March 7, 2025 • 17 mins
Mario Carbone joins us in the Mercedes-Benz Interview Lounge!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Live from the Mercedes Benz Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Mario Carbone, the famous Mario Carbone. It's okay, you can
move for yourself. It's okay. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We have to tell you that yesterday Carbone sent over
the care package, the Ultimate, a Spicy Rigatoni. We got
some chicken palm, we got a nice seize of salad.
It was awesome. You know, I think that this Spicy
Rigatoni is that like your official calling card because it
seems like it's everywhere.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
That's the hit song, right, that's the one play the song? Right?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You know what I decided yesterday, if I was to
be put to death in the electric chair and I
had one meal left, it would be your spicy Rigatoni.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
You had a feel about it, that would be my
last meal. First, I'm concerned, what did you do? What
did you do?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Let this never happens.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
But what I'm saying is that would be my last meal.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Interesting as a chef, as a restaurant owner, what if
you got a call from the penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas
making this up? They said, mister Carbone, we're putting a
man to death tomorrow. His requests for his last meal
is spicy Rigotota.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I would feel obligated to show up in chef whites
and prepare it myself. Well, that's kind of creepy. The
entire thing is very creepy. Yes, I agree.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
If it's in the electric chair, you could he could
just hold the bolt and cook it himself. Oh my, cut.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Out the metal man. Why not, that's too far, you.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Know, Spicy Rigatoni. That sauce is just incredible, that it's
we're talking Calabrian chilies. We're talking yep, some cream involved.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Sweet onions, Calabrian chili, little cream, little butter, and then
the best tomato Cinmaizantos.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Here's the thing. It seems so simple, yet it is
very simple. But it is very simple. Yet you've elevated
somehow by a how just what well?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
We I mean? You know, we all grew up with
that dish and it was kind of just it was
a pizzeria dish. It was like kind of the bad
Italian restaurant dish. And we were writing the menu originally
a carbone and I wrote it in as a as
kind of a joke, because it's it's that kind of
bastard dish, and then I was like, well, let me
let me take a couple of cracks at making it
and see if I get anywhere. And I made it,
(02:14):
and I was like, you know what, this is pretty good.
This is good enough to put on the menu. Let's
see what happens. I had no idea that it would
become the most pop There was no way of knowing
that it was probably the last thing we put on
the menu before we opened.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Wow, there you go. There's the story.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I was just filling in one more slot and I
thought I needed a vegetarian pasta. I thought the mix
was wrong, and I wrote it in and I was like,
all right, this is pretty good. Let's let's let's let's
put it out.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Danielle. Look at this snooz saucy as now I Mac
and cheese, Alfreda just talk right there, Mac and cheese Alfredo.
So for Christmas this year, I got this beautiful presentation
from Carbone from Mario and that was in there, and
I'm like, wow, okay, I'm afraid to pop it. I'm
afraid once I start eating this my nipples will fall
off or something. It's gonna it's nipple hardening. Goodness.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
There's been no sign of that happening so far, so
you're safe there.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Okay, Well, so let's talk about all your sauces. How
many sauce sauces in total? Do you have?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Just about twenty five different skews of sauces?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Now?
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Whoa okay to withs so?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Wow? Okay, toe to toe with rayos. When you were
growing up, if you told anyone in your family we're
gonna have a jarred sauce today, would they laugh you
out of the kitchen because sauces back then we're a
different thing.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Sauces back then were a different thing. But I think
they would have a ry I or early on when
I say that, But I think that once they tried it,
they'd be pretty proud of it. I think the quality
of what yard sauce was back then is not nearly
what it is today. And I think you'd find even
my tough grandmother maybe trying to sneak in a jar
(03:44):
or two of sauce into her cooking as well.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I bet she did all along, and you never wered
previated that.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I don't think she did back then.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Now, do you think your sauce is not the type
that people need to like play with because I know
if I used the yard sauce, I always add little this,
some extra scarlet.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
I'm an adder too. I play with it. Okay, I'll
mix different I'll mix different flavors. I'm always I'm always
playing with it.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
But I beg your pardon.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I'm I I'm always mixing the sauces Elvis.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Okay, Well wait, if you're always playing with your own sauce,
then why don't you just make that the sauce.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah. I think each person should come up with their own,
you know, their own style.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Okay, all right, all right, so we'll start there.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
He can see great on its own. But you know,
I get bored.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Okay, Hey, how many okay, this is the thing that's
kind of mind blowing. How many places in America cannot
find your sauce twenty five thousand? Okay, because I remember, Look,
you know, I don't worrio carbone from just a restaurant
or to in New York City. And then years later,
time passes, I go to a grocery store in Santa Fe,
(04:49):
New Mexico, and your sauce is there. I'm like, holy crap,
he's everywhere. This is actually great news, good for you.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I've known you since we were neighbors.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
We were I didn't know you were neighbors. We were
we shared the same bathroom. So how much money per
sauce do you get? Like a jar? Like a heavy
that jar is that?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Like this is a smaller jar, and this is a
bigger jar.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
This is this Like forty five cents goes into Mario's
pocket right here.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Maybe sauce business is a lucrative business.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Okay, is it more lucrative than the restaurant business?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Some day it might at the pace that it's growing,
someday it might eclipse even the restaurant business.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Well, let's talk about let's talk about your restaurant business.
I know you. You do Carbon on the Beach, done
in Miami every year? Are you did you just announce
another year of doing this?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
We'd we announced another year partnership with American Express May
second through fourth formula one weekend. It's the weather's great,
the city's at its fullest, and we put on what
I think is the best event of the weekend. Are
you coming this year? You know what?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I keep meaning to get there and.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
You keep not coming.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Well, okay, I'd be brutally honest with you, it's hard
to get into that thing sometimes.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Don't do that, you know him, don't you know?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm not the kind of guy that likes to make
a phone call.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Hey, can you get me to come over and make
your sauce?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I mean really, that's right. The thing is, you can't
go online and you can reserve. Yes, you can reserve
for this, And how wouldn't we doing that? Just a
little too early for that, isn't not?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
American Express has already got advanced ticket sales happening, so
you can you can you can buy tickets early from
American Express and then they go online through us in
the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Let's get back to the restaurant business. You know. I
go for my walks every day. I always walk right
by Carbone. I always kind of look in and make
sure they're doing the job. Frix, you appreciate that. I
keep keep an eye on how many restaurants are you
up tomorrow? We have fifty restaurants right now open, and
then we probably have another twenty or so in development.
And I'm thinking the Carbone brand itself is like six
or seven of those.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Right yeah, So we have seven open car Bones and
then we have two opening this year, London in September
and du Buy in October.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Wow, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You have one Carbone and you're able to be there
and keep an eye on things. But if you have
seven Carbones and now fifty of the restaurants going, how
do you keep quality up and running to your standards?
Because I know your standards are high.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah. I keep tight communication with everybody, So we have
WhatsApp chats, we have video zooms all the time, we
have digital recipe books that I oversee. I do training
videos that I send out to all the chefs and
then and then I get to as many as I can.
But I'm always really close to that chef team around
the world and making sure that we're all doing everything
(07:28):
exactly the way that I want, same way the books
should be. And then I have a team allocated in
the company. They're the travel team. They spend all year
on the road, so they just go from place to
place to place to place.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So they are you representing you?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Everywhere? Yeah, So do you miss the days where you
could just walk in and just fire someone? I mean,
and I'm sure you've fired many people in your in
your time.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I've fired many people. You know, at this point we
have over five thousand employees at Major Food Group, and
in the early days, it was kind of to facto
my job to the fire guy.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Did you enjoy that secretly?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
You know, it depends on who you're firing and what
they do. Sometimes I really enjoyed it, and sometimes it hurt.
But the method is always the same. You know. My
method of firing is, well.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Hold on, hold on, fire me. Okay, Okay, let's okay,
So we sit down, you call me in.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
What did you do?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Well, I don't know you're here to talk to me.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
She changes a little bit of the dynamic of this firing.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Okay, let's say I've I've broken twenty five dishes in
the past week, right, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
That's stupid, Okay, So I would I would you invite
you in for a meeting. You'd sit down, and then
immediately upon sitting down, I'm gonna let you know that
you're being fired, you're being let go, and then we'll talk.
We can we can talk it out from there, but
it's always important to fire immediately, get it out of
the way, and then we'll have a little bit of
a conversation as to maybe why, and then that'll be
(08:53):
it so really quickly, so you'll sit down like, hey, Elvis,
how you doing great? Quick? Cordial Listen, we're letting you
go today X y Z. Reason it didn't work out,
I'm sorry about that. We wish you well and uh,
I hope you know, I hope you're successful in your
next your next job.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
What did I do? Why are you living.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Only twenty five plates last week?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You know you know?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Okay, and unfortunately they had food on them at the time. Yeah,
and they were usually over the heads of diners. Yes,
some of them landed on all right, okay, so your
your a liability? Well, couldn't you talk to me about
this and we work it out? Maybe you give me,
give me a time to cure that problem.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Well, we did. We did have a if you remember,
we did write you up a couple of times earlier
before that, so you were on your last warning. And
then that last tray of food that fell in the
lapse of you know, missus Smith last night.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
That was the last well, I didn't know this was
the last row. I thought it was the fact that I.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Had no We we went over it, Okay, yeah, well
I thought you had We had two warnings previously.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Okay, we're not letting me speak, I mean, with all
due respect, I thought maybe you were letting me go
because of my flat chilens.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
This is not this is not a give and take here.
So so you're saying it's done. No, no, it's it's
definitively done.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Okay, then why are we talking? I could just walk
the hell out of here.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah? Yeah, I thought it was important that you heard
from me. Okay, you know I want to I want
to give your respect to hearing.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
From about page. Is there a separatece package here it?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
H yeah, you be in touch with human resources?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Okay, right, you want to make me a little lunch
before I head out?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Can I get a jar sauce? Can take a jar
sauce in the way I remember I used to put
to you.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Okay, I get a jar of sauce for my service?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Why small jar?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Not the big one? Not this one?
Speaker 2 (10:35):
What a company?
Speaker 1 (10:36):
See? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I've never ever fired anyone in my life. This is
why I would be a bad businessman. There's always some
sort of loyalty they had with me, even if they're
the worst, non productive person in the world. I still
find that little thing and I'm not it's not fair
to them because they're never going to grow in my company.
I will never let them, so it's kind of my issue.
I'm kind of an idiot like that. I can't fire people.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
You gotta just put them out there out of their
misery immediately.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I see that worked. Actually, I felt as you immediately
fired me, and then you said, Okay, let's talk about it.
What's scary? You keep saying something I can hear you.
I just need to hear about the ultimate meatball making
method from the master himself. Now do you do the
pan fried thing, the baking thing, or cook it fully
in the sauce? What is the best way to make
the meatball scary? Are you busy after the show? I'd
(11:23):
be free to come in.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
This is obviously a multiple step process. Meatballs for me
are a blend of three meats, veal, pork, and beef.
The pork, I substitute out lean ground pork for pork sausage,
so it's pork sausage, veal, and beef. Then, instead of
using bread crumbs, because the bread crumb is going to rehydrate,
it's going to take the moisture away from the meats.
(11:45):
So I put in what's called panad, which is a
stale bread that's been soaked in milk. So that becomes
the bread that goes inside. It keeps the whole thing
really moist. Eggs, cheese, onions, garlic, all that. That's your mix.
Let the mix cool. Then roll them into balls. Then
they get deep fried and fried and olive oil. They're
still raw inside. They got a nice little crust. Then
(12:06):
they go into a pan with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
They get wrapped up and they get slowly cooked, really gentle.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I'm glad we had this conversation.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I don't know, I don't know how we got here,
but I hope that answered your question. Now that I'm fired, scary,
you're hiring him, by the way, are coming back next time,
and you're in charge. God, Carbone, fine food.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
These sauces are everywhere, and you gotta you gotta get them.
You gotta get all of them.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
And you're coming this year to carbonch Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I'm coming. I'm getting mad, I'm geting blieted. Okay, I'll
be there.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
I just feel like we go through this over and
over again, and you just don't cut show up. Every year,
I'm like, where's scared? Where where's Elvison? Oh?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
See, scary.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
I would like both of you to be there.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Oh god, I'm not going if he's going.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
And every year I'm just disappointed.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Okay, I can't disappoint you any longer.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Please?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Can we talk about this pinky ring? You bought?
Speaker 1 (12:54):
This one?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Is that the one?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
This is mister Sinatra's ring?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Is it really?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
By the way, I love how you don't call him
Frank or Frankie, you call him mister Sinatra. Can I see,
don't get too close. She's from the Bronx. You'll never
see it again. Good God, it's a.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Long story, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So this belonged to.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
That belonged to Tony Bennett. So Frank made Frank had
broken his pinky shooting a movie, and that ring didn't
fit him anymore, so he had it remade. And when
he had it remade, he decided to remake twelve of
them to take care of, to give one to each
of his kids and to some of the closest people
in his life, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, the kids all
(13:37):
got one, and then about a year and a half ago,
mister Bennett passed away and I went to an auction
of his possessions and I was kind of shocked that
this was there, And so I bought Frank Sinatra's Tony
Bennett Ring.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
How cool is that? See, I know that you are
obviously a big fan of Frank Sinatra. We actually spent
a week in his Palm Springs house. It was awesome
because you could feel his ghost rolling around in there.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
It's untouched.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
So I went to the bathroom one morning not to
get tomorrow's and I was sitting there doing my business.
I realized, oh my god, this is where Frank used
to sit down and pooh every day. And I was like,
and it kind of hit me upside the head.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I'm like, whoone?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
And I actually a little hungover. I tried to have
a conversation with him. I'm thinking, I know you're with me, Frank,
I know you're hearing your bathroom with me.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Where'd you tell him?
Speaker 2 (14:27):
I'm never going to divulg that. So Mario has a
new coffee table book. It's called Carbone. Yes, have you
ever wanted to do your own coffee table book? I
wanted to do the Tequila Shot Orgasm book and hear.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Me, what would that look like?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
It's a photo close up of a face and you
have to guess whether there they just took a shot
of tequila or they just just edt our guests. I
like that.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I would buy this book.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Don't you think that no has anyone passed on this yet? Right?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
No, it's in development stages. So but Carbone the table
the Coffee table book is what story you're telling it
with this book.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
We decided to do it because last year the restaurant
turned ten years old, and we've been blessed in so
many ways at that restaurant. One of the big things
that's so unique about the place is that virtually the
identical staff from ten years ago was still there, which
just doesn't happen in restaurants. People come, they go, they quit,
and we have basically the same team. So I thought
this is a perfect opportunity to sort of memorialize the
(15:30):
first ten years of this place, both food, but the
style that we do it, the decor, the music, the people,
the personalities, get everyone in this thing and make sure
that we have a living testament to like the first
ten years. Because I'm so grateful for everyone I did that.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I would love to see that, and I can't wait
to see that.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
I've got one coming for him.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Oh no, stop, you're so giving. I know cars on
the way. Oh is this from mister Carbone? Please send him,
send him some roses and say thank youppreciate that. And
the asline books are beautifully done. They're quite pricey. My
kind interesting point here is everyone can do their own
coffee table book from their lives. You can. You can
self publish.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Tequila and I can't wait.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Don't you steal my idea? Mario.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
You know how many jars of sauce they have sult
since twenty twenty one?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Is there a number?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Eighteen million jars of salts?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Got forty five cent jar.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
It's the fastest growing product in America outside of beverages.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yeah it is.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
And of course we're talking about Carbone fine food. These
these sauces are amazing. Don't don't ever poo poo a
Jarge sauce.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Don't you poopoo.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
There's no poopoo in a Carbone sauce. But congratulations on everything.
As I've said all the times you've been here, and
the moment you are in the kitchens, is working the line.
I hope you never ever give that up. I hope
you always find time to do that.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
I hope so too. I love it.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Excellent Mario Carbone, thank you, I'm sorry. Was that funny?
El Vista ran in the morning show.
Live from the Mercedes Benz Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Mario Carbone, the famous Mario Carbone. It's okay, you can
move for yourself. It's okay. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We have to tell you that yesterday Carbone sent over
the care package, the Ultimate, a Spicy Rigatoni. We got
some chicken palm, we got a nice seize of salad.
It was awesome. You know, I think that this Spicy
Rigatoni is that like your official calling card because it
seems like it's everywhere.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
That's the hit song, right, that's the one play the song? Right?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You know what I decided yesterday, if I was to
be put to death in the electric chair and I
had one meal left, it would be your spicy Rigatoni.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
You had a feel about it, that would be my
last meal. First, I'm concerned, what did you do? What
did you do?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Let this never happens.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
But what I'm saying is that would be my last meal.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Interesting as a chef, as a restaurant owner, what if
you got a call from the penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas
making this up? They said, mister Carbone, we're putting a
man to death tomorrow. His requests for his last meal
is spicy Rigotota.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I would feel obligated to show up in chef whites
and prepare it myself. Well, that's kind of creepy. The
entire thing is very creepy. Yes, I agree.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
If it's in the electric chair, you could he could
just hold the bolt and cook it himself. Oh my, cut.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Out the metal man. Why not, that's too far, you.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Know, Spicy Rigatoni. That sauce is just incredible, that it's
we're talking Calabrian chilies. We're talking yep, some cream involved.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Sweet onions, Calabrian chili, little cream, little butter, and then
the best tomato Cinmaizantos.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Here's the thing. It seems so simple, yet it is
very simple. But it is very simple. Yet you've elevated
somehow by a how just what well?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
We I mean? You know, we all grew up with
that dish and it was kind of just it was
a pizzeria dish. It was like kind of the bad
Italian restaurant dish. And we were writing the menu originally
a carbone and I wrote it in as a as
kind of a joke, because it's it's that kind of
bastard dish, and then I was like, well, let me
let me take a couple of cracks at making it
and see if I get anywhere. And I made it,
(02:14):
and I was like, you know what, this is pretty good.
This is good enough to put on the menu. Let's
see what happens. I had no idea that it would
become the most pop There was no way of knowing
that it was probably the last thing we put on
the menu before we opened.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Wow, there you go. There's the story.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I was just filling in one more slot and I
thought I needed a vegetarian pasta. I thought the mix
was wrong, and I wrote it in and I was like,
all right, this is pretty good. Let's let's let's let's
put it out.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Danielle. Look at this snooz saucy as now I Mac
and cheese, Alfreda just talk right there, Mac and cheese Alfredo.
So for Christmas this year, I got this beautiful presentation
from Carbone from Mario and that was in there, and
I'm like, wow, okay, I'm afraid to pop it. I'm
afraid once I start eating this my nipples will fall
off or something. It's gonna it's nipple hardening. Goodness.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
There's been no sign of that happening so far, so
you're safe there.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Okay, Well, so let's talk about all your sauces. How
many sauce sauces in total? Do you have?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Just about twenty five different skews of sauces?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Now?
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Whoa okay to withs so?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Wow? Okay, toe to toe with rayos. When you were
growing up, if you told anyone in your family we're
gonna have a jarred sauce today, would they laugh you
out of the kitchen because sauces back then we're a
different thing.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Sauces back then were a different thing. But I think
they would have a ry I or early on when
I say that, But I think that once they tried it,
they'd be pretty proud of it. I think the quality
of what yard sauce was back then is not nearly
what it is today. And I think you'd find even
my tough grandmother maybe trying to sneak in a jar
(03:44):
or two of sauce into her cooking as well.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I bet she did all along, and you never wered
previated that.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I don't think she did back then.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Now, do you think your sauce is not the type
that people need to like play with because I know
if I used the yard sauce, I always add little this,
some extra scarlet.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
I'm an adder too. I play with it. Okay, I'll
mix different I'll mix different flavors. I'm always I'm always
playing with it.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
But I beg your pardon.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I'm I I'm always mixing the sauces Elvis.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Okay, Well wait, if you're always playing with your own sauce,
then why don't you just make that the sauce.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah. I think each person should come up with their own,
you know, their own style.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Okay, all right, all right, so we'll start there.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
He can see great on its own. But you know,
I get bored.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Okay, Hey, how many okay, this is the thing that's
kind of mind blowing. How many places in America cannot
find your sauce twenty five thousand? Okay, because I remember, Look,
you know, I don't worrio carbone from just a restaurant
or to in New York City. And then years later,
time passes, I go to a grocery store in Santa Fe,
(04:49):
New Mexico, and your sauce is there. I'm like, holy crap,
he's everywhere. This is actually great news, good for you.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I've known you since we were neighbors.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
We were I didn't know you were neighbors. We were
we shared the same bathroom. So how much money per
sauce do you get? Like a jar? Like a heavy
that jar is that?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Like this is a smaller jar, and this is a
bigger jar.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
This is this Like forty five cents goes into Mario's
pocket right here.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Maybe sauce business is a lucrative business.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Okay, is it more lucrative than the restaurant business?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Some day it might at the pace that it's growing,
someday it might eclipse even the restaurant business.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Well, let's talk about let's talk about your restaurant business.
I know you. You do Carbon on the Beach, done
in Miami every year? Are you did you just announce
another year of doing this?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
We'd we announced another year partnership with American Express May
second through fourth formula one weekend. It's the weather's great,
the city's at its fullest, and we put on what
I think is the best event of the weekend. Are
you coming this year? You know what?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I keep meaning to get there and.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
You keep not coming.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Well, okay, I'd be brutally honest with you, it's hard
to get into that thing sometimes.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Don't do that, you know him, don't you know?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm not the kind of guy that likes to make
a phone call.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Hey, can you get me to come over and make
your sauce?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I mean really, that's right. The thing is, you can't
go online and you can reserve. Yes, you can reserve
for this, And how wouldn't we doing that? Just a
little too early for that, isn't not?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
American Express has already got advanced ticket sales happening, so
you can you can you can buy tickets early from
American Express and then they go online through us in
the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Let's get back to the restaurant business. You know. I
go for my walks every day. I always walk right
by Carbone. I always kind of look in and make
sure they're doing the job. Frix, you appreciate that. I
keep keep an eye on how many restaurants are you
up tomorrow? We have fifty restaurants right now open, and
then we probably have another twenty or so in development.
And I'm thinking the Carbone brand itself is like six
or seven of those.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Right yeah, So we have seven open car Bones and
then we have two opening this year, London in September
and du Buy in October.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Wow, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You have one Carbone and you're able to be there
and keep an eye on things. But if you have
seven Carbones and now fifty of the restaurants going, how
do you keep quality up and running to your standards?
Because I know your standards are high.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah. I keep tight communication with everybody, So we have
WhatsApp chats, we have video zooms all the time, we
have digital recipe books that I oversee. I do training
videos that I send out to all the chefs and
then and then I get to as many as I can.
But I'm always really close to that chef team around
the world and making sure that we're all doing everything
(07:28):
exactly the way that I want, same way the books
should be. And then I have a team allocated in
the company. They're the travel team. They spend all year
on the road, so they just go from place to
place to place to place.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So they are you representing you?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Everywhere? Yeah, So do you miss the days where you
could just walk in and just fire someone? I mean,
and I'm sure you've fired many people in your in
your time.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I've fired many people. You know, at this point we
have over five thousand employees at Major Food Group, and
in the early days, it was kind of to facto
my job to the fire guy.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Did you enjoy that secretly?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
You know, it depends on who you're firing and what
they do. Sometimes I really enjoyed it, and sometimes it hurt.
But the method is always the same. You know. My
method of firing is, well.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Hold on, hold on, fire me. Okay, Okay, let's okay,
So we sit down, you call me in.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
What did you do?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Well, I don't know you're here to talk to me.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
She changes a little bit of the dynamic of this firing.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Okay, let's say I've I've broken twenty five dishes in
the past week, right, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
That's stupid, Okay, So I would I would you invite
you in for a meeting. You'd sit down, and then
immediately upon sitting down, I'm gonna let you know that
you're being fired, you're being let go, and then we'll talk.
We can we can talk it out from there, but
it's always important to fire immediately, get it out of
the way, and then we'll have a little bit of
a conversation as to maybe why, and then that'll be
(08:53):
it so really quickly, so you'll sit down like, hey, Elvis,
how you doing great? Quick? Cordial Listen, we're letting you
go today X y Z. Reason it didn't work out,
I'm sorry about that. We wish you well and uh,
I hope you know, I hope you're successful in your
next your next job.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
What did I do? Why are you living.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Only twenty five plates last week?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You know you know?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Okay, and unfortunately they had food on them at the time. Yeah,
and they were usually over the heads of diners. Yes,
some of them landed on all right, okay, so your
your a liability? Well, couldn't you talk to me about
this and we work it out? Maybe you give me,
give me a time to cure that problem.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Well, we did. We did have a if you remember,
we did write you up a couple of times earlier
before that, so you were on your last warning. And
then that last tray of food that fell in the
lapse of you know, missus Smith last night.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
That was the last well, I didn't know this was
the last row. I thought it was the fact that I.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Had no We we went over it, Okay, yeah, well
I thought you had We had two warnings previously.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Okay, we're not letting me speak, I mean, with all
due respect, I thought maybe you were letting me go
because of my flat chilens.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
This is not this is not a give and take here.
So so you're saying it's done. No, no, it's it's
definitively done.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Okay, then why are we talking? I could just walk
the hell out of here.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah? Yeah, I thought it was important that you heard
from me. Okay, you know I want to I want
to give your respect to hearing.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
From about page. Is there a separatece package here it?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
H yeah, you be in touch with human resources?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Okay, right, you want to make me a little lunch
before I head out?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Can I get a jar sauce? Can take a jar
sauce in the way I remember I used to put
to you.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Okay, I get a jar of sauce for my service?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Why small jar?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Not the big one? Not this one?
Speaker 2 (10:35):
What a company?
Speaker 1 (10:36):
See? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I've never ever fired anyone in my life. This is
why I would be a bad businessman. There's always some
sort of loyalty they had with me, even if they're
the worst, non productive person in the world. I still
find that little thing and I'm not it's not fair
to them because they're never going to grow in my company.
I will never let them, so it's kind of my issue.
I'm kind of an idiot like that. I can't fire people.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
You gotta just put them out there out of their
misery immediately.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I see that worked. Actually, I felt as you immediately
fired me, and then you said, Okay, let's talk about it.
What's scary? You keep saying something I can hear you.
I just need to hear about the ultimate meatball making
method from the master himself. Now do you do the
pan fried thing, the baking thing, or cook it fully
in the sauce? What is the best way to make
the meatball scary? Are you busy after the show? I'd
(11:23):
be free to come in.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
This is obviously a multiple step process. Meatballs for me
are a blend of three meats, veal, pork, and beef.
The pork, I substitute out lean ground pork for pork sausage,
so it's pork sausage, veal, and beef. Then, instead of
using bread crumbs, because the bread crumb is going to rehydrate,
it's going to take the moisture away from the meats.
(11:45):
So I put in what's called panad, which is a
stale bread that's been soaked in milk. So that becomes
the bread that goes inside. It keeps the whole thing
really moist. Eggs, cheese, onions, garlic, all that. That's your mix.
Let the mix cool. Then roll them into balls. Then
they get deep fried and fried and olive oil. They're
still raw inside. They got a nice little crust. Then
(12:06):
they go into a pan with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
They get wrapped up and they get slowly cooked, really gentle.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I'm glad we had this conversation.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I don't know, I don't know how we got here,
but I hope that answered your question. Now that I'm fired, scary,
you're hiring him, by the way, are coming back next time,
and you're in charge. God, Carbone, fine food.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
These sauces are everywhere, and you gotta you gotta get them.
You gotta get all of them.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
And you're coming this year to carbonch Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I'm coming. I'm getting mad, I'm geting blieted. Okay, I'll
be there.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
I just feel like we go through this over and
over again, and you just don't cut show up. Every year,
I'm like, where's scared? Where where's Elvison? Oh?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
See, scary.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
I would like both of you to be there.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Oh god, I'm not going if he's going.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
And every year I'm just disappointed.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Okay, I can't disappoint you any longer.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Please?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Can we talk about this pinky ring? You bought?
Speaker 1 (12:54):
This one?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Is that the one?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
This is mister Sinatra's ring?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Is it really?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
By the way, I love how you don't call him
Frank or Frankie, you call him mister Sinatra. Can I see,
don't get too close. She's from the Bronx. You'll never
see it again. Good God, it's a.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Long story, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So this belonged to.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
That belonged to Tony Bennett. So Frank made Frank had
broken his pinky shooting a movie, and that ring didn't
fit him anymore, so he had it remade. And when
he had it remade, he decided to remake twelve of
them to take care of, to give one to each
of his kids and to some of the closest people
in his life, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, the kids all
(13:37):
got one, and then about a year and a half ago,
mister Bennett passed away and I went to an auction
of his possessions and I was kind of shocked that
this was there, And so I bought Frank Sinatra's Tony
Bennett Ring.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
How cool is that? See, I know that you are
obviously a big fan of Frank Sinatra. We actually spent
a week in his Palm Springs house. It was awesome
because you could feel his ghost rolling around in there.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
It's untouched.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
So I went to the bathroom one morning not to
get tomorrow's and I was sitting there doing my business.
I realized, oh my god, this is where Frank used
to sit down and pooh every day. And I was like,
and it kind of hit me upside the head.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I'm like, whoone?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
And I actually a little hungover. I tried to have
a conversation with him. I'm thinking, I know you're with me, Frank,
I know you're hearing your bathroom with me.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Where'd you tell him?
Speaker 2 (14:27):
I'm never going to divulg that. So Mario has a
new coffee table book. It's called Carbone. Yes, have you
ever wanted to do your own coffee table book? I
wanted to do the Tequila Shot Orgasm book and hear.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Me, what would that look like?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
It's a photo close up of a face and you
have to guess whether there they just took a shot
of tequila or they just just edt our guests. I
like that.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I would buy this book.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Don't you think that no has anyone passed on this yet? Right?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
No, it's in development stages. So but Carbone the table
the Coffee table book is what story you're telling it
with this book.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
We decided to do it because last year the restaurant
turned ten years old, and we've been blessed in so
many ways at that restaurant. One of the big things
that's so unique about the place is that virtually the
identical staff from ten years ago was still there, which
just doesn't happen in restaurants. People come, they go, they quit,
and we have basically the same team. So I thought
this is a perfect opportunity to sort of memorialize the
(15:30):
first ten years of this place, both food, but the
style that we do it, the decor, the music, the people,
the personalities, get everyone in this thing and make sure
that we have a living testament to like the first
ten years. Because I'm so grateful for everyone I did that.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I would love to see that, and I can't wait
to see that.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
I've got one coming for him.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Oh no, stop, you're so giving. I know cars on
the way. Oh is this from mister Carbone? Please send him,
send him some roses and say thank youppreciate that. And
the asline books are beautifully done. They're quite pricey. My
kind interesting point here is everyone can do their own
coffee table book from their lives. You can. You can
self publish.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Tequila and I can't wait.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Don't you steal my idea? Mario.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
You know how many jars of sauce they have sult
since twenty twenty one?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Is there a number?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Eighteen million jars of salts?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Got forty five cent jar.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
It's the fastest growing product in America outside of beverages.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yeah it is.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
And of course we're talking about Carbone fine food. These
these sauces are amazing. Don't don't ever poo poo a
Jarge sauce.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Don't you poopoo.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
There's no poopoo in a Carbone sauce. But congratulations on everything.
As I've said all the times you've been here, and
the moment you are in the kitchens, is working the line.
I hope you never ever give that up. I hope
you always find time to do that.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
I hope so too. I love it.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Excellent Mario Carbone, thank you, I'm sorry. Was that funny?
El Vista ran in the morning show.
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