine at Grant Achatz’s legendary Alinea, then becoming Executive Chef at Next when Achatz opened that restaurant. He went on to open two restaurants of his own in Los Angeles and over the course of his career has won two Michelin stars and two James Beard Awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • BONUS EPISODE! David Page guests on the Tubby podcast

    BONUS EPISODE! David Page guests on the Tubby podcast
    Feb 13 2026
    The tables are turned on Culinary Characters Unlocked Host David Page. This time he is a guest on someone else’s podcast. He is interviewed by Tubby podcast host Alan Zweig about loving food but fighting the weight control battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Chef Sarah Thompson on learning Mexican cooking at America's most legendary Mexican restaurant, creating her own unique coastal Mexican menu in Las Vegas, and what it’s like to be a rarity on the Vegas strip—a female Executive Chef

    Chef Sarah Thompson on learning Mexican cooking at America's most legendary Mexican restaurant, creating her own unique coastal Mexican menu in Las Vegas, and what it’s like to be a rarity on the Vegas strip—a female Executive Chef
    Feb 10 2026
    Chef Sarah Thompson says cooking for others, even as a teenager, always brought her joy. When she was a sophomore in high school, she decided it would be her career. After the Culinary Institute of America and a stint at Michelin-starred Marea in New York, she learned Mexican cooking at Cosme, the most celebrated Mexican fine dining restaurant in America. Now she’s in Las Vegas, doing a unique coastal Mexican cuisine at Casa Playa, featuring seafood, an assortment of massive meals to be shared by the table, and a totally-from-scratch masa program, with tortillas made to order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • Chef Ashwin Vilkhu on merging New Orleans cooking with the Indian cuisine he grew up with, and then with a variety of Asian flavors, at two Michelin-recommended restaurants at the same time

    Chef Ashwin Vilkhu on merging New Orleans cooking with the Indian cuisine he grew up with, and then with a variety of Asian flavors, at two Michelin-recommended restaurants at the same time
    Feb 3 2026
    Ashwin Vilkhu’s Master’s thesis was a roadmap to get his family into the restaurant business by opening Saffron in New Orleans. He and his father were named semi-finalists for the 2025 James Beard award as Best Chef South for their cooking there, marrying Indian cuisine with New Orleans favorites. And now they’ve added a second restaurant just down the street, The Kingsway, where as Executive Chef he’s combining New Orleans cooking with a range of other Asian cuisines. Both spots received recommendations in Michelin’s first guide to the American south. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Chef Sue Zemanick on recently winning a Michelin star, marrying fresh gulf seafood with her family’s Slovakian home cooking, and the wonders of caviar on pasta

    Chef Sue Zemanick on recently winning a Michelin star, marrying fresh gulf seafood with her family’s Slovakian home cooking, and the wonders of caviar on pasta
    Jan 27 2026
    Sue Zemanick decided she wanted to become a chef when she was fourteen and began cooking professionally at fifteen. Her love of seafood, nurtured at the Culinary Institute of America, brought her to New Orleans, where she worked at Commander’s palace and Gautreau’s, where she rose from line cook to Executive Chef, before opening her own place, Zasu, creating a menu featuring seafood, global flavors, and multiple variations of the pierogies her grandmother used to make. The night Zasu won a Michelin star she wasn’t at the ceremony—she was working, which she says was a good thing since diners immediately rushed in and the kitchen was slammed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Michelin star winning chef Perry Hoffman on returning to his family’s small-town hotel and restaurant where he worked after high school and building a culinary destination town around it

    Michelin star winning chef Perry Hoffman on returning to his family’s small-town hotel and restaurant where he worked after high school and building a culinary destination town around it
    Jan 20 2026
    Chef Perry Hoffman and his partners are turning the small northern California town of Boonville into a culinary destination. He grew up in the restaurant business, as a young child helping his grandmother in the kitchen of the French Laundry in Yountville, California, which his grandparents founded, and cooking in his uncle’s Boonville Hotel and Restaurant after high school. He went on to a high-level cooking career, winning a Michelin star, before returning to that hotel in Boonville, earning rave reviews and a Michelin recommendation for the tasting menu he’s offering there. And now he’s expanding, opening a more casual California/Italian restaurant across the street and an ice cream shop, where many of the home-made flavors are created with local fruit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • Husband and wife restaurateurs Bethany and chef Dano Heinze on winning a Michelin star at their Charleston restaurant, why it isn’t fine dining, and how they set such a high bar at an affordable neighborhood favorite

    Husband and wife restaurateurs Bethany and chef Dano Heinze on winning a Michelin star at their Charleston restaurant, why it isn’t fine dining, and how they set such a high bar at an affordable neighborhood favorite
    Jan 13 2026
    Bethany and Dano Heinze recently received a Michelin star for their Charleston Restaurant Vern’s. He’s the chef. She handles front of the house and a superb wine program built around little-known family-owned vineyards. Their innovative seasonal menu features unique presentations of local produce and charcoal-grilled proteins sourced straight from the farm. They’ve been working together for years — first under Sean Brock at the groundbreaking McCrady’s in Charleston, then at the legendary Animal in L.A. Now back in Charleston, they’re making a major impact on that renowned culinary city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • 14-time Michelin star winning chef Ken Frank on pioneering California cuisine, his legendary battles with restaurant owners, and winning a Michelin star 14 times at his own restaurant

    14-time Michelin star winning chef Ken Frank on pioneering California cuisine, his legendary battles with restaurant owners, and winning a Michelin star 14 times at his own restaurant
    Jan 6 2026
    Ken Frank was a pioneer in the creation of fresh and local California cuisine as a young chef in Los Angeles. He became famous not just for his food but also for standing up to and calling out restaurant owners he says didn’t live up to his standards. He’s won a Michelin star 14 times at his own restaurant in the Napa Valley, where he’s still in the kitchen five days a week. And he’s become America’s leading truffle chef, with a lot to say about the allure of that fungus and why truffle oil is an abomination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins