The Sauce Talk Podcast

Nostalgia — that deep, sentimental pull toward the moments, memories, and little pieces of the past that shaped us. It’s the driving force behind so much of what I do today… especially this podcast.

There is nothing on this earth that fills me with more joy than reminiscing about being a kid — no responsibilities, no bills, no stress. Just raw, pure innocence… well, mostly! Experiencing everything for the very first time. And that’...

Nicholas Hildebrandt, also known as The PokePlumber, is a plumber by trade and a Pokémon influencer by night. He lived what many would consider a normal life until the loss of his biological father triggered a vicious, drug-fueled downward spiral that led to chaos and hopelessness throughout his twenties.

Eventually, Nicholas reached a turning point and made the decision to change the course of his life. A single move to Arizona to...

I’ve been drawn to graffiti for as long as I can remember. The subway-car era was a little before my time, so most of the work I grew up seeing lived on city walls and highway overpasses. Then one day in high school, I stumbled across a couple of magazines and DVDs that revealed an entirely new world to me: freight train graffiti. That discovery changed everything.

My next guest didn’t just participate in that world—he thrived in i...

If you’ve been following me on social media for the past nine years, you’ve probably noticed my wild obsession with Midway’s last arcade game, The Grid — a title that’s changed my life in more ways than one since I first discovered it upon its release in 2000. I often get asked three main questions about it: “What is The Grid? I’ve never heard of it.” “Where did you get all these machines?” and finally, “Why do you do everything yo...

Dr. Ryan C. Maher is a Doctor of Dental Medicine with over 25 years of experience in the field. Since graduating from UMDNJ, he has earned numerous certifications and successfully opened multiple dental practices. In 2015, he wrote and published his first book, The Trooth in Dentistry, which focuses on strengthening the patient-dentist relationship through education and building trust and comfort.

Dr. Maher's approach to dentistry—...

Chef Mike Carrino is a New Jersey-based culinary force with nearly 30 years of experience and a long list of accolades to match. He's a shining example of what happens when grit meets grace in a chef’s coat—blending old-school discipline with rebellious creativity.

A proud graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Carrino has opened several acclaimed establishments, including Passionné, Pig & Prince, and his current v...

Sean Struss is a beverage director and mixologist extraordinaire! I started this podcast in October 2023 and for an entire year this podcast was audio only until October 2024. I always planned on bringing back some guests from the "audio-only" era to catch up and give them their due video justice! Episode 18 featured Sean, and it was one of my most emotional episodes. Sean and I both wear our hearts on our sleeves and surely aren't...

Mike Puzzo is a figure painter for the world's leading creator and global distributor of top licensed consumer toys: the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, also known as NECA Toys. Known for largely having the responsibility of painting most of the TMNT-related toys, but he can bring life out of any prototype you put in front of him, as he's been responsible for painting some of my favorite horror paint applications t...

Nick Wiz is one of the most underrated hip-hop producers from the golden era, known for his work in the underground scene, particularly his contributions in the 1990s. He's largely remembered for his work with the hip hop duo The Cella Dwellas on the majority of their debut album "Realms 'N Reality" which caused him to leap into stardom with further recognition and notoriety with his production accolades. Since then he's collaborat...

Bill Sanders is a young chef based in New Jersey, who never initially set out to pursue a career in cooking. His journey began at the age of 13, when he started cooking at home out of necessity, as his hard-working single mother was often away. What started as a way to survive soon transformed into a passion as he spent years experimenting with flavors and ingredients. At 16, he landed his first job as a busboy at the now-defunct P...

Ewok One is a legendary graffiti artist based in New York City who has been sharing his artwork with the world for nearly three decades. With a background in skateboarding and breakdancing, his natural progression within hip-hop culture was a seamless fit. Exceptionally talented across multiple disciplines, he infuses originality and attitude into every piece he creates—whether on the streets, in fine art spaces, or through his col...

Christian Petrovich is the CEO and founder of Argos Fragrances, a niche luxury fragrance house based out of Dallas, Texas. Argos Fragrances came onto the scene, debuting in 2018, but it wasn't until the following year, 2019, that their all-new scent took fragrance enthusiasts by storm due to the introduction of their infamous "Triumph Of Bacchus" release. The fragrance community was set ablaze as that scent caused a little wave of ...

Rajni Jacques is a first generation Haitian American and an absolute legend in the Fashion & Beauty space. She is currently the Global Head of Fashion & Beauty over at SNAP Inc. (Snapchat). She's carved her way through the industry over the course of almost 2 decades, starting on the publication side of things. Some of her prior places of employment consist of Honey Magazine, Vibe Magazine, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Allure and t...

Officer Justin Nielsen and I grew up together in the town of Verona. His early onset passion for law enforcement, the military and emergency services never left him, as during his transition into adulthood, he dragged along all 3 of those with him as a way of life. Upon his exit from High school, he immediately enrolled into the military, throwing himself to the wolves, so to speak, fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Beyond...

Ari Saal Forman is widely known for releasing one of the most legendary and controversial sneakers of all time, the Ari Menthol 10s. He also created one of the most important Hip-Hop/Graffiti publications in existence called OnTheGo Magazine alongside Steve "Espo" Powers, which down the line years later became OnTheGo Marketing that has a client list most would drool over. I could go on and on regarding his importance to me as well...

Daniel Espinal aka Def Dom, is a local underground music producer. Back in 2009 I was getting familiar with the local music scene within my area as I always sought out the newest and greatest unheard sonics and I came across this soulful R&B duo through mutual friends entitled "Pardon The Stranger" consisting of one singer Kendal Good and producer DefDom (my guest). My musical mood changes with the seasons as tides to a shore w...

CJ Tuite is one of my oldest best friends! I've known CJ since I was in the 5th grade and we've been close ever since. He is truly like a brother to me. It is through CJ that I really got to grasp fully what the term "solidarity" really meant. CJ got dealt a rough deck of cards and his upbringing got extremely dicey throughout the years. To witness what he has become, after all he's been through has been nothing short of incredible...

Michael Cosenza is a well known New Jersey Culinary Chef and the co-owner of Mike's Pasta & Sandwich Shoppe located in Nutley, NJ! Cooking has been in Mike's blood since he was a toddler, sprouting that culinary seed in his family kitchen growing up. Finding his way has been a long journey from deciding to pull out of joining the Marines in the 11th hour, to pursuing his destiny, attending the French Culinary Institute, fine-tu...