Chefs Without Restaurants

Chefs Without Restaurants

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.

Episodes

March 27, 2024 46 mins

This week my guest is "the whiskey professor" Bernie Lubbers, Heaven Hill Distillery's national brand ambassador. If you want to learn more about bourbon, and one of America's oldest and best distilleries, this episode is for you. Bernie explains the criteria for bourbon, as well as the bottled-in-bond classification, something he's championed since beginning his bourbon career in 2005.

We also dis...

Mark as Played

This week my guest is Shawn Niles (aka The Fat Pastor). Shawn started his church in 2015, but his love of cooking led him to competing on MasterChef in 2016. What chef Gordon Ramsay told him would change his life forever.

Wanting to combine his two passions, Shawn started a program for at-risk youth in Yakima, WA called Urban Kitchen, to teach them culinary and business skills. At the end of the program, the students would...

Mark as Played

This week my guest is pizza maker and founder of Women’s Pizza Month Christy Alia. Women's pizza month is an online party taking place the whole month of March on Instagram. Of course, you can follow along by checking out the hashtag #WomensPizzaMonth. 

Christy wanted to shine a spotlight on many of the women in pizza, so she took to Instagram to start this. Anyone can participate, and she encourages you to do a post,...

Mark as Played

This week my guest is Mike Traud, founder of The Chef Conference (formerly The Philly Chef Conference). We talk about the history, and evolution, of this food and beverage conference. You'll hear what you can expect from this year's conference which is taking place in Philadelphia from April 12th through 15th.

Some of this year's guest are: Sean Brock, Tom Collichio, Alain Ducasse, Andrew Zimmern, Rob Rubba,...

Mark as Played

This week my guest is chef Christine Van Bloem. For 15 years Christine ran the successful Kitchen Studio Cooking School in Frederick, Maryland, a recreational cooking school. When the Covid pandemic hit, she had to stop doing in-person cooking classes. She pivoted to online cooking classes, hoping to go back to in-person. Then, her husband had a stroke, and she had a heart attack, On top of that, she was unable to agree on the term...

Mark as Played

In this week’s solo episode of Chefs Without Restaurants, host Chris Spear delves into the controversial yet effective business practices he's adopted for his personal chef business. Chris reveals how he's successfully run his culinary business without the reliance on contracts, invoices, or deposits, placing a significant emphasis on trust and personal connections over formal paperwork. 

While his method defies many tradi...

Mark as Played

This week I have chef Sunny Soto-Brisco. With her wife, they started Sunny Street Outreach to cook and serve restaurant quality meals to the houseless and underserved communities in Oceanside, CA. They're currently working on fundraising for a mobile cafe trailer which, once open, will serve the Oceanside community with coffee and breakfast on the go. YOU CAN DONATE HERE

SUNNY STREET OUTREACH
The Sunny Street Outr...

Mark as Played

This week I have Althea Brown. After moving to the United States from Guyana, Althea started a blog called Metemgee where she shares traditional Guyanese recipes. Due to health reasons, Althea now follows a paleo diet. But you don’t have to follow a paleo diet to enjoy her recipes. In fact, Althea shares both traditional recipes, and Paleo remixes on her website, and in her new book Caribbean Paleo.

Some topics discussed ...

Mark as Played

This week I have part 2 of my conversation with Scott Blackwell, owner/distiller of High Wire Distilling Co in Charleston, SC which he runs with his wife Ann Marshall. This part of our conversation starts with how and why he started the distillery. If you're interested in his entrepreneurial journey up to the point of starting the distillery you can find part 1 here.

We talk about taking a creative, culinary approach ...

Mark as Played

This week I have part 1 of my conversation with Scott Blackwell, owner/distiller of High Wire Distilling Co in Charleston, SC which he runs with his wife Ann Marshall. This part of our conversation focuses on his entreprenurial journey up to the point of starting the distillery. Scott’s been a Ben & Jerrys distributor, owned a coffee roaster and bakery, and started a line of frozen doughs. He also holds the Guiness Book record ...

Mark as Played

This week on Chefs Without Restaurants I'm sharing part two of my conversation with Tony Moore. Tony is a seasoned marketing executive and the host of the "Winning at Work" podcast. I was a guest on his podcast, and this is a portion of that episode.

Episode Highlights

Using a blog as a tool for content marketing to provide people with insights into business and the behind-the-scenes aspects 

Positioning in th...

Mark as Played

This week, we're venturing into the vibrant world of Mexican cuisine with executive chef Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa at Wynn Las Vegas. At Casa Playa, she presents a vibrant and creative menu featuring bright, California and Baja produce and seafood, woven together with a robust masa program–drawing upon her culinary expertise refined at New York City’s lauded Cosme. Chef Thompson graduated from the Culinary Institute of Amer...

Mark as Played

In this episode we dive into the world of pop-up dining with Chef Jonathon Merrick of Family Meal Boise, an in-home pop-up restaurant he runs. You get a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and triumphs of running the successful pop-up, and gain insights into menu creation, guest interactions, and the intricacies of hosting unique dining experiences. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the dynamic world of po...

Mark as Played

This week on Chefs Without Restaurants we're diving into the world of food and beverage marketing with Tony Moore. Tony, a seasoned marketing executive and the host of the "Winning at Work" podcast, brings his extensive experience, sharing invaluable insights into the intricacies of brand marketing in the food industry.

Episode Highlights
Understanding Grocery Store Product Placement: Tony shares strateg...

Mark as Played

In this solo episode, host Chris Spear delves into the 'More, Better, New' principle, a concept coined by entrepreneur Alex Hormozi. Chris applies this philosophy to his own business, discussing its impact on decision-making and efficiency, particularly in the realm of marketing his personal chef business. This episode offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs and culinary professionals looking to streamline and enhance ...

Mark as Played
November 1, 2023 7 mins

Do you want to get more reviews for your business? If so, this is the episode for you. I’ll tell you step-by-step how I started to get at least one review from almost every customer. This tactic uses printable QR codes, takes less than 15 minutes of work, and costs nothing. Listen to learn how you can employ this technique.

Buy the Thank You Cards mentioned in this episode

CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

If you enjoy th...

Mark as Played

This week, my guest this week is Larry Lynch, president of the United States Personal Chef Association.

Topics Discussed:
Food safety
Regulations, the health department, and cooking in your home
Customer acquisition
Events and meal prep
Pricing
Chef-for-hire platforms and hireachef.com


LARRY LYNCH AND THE UNITED STATES PERSONAL CHEF ASSOCIATION
The USPCA Website
Hire a Chef
The USPCA's  I...

Mark as Played
October 19, 2023 10 mins

What is Good Food?

On last week's podcast I spoke with chef Rollie Wesen.  He's the executive Director of the Jacques Pépin foundation, as well as an assistant professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.  

During our conversation we spoke about what "good food" is. This touched on seasonal cooking, and families having a sit-down meal together (or not). This side con...

Mark as Played

This week on I speak with chef Rollie Wesen. He's the executive Director of the Jacques Pépin foundation, as well as an assistant professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.  Rollie is married to Claudine Pepin, Jaques daughter. In talking with Jacques, they thought it would be a great idea to start a foundation while he was still alive, and create something that would have a lasting, positive affe...

Mark as Played

This week we have chef Corey Siegel. You'll hear how Corey went from finishing dead last in his culinary SkillsUSA competition, to representing team USA with master chef Rich Rosendale at the Bocuse d'Or.  This episode is a behind the scenes look (or is it listen?) into the world of cooking competitions at the highest level.

But you also might know Corey from his TikTok and Instagram videos where he cooks a recip...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

    How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce

    Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about their games and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. Plus, entertaining stories from a combined 21 years in the league, off-field interests, and engaging conversations with special guests. Watch and listen to new episodes every Wednesday during the NFL season & check us out on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok for all the best moments from the show.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.