Today on our episode #397 of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Lee Anne Wong, Executive Chef and Owner of Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu, Hawaii. A native of Troy, NY, Lee Anne graduated from the International Culinary Center (ICC), formerly known as the French Culinary Institute, in NYC, and began her culinary training at Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit before playing an integral role in the opening of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Restaurant 66. She went on to work as the Executive Chef of Event Operations at ICC, during which time she was featured on Season One of Bravo’s Flagship Series Top Chef, and subsequently was hired as the series’ Supervising Culinary Producer for the next 6 seasons, helping to build the show into the powerhouse that it is today. Lee Anne has also appeared as a competitor on The Next Iron Chef, Chopped, and Tournament of Champions, as well as participated on Season 17 of Top Chef All Stars. In late 2013, Lee Anne moved from NYC to Honolulu where in 2014, she debuted Koko Head Cafe—an island style brunch house in the Kaimuki neighborhood—to popular acclaim, and was recognized on the cover of Honolulu Magazine, as well as in Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, among other publications. In August 2014, she released her first cookbook, Dumplings All Day Wong, and in 2016, she joined Hawaiian Airlines as a guest chef, and in 2018, she was named Executive Chef for the airline. In March of 2019, she moved to Maui with family, and her latest project was Papa’aina, where she was reimagining the restaurant at the Pioneer Inn, Maui's oldest hotel located in historic Old Lahaina at the Harbor. In August of 2023, Lee Anne and residents of Maui were suddenly faced with wildfires, which devastated large sections of their homeland, losing the restaurant and hotel. On today’s show, Shari sits down with Lee Anne in Chicago during the James Beard Awards weekend in June to talk about her impressive career and the impact of this tragedy, and what we can do to help.

Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to support people and businesses, especially when they are in times of need, and Solo Dining experience at Lula Cafe, Chef and Owner Jason Hammel's market-driven restaurant in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and recently won for Outstanding Hospitality at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards 2024, which is a part of Shari's "On the Road" coverage of #JBFA on episode #396.

**Check out Shari's book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon) #chefwisebook

Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®.

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Today on our episode #395 of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Erick Williams, Chef and Founder of Virtue Hospitality Group based in Chicago, which includes Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Mustard Seed Kitchen, Daisy’s Po-Boy & Tavern, and Top This Mac & Cheese. Erick has carved a special niche in the restaurant industry with inimitable persistence, passion and drive. In November 2018, Erick opened Virtue as his first solo concept, nestled in the heart of the historic Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. The restaurant combines his love of Southern cuisine and his insatiable study of history and art as they relate to food culture. Erick and Virtue have been featured in a host of local and national media, and in 2022, Erick was named Best Chef: Great Lakes by the James Beard Foundation, making history as the first Black chef to win in this category. In November 2021, inspired by his experience providing takeout only during the pandemic, Erick opened Mustard Seed Kitchen in Chicago, a takeout and delivery-only concept featuring a menu of high-quality approachable meals. And less than a year later in August 2022, he launched a third concept, Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern which evokes the vibrancy of New Orleans through its most celebrated sandwich, located a few steps away from Virtue. Months after Daisy’s opened, Erick collaborated with Virtue's Chef de Cuisine Damarr Brown to open Top This, a delivery and takeout concept offering a variety of delectable mac and cheeses with delicious toppings. Erick’s Virtue team is now getting ready to open a new Mexican cocktail bar, Cantina Rosa, celebrating Mexican culture the same way Virtue has done celebrating Black culture in Hyde Park. Shari sat down with Erick for this conversation at Virtue in Chicago in June over the James Beard Awards weekend.

Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to focus on mental health; and Solo Dining experience at Asador Bastian, a Basque-inspired steakhouse from Chef and Owner Doug Psaltis, and Christian Eckmann; part of Eat Well Hospitality, a Chicago-based restaurant group from Doug and Chef Hsing Chen, located in the iconic Flair House in River North, Chicago, IL.

**Check out Shari's book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon) #chefwisebook

Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support All in the Industry by becoming a member!

All in the Industry is Powered by Simplecast.