Episodes

Navigating Client Communication and Building Authentic Brands with Meghan Kix of BeeCat Creative - Part 2
Aug. 9, 2024

Navigating Client Communication and Building Authentic Brands with Meghan Kix of BeeCat Creative - Part 2

In this episode of Chefs Without Restaurants , Chris Spear sits down with Meghan Kix for part 2 of their discussion on marketing and branding. You can find part 1 here . Meghan's a marketing and branding specialist who's work...
Mastering Your Brand with Meghan Kix: A Deep Dive into Marketing and Branding for Food Entrepreneurs
Aug. 2, 2024

Mastering Your Brand with Meghan Kix: A Deep Dive into Marketing and Branding for Food Entrepreneurs

In this episode of Chefs Without Restaurants , Chris Spear sits down with Meghan Kix, a marketing and branding specialist who's worked with major brands like Flying Dog Brewery, and now runs her own creative agency, BeeCat Cr...
Heirloom Beans and Beyond: Inside Rancho Gordo with Steve Sando
July 15, 2024

Heirloom Beans and Beyond: Inside Rancho Gordo with Steve Sando

In this episode of Chefs Without Restaurants, Chris Spear welcomes Steve Sando, the founder of Rancho Gordo, a company known for its heirloom beans. Steve shares his unconventional journey from a diverse range of careers, to ...
Exploring Chinese Gastronomy with Carolyn Phillips
June 27, 2024

Exploring Chinese Gastronomy with Carolyn Phillips

In this episode of Chefs Without Restaurants , Chris Spear sits down with Carolyn Phillips, a renowned expert in Chinese gastronomy and the author of acclaimed cookbooks such as All Under Heaven and the upcoming The Art of Ch...
How to Market Your Business by Using Your Car as a Mobile Billboard
June 14, 2024

How to Market Your Business by Using Your Car as a Mobile Billboard

Today, I’m diving into a unique and cost-effective marketing strategy that has worked wonders for my personal chef business: using your vehicle as a mobile billboard. If you're a service-based business owner, you’ll want to h...
Advice For Writing a Better Cookbook from All Under Heaven's Carolyn Phillips
June 6, 2024

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 , Al...
The Office’s Brian Baumgartner Spills the Beans on Chili and Barbecue
May 30, 2024

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 mom...
Guest: Brian Baumgartner
Cooking with Pat Lee: A Food Content Creator's Journey
May 20, 2024

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

In this episode, Chris Spear chats with Pat Lee, a food content creator and private chef from Delaware. Pat shares his journey from working in the financial industry to becoming a renowned food content creator during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss the business of food content creation, communi…
Using Pizza to Raise Awareness and Money for Muscular Dystrophy with The Real Billy Z
May 1, 2024

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 radi...
Modernist Cuisine, Sustainability, Culinary Traditions and More with Nathan Myhrvold
April 19, 2024

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 ec...
Stolen Recipes, Scrapple, Bill Murray and Bad Service
April 12, 2024

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 m...
Exploring Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon with Bernie Lubbers of Heaven Hill Distillery
March 28, 2024

Exploring Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon with Bernie Lubbers of Heaven Hill Distillery

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...
Teaching Kids Culinary and Business Skills - The Fat Pastor Shawn Niles
March 21, 2024

Teaching Kids Culinary and Business Skills - The Fat Pastor Shawn Niles

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. Wan...
Guest: Shawn Niles
Make Better Pizza at Home with Women's Pizza Month Founder Christy Alia
March 14, 2024

Make Better Pizza at Home with Women's Pizza Month Founder Christy Alia

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...
Talking About The Chef Conference with Founder Mike Traud
March 7, 2024

Talking About The Chef Conference with Founder Mike Traud

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...
Perseverance and Adaptation - Christine Van Bloem of The Empty Nest Kitchen
Feb. 27, 2024

Perseverance and Adaptation - Christine Van Bloem of The Empty Nest Kitchen

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...
Beyond Contracts, Invoices, and Deposits: Creating a Less Transactional Experience
Feb. 19, 2024

Beyond Contracts, Invoices, and Deposits: Creating a Less Transactional Experience

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 hi...
The Chef Who's Feeding Oceanside's Houseless Community - Sunny Soto-Brisco of Sunny Street Outreach
Feb. 12, 2024

The Chef Who's Feeding Oceanside's Houseless Community - Sunny Soto-Brisco of Sunny Street Outreach

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...
Guest: Sunny Soto-Briscoe
Caribbean Flavors with a Paleo Twist: Althea Brown’s Culinary Journey from Guyana to the US
Feb. 4, 2024

Caribbean Flavors with a Paleo Twist: Althea Brown’s Culinary Journey from Guyana to the US

In this episode, Chris Spear talks with Althea Brown, the creator of Metemgee and author of Caribbean Paleo. Althea shares her journey from Guyana to the U.S., adapting traditional Caribbean recipes for a Paleo diet. They discuss food blogging challenges, the importance of SEO, and how she balances…
Guest: Althea Brown
Taking a Creative, Culinary Approach to Craft Distilling with Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Co (Part 2)
Jan. 27, 2024

Taking a Creative, Culinary Approach to Craft Distilling with Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Co (Part 2)

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 ...
Serial Entrepreneurship in the Food and Beverage Industry with Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Co (Part 1)
Jan. 19, 2024

Serial Entrepreneurship in the Food and Beverage Industry with Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Co (Part 1)

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 entreprenuri...
Processed Food, Faux Meat, Culinary Nostalgia, and Reading the Room with Tony Moore of Winning at Work
Jan. 8, 2024

Processed Food, Faux Meat, Culinary Nostalgia, and Reading the Room with Tony Moore of Winning at Work

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...
Exploring Mexico's Rich Flavors with Chef Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa
Dec. 21, 2023

Exploring Mexico's Rich Flavors with Chef Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa

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...
Behind the Scenes of Pop-Up Dining with Chef Jonathon Merrick of Family Meal Boise
Dec. 9, 2023

Behind the Scenes of Pop-Up Dining with Chef Jonathon Merrick of Family Meal Boise

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 suc...