January 16, 2023 • 36 mins
Wells and Tyler share their New Year's stories and make their food trend predictions for 2023!
Then John Kanell joins them to share his savory journey from middle school math to founder of the Preppy Kitchen!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Two Dudes in a Kitchen with Tyler Florence and
Wells Adams and I heart radio podcast. Alright, time for
our episode of two Dudes in a Kitchen, even though
both these dudes aren't in the kitchen right now, but
we will be at some point later in the day.
I'm well as I'm alongside Tyler Florence, You'd be so
proud of me, dude. Okay. I was in charge of
(00:22):
the New Year's Evening like meal, and I had made
this amazing prime rib roast for Christmas, and I was like,
I'm gonna do this again. It was so simple. Uh.
By the way, the hack for cooking is having the
digital thermometer that like you can leave in the entire
night and then just have like one of those little
beepers that tells you what the temperature is. It makes
(00:45):
so much freaking easier. Anyways, I was making this prime
rib and I was roasting a chicken, but the power
went out, so no oven. We did have a range,
and we had an outdoor grill that was that four
ft of snow on top of it. And I swear
to God, You're gonna think that this is crazy, but
(01:05):
I was able to roast the chicken and the prime
rib in the barbecue, and it was delicious. I love that.
Listen that they say in the kitchen, if it comes
a little rare, you call it carpaccio, and you keep
on going, you know. So it's not it's not about
the mess up. It's about the recovery, right, So I
think if something like that happens, I think it's a
really really great way to think about that because listen
(01:27):
to the extreme weather that's happening coast to coast. We're
here in California, but I know exactly what that's like
to be able to pivot to say, Okay, we don't
have electricity, but we've got gas outside. I get a
full tank and to be able to kind of move.
And another thing, if that ever happens again, you can
just take the prime rib and literally cut into rib
by steaks and grill it, you know, and just keep
(01:48):
on going again. And so, you know, as long as
the people outside having dinner enjoy themselves and they don't
have to see uselt. I think that's a really great
side of of a great cook. You can just pivot
on a dime and keep on going. Good for you,
my friend. That's great. It was very proud of myself.
I was when we were doing and I was like,
you know who who would love this? Tyler would be
so proud of me right now? Yeah, Yeah, that's awesome
(02:09):
and that's great. Well, we were in Hawaii. We launched
Miller and Lucks and Huallai at the Four Seasons. Yeah,
we I launched a restaurant over the break, which which
was crazy crazy, Well consider technically we launched too, you know,
because we're we opened in Veil and yeah, and then
we also opened in Hawaii at the same time, and
(02:30):
so that was that was as challenging as opening a
restaurant could ever possibly be. And they are all a
challenge in their own way, but this one was super
special considering the Four Seasons is such an elite group
to partner with, and you know, we've got a chance
to open up with with their their team and their
logistics and our creativity and our team kind of matching forces.
(02:51):
And we just did a open a blockbuster restaurant there.
So I'm very very proud of it. So is the
Veil went open Veils Open veilesment over about three weeks
right now and killing it doing really really strong numbers
every day. And we just got an amazing right up
in the Veiled Daily by the way, that they called
Miller and Lux Veil Veils New Decadence, which is which
(03:12):
was kind of a nice ride up. I was really
super proud about that. And then Miller Lux Hawaii is
just such a beautiful, beautiful, prestigious property. I think it
definitely it's gonna be the best restaurant on the big
island the Hawaii, but we we love for be the
best restaurant in the state Hawaii too, So it's gonna
be great starting gang Busters for you. Do you have
(03:35):
any um resolutions or like, was it just to open
up two restaurants and you did that already so now
you can just chill well, you know, um, we always
take life a year at a time, and I know
it's it can be a little nerve racking to kind
of plan in your life that way, but we always
kind of leave ourselves open to the universe a bit
to be able to you know, make room for new
(03:58):
opportunities as they come. Now, there is no such thing
as luck. So like luck is, opportunity meets preparation and
you're either prepared for the opportunities when they come or not.
So whatever you think your resolution should be, I think
they should be a gold driven um to not just
sort of like everybody wants to lose weight, everybody wants
to learn the foreign language, everybody wants to go to
(04:18):
play piano, everybody wants to get more sleep, of course,
but I think your your drive should be to push
your personal brand forward, to push you know, your life
balanced forward where you you feel like you're happier in
a way, where you're eating more and as the restaurants
start to kind of present themselves and the new opportunities,
(04:39):
like we're working harder than we've ever worked ever. I've
never worked harder in my life, you know, at the
age of fifty one, where we've we've got the floor
on the gas pedal, the gas pedal on the floor,
like really kind of pushing hard to kind of get
all these things open and rolling, and never been happier
with the feeling that you know, not only are we
(04:59):
you know, feeling uh being successful, but this is like
really great progress. And and so I think that those
are my goals just to kind of you know, keep
ourselves open to the universe, you know, keep working as
hard as you possibly can and uh and and keep
pushing forward. So it feels great. How about you, man,
what are your big goals for here? Well, the ones
that you said earlier. Definitely I'm gonna try to do uh.
(05:21):
I can speak Spanish pretty well, but I want to
get really really good at it. Yeah, so I'm I'm
really gonna I'm gonna focus in on that. Obviously, everyone
wants to be healthier. But I think, kind of going
back to what you're talking about the whole universe thing,
I want to put out more positivity in the world
this year than I put out last year. That's not
(05:41):
saying that I put out no positivity, but I do
think that uh, good vibrations and like positive energy being
pushed out, um comes back at you tenfolds, back to
you tenfolds without a question. So I definitely want to
focus on being like more of the light for everyone
(06:03):
around me, you know. And um, that's my goal. And
to you know, be a little bit healthier, maybe drink
a little bit less too. Yeah. Yeah, And and well,
I think a lot of those consumption things, I think
you know that those are those are definitely some immediate
problem fixes, right for for for a lot of things
right to kind of think about, especially as we start
to get a little older, right, you start to be
(06:23):
a little more careful about what kind of what you
put in your body, because everything really really starts the matter,
you know, um, you know, the the hangover which used
to be twenty four hours is now three to four days,
and so like drinking has to be an incredibly special
occasion for a really really great bottle one other than that,
like I I don't casually drink anymore at all, just
(06:44):
because like every day is really important and it affects
my sunshine, right, it affects my positive light. Right, So
if if I feel like whatever, for whatever reason, I'm
not you know, being myself. I think sometimes you have
to look at yourself first and foremost, and so, okay,
what what did I either? What did I do to
call is it are? What could have possibly done to
improve the situation? And I think having a positive outlook
(07:04):
should be everybody's number one goal because it's so easy
to do, right, It's so easy just to look at
it's whatever it is, It's never as bad as you
think it's gonna be. Right, whatever is coming up in
your life, it's it's there's always a way out, there's
always a better, there's always a way to fix it,
there's always a way to communicate better. And whatever happens
with our teams as we're really starting to manage restaurants
(07:25):
in different cities in America right now, I was telling everybody, listen,
we're a phone call away from solving everything. And also
another really important goal, which I think is is really important,
is to whatever whatever happens today, that that is an
opportunity to improve your outcome. And we could reclassify those
as like problems that sort of materialized, try your hardest
(07:47):
to get those knocked out today, right. So what it's
because tomorrow is coming for you, right, So tomorrow's got
its own you know own um, you know, challenges is
gonna unleash that you don't even know coming yet. So
I think it's really important to sort of take today
and go. But before I go to bed today, I'm
gonna take these things that kind of popped that today
we're I'm gonna get them smoothed out. I'm gonna get
(08:08):
them taken care of. We're gonna get this communicated, we're
gonna get this polished. So tomorrow is a full, clean
slate and to not let these things sort of stack up,
because that's where life can feel a little heavy sometimes
if you let these problems to sort of mount. Yeah,
and speaking of you know, like kind of putting out
positive vibes into the universe. Later in the episode, we're
gonna have John Cannell, who was originally a math and
(08:33):
science teacher who pivoted over to become a food blogger,
food influencer who now has over eight point five million
subscribers and viewers, which is insane, and I'm so excited
to talk to him because his story is so freaking cool. Yeah,
the Preppy Kitchen. Yeah, this guy is so great if
(08:53):
you if you're not following him, I think he's such
a He's a natural instructor, right, This guy was a
math and science teacher and now he's really kind of
following his true passion, which I I just love this
whole story because he's really really good at it and
and this level of like communication is he's such a
professional at it too, and he didn't even know he
was capable at it until he tried, which I just love. Yeah,
(09:15):
So that's coming up a little bit later. On two
dudes in the kitchen. But first, I thought, since is
the beginning of the new year, we could start talking
about three food trends now right off the bat, Do
you have any any thoughts or predictions of what some
food trends will be this year? Well, I think it's
(09:36):
gonna be really interesting because right now we're we're started
dealing with, you know, kind of a kind of an economics,
you know, situation that I think a lot of people
may or haven't, you know, it's either hit them. It's
either already hit them, or it's about to hit them.
But I think there's gonna be a tightening of the
belt across the board and in a lot of ways
that I think people are gonna you know, start um,
(09:58):
you know, um thinking through how they're gonna be cooking
at home more um, which is gonna be really really
interesting to start to play out. I think that's gonna
be a big trend in two three is just you know, um,
people with this homesteading vibe of how they're gonna be
you know, like making a little go really really far
(10:19):
from a budgetary standpoint, cooking at home, cooking with the kids.
I think because it happened early in the pandemic UM
where a lot of people were just like cooking with
their family. And I think, you know, because the situation
was so bad, but I think that the silver lining
and all of that was the connection, uh that everybody
made with their with their children, with their parents or
they're you know, they're they're a little bubble in a way,
(10:41):
UM as far as kind of cooking with the family.
So I think that's gonna be a big trend in
two three UM, which I think has some positivity to it.
What are your thoughts on foe meat because I feel
like that's been big in the past couple of years,
and I wonder if it's gonna be the bigger I
(11:02):
I think it's gonna be really, really big and in
a lot of ways. And I think the foam meat
industry is is going to expand to really and this
is gonna sound kind of weird, but we're going to
be able to manufacture um replacement parts for our our
human body out of t cells in a laboratory. Right.
(11:25):
So the way you go get fitted for shoes, UM,
you could go get fitted for you know, for a
new heart or new kidneysse or new a new level.
I mean, obviously it's a little far off down the road,
but right now they're really manufacturing like live, you know,
tissue that could you know, be a human ear replacement
or a digit or finger or whatever it is. So
(11:46):
I think like that the meat, and it's kind of
a weird thing to kind of pivot back and forth
from that, but I think that the science is producing
some really kind of valuable stuff, including you know, protein
that's consumable um in in in a way that that
feels um kind of like revolutionary. So I think the
difference between you know, foe meat and and laboratory produced protein,
(12:07):
I think there's two different industries there that I think of.
Both are really really industry interesting and one I'm kind
of four and one they're like I kind of have
a problem with. And I think that like the plant
based meat industry, I think it's kind of existed in
this unaccountability way, you know, because everybody says, like, okay,
(12:28):
so it's plant based, it's got to be healthy for you.
And technically, if you start to kind of look at
the nutritional facts on that, yes, it has less saturated
fat and less salt, But if you look at the ingredients,
I would argue it's less nutritious um than actual you know,
on the ground protein because I'm a whole foods advocate,
right Like I I like, you know, food that's like
you can recognize it, you can see it, you know.
(12:50):
I I like ingredients that have like one label and
that's exactly what it is. Um. So if you start
like looking at the back of the label some plant
based in eating, it's and I challenge anybody just sort
of answered the question, like what is it exactly right?
I mean, like if you say it's a plant based
burger and popfum burger, do you know what's I'm not slate, right,
I don't know. And that's the thing about it, like
(13:11):
nobody really really knows. And one thing in particular, which
which was kind of weird because what we had we
were approached last year by a company that was producing
plant based chicken nuggets and they were kind of looking
for a celebrity chef endorser to hop on board. And
you know, I got the product of the house, baked
them up and it was okay, but it was really
(13:34):
just kind of just kind of felt like rubbery. If
you ever look that up it's it's tree pulp. Really yeah,
it's like so it's ground up trees as as a
bulk filler in artificial flavors and artificial ingredients and soy
based on whatever it is. Right, So, so my thing is,
I don't know if I want to eat that because
I don't even know if I necessarily know what it is.
So the idea of being holistic with plant based stuff,
(13:56):
I think in reality, I think some of these things
are like incredibly manipulated laboratories and and just modified manufactured
man made goo really just shaped into a chicken nugget.
And so so I think this, you know, cheap food
that's filling that's not necessarily as nutritious. Although it may
have less fat, I don't think it has as much
(14:17):
as like real uh you know, real calories that I
think people need. That's my thing now. Now um lab
produced meat protein, I think there's gonna be a real
industry for that. Have you tried that? Yeah? No, I
think it's fat. So there's the defence between the two. Right,
So there's and this is the big trends. I think
lab produced um meat products are going to be really
(14:42):
really really interesting because they are what they really are.
They're just sort of grown in a different environment. Right,
So instead of like a cap that's produced sort of traditionally,
this is like meat that's like grown in a laboratory,
but but under you know, under a microscope, and it's
grown with the stem cells and T cells. Like it's
a real it's real beef. It's real beef. Now, it's
(15:02):
gonna be difficult to turn that into a rib by
per se. I think a lot of it's gonna be
sort of like in the ground meat industry thing like
now that I think has a real potentially way to
feed millions and millions of people, um that I think
it's gonna better for the environment, But I think turn
like plant based stuff. To me, this it always sounded fishy.
It's always kind of come across as like a little
(15:23):
like weird. You can't really explain it. Like possible meats,
impossible burgers, And we've been approached for them and it's
a it's a San Francisco based company, and I applaud
them because they're making money. But okay, so do you
know what do you know what chicken tastes like? Right? Yes? Yeah,
you know what pork tastes like, yeah, you know what
beef tastes like dumb? You know these things taste like right, yeah,
(15:43):
So so to me, like an apostible burger tastes like
a meat I've never had before. It tastes it tastes
like an animely I just can't identify where this comes
from in a way. And then and so and if
I'm so obsessed with like a plant based culture, I'd
rather eat plants, you know, I'd rather eat vegetables and
have to like have some sort of like fake burger
that is really fake. It's fake and flavor fake and
(16:05):
color fake and everything. I don't have something that's real
and and that that's my that's my big trend. I
think one's gonna blow up, and I think one's gonna
I think one's gonna run out of gas. To be
honest with you, Yeah, Well, if if they are able
to make a stake in a laboratory where they're not
having to kill a cow, then people I would I
don't know if this is to be true, but people
(16:26):
who are vegetarian or vegan might feel better about that
because they're not really hurting any animals. But you get
the benefit of enjoying that real protein without a question.
That's a very very interesting new industry, uh that that's
involving rapidly in a lot of ways, and and something
that I could really kind of get behind as a
culinarian and say, okay, great, I could not only could
(16:47):
I when I feel okay about eating this, but I
could theoretically see what's putting on a menu somewhere. Um,
But it's not there yet from a capacity standpoint, Like
we couldn't get enough of that to like put on
a menu right because it doesn't exist volume. Um. But yeah,
I mean, like I've tried it laboratory to produced me.
I think that's going places. And I predict that I
think plant based whatever I think will eventually start running
(17:11):
out of gas. It'll it'll feel like a food trund.
Let's talk spices. Do you have any prognostications on with
the hot spice of will be? Um? You know, I
think togarashi Is is gonna start having a moment um
And so togarashi Is it's a Japanese spice blend made
with like citrus peel. It's usually orange and toasted nori,
(17:34):
which is the seaweed wrapper that comes around sushi but
ground down to a powder and set me seed in
chili flicks and if you haven't had a chance to
try it yet, I think it's so delicious and it's
got like it's full of zest and it's got like
that new Mommy bomb from the nori and you know
a little chili pop and also the citrus. I think
it's really really great. Now my favorite breakfast on planet Earth.
(17:56):
I'm not gonna lie. It's like a soft boiled egg
with toga rashi and then a little bit of soy
sauce and I think it's fantastic. So I think Togarashi
is gonna have a moment. I think a lot of
people's resolutions will be to be more adventurous, to get
out to try different new things. At least that's what
I think. Mine always is like that. Um, what's a
food trend or like a new culinary experience that's taking
(18:19):
off that people definitely need to try that they normally wouldn't,
you know. Like I guess like Faugh had this moment
a couple of years ago, and um, Korean barbecue was
a big a couple of years ago. What's some kind
of like weird different cultural food trend that's gonna be
happening in three that people need to go try. I
think um um Filipino food is because right now it
(18:42):
is one of the hottest colinary trends here in San Francisco. Um,
there's an amazing, great large Filipino population here in San Francisco,
and they bring the culture, like their food is spectacular
and so and it's sort of a mixture between you know,
like Chinese and Spanish. It's kind of like posentually hybrid um.
But it's a d any and I think Filipino food
is going to have a real big skyrocket pop nationwide,
(19:06):
uh in two thousand's way three. Oh, I don't know
if I've ever had Filipino food. It's great. Look it up.
I mean, so there's definitely like a lot lots of
like really kind of interesting um um flavor profiles. But
if you had to kind of, you know, uh, think
about the trade ones of the different countries that have
sort of floated through there and kind of planned their
flag on the ground for a period of time, UM,
they've all kind of left their culinary mark um. And
(19:28):
it started to create like a really interesting hybrid, uh
that I think makes it unique and and interesting different
for sure. Al Right, we gotta take a break here
in a little bit to have John Cannell on the show.
But before we take that break, is there any other
food trends of three that Tyler Florence thinks they're gonna
hit hard? Um? You know there there's there's so many
(19:50):
you know, interesting like new angles on it. And I'm
really really loving what's happening on social media for better
for worse, right, because I think you how to kiss
a bunch of frogs sometimes to get some really good content.
But and and some of it feels a little extreme,
and we'll definitely kind of talk about that with John
come up in the next segment. But I think by
and large, like like the trend on on d I
(20:13):
y uh, media companies like people doing the stuff at
home and broadcasting. Um, what what feels like not necessarily recipes,
but kitchen wisdom, like what it works for you? Right
because you're seeing all the like you like people how
they you know, com peel garlic using a butter knife,
or how they how they how they open up an
(20:35):
avocado by taking a spoon and pop in the back
of him. They're just just like taking and all these
like new like like like tricks that are just like
why Sometimes I look at that and go like in
never in a million years what I thought about that? Right? So,
I think as the Internet opens up and and and
cameras get really really great, and you know, for the
low local costs of somebody investing in a jobie tripod um,
(20:58):
people are turning their own kitchens, their own free time
and for their side housele into their main hustle and
not just to you know, jump into the kitchen and
doing it and so like filling that dream of being
like you know, like a television chef for a big
TikTok inflootzer. And there's money to be made for sure,
you know, as soon as the book deals start rolling
in and the the endorsements start rolling in, like people
(21:19):
are doing it and and I think that's really kind
of fun to watch. I for one, and I'm learning
a ton. I tried that gallic thing with the butter knife.
It did not work. Oh it didn't work. It didn't
work for me, Like it did kind of get a
little bit of it out, but and not not the
way that like it happened in the TikTok video. But
one that I did see that totally worked was we
(21:40):
were making deviled eggs for Christmas morning, and I've always
just cut the deviled eggs out and then you kind
of pop out the the yoke. And the trend was
is that you you kind of roll the knife over
the egg and so you don't cut the yolk and
so when you open it up, it just falls out.
And it's super easy. About that one, I was like,
(22:02):
TikTok's amazing, Taktoks amazing. Another like like deviled egg trick,
and I can talk about anything forever, but like what
one that I thought was really kind of interesting. That is,
like you so you you take you take um eggs right,
and so it's a it's a twelve minute um poch.
So it's not all the way firm, hard cooked, but
it's kind it's a little soft of little piable um
(22:23):
still bright and you take it. And so instead of
taking the egg yolks out, you make an a mayonnaise
mixture and then you actually just add a dollop of
flavor profile to the top of the egg and you
really don't even think about making the devil egg mixture,
so once you pop in your mouth, it tastes the
same anyway. Yeah, so I thought that was just kind
of wild. Yeah, Like, I mean, look at that. That's
(22:44):
a very very interesting take on a deviled egg that
I learned from somebody on TikTok. I'm like, okay, I'm
might be still on that one. And by the way,
devil eggs, they're delicious. They've been on our menu. And
Wait for Burns and two thousand ten, like I grew
up in out, I get to say, it's like a
church picnic to me. I love him. We make him fancy.
At Wait for Tavern, we kind of change the flavor
(23:06):
profile from time to time and we'll do like, you know,
like old Bay fried shrimp on top, which is kind
of fun. And at Miller and Luck's we put black
truff on top of him. What's your what's your? You know,
Pinky's out makes it nice. Yeah, now I'm getting hungry.
All right, we're gonna take a quick break. When we
come back, we're gonna have John Canell. He's the founder
of Preppie Kitchen. He's a food influencer and he's got
(23:27):
a best selling book out so he's awesome. But what's
crazy to about his story is that he didn't start
out being a cook. Originally was a math teacher in
a science teacher and pivot over story is cool. You're
gonna want to hear it. We're back in just a
bit right here on Two Dudes at a Kitchen. Welcome
into two Dudes in a kitchen. The one, the only
(23:47):
John Cannell, who's a cooking and making expert founder of
Preppie Kitchen, a digital food and family focused brand that
empowers and inspires those who enjoy cooking at all skill levels.
John founded the site Preppy Kitch back to two thousand
fifteen immediate success, eight point five million followers. John, Welcome
to the show. That is a lot of people who
(24:10):
are watching you right off the bat. I have to ask,
how did you go from middle school math and science
teacher to food blogger. Well, it's a circuitous route, but
I grew up in the kitchen with my mom like
so many of us, and my one real joy in life,
(24:30):
besides teaching, was being in the kitchen, trying new flavors
out and just like making food from the heart. My
mom came from where she comes from, a really small
village in Mexico and everything had to be fresh. So
she brought this ethos of does like loving fresh food
and being inventive and exploring new flavors with her when
(24:51):
she came to this country, and it's something that I
took the heart and that helped me make preppy kitchen.
I guess, I guess you're still teaching effectively, but no
more like student parents teach your conferences. I think of
it as a pivot. So like my husband encouraged me
to like switch career paths over and I'm still teaching.
(25:12):
I still have, you know, a lot of connections with people,
and it's just in a different environment about a different subject.
I do wish so many times I could travel back
in time to my classroom and bring my kitchen with me,
because there's so many practical applications of math and science
that are really hands on and would be so great
(25:33):
for kids. But you know, that's other story. I I
think in a lot of ways, like math makes sense
in the kitchen. If you have to explain math and
not necessarily a formula but a ratio, right then it
really starts to make sense. How you start to break
things down their part whole relationships. It's like the kids
have so much problems with because they literally see like
(25:56):
a fraction and they don't know what it means. They're like, well,
it's a numerating, it's a dominator, but like, but what
does that mean? Does mean? To? Yeah? Put in context right,
which is great. Also, I think that public speaking of
being in front of a classroom every single day kind
of give you, you you know, the ability to stand up
in front of the new classroom I'm obviously a much
much larger classroom and and you know, deliver what you're doing,
(26:18):
which is a real passion. And this is something that
I love about your story because so many people I
feel like I have that you know, that that that
thing that they feel like who they really are as
a person, you know, but need that encouragement to sort
of like cross the line into a new world. And
that could be scary, am alright? To change careers like that? Yeah,
(26:39):
it can definitely be scary, and you just have to
put one ft in front of the other. And I
think a lot of us tend to put our wants
for another day, Like we think of what our best
life can be and that's our future goal as opposed
to like what we want to make for ourselves right
now in this moment, Like when I had kids, my
(27:00):
husband and I really thought about, like what do we
want for our lives right now? Because every single moment
with these children is passing by in an instant, and
you know, putting it down the line, they'll be whole.
They'll be like totally differently formed creatures by then, So
you've gotta like take that step right now. Oh there,
your children. They're five five year old twin boys. Are
(27:23):
they into cooking at all? They love cooking, So right
now we're taking turns and every day one helps me
win the kitchen with dinner, so they they'll take turns.
I'll make the salads of me, the dressings. They like
know the steps now. I'm very proud of them because
my parents, of course, but you know, like we're making
pizza and they know like to do like the finger tests,
see if the dose ready, and do all that stuff.
(27:45):
So it's really fun for them. It's like the best
bonding time too, because it's so hands on. What recipes
do you find yourself making the most with your children?
And then without so with my children, besides any kind
of dinner recipe or I can't have them in every
single step, but we choose like adding the spices in,
like making salad dressings or sauces, putting things into a bowl. Um,
(28:09):
they stay away from the stove. And then for them,
like when they're leading it, they love making pizza in
on the weekend and any kind of stirred together recipes
like apple muffins, is it keep all the muffins? A
lot of the basic sheet cakes they love helping with,
especially if they're going to a party that we can
bring something over and they helped to make it. The
look of pride on their faces is like unmatched. Its huge. Yeah,
(28:33):
I love that alright. So it's a new year. There
are some new trends. We were talking about it earlier
in the show. What are some ingredients that are in
season right now that you think are going to be big?
You know? And I wrote my book. I arranged it
by the season in large part because of this. Because
one certain things you want to get in the summer,
(28:54):
Like I want summer sweet strawberries. I don't really want
winter strawberries that look like strawberries on the outside, but
they're white on the inside and have a different taste
and texture. So yeah, you're getting the vegetables, the apples,
the pears, the oranges, but there's also like different vibes.
Like for me right now, the trend is cozy season.
I am looking for those richer sauces a little heavier on,
(29:15):
like the pasta's like there's a mushroom bolonnais in the book,
and you know, the kids at home right now, we're
making some time to like actually make pasta by hand,
which is really fun to do. And uh, then you
make these sauces that kind of simmer away for a
long time that could be even better the next day,
and it's all, um, it's all the like kind of
cozy nesting moments soup season. It really is. I love that.
(29:39):
So you're this kind of like massive food blogger and
you've you've been seeing this on TikTok and on Instagram,
like a lot of the younger generation kind of pursuing
this career as a food influencer. I guess my question
is is what advice do you have for those that
want to kind of pursue what you're doing. Well, so
(30:01):
many of them are doing an amazing job. I would
give them a paddle net back. First of all, because
people who are in this generation now are just intuitive
technology users, so a lot of it's coming natural. But
if you wanted to get started, number one, get started.
Just start doing it. You're not going to be great
the first time. Don't look for like massive success or
(30:23):
viral success instantly. Just start doing it so you can
understand one, what your real passion is to like what
you need to do, like where your areas of growth,
because you're not going to know that. Just like planning
it out and then have fun with it. Don't look
at the numbers. Just it's a fun exercise. It's something
you're passionate about. Just dive in. Yeah, every video is
(30:46):
going to get better, right, every look, every TikTok, and
every post is going to get better if you go
if you go back to the back, back to the
back to back of my Instagram feed or my Facebook
feed or whatever. Oh my gosh, that's some rough times,
but I did it anyways. Yeah, it just just get started.
Just put something up there. Even if it's a more
of a vlog about what you what you cook on
(31:07):
a daily basis, it doesn't necessarily have to be so
deeply entwined and a restipepers say, as you start to
kind of grow with your broadcast, but then also thinking
about recipe writing too, because a lot of people have
a passion for cooking per se, but not necessarily the
technical expertise of writing recipes, and that I think people
have to get really good at uh to sort of
take it to scale to you know, obviously write a
(31:29):
write a best selling book like the one you have
on the on your back counter, like that there's a
skill that comes along with perfecting the craft of writing recipes. Yeah,
it's really about writing. And that's where being a teacher
kind of came in handy because I was used to
writing lessons and then I got to understand, this is
a many lesson about food. So let's make it concise,
(31:50):
clear to the point, like people are in the grocery
store looking on their phones. Just get into it. Don't
talk about the family history, and like why I love
this recipe is so personally important to me, Like what
are the ingredients? What do you need? How how long
will this take you? All that stuff? All right, so
let let's let's play a cool game on past pail. Okay,
I'm like, let's say TikTok recipe trends. What trends would
(32:13):
you give a path too, and what trends would you
give a you know, maybe they needs some more research on. Oh,
just in general, the ones I would give a fail
to are the ones who is going for shock value
with like weird. Like I saw one like a pie
dish and people someone's pouring vodka in there and then
like a soda and marshmallows. It was just like just
weird for the sake of weird, as opposed to like
(32:34):
something that's like a genuine taste stuff. One trend I
really love that I'm getting served a lot is cooking
from family cookbooks. So there's like my hundred year old
great grandmother's recipe book, and people are just cooking their
way through, and there's some really interesting recipes like from
the depression when they didn't have certain ingredients at hand,
(32:55):
or just like different tastes, like you know, so many
aspect things, so many jello things that I find personally
interesting because I love history and I love the history
of food, and that really Yeah, my brother put together
I'm Portuguese, and my brother put together all the old
recipes from my grandma and great grandma and they're they're
(33:16):
so simple. Um, but like for whatever reason, like her
her soup was still like reminds me of like being
sick and you know, healing me up and stuff. And
it's just so funny. Those old recipes are are are
very very nuts and bolts, very simple, but so freaking good.
It's that this simplicity, the ingredients and also the nostalgia.
(33:40):
There's I've recipe in the book. It's a lemono which
is a Greek lemon e egg chicken soup, which is
Greek magic in a bowl. If you're ever sick, and
it's one it's delicious and nourishing. But because I had
a growing up, it's just like the most amazing thing
and brings back all these memories from childhood. So I
love that we can incorporate family his tree in our
(34:01):
recipes and that us being promoted and shared. And I
think that's a that's a great way to start if
you're out there in the blog world, is to not
necessarily you know, think about the wild the wider university food,
really kind of look in your own backyard, look at
your own historical background. Um, there's so much information to
jump into and really kind of tell your story and
(34:22):
that's what it's gonna make you look and feel authentic
and people love that. And if it's difficult for you
to like put the camera up to your face, because
it is for a lot of us, do something with
your family, grab a brother or sister or your mom
or grandma and just make something in the kitchen and
you're going to be more at ease and also have
like a font of expertise next to you that can
(34:42):
help help carry you through. You can also do the
over over the pan shot where your face isn't even
in it. I've seen so many of those that are
that do really really well if it's almost like a
s mr cooking And yeah, okay, last question for you,
John Um Desert Island question. You have one meal to
eat for the rest of your life. What are you making?
(35:04):
Oh gosh, I'm gonna go for a nostalgia factor and
it's gonna be my great grandfather's roasted Greek chicken, which
is like full of a reguano and like drenched in
olive oil and lemon with a spicy tomato orza. Really
just simple Greek salad and for dessert for dessert, I'm
(35:27):
gonna have a lemon olive oil cake. Nice. I love that.
That's hounds so delicious. That would be my wife's favorite
thing in the world. Um okay, John, thank you so
much for spending some time with us on two dudes
in a kitchen. Where can everyone find out more about you?
Where can they get your book? All that stuff? The
books available wherever books are sold and find me on
(35:47):
Preppy Kitchen dot com, Preppy Kitchen on Instagram, TikTok YouTube,
the rest amazing, John, Thank you so much, um and
I guess try to stay warm over there in Connecticut. Man. Yeah,
and congratulations on all your success. My friend, you want
to thank you, thank so much for having It was
really fun, of course, see Bud, Yeah he's awesome. Yeah,
he's great. He's fun. I love the historical background, like
(36:08):
his grandmother is from Mexico and it sounds like his
grandfather was a Greek at that Greek That could have
been a good story again, but how did they meet? Yeah? Exact?
And like, what what are those dishes? Those amalgamated dishes
look like? Now where you mixed you know, Mexican and
Greek together? All right? Dude, Tyler It's good to see
you man. Um yeah, always so good to see you. Yeah,
(36:30):
and don't forget to follow us on Instagram at two
Dudes in a Kitchen. That's where kind of all the
information and all the clips are and uh yeah, we'll
see you guys next week. Al Right, guys, thanks for listening.
Follow us on Instagram at two Dudes in a Kitchen.
Make sure to write us a review and leave us
five stars. We'll take that and we'll see you guys
next time. See you next time.
It's Two Dudes in a Kitchen with Tyler Florence and
Wells Adams and I heart radio podcast. Alright, time for
our episode of two Dudes in a Kitchen, even though
both these dudes aren't in the kitchen right now, but
we will be at some point later in the day.
I'm well as I'm alongside Tyler Florence, You'd be so
proud of me, dude. Okay. I was in charge of
(00:22):
the New Year's Evening like meal, and I had made
this amazing prime rib roast for Christmas, and I was like,
I'm gonna do this again. It was so simple. Uh.
By the way, the hack for cooking is having the
digital thermometer that like you can leave in the entire
night and then just have like one of those little
beepers that tells you what the temperature is. It makes
(00:45):
so much freaking easier. Anyways, I was making this prime
rib and I was roasting a chicken, but the power
went out, so no oven. We did have a range,
and we had an outdoor grill that was that four
ft of snow on top of it. And I swear
to God, You're gonna think that this is crazy, but
(01:05):
I was able to roast the chicken and the prime
rib in the barbecue, and it was delicious. I love that.
Listen that they say in the kitchen, if it comes
a little rare, you call it carpaccio, and you keep
on going, you know. So it's not it's not about
the mess up. It's about the recovery, right, So I
think if something like that happens, I think it's a
really really great way to think about that because listen
(01:27):
to the extreme weather that's happening coast to coast. We're
here in California, but I know exactly what that's like
to be able to pivot to say, Okay, we don't
have electricity, but we've got gas outside. I get a
full tank and to be able to kind of move.
And another thing, if that ever happens again, you can
just take the prime rib and literally cut into rib
by steaks and grill it, you know, and just keep
(01:48):
on going again. And so, you know, as long as
the people outside having dinner enjoy themselves and they don't
have to see uselt. I think that's a really great
side of of a great cook. You can just pivot
on a dime and keep on going. Good for you,
my friend. That's great. It was very proud of myself.
I was when we were doing and I was like,
you know who who would love this? Tyler would be
so proud of me right now? Yeah, Yeah, that's awesome
(02:09):
and that's great. Well, we were in Hawaii. We launched
Miller and Lucks and Huallai at the Four Seasons. Yeah,
we I launched a restaurant over the break, which which
was crazy crazy, Well consider technically we launched too, you know,
because we're we opened in Veil and yeah, and then
we also opened in Hawaii at the same time, and
(02:30):
so that was that was as challenging as opening a
restaurant could ever possibly be. And they are all a
challenge in their own way, but this one was super
special considering the Four Seasons is such an elite group
to partner with, and you know, we've got a chance
to open up with with their their team and their
logistics and our creativity and our team kind of matching forces.
(02:51):
And we just did a open a blockbuster restaurant there.
So I'm very very proud of it. So is the
Veil went open Veils Open veilesment over about three weeks
right now and killing it doing really really strong numbers
every day. And we just got an amazing right up
in the Veiled Daily by the way, that they called
Miller and Lux Veil Veils New Decadence, which is which
(03:12):
was kind of a nice ride up. I was really
super proud about that. And then Miller Lux Hawaii is
just such a beautiful, beautiful, prestigious property. I think it
definitely it's gonna be the best restaurant on the big
island the Hawaii, but we we love for be the
best restaurant in the state Hawaii too, So it's gonna
be great starting gang Busters for you. Do you have
(03:35):
any um resolutions or like, was it just to open
up two restaurants and you did that already so now
you can just chill well, you know, um, we always
take life a year at a time, and I know
it's it can be a little nerve racking to kind
of plan in your life that way, but we always
kind of leave ourselves open to the universe a bit
to be able to you know, make room for new
(03:58):
opportunities as they come. Now, there is no such thing
as luck. So like luck is, opportunity meets preparation and
you're either prepared for the opportunities when they come or not.
So whatever you think your resolution should be, I think
they should be a gold driven um to not just
sort of like everybody wants to lose weight, everybody wants
to learn the foreign language, everybody wants to go to
(04:18):
play piano, everybody wants to get more sleep, of course,
but I think your your drive should be to push
your personal brand forward, to push you know, your life
balanced forward where you you feel like you're happier in
a way, where you're eating more and as the restaurants
start to kind of present themselves and the new opportunities,
(04:39):
like we're working harder than we've ever worked ever. I've
never worked harder in my life, you know, at the
age of fifty one, where we've we've got the floor
on the gas pedal, the gas pedal on the floor,
like really kind of pushing hard to kind of get
all these things open and rolling, and never been happier
with the feeling that you know, not only are we
(04:59):
you know, feeling uh being successful, but this is like
really great progress. And and so I think that those
are my goals just to kind of you know, keep
ourselves open to the universe, you know, keep working as
hard as you possibly can and uh and and keep
pushing forward. So it feels great. How about you, man,
what are your big goals for here? Well, the ones
that you said earlier. Definitely I'm gonna try to do uh.
(05:21):
I can speak Spanish pretty well, but I want to
get really really good at it. Yeah, so I'm I'm
really gonna I'm gonna focus in on that. Obviously, everyone
wants to be healthier. But I think, kind of going
back to what you're talking about the whole universe thing,
I want to put out more positivity in the world
this year than I put out last year. That's not
(05:41):
saying that I put out no positivity, but I do
think that uh, good vibrations and like positive energy being
pushed out, um comes back at you tenfolds, back to
you tenfolds without a question. So I definitely want to
focus on being like more of the light for everyone
(06:03):
around me, you know. And um, that's my goal. And
to you know, be a little bit healthier, maybe drink
a little bit less too. Yeah. Yeah, And and well,
I think a lot of those consumption things, I think
you know that those are those are definitely some immediate
problem fixes, right for for for a lot of things
right to kind of think about, especially as we start
to get a little older, right, you start to be
(06:23):
a little more careful about what kind of what you
put in your body, because everything really really starts the matter,
you know, um, you know, the the hangover which used
to be twenty four hours is now three to four days,
and so like drinking has to be an incredibly special
occasion for a really really great bottle one other than that,
like I I don't casually drink anymore at all, just
(06:44):
because like every day is really important and it affects
my sunshine, right, it affects my positive light. Right, So
if if I feel like whatever, for whatever reason, I'm
not you know, being myself. I think sometimes you have
to look at yourself first and foremost, and so, okay,
what what did I either? What did I do to
call is it are? What could have possibly done to
improve the situation? And I think having a positive outlook
(07:04):
should be everybody's number one goal because it's so easy
to do, right, It's so easy just to look at
it's whatever it is, It's never as bad as you
think it's gonna be. Right, whatever is coming up in
your life, it's it's there's always a way out, there's
always a better, there's always a way to fix it,
there's always a way to communicate better. And whatever happens
with our teams as we're really starting to manage restaurants
(07:25):
in different cities in America right now, I was telling everybody, listen,
we're a phone call away from solving everything. And also
another really important goal, which I think is is really important,
is to whatever whatever happens today, that that is an
opportunity to improve your outcome. And we could reclassify those
as like problems that sort of materialized, try your hardest
(07:47):
to get those knocked out today, right. So what it's
because tomorrow is coming for you, right, So tomorrow's got
its own you know own um, you know, challenges is
gonna unleash that you don't even know coming yet. So
I think it's really important to sort of take today
and go. But before I go to bed today, I'm
gonna take these things that kind of popped that today
we're I'm gonna get them smoothed out. I'm gonna get
(08:08):
them taken care of. We're gonna get this communicated, we're
gonna get this polished. So tomorrow is a full, clean
slate and to not let these things sort of stack up,
because that's where life can feel a little heavy sometimes
if you let these problems to sort of mount. Yeah,
and speaking of you know, like kind of putting out
positive vibes into the universe. Later in the episode, we're
gonna have John Cannell, who was originally a math and
(08:33):
science teacher who pivoted over to become a food blogger,
food influencer who now has over eight point five million
subscribers and viewers, which is insane, and I'm so excited
to talk to him because his story is so freaking cool. Yeah,
the Preppy Kitchen. Yeah, this guy is so great if
(08:53):
you if you're not following him, I think he's such
a He's a natural instructor, right, This guy was a
math and science teacher and now he's really kind of
following his true passion, which I I just love this
whole story because he's really really good at it and
and this level of like communication is he's such a
professional at it too, and he didn't even know he
was capable at it until he tried, which I just love. Yeah,
(09:15):
So that's coming up a little bit later. On two
dudes in the kitchen. But first, I thought, since is
the beginning of the new year, we could start talking
about three food trends now right off the bat, Do
you have any any thoughts or predictions of what some
food trends will be this year? Well, I think it's
(09:36):
gonna be really interesting because right now we're we're started
dealing with, you know, kind of a kind of an economics,
you know, situation that I think a lot of people
may or haven't, you know, it's either hit them. It's
either already hit them, or it's about to hit them.
But I think there's gonna be a tightening of the
belt across the board and in a lot of ways
that I think people are gonna you know, start um,
(09:58):
you know, um thinking through how they're gonna be cooking
at home more um, which is gonna be really really
interesting to start to play out. I think that's gonna
be a big trend in two three is just you know, um,
people with this homesteading vibe of how they're gonna be
you know, like making a little go really really far
(10:19):
from a budgetary standpoint, cooking at home, cooking with the kids.
I think because it happened early in the pandemic UM
where a lot of people were just like cooking with
their family. And I think, you know, because the situation
was so bad, but I think that the silver lining
and all of that was the connection, uh that everybody
made with their with their children, with their parents or
they're you know, they're they're a little bubble in a way,
(10:41):
UM as far as kind of cooking with the family.
So I think that's gonna be a big trend in
two three UM, which I think has some positivity to it.
What are your thoughts on foe meat because I feel
like that's been big in the past couple of years,
and I wonder if it's gonna be the bigger I
(11:02):
I think it's gonna be really, really big and in
a lot of ways. And I think the foam meat
industry is is going to expand to really and this
is gonna sound kind of weird, but we're going to
be able to manufacture um replacement parts for our our
human body out of t cells in a laboratory. Right.
(11:25):
So the way you go get fitted for shoes, UM,
you could go get fitted for you know, for a
new heart or new kidneysse or new a new level.
I mean, obviously it's a little far off down the road,
but right now they're really manufacturing like live, you know,
tissue that could you know, be a human ear replacement
or a digit or finger or whatever it is. So
(11:46):
I think like that the meat, and it's kind of
a weird thing to kind of pivot back and forth
from that, but I think that the science is producing
some really kind of valuable stuff, including you know, protein
that's consumable um in in in a way that that
feels um kind of like revolutionary. So I think the
difference between you know, foe meat and and laboratory produced protein,
(12:07):
I think there's two different industries there that I think of.
Both are really really industry interesting and one I'm kind
of four and one they're like I kind of have
a problem with. And I think that like the plant
based meat industry, I think it's kind of existed in
this unaccountability way, you know, because everybody says, like, okay,
(12:28):
so it's plant based, it's got to be healthy for you.
And technically, if you start to kind of look at
the nutritional facts on that, yes, it has less saturated
fat and less salt, But if you look at the ingredients,
I would argue it's less nutritious um than actual you know,
on the ground protein because I'm a whole foods advocate,
right Like I I like, you know, food that's like
you can recognize it, you can see it, you know.
(12:50):
I I like ingredients that have like one label and
that's exactly what it is. Um. So if you start
like looking at the back of the label some plant
based in eating, it's and I challenge anybody just sort
of answered the question, like what is it exactly right?
I mean, like if you say it's a plant based
burger and popfum burger, do you know what's I'm not slate, right,
I don't know. And that's the thing about it, like
(13:11):
nobody really really knows. And one thing in particular, which
which was kind of weird because what we had we
were approached last year by a company that was producing
plant based chicken nuggets and they were kind of looking
for a celebrity chef endorser to hop on board. And
you know, I got the product of the house, baked
them up and it was okay, but it was really
(13:34):
just kind of just kind of felt like rubbery. If
you ever look that up it's it's tree pulp. Really yeah,
it's like so it's ground up trees as as a
bulk filler in artificial flavors and artificial ingredients and soy
based on whatever it is. Right, So, so my thing is,
I don't know if I want to eat that because
I don't even know if I necessarily know what it is.
So the idea of being holistic with plant based stuff,
(13:56):
I think in reality, I think some of these things
are like incredibly manipulated laboratories and and just modified manufactured
man made goo really just shaped into a chicken nugget.
And so so I think this, you know, cheap food
that's filling that's not necessarily as nutritious. Although it may
have less fat, I don't think it has as much
(14:17):
as like real uh you know, real calories that I
think people need. That's my thing now. Now um lab
produced meat protein, I think there's gonna be a real
industry for that. Have you tried that? Yeah? No, I
think it's fat. So there's the defence between the two. Right,
So there's and this is the big trends. I think
lab produced um meat products are going to be really
(14:42):
really really interesting because they are what they really are.
They're just sort of grown in a different environment. Right,
So instead of like a cap that's produced sort of traditionally,
this is like meat that's like grown in a laboratory,
but but under you know, under a microscope, and it's
grown with the stem cells and T cells. Like it's
a real it's real beef. It's real beef. Now, it's
(15:02):
gonna be difficult to turn that into a rib by
per se. I think a lot of it's gonna be
sort of like in the ground meat industry thing like
now that I think has a real potentially way to
feed millions and millions of people, um that I think
it's gonna better for the environment, But I think turn
like plant based stuff. To me, this it always sounded fishy.
It's always kind of come across as like a little
(15:23):
like weird. You can't really explain it. Like possible meats,
impossible burgers, And we've been approached for them and it's
a it's a San Francisco based company, and I applaud
them because they're making money. But okay, so do you
know what do you know what chicken tastes like? Right? Yes? Yeah,
you know what pork tastes like, yeah, you know what
beef tastes like dumb? You know these things taste like right, yeah,
(15:43):
So so to me, like an apostible burger tastes like
a meat I've never had before. It tastes it tastes
like an animely I just can't identify where this comes
from in a way. And then and so and if
I'm so obsessed with like a plant based culture, I'd
rather eat plants, you know, I'd rather eat vegetables and
have to like have some sort of like fake burger
that is really fake. It's fake and flavor fake and
(16:05):
color fake and everything. I don't have something that's real
and and that that's my that's my big trend. I
think one's gonna blow up, and I think one's gonna
I think one's gonna run out of gas. To be
honest with you, Yeah, Well, if if they are able
to make a stake in a laboratory where they're not
having to kill a cow, then people I would I
don't know if this is to be true, but people
(16:26):
who are vegetarian or vegan might feel better about that
because they're not really hurting any animals. But you get
the benefit of enjoying that real protein without a question.
That's a very very interesting new industry, uh that that's
involving rapidly in a lot of ways, and and something
that I could really kind of get behind as a
culinarian and say, okay, great, I could not only could
(16:47):
I when I feel okay about eating this, but I
could theoretically see what's putting on a menu somewhere. Um,
But it's not there yet from a capacity standpoint, Like
we couldn't get enough of that to like put on
a menu right because it doesn't exist volume. Um. But yeah,
I mean, like I've tried it laboratory to produced me.
I think that's going places. And I predict that I
think plant based whatever I think will eventually start running
(17:11):
out of gas. It'll it'll feel like a food trund.
Let's talk spices. Do you have any prognostications on with
the hot spice of will be? Um? You know, I
think togarashi Is is gonna start having a moment um
And so togarashi Is it's a Japanese spice blend made
with like citrus peel. It's usually orange and toasted nori,
(17:34):
which is the seaweed wrapper that comes around sushi but
ground down to a powder and set me seed in
chili flicks and if you haven't had a chance to
try it yet, I think it's so delicious and it's
got like it's full of zest and it's got like
that new Mommy bomb from the nori and you know
a little chili pop and also the citrus. I think
it's really really great. Now my favorite breakfast on planet Earth.
(17:56):
I'm not gonna lie. It's like a soft boiled egg
with toga rashi and then a little bit of soy
sauce and I think it's fantastic. So I think Togarashi
is gonna have a moment. I think a lot of
people's resolutions will be to be more adventurous, to get
out to try different new things. At least that's what
I think. Mine always is like that. Um, what's a
food trend or like a new culinary experience that's taking
(18:19):
off that people definitely need to try that they normally wouldn't,
you know. Like I guess like Faugh had this moment
a couple of years ago, and um, Korean barbecue was
a big a couple of years ago. What's some kind
of like weird different cultural food trend that's gonna be
happening in three that people need to go try. I
think um um Filipino food is because right now it
(18:42):
is one of the hottest colinary trends here in San Francisco. Um,
there's an amazing, great large Filipino population here in San Francisco,
and they bring the culture, like their food is spectacular
and so and it's sort of a mixture between you know,
like Chinese and Spanish. It's kind of like posentually hybrid um.
But it's a d any and I think Filipino food
is going to have a real big skyrocket pop nationwide,
(19:06):
uh in two thousand's way three. Oh, I don't know
if I've ever had Filipino food. It's great. Look it up.
I mean, so there's definitely like a lot lots of
like really kind of interesting um um flavor profiles. But
if you had to kind of, you know, uh, think
about the trade ones of the different countries that have
sort of floated through there and kind of planned their
flag on the ground for a period of time, UM,
they've all kind of left their culinary mark um. And
(19:28):
it started to create like a really interesting hybrid, uh
that I think makes it unique and and interesting different
for sure. Al Right, we gotta take a break here
in a little bit to have John Cannell on the show.
But before we take that break, is there any other
food trends of three that Tyler Florence thinks they're gonna
hit hard? Um? You know there there's there's so many
(19:50):
you know, interesting like new angles on it. And I'm
really really loving what's happening on social media for better
for worse, right, because I think you how to kiss
a bunch of frogs sometimes to get some really good content.
But and and some of it feels a little extreme,
and we'll definitely kind of talk about that with John
come up in the next segment. But I think by
and large, like like the trend on on d I
(20:13):
y uh, media companies like people doing the stuff at
home and broadcasting. Um, what what feels like not necessarily recipes,
but kitchen wisdom, like what it works for you? Right
because you're seeing all the like you like people how
they you know, com peel garlic using a butter knife,
or how they how they how they open up an
(20:35):
avocado by taking a spoon and pop in the back
of him. They're just just like taking and all these
like new like like like tricks that are just like
why Sometimes I look at that and go like in
never in a million years what I thought about that? Right? So,
I think as the Internet opens up and and and
cameras get really really great, and you know, for the
low local costs of somebody investing in a jobie tripod um,
(20:58):
people are turning their own kitchens, their own free time
and for their side housele into their main hustle and
not just to you know, jump into the kitchen and
doing it and so like filling that dream of being
like you know, like a television chef for a big
TikTok inflootzer. And there's money to be made for sure,
you know, as soon as the book deals start rolling
in and the the endorsements start rolling in, like people
(21:19):
are doing it and and I think that's really kind
of fun to watch. I for one, and I'm learning
a ton. I tried that gallic thing with the butter knife.
It did not work. Oh it didn't work. It didn't
work for me, Like it did kind of get a
little bit of it out, but and not not the
way that like it happened in the TikTok video. But
one that I did see that totally worked was we
(21:40):
were making deviled eggs for Christmas morning, and I've always
just cut the deviled eggs out and then you kind
of pop out the the yoke. And the trend was
is that you you kind of roll the knife over
the egg and so you don't cut the yolk and
so when you open it up, it just falls out.
And it's super easy. About that one, I was like,
(22:02):
TikTok's amazing, Taktoks amazing. Another like like deviled egg trick,
and I can talk about anything forever, but like what
one that I thought was really kind of interesting. That is,
like you so you you take you take um eggs right,
and so it's a it's a twelve minute um poch.
So it's not all the way firm, hard cooked, but
it's kind it's a little soft of little piable um
(22:23):
still bright and you take it. And so instead of
taking the egg yolks out, you make an a mayonnaise
mixture and then you actually just add a dollop of
flavor profile to the top of the egg and you
really don't even think about making the devil egg mixture,
so once you pop in your mouth, it tastes the
same anyway. Yeah, so I thought that was just kind
of wild. Yeah, Like, I mean, look at that. That's
(22:44):
a very very interesting take on a deviled egg that
I learned from somebody on TikTok. I'm like, okay, I'm
might be still on that one. And by the way,
devil eggs, they're delicious. They've been on our menu. And
Wait for Burns and two thousand ten, like I grew
up in out, I get to say, it's like a
church picnic to me. I love him. We make him fancy.
At Wait for Tavern, we kind of change the flavor
(23:06):
profile from time to time and we'll do like, you know,
like old Bay fried shrimp on top, which is kind
of fun. And at Miller and Luck's we put black
truff on top of him. What's your what's your? You know,
Pinky's out makes it nice. Yeah, now I'm getting hungry.
All right, we're gonna take a quick break. When we
come back, we're gonna have John Canell. He's the founder
of Preppie Kitchen. He's a food influencer and he's got
(23:27):
a best selling book out so he's awesome. But what's
crazy to about his story is that he didn't start
out being a cook. Originally was a math teacher in
a science teacher and pivot over story is cool. You're
gonna want to hear it. We're back in just a
bit right here on Two Dudes at a Kitchen. Welcome
into two Dudes in a kitchen. The one, the only
(23:47):
John Cannell, who's a cooking and making expert founder of
Preppie Kitchen, a digital food and family focused brand that
empowers and inspires those who enjoy cooking at all skill levels.
John founded the site Preppy Kitch back to two thousand
fifteen immediate success, eight point five million followers. John, Welcome
to the show. That is a lot of people who
(24:10):
are watching you right off the bat. I have to ask,
how did you go from middle school math and science
teacher to food blogger. Well, it's a circuitous route, but
I grew up in the kitchen with my mom like
so many of us, and my one real joy in life,
(24:30):
besides teaching, was being in the kitchen, trying new flavors
out and just like making food from the heart. My
mom came from where she comes from, a really small
village in Mexico and everything had to be fresh. So
she brought this ethos of does like loving fresh food
and being inventive and exploring new flavors with her when
(24:51):
she came to this country, and it's something that I
took the heart and that helped me make preppy kitchen.
I guess, I guess you're still teaching effectively, but no
more like student parents teach your conferences. I think of
it as a pivot. So like my husband encouraged me
to like switch career paths over and I'm still teaching.
(25:12):
I still have, you know, a lot of connections with people,
and it's just in a different environment about a different subject.
I do wish so many times I could travel back
in time to my classroom and bring my kitchen with me,
because there's so many practical applications of math and science
that are really hands on and would be so great
(25:33):
for kids. But you know, that's other story. I I
think in a lot of ways, like math makes sense
in the kitchen. If you have to explain math and
not necessarily a formula but a ratio, right then it
really starts to make sense. How you start to break
things down their part whole relationships. It's like the kids
have so much problems with because they literally see like
(25:56):
a fraction and they don't know what it means. They're like, well,
it's a numerating, it's a dominator, but like, but what
does that mean? Does mean? To? Yeah? Put in context right,
which is great. Also, I think that public speaking of
being in front of a classroom every single day kind
of give you, you you know, the ability to stand up
in front of the new classroom I'm obviously a much
much larger classroom and and you know, deliver what you're doing,
(26:18):
which is a real passion. And this is something that
I love about your story because so many people I
feel like I have that you know, that that that
thing that they feel like who they really are as
a person, you know, but need that encouragement to sort
of like cross the line into a new world. And
that could be scary, am alright? To change careers like that? Yeah,
(26:39):
it can definitely be scary, and you just have to
put one ft in front of the other. And I
think a lot of us tend to put our wants
for another day, Like we think of what our best
life can be and that's our future goal as opposed
to like what we want to make for ourselves right
now in this moment, Like when I had kids, my
(27:00):
husband and I really thought about, like what do we
want for our lives right now? Because every single moment
with these children is passing by in an instant, and
you know, putting it down the line, they'll be whole.
They'll be like totally differently formed creatures by then, So
you've gotta like take that step right now. Oh there,
your children. They're five five year old twin boys. Are
(27:23):
they into cooking at all? They love cooking, So right
now we're taking turns and every day one helps me
win the kitchen with dinner, so they they'll take turns.
I'll make the salads of me, the dressings. They like
know the steps now. I'm very proud of them because
my parents, of course, but you know, like we're making
pizza and they know like to do like the finger tests,
see if the dose ready, and do all that stuff.
(27:45):
So it's really fun for them. It's like the best
bonding time too, because it's so hands on. What recipes
do you find yourself making the most with your children?
And then without so with my children, besides any kind
of dinner recipe or I can't have them in every
single step, but we choose like adding the spices in,
like making salad dressings or sauces, putting things into a bowl. Um,
(28:09):
they stay away from the stove. And then for them,
like when they're leading it, they love making pizza in
on the weekend and any kind of stirred together recipes
like apple muffins, is it keep all the muffins? A
lot of the basic sheet cakes they love helping with,
especially if they're going to a party that we can
bring something over and they helped to make it. The
look of pride on their faces is like unmatched. Its huge. Yeah,
(28:33):
I love that alright. So it's a new year. There
are some new trends. We were talking about it earlier
in the show. What are some ingredients that are in
season right now that you think are going to be big?
You know? And I wrote my book. I arranged it
by the season in large part because of this. Because
one certain things you want to get in the summer,
(28:54):
Like I want summer sweet strawberries. I don't really want
winter strawberries that look like strawberries on the outside, but
they're white on the inside and have a different taste
and texture. So yeah, you're getting the vegetables, the apples,
the pears, the oranges, but there's also like different vibes.
Like for me right now, the trend is cozy season.
I am looking for those richer sauces a little heavier on,
(29:15):
like the pasta's like there's a mushroom bolonnais in the book,
and you know, the kids at home right now, we're
making some time to like actually make pasta by hand,
which is really fun to do. And uh, then you
make these sauces that kind of simmer away for a
long time that could be even better the next day,
and it's all, um, it's all the like kind of
cozy nesting moments soup season. It really is. I love that.
(29:39):
So you're this kind of like massive food blogger and
you've you've been seeing this on TikTok and on Instagram,
like a lot of the younger generation kind of pursuing
this career as a food influencer. I guess my question
is is what advice do you have for those that
want to kind of pursue what you're doing. Well, so
(30:01):
many of them are doing an amazing job. I would
give them a paddle net back. First of all, because
people who are in this generation now are just intuitive
technology users, so a lot of it's coming natural. But
if you wanted to get started, number one, get started.
Just start doing it. You're not going to be great
the first time. Don't look for like massive success or
(30:23):
viral success instantly. Just start doing it so you can
understand one, what your real passion is to like what
you need to do, like where your areas of growth,
because you're not going to know that. Just like planning
it out and then have fun with it. Don't look
at the numbers. Just it's a fun exercise. It's something
you're passionate about. Just dive in. Yeah, every video is
(30:46):
going to get better, right, every look, every TikTok, and
every post is going to get better if you go
if you go back to the back, back to the
back to back of my Instagram feed or my Facebook
feed or whatever. Oh my gosh, that's some rough times,
but I did it anyways. Yeah, it just just get started.
Just put something up there. Even if it's a more
of a vlog about what you what you cook on
(31:07):
a daily basis, it doesn't necessarily have to be so
deeply entwined and a restipepers say, as you start to
kind of grow with your broadcast, but then also thinking
about recipe writing too, because a lot of people have
a passion for cooking per se, but not necessarily the
technical expertise of writing recipes, and that I think people
have to get really good at uh to sort of
take it to scale to you know, obviously write a
(31:29):
write a best selling book like the one you have
on the on your back counter, like that there's a
skill that comes along with perfecting the craft of writing recipes. Yeah,
it's really about writing. And that's where being a teacher
kind of came in handy because I was used to
writing lessons and then I got to understand, this is
a many lesson about food. So let's make it concise,
(31:50):
clear to the point, like people are in the grocery
store looking on their phones. Just get into it. Don't
talk about the family history, and like why I love
this recipe is so personally important to me, Like what
are the ingredients? What do you need? How how long
will this take you? All that stuff? All right, so
let let's let's play a cool game on past pail. Okay,
I'm like, let's say TikTok recipe trends. What trends would
(32:13):
you give a path too, and what trends would you
give a you know, maybe they needs some more research on. Oh,
just in general, the ones I would give a fail
to are the ones who is going for shock value
with like weird. Like I saw one like a pie
dish and people someone's pouring vodka in there and then
like a soda and marshmallows. It was just like just
weird for the sake of weird, as opposed to like
(32:34):
something that's like a genuine taste stuff. One trend I
really love that I'm getting served a lot is cooking
from family cookbooks. So there's like my hundred year old
great grandmother's recipe book, and people are just cooking their
way through, and there's some really interesting recipes like from
the depression when they didn't have certain ingredients at hand,
(32:55):
or just like different tastes, like you know, so many
aspect things, so many jello things that I find personally
interesting because I love history and I love the history
of food, and that really Yeah, my brother put together
I'm Portuguese, and my brother put together all the old
recipes from my grandma and great grandma and they're they're
(33:16):
so simple. Um, but like for whatever reason, like her
her soup was still like reminds me of like being
sick and you know, healing me up and stuff. And
it's just so funny. Those old recipes are are are
very very nuts and bolts, very simple, but so freaking good.
It's that this simplicity, the ingredients and also the nostalgia.
(33:40):
There's I've recipe in the book. It's a lemono which
is a Greek lemon e egg chicken soup, which is
Greek magic in a bowl. If you're ever sick, and
it's one it's delicious and nourishing. But because I had
a growing up, it's just like the most amazing thing
and brings back all these memories from childhood. So I
love that we can incorporate family his tree in our
(34:01):
recipes and that us being promoted and shared. And I
think that's a that's a great way to start if
you're out there in the blog world, is to not
necessarily you know, think about the wild the wider university food,
really kind of look in your own backyard, look at
your own historical background. Um, there's so much information to
jump into and really kind of tell your story and
(34:22):
that's what it's gonna make you look and feel authentic
and people love that. And if it's difficult for you
to like put the camera up to your face, because
it is for a lot of us, do something with
your family, grab a brother or sister or your mom
or grandma and just make something in the kitchen and
you're going to be more at ease and also have
like a font of expertise next to you that can
(34:42):
help help carry you through. You can also do the
over over the pan shot where your face isn't even
in it. I've seen so many of those that are
that do really really well if it's almost like a
s mr cooking And yeah, okay, last question for you,
John Um Desert Island question. You have one meal to
eat for the rest of your life. What are you making?
(35:04):
Oh gosh, I'm gonna go for a nostalgia factor and
it's gonna be my great grandfather's roasted Greek chicken, which
is like full of a reguano and like drenched in
olive oil and lemon with a spicy tomato orza. Really
just simple Greek salad and for dessert for dessert, I'm
(35:27):
gonna have a lemon olive oil cake. Nice. I love that.
That's hounds so delicious. That would be my wife's favorite
thing in the world. Um okay, John, thank you so
much for spending some time with us on two dudes
in a kitchen. Where can everyone find out more about you?
Where can they get your book? All that stuff? The
books available wherever books are sold and find me on
(35:47):
Preppy Kitchen dot com, Preppy Kitchen on Instagram, TikTok YouTube,
the rest amazing, John, Thank you so much, um and
I guess try to stay warm over there in Connecticut. Man. Yeah,
and congratulations on all your success. My friend, you want
to thank you, thank so much for having It was
really fun, of course, see Bud, Yeah he's awesome. Yeah,
he's great. He's fun. I love the historical background, like
(36:08):
his grandmother is from Mexico and it sounds like his
grandfather was a Greek at that Greek That could have
been a good story again, but how did they meet? Yeah? Exact?
And like, what what are those dishes? Those amalgamated dishes
look like? Now where you mixed you know, Mexican and
Greek together? All right? Dude, Tyler It's good to see
you man. Um yeah, always so good to see you. Yeah,
(36:30):
and don't forget to follow us on Instagram at two
Dudes in a Kitchen. That's where kind of all the
information and all the clips are and uh yeah, we'll
see you guys next week. Al Right, guys, thanks for listening.
Follow us on Instagram at two Dudes in a Kitchen.
Make sure to write us a review and leave us
five stars. We'll take that and we'll see you guys
next time. See you next time.
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