Chefs Without Restaurants

Chefs Without Restaurants

Join Chris Spear on his podcast, "Chefs Without Restaurants," as he interviews food and beverage entrepreneurs who have taken a unique path 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. His guests include caterers, research chefs, personal chefs, cookbook authors, food truck operators, farmers, and more – all individuals who have paved their own way in the culinary world. Tune in to hear their inspiring stories and valuable insights on the road less traveled in the food and beverage industry.

Recent Episodes

May 14, 2025

A Taste of the Balearics: Jeff Koehler on the Spanish Mediterranean Islands Cookbook

Want the INSIDE SCOOP on building and growing a food business? Subscribe to our newsletter. This week, I’m joined by Jeff Koehler, food writer, traveler, and author of The Spanish Mediterranean Islands Cookbook, out now from Phaidon. Jeff has written nine books exploring the intersection of food, c…
May 7, 2025

Inside Tahini Baby: Eden Grinshpan on Veg-Centric Cooking

Want the INSIDE SCOOP on building and growing a food business? Subscribe to our newsletter. This week on Chefs Without Restaurants, I’m joined by Eden Grinshpan, the chef, author, TV host, and culinary creative behind the new vegetarian cookbook Tahini Baby. You might know her as the host of Top Ch…
April 16, 2025

Shred Happens: Arash Hashemi on Low-Carb, High-Protein Cooking

This week, I’m joined by Arash Hashemi of Shred Happens. We talk about his journey from struggling with food and weight to becoming a cookbook author and founder of Kaizen Foods. Arash shares tips for building healthier habits through low-carb, high-protein meals that actually taste good. We cover …
April 2, 2025

From Fine Dining to Ice Cream with Snow Crane's Chef Takeshi Nishikawa

Chef Takeshi Nishikawa is trading Michelin stars for ice cream. In this episode, we explore his journey from DC fine dining to launching Snow Crane—a Japanese-inspired ice cream shop coming to Hyattsville, MD. We talk about flavor innovation, hospitality philosophy, and building a business rooted i…
March 13, 2025

How to Start a Successful Cottage Bakery with Maria Baradell of Leaf & Loaf

In this episode of Chefs Without Restaurants, I sit down with Maria Baradell, the founder of Leaf & Loaf, a thriving home-based sourdough bakery. Maria shares her inspiring journey from baking bread for her family to building a successful cottage bakery—and how she scaled up quickly to meet demand.
Nov. 21, 2024

Jacques Pépin: A Culinary Legend Reflects on 75 Years in Food

Want the INSIDE SCOOP on building and growing a food business? Subscribe to our newsletter. This week on Chefs Without Restaurants , we celebrate two major milestones: our 250th episode and five years of podcasting. To mark t...

Recent Blog Posts

Feb. 22, 2023

Why Doing Free Work as a Personal Chef is a Recipe for Disaster

On this week’s Chefs Without Restaurants Podcast On this week’s podcast, I discuss the dangers of free work for personal chefs. As a personal chef, my business is centered around providing my clients with a restaurant-style experience i…

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