Videos

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 radio, to a challenging 8-year medical journey that resulted in a…

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 economics, from Princeton University. His master’s degree is in geophysics and space physics,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

What is Good Food? On last week's podcast I spoke with chef Rollie Wesen (https://www.podpage.com/chefs-without-restaurants/the-jacques-pepin-foundation-and-culinary-education-with-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 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…

👨‍🍳 Starting a Personal Chef Business 🍴 The key to starting a personal chef business is to just get started. Begin by cooking special dinners for friends, neighbors, or relatives. This allows you to see if you enjoy it and if it’s something that could work as a business, all…

Welcome to the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, where we dive into the world of culinary entrepreneurs and those in the food and beverage industry working outside of traditional restaurant settings. In this episode: Join Chris Spear as he chats with Christy Alia, the passionate pizza maker and founder of Women’s…

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 (https://www.podpage.com/chefs-without-restaurants/certified-master-chef-rich-rosendale-discusses-ghost-kitchens-culinary-school-cooking-competitions-and-diversifying-your-business-portfolio/) at the Bocuse d'Or (https://www.bocusedor.com/en) . This episode is a behind the scenes look (or is it listen?) into…

This week I have Kara Mae Harris of the blog Old LIne Plate, where she's been exploring Maryland foodways since 2010. Last year, Kara released a book titled Old Line Plate, the same as her blog. It was a collection of some of her favorite posts throughout the years. But…

Join host Chris Spear on this special episode of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast as he chats with actress and cookbook author Tiffani Thiessen. Best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell and Valerie on Beverly Hills 90210, Tiffani dives into her passion for food,…