Challenger chef, judge and the owner of Mŏkbar, Esther Choi shares her introduction to the culinary world and mission to celebrate Korean culture through her craft. She reflects on her initial introduction to Food Network and treasured memories made while cooking with her grandmother. Chef Esther emphasizes the value of cooking with fresh, homegrown ingredients, making each element by hand and other lessons her grandmother taught her. Reminiscing about elementary school days in Korea, she offers her perspective on their culture and cuisine. Esther dishes on the New York restaurant scene, praising its diverse representation of the Korean flavor spectrum. She shares her strategy for introducing Americans in small towns and big cities to her roots and encouraging them to cook with Korean elements. The restaurateur reveals challenges and considerations she had to make when scaling her concept into three restaurants and planning menus for each. Esther explains the cultural significance of shareable food and her people-first approach to curating menus. Finally, the Beat Bobby Flay winner opens up about judging and competing on television, spilling her rigorous training techniques.

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/esther-choi-champions-the-global-sport-of-korean-food">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/esther-choi-champions-the-global-sport-of-korean-food

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Learn More About Beat Bobby Flay: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/beat-bobby-flay

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Learn More About Throwdown with Michael Symon: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/throwdown-with-michael-symon

Learn More About Iron Chef: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/iron-chef

Italian chef, writer and television personality Gabe Bertaccini dishes on his experience hosting the first season of Ciao House. Chef Gabe compares his craft to the art of storytelling and details his mission to share the mouthwatering flavors of his culture with a broader audience. He opens up about the added pressures and purpose that he felt representing his roots through food and paints a stunning picture of the production’s backdrop, sharing which elements of the set flooded him with fond childhood memories. Gabe remembers picking vegetables from the garden with his grandmother and cooking with her for hours. He explains why the show needed to be set in Italy, how they landed on the location and the benefits of working in a food epicenter, with fresh ingredients at your fingertips. Gabe talks about the cultures that inspire Italian cooking and how he feels about the American artisanal movement unfolding in U.S. kitchens. Pivoting to the spicier side of Ciao House, he opens up about his relationship with co-host Alex Guarnaschelli on and off set, sharing why their Italian and French-trained collaboration created craveable entertainment. Finally he reveals the recipe for a well-rounded chef and how to turn food into his consumers’ favorite story.

Note: Please be advised this episode contains un-beeped curse words

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Learn More About Ciao House: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/ciao-house

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/gabe-bertaccini-dishes-on-his-love-letter-to-italy">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/gabe-bertaccini-dishes-on-his-love-letter-to-italy

Pop-up restaurateur, culinary show competitor and Jersey Shore chef, Britt Rescigno dives into the roots of her nickname, the “Angry Italian.” The intense chef opens up about the rush she felt stepping onto her first set kitchen, her competitive background and family ties to food. Caught red handed with a Ratatouille tat, Britt shares the special meaning behind her ink. She reflects on her upbringing, raised by a chef father, waitress mother, family restaurant-running grandparents and why it’s fitting that she scrambled her first egg by five years old. Britt talks about the classical French training, Italian cooking experience and New Jersey punch she brought to the Tournament of Champions and Chopped competitions. Then she reveals what the biggest challenge was, despite her meticulous calculations, strict study schedule and years of experience. She shares what made her time on the shows so emotional, the best advice she’s ever been given and the positive feedback she’s gotten from fans. Finally, she dives into her pop-up restaurant tour, why people can “go eat crow” and her perfect food day.

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Learn More About Tournament of Champions: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/tournament-of-champions

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/britt-rescigno-the-authentic-ambitious-angry-italian">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/britt-rescigno-the-authentic-ambitious-angry-italian

Interior architect, designer and television host, Taniya Nayak joins us to share how she achieves the unimaginable on Restaurant: Impossible. She reveals how she and her husband began their successful professional partnership and gives fans a glimpse inside their dinner dates, which double as strategic meetings to inspire future concepts. Taniya shares the key experience every restaurant designer should have on their resume and why functionality is critical to the perfect interior. She compares the whirlwind process she and Robert Irvine follow on Restaurant: Impossible, to her experience working on projects off-air. Taniya dishes on the most common interior design mistakes people make and what fans would never guess about her co-host. Reflecting on her favorite transformations, she shares the heartfelt reason she loves her career and the best lesson she’s learned from it all. Finally, she shares her favorite meal her mother cooks, what to expect in Season 3 of Battle on the Beach, and 2023 kitchen trends to watch.

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Learn More About Restaurant: Impossible: 

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Henry Laporte, the viral TikTokker “Salt Hank,” shares how he went from doom scrolling during the pandemic to being featured on Crack an Egg With. Hank dishes on his decision to quit his marketing job and pursue a career as a culinary content creator when his first video went viral. Famously capturing attention with a satisfying crunch and holding it through his creations’ completion, he details how he found his formula for viral views. Hank reveals what makes sandwiches the perfect canvas for food experimentation and the secret to the perfect build. He highlights the freedom the American staple gives chefs to elevate, downplay or feature versatile flavors. Proving you don’t need formal culinary training to make it as a chef, Henry shares why he loves creating cooking tutorials for followers on the platform that inspired his craft. Finally, he reveals what he hopes to learn from his future trips abroad, the biggest surprises of competing on Food Network and which of his idols he recently got to cook with.

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Learn More About Crack an Egg With: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/crack-an-egg-with

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/henry-laporte-salt-hank-reveals-salt-hacks-and-elevated-snacks">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/henry-laporte-salt-hank-reveals-salt-hacks-and-elevated-snacks

Award-winning chef, Food Network Hot Lister and half of the power team who launched Beto & Son, Julian Rodarte stars in this episode. He credits his abuelita’s resourceful culinary skills and his father’s food artistry for inspiring his success. Julian reveals what it took to get his mentor to support his dreams and when he began pursuing this passion. He compares what he learned about the technical side of the industry in culinary school to the business aspect his father taught him. Julian dishes on what it was like competing on Beat Bobby Flay alongside his dad, who’d been dreaming of that moment since he was a child. The first-generation American shares how his family’s farm-fresh Mexican dishes inspired his palette and what hosting dinner parties growing up taught him about running a restaurant. Julian explains what he strives for at each of his concepts and the influence aromas and music have on guests’ overall experience. Finally he spills the secret to his award-winning nitrogen margaritas and who was really the brains behind the viral champagne vending machine.

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Learn More About Tournament of Champions: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/tournament-of-champions

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/julian-rodarte-reveals-restaurant-secrets-and-his-culinary-competition-experiences">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/julian-rodarte-reveals-restaurant-secrets-and-his-culinary-competition-experiences

Award-winning chef, restaurateur and creator of several food lines, Stephanie Izard takes us on a culinary exploration of entrepreneurship. On a mission to create pleasant and inviting experiences for her diners, she’s opened seven unique restaurants in Chicago and LA that bring international flavors to upscale, casual dining tables. She shares the inspiration behind her goat-themed endeavors and the influence her travels to Peru, China and Taiwan had on her Cabra and Duck Duck Goat dishes. The Iron Chef and Top Chef winner reflects on her experience going head-to-head with friends on cooking competition shows, comparing the unpredictable and exciting atmosphere to her carefully contrived restaurants. Stephanie reveals where her passion for food came from, the secret to packing punch into each plate and how she’s curated her fearlessly fun persona that network fans and restaurant regulars love.  

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Learn More About Tournament of Champions: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/tournament-of-champions

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/stephanie-izard-the-goat-of-the-chicago-food-chain-on-competing-against-friends">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/stephanie-izard-the-goat-of-the-chicago-food-chain-on-competing-against-friends

Seattle-based chef Shota Nakajima talks about how he processes achievements, like making the Food Network Hotlist, and how he tends to take things one day at a time. Shota describes how the Pacific Northwest shaped his culinary perspective and how he enjoys being in nature to forage for ingredients and clear his mind. He shares how he fell in love with the hospitality industry by holding down two jobs at just fifteen years old and how that led to working in a Michelin star restaurant in Japan all before the age of twenty. Shota shares his thoughts on restaurant hierarchy and how he pivoted his operations to foster a more collaborative model with his employees. He describes his experiences on various food competition shows and how Tournament of Champions is a different beast. He reveals the touching way Guy Fieri supports the competitors and why he loves the blind judging before nerding out over his love of anime. 

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Learn More About Tournament of Champions:https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/tournament-of-champions

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/shota-nakajima-on-sushi-rice-secrets-toc-cold-sweats">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/shota-nakajima-on-sushi-rice-secrets-toc-cold-sweats

Chef JJ Johnson shares how his family nurtured his passion for food and why he decided to pursue culinary school. JJ talks about his time studying in Ghana and falling in love with West African cuisine. He shares his affection for rice and why you can explore most every culture through their rice dishes. JJ explains why he wants to become the Michael Jordan of the culinary world and what it means to have tenacity and dedication to a craft. JJ talks about hosting The Cookout at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival and why it’s important to hold space for black culture and cuisine at these events. He discusses his James Beard nominated Food Network video explaining the versatility of collard greens and why they don’t get the hype they deserve before revealing his favorite food spot in Harlem.

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Watch Everything You Need to Know About Collard Greens: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=375355280330206

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/jj-johnson-on-rice-as-the-throughline-of-our-lives">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/jj-johnson-on-rice-as-the-throughline-of-our-lives

Chef Rocco DiSpirito reminisces on his time as an executive chef in the early nineties and how reviews and critics could make or break an establishment. Rocco talks about how social media has leveled the restaurant review playing field and how the New York City food landscape has evolved over the past few decades. He talks about his early food memories and the honest, hardworking upbringing with his family that led to his first job selling Italian ice. Rocco shares how the role of a chef has evolved and why he hired a coach to guide him through interactions with customers in his restaurants. He talks about starting therapy in elementary school and why everyone needs a trained therapist in their life. Rocco reveals why he loves creating cookbooks so much after authoring fourteen and why, even with the internet and social media, cookbooks remain special. He talks about his friendship with Guy Fieri, how they met, and why he loves filming together on Guy’s shows. Rocco talks about how intense the blind judging is on Tournament of Champions and how he has to wait to find out who cooked the dishes he loved. 

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Learn More About Guy’s Ranch Kitchen: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/guys-ranch-kitchen

Learn More About Tournament of Champions: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/tournament-of-champions

Find episode transcripts here: network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/rocco-dispirito-on-shy-chef-secrets-why-cookbooks-are-still-special">https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/rocco-dispirito-on-shy-chef-secrets-why-cookbooks-are-still-special