June 26, 2025 • 43 mins
What happens when passion collides with profession? When the daily grind transforms into something you genuinely love doing? This episode answers those questions through the compelling stories of two food industry veterans who took dramatically different paths to find their calling.
Meet Danny Saccullo – a journalism major who started washing dishes in Tallahassee to pay rent and eventually worked his way through hotels, hospitals, and banquets before opening his own deli. With Cuban and Italian heritage influencing his menu, Danny shares the unexpected journey that led him to create some of Tampa's most beloved sandwiches, including a controversial take on the Cuban that even this Miami native had to admit was superior. His reflection on self-reliance and the transition from corporate kitchens to entrepreneurship offers valuable insights for anyone considering a career pivot.
Alongside him sits Lucas Peters, bar manager at Propagation Whiskey Bar and Kitchen, whose passion for mixology shines through in every pour. From his flaming "Kentucky Burner" bourbon cocktail to his tequila-based "Loco Luca," Lucas breaks down the art and science behind crafting memorable drinking experiences.
Introducing the SupraCut System - the automated solution that enhances safety, quality, and efficiency, cutting up to 120 perfect citrus wedges per minute, 6 times faster than manual. Patented tech delivers uniform slices, reducing waste and eliminating plastic, while the hygienic, contactless design lowers contamination and injuries, integrating seamlessly to transform your operations and improve profitability - get started at SupraCut.com and ask about risk-free trials.
Elevate your dining experience with RAK Porcelain USA! As the exclusive tableware brand for the Walk-In Talk Podcast, RAK combines exceptional craftsmanship with innovative design. Whether you’re a chef, a restaurant owner, or a food enthusiast, RAK’s high-quality porcelain products will enhance every meal. Discover the artistry of food presentation and make every dining occasion special. Visit rakporcelain.com today and see how RAK can transform your table
The following brands and companies help us continue supporting the food industry - have a look below!
Walk-In Talk Podcast
Where kitchen culture meets raw storytelling.
Hosted by Carl Fiadini, founder of Walk-In Talk Media, this #1 Apple-ranked food podcast dives deep with chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, and frontline pros. From trade shows to short films, we bring the food world to life—one honest conversation at a time.
We’re the Official Podcast Partner for the NY, CA & FL Restaurant Shows, Pizza Tomorrow Summit, and U.S. Culinary Open.
Brand Partners:
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Drinking hanging out with your friends is one thing.
Getting wasted and driving homedrunk and getting in a car
accident is another thing.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hello Food Fam.
This is the Walk Talk Podcastwhere you'll find the perfect
blend of food fun and cookingknowledge.
I'm your host, carl Fiedany.
Welcome to the number one foodpodcast in the country and the
official podcast for the NewYork, california and Florida
restaurant shows, the PizzaTomorrow Summit and the US
Culinary Open at NAFM.
We're recording on site at IbisImages Studios, where food
(00:39):
photography comes alive and Iget to eat it.
Email us to learn more info atthewalkandtalkcom.
Before we dive in, a quick shoutout to Colleen Silk, host of
Hospitality Bites, nowofficially part of the Walk Talk
media family.
Can not wait to begin sharingher episodes right here,
starting with her first guest,me airing this Monday.
Now today's guests bring twodifferent paths, both built on
(01:02):
hustle and heart.
Denny Secuyo got his start backin 95 at a grill in Tallahassee
just a journalism major tryingto pay the rent, fast forward
through every kind of kitchen,hotel, hospital, banquet and
he's running his own deli andloving it.
And joining him is Lucas Peters, bar manager at Propagation
Whiskey Bar and Kitchen and themixologist behind our recent
(01:25):
cocktail about honey.
Oh my God, it was fantastic.
From making protein shakes atage 12 to pouring creative
cocktails in Plant City.
Lucas brings serious passion toevery pour.
Let's get into this, lucas.
Yes, sir, my man, what's upbrother First?
(01:45):
First of all, let me shout youout on that cocktail that we did
for the, for the trailer on the, on the documentary.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You did terrific thank you very much.
That was, uh.
That was an awesome experience,man.
It was really cool working withthat honeycomb too.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I've never got to use a product like that before, so
it was a lot of fun yeah, what'sinteresting is, um, it's
actually for a bourbon winecocktail and I asked you hey man
, what did you want to do?
Out of it was just, the starswere aligned and she says oh,
I'm doing a bourbon winecocktail, oh my god, it was
(02:19):
perfect and then tasted reallygood too it was fabulous, it was
terrific, was terrific.
All right, let's do this.
Lucas, you made two awesomecocktails today.
What did you do?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
So I did two of my favorite cocktails, one of which
is kind of what got me intobartending or what made me love
craft cocktails in general, andit's called the Kentucky Burner.
So it's going to be a flamingpoured cocktail.
It's going to be bourbon heavytwo ounces of bourbon.
To be a flaming poured cocktail, it's going to be bourbon heavy
two ounces of bourbon.
You can do any type of cordialyou want, depending on what
flavor profile you're going for.
I like to use sham board withit, give it nice cherry flavor.
(02:51):
And then I did two differenttypes of bitters with it.
Today I did some walnut bittersas well as some cherry bitters,
and then you do some orangezest and, depending on the
season and the client you'regiving it to, you can toss some
cinnamon in there.
It's a very good seasonalcocktail and it's really fun to
watch too.
That's the biggest part of thiscocktail is it's always a nice
(03:15):
eye piece for everybody, andevery time someone sees it, the
next person wants to order onetoo.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, it's a crowd pleaser and it's going to look
great on film.
You know, we obviously recordeverything here.
What was the second cocktail?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
The second cocktail was named after yours truly.
I call it the Loco Luca.
So it's going to be a tequilabased cocktail, which is my
favorite liquor, so it's goingto have tequila in it.
I love our San Matias.
Right now, that's my favoritetequila I've been repping and
then it's going to have someagave nectar, some lemon juice,
(03:45):
some violet liqueur and somebanana liqueur, and today I've
topped it off with some sodawater, but it was flavored with
grapefruit.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Chef Danny.
Yes, sir, All right.
So today we did something alittle bit different.
You know, normally we have achef come in and there might be
more than one guest, but there'sonly usually one person
creating something.
Today we had cocktails, butthen we also had a couple of
dishes that you put together.
I feel my belly's happy when weput it that way.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Well, I appreciate that and thank you for inviting
me when there were going to bedrinks here as well.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Much appreciated.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Really, and they were delicious.
That's a point of hard teameffort.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
When I say the moons are aligned here, they're
aligned.
Yeah, very happy.
Danny, you made a sandwich andan empanada, both fantastic.
Talk about it.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
The Cuban.
Obviously I think, being inTampa, you know the deli's in
Fishhawk, which is in Lithia onthe map, but in Tampa proper,
and I think if you're in Tampayou have to do a Cuban sandwich.
So we did that.
And then, like you mentioned,we did cheesesteak empanadas,
(04:55):
which are delicious.
They are a very popular item atthe deli.
They're on the super secretspecial menu.
You have to know people to knowpeople to get it.
But they are on our cateringmenu as well.
They're wonderful to do andwonderful to eat and I'm glad
you guys enjoyed them.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Chef, we're in Tampa, mm-hmm, and you are Cuban and
Italian.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And I, just how dare you?
First of all, the sandwich isdelicious, mm-hmm.
But how dare you side with theTampa Cuban when you in fact are
?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
a Miami boy.
This is correct.
Yes, we did speak about thisearlier and I had come to Tampa
very braggadocious about theMiami Cuban and that it was the
OG Cuban.
You know yellow mustard, ham,pork, swiss cheese, pickles
(05:53):
press it, give it to me.
And then I came to Tampa andthere's mayonnaise and salami on
it, and my first thought waswhat the heck is salami doing on
this thing?
You know, what do Cubans knowabout salami?
Apparently a lot, because it'sdelicious.
And so I had to eat a big plateof crow and say, yes, this is
the better version of the cuban,and then thus that's the one we
serve.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
The apologies to all my miami friends, the only
reason I've given you a pass atall is because so how it goes
here in the tampa area.
The cubans and the italiansbuilt Tampa and the Cubans
brought with them their sandwichand obviously the Italians
(06:34):
somehow got salami on there andit was like to appease everyone.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, I guess when you're hungry it doesn't really
matter what's on there, you caneat it.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
True story.
But you know, like I lovesalami but I love Cuban
sandwiches, I'm from Miami too,but I'm Italian, I don't know.
The whole thing is confusing tome, but I will tell you that,
like I always side with the MIA,with the Cuban sandwich, I have
to, I just have to.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I have a very good friend of mine, live in New
Jersey and they do the properMiami Cuban.
They would never be called deadputting mayonnaise and salami
on a Cuban shell.
But they also don't live inTampa.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
I support the Tampa Cuban man.
I'm not from here, but thatthing is wonderful.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Hey, listen, I'm going to eat it and I'm going to
love it.
But let me tell you somethingIf I have a choice, I'm going to
go old school.
Well, old school, miami, oldschool for me.
But if sebastian the ibis, theibis university of miami, were
standing here with you, with us,right now, you would still pick
, uh, you would still have to gowith the tampa, of course, not.
Okay, no, I just wondered ifthere was a boundary here, know
(07:37):
your crowd know your crowd yeah,I know your crowd.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
If he comes to the deli then yes, I have the side
with the tampa cumin, okay, andby the way, danny's deli, it is
danny's deli, okay, yes and andit's not so.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Just so everybody understands it's a, it's a
sandwich shop, that's it.
Yeah, but you're a chef bytrade, yes, right, so it's not
just a sandwich shop.
It isn't like there's justteenagers in there making
sandwiches, like there's.
There's a reason and a rhymefor what you do yeah, I tried to
tried to make it.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
The local neighborhood deli I'm originally
from South Jersey Grew upgetting cold cuts, going to get
some rolls.
The guy behind the counterknows my dad's name when we go
in there.
So that's the kind ofenvironment I wanted to recreate
Fresh made soups, choppedsalads, stuff people are
familiar with.
People recognize it's fresh,that you know.
They can watch us make it.
(08:27):
You know they they love to.
Is that is that my Italian?
I didn't want onions on that,like, no, that's not what's your
name.
Okay, no, this is for, just soyou know.
But it's the kind ofenvironment I wanted, where
people are comfortable, they cantalk to while I'm I'm making
the food.
Um, and I'm really happy, youknow, to be able to do it every
(08:47):
day.
It's uh, you know, like youmentioned, I had a long career
and a lot of different spots and, um, I can, you know I go to
sleep happy, I wake up happy.
I don't get the Sunday scaries.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So you know, that's, that's uh, it's worth its weight
in gold it's awesome you stillhave that passion too, man,
because after for so long in thesame industry, a lot of people
usually get burnt out.
You're able to transition thatinto something you love and
something you can keep doing foryears to come.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I advise not having a boss that helps whenever
possible, lucas.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Yes, sir, propagation cool spot and it's a happening
spot too.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
It is.
It's definitely up and coming,man.
We opened up in september thislast year.
We have had a crazy year, got alot of barrel picks in this
year we got did a lot of coolstuff.
I've got a lot of events andtastings going on right now.
We're located right in downtownplant city.
Most people think of it as acountry town because it is a
country town, so we're bringingthat newer food, the higher
(09:49):
quality, but we're still tryingto keep it nice and comfortable
and welcoming for people becausewe want to be able to offer
that higher level of food andcocktails but make people still
want to be comfortable and happyin their hometown.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
All right, so let me tell you something.
You embody the aura of amixologist, of a bartender.
You, you have it okay, you aremissing the mustache I've tried,
man you can blame god for thatone.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Do you know?
Missing facial hair?
Speaker 3 (10:16):
yeah, but other than that, you, you've got the look
and you're sick of that yeah,right, and and you've got you.
You, you produce, you come, youcome with this.
So, if you're gonna, what'syour process for creating a new
cocktail from scratch?
How do you come up with the,with the ingredients or the
profiles?
What are you thinking about?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Honestly, it depends on who I'm catering to Like.
Who's my client, who's my guest?
What is this for?
You know what I mean Likewhat's the experience for?
What am I working with here?
Is this going to be a party?
Is this cocktail designed forpeople to sit down and sip?
Is it for a bourbon lover, atequila lover?
Who is this for?
Because if I made cocktails formyself all the time, I wouldn't
(10:54):
be able to cater to all theaudience.
You know what I mean.
All my cocktails would probablytaste similar and they'd
probably all have tequila inthem.
So I have to switch it up,especially working for a whiskey
bar.
But the basis is you start withthe base ingredient man, and
the liquor is the most importantthing, because you could have
two different types of bourbonsand they could have the same
(11:15):
proof, but if they're finished adifferent way, you can have a
completely different cocktailwith that same type of
ingredients, just with adifferent bourbon.
So I think it's all about thebase, and then you just got to
transition it to where you wantthat cocktail to be.
And it's also very importantwhen you build it and how you
want to serve it, because ifyou're going to be using ice or
dilution or anything like that.
(11:36):
The glass that it's actuallyserved in makes a huge impact on
the cocktail itself, as well aspresentation.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
And that's because, why itself, as well as
presentation, and that's becausewhy, that's because of uh the,
how the, uh the essence comesout of the, the head of the, the
glass.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Yep, that that's one thing, because your sense of
smell is 30 of your sense oftaste.
So that's why you see a lot ofpeople garnish cocktails with,
uh, citrus or anything like that, because it allows to bring out
those more subtle notes in thecocktail and it allows it to
give you better balance too.
So, if you have like, let'sjust talk about bourbon for a
second.
So there's a specific glass youuse to drink bourbon.
(12:11):
It's called a glencairn and theactual shape of the glass is
designed for sipping bourbonbecause it allows, um, not the
heat of the bourbon, but itallows you to actually smell it
if you just stuck your glass oryour nose even close to the
glass.
So it's literally built anddesigned for sipping bourbon.
Same with, uh, like a margaritaglass or martini glass.
(12:31):
You know what I mean.
They're all have their theirreasonings behind things and why
they're built in that cocktail.
Let me tell you something?
Speaker 3 (12:39):
there's no good reason for a martini glass.
I like martinis, but there's noreason in the planet to have
something that just wants tospill.
It wants to land on your coat.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
You know what I'm hearing.
I think you need to drink yourcocktails faster, that's what
I'm hearing.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
No, no, no, no, I've listened.
You have to understandsomething.
I grew up in the same house asmy great-grandfather, my
grandparents, my parents.
Everything is in like a rocksglass.
Wine is in a rocks glass, like.
Whatever it is, it's in thesame cup.
Okay, and that's just how I getdown.
I'm even okay with a coupeglass, like it's cool, but that,
(13:15):
martini, get it away from me.
Give me the content, but get itaway from me.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I think martinis, man , just like.
They just show elegance, youknow, in simplicity, and I think
that's why women love them ingeneral, because they can feel
bougie and you can drink themost.
You could drink straight Tito'sin a martini glass and you're
going to feel bougie, you knowwhat I mean.
You could drink water out of amartini glass and you're going
to feel bougie.
They do seem impractical.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
They do, Danny.
You've worked in about everyfood service environment out
there.
What's the most surprisinglesson that you have in going
your own way and opening yourown deli?
I would say self-reliance.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
You know I think I mentioned in previous
conversations we've had that oneof my most favorite things
about working in the kitchen atthe beginning was the team
aspect of it.
You know, I'm a big, big sportsfan, so team sports has always
been a part of my life.
I coach you soccer, things likethat.
So being a part of a team andplaying my role, whether it was
as a leader or as the chef orthe sous chef, or the expo or
(14:10):
the kitchen manager or the frontof the house manager, or never
the bartender sorry Lucas, I wasnever good enough.
Um uh, but you, you know youplay your role.
You're part of a team, but whenit comes to owning your own
business, you're going to makeall the decisions end up falling
on your plate.
The self-reliance aspect of itthat obviously I have support.
I have my beautiful wife, amy,my mom, my mom and other people
(14:34):
around me all my friends who ownbusinesses, things like that
that are around that can help me.
Ultimately, it's my decisionUnfortunately, it's my name who
own businesses things like thatthat are around that can help me
.
Ultimately, it's it's mydecision.
It's unfortunate, it's my nameon the building, so all the
decisions come to me.
So the self-reliance and thelearning things I didn't know
that I thought I knew is goingto be the most surprising, I
think is uh is definitely.
(14:56):
I've been blessed with greatcustomers and great support
throughout the community.
So, yeah, the self-relianceaspect, that definitely would be
the thing that's the mosteye-opening.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Are you putting in more effort now than you were
when you were in a professionalkitchen?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Well, I mean, I'm doing what I want.
So I don't know, I wouldn'tknow if it's efforting.
I'm thoroughly enjoying whatI'm doing's.
I'm not looking at it so muchas work, so much as this is my
life.
You know, this is, this is whatI want to do every day.
This is what I want to be, um,so, you know, when you say
efforting, I I know you mean theword like, like, try.
Are you trying harder?
You're working harder?
Um, yes, I'm working harder,but I don't look at it as
(15:35):
working harder.
I just I'm doing what I want todo so.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
I see the parallel because I've always worked heavy
hours, no matter what job I'vehad, and and being in sales and
food services, which is themajority, uh, of where I come
from it's a seven day job.
It's every day of the year, youknow, holidays and birthdays
and all that stuff included, andit's taxing.
(15:59):
Well, now I mean, I have thiscompany, there's a ton of work
that goes into this and it'sovernight hours and it's crazy
stuff, probably working more nowthan I ever have.
But again, I think I agree withyou.
You don't seem upset, I'm notupset.
It's fun.
I mean there's parts of thisthat are like you.
Really it's daunting, it's fun.
I mean there's parts of thisthat are like you, really it's
(16:20):
daunting.
It's like, oh, my God, I gottago do, I gotta do this.
But then you start creating andyou start piecing the stuff
together.
You start connecting people,the relationships and the brands
that we're working with, allthe different parts, and you
know John and his photography,the film that we're putting out.
When you start seeing theresults of the work and it's
(16:41):
like our stuff, it's what we'redoing.
I don't know that I would everbe able to go back 100%.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
No one's telling you to do it except you Correct
You're investing in yourself atthe end of the day, in your
product, in your brand, in yourname.
So it doesn't feel like it'swork, it's just a part of life.
100 doesn't feel like it's work, it's just a part of life 100%
that Very wise young man.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
I've been around the country a couple times.
Lucas, what's one spirit orflavor trend that you think is
underrated?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Ooh mezcal man.
I feel like it's kind of up andcoming a little bit, but I
think a lot of people are scaredof it.
Dude A, it's tequila.
So that throws people offalready.
And the way they make mezcal,instead of doing a traditional
tequila, is they actually theysmoke the agave before they
break it down and that's whereyou get all that flavor from in
the tequila.
(17:27):
So people think they smoke thetequila itself.
No, they smoke the agave andthen they cook it and then they
break it down.
So it's a really fun spirit,but I think that naturally smoky
flavor just really throwspeople off.
I I can get down with somemezcal.
I feel let me make you a mezcalold-fashioned, yeah oh no, they
were delicious.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
I'd like to see how you I'd like to see.
Are there more drinks and itcould be find out tonight.
Do do what I want and do what Iwant.
No, I mean, I'm down for mezcal.
They do a great.
It's a, it's a terrific, uh,terrific drinker sipper.
I would love that.
Yeah, dude, I got you.
Man Dan, you mentioned Expo wasyour favorite station.
Why did it resonate so muchwith you and how do you think it
(18:09):
helped in your leadership styletoday?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Well, that's a very elegant way to ask me that,
considering my answers, would bebecause I didn't want to sweat
and I didn't want to clean.
That's why I wanted to work theexpo.
But seriously, I thought expowas my favorite station because
nothing leaves the kitchen untilthe expo says it leaves the
kitchen.
If the chef says it leaves thekitchen and expo says no, the
plate doesn't leave the kitchen.
The control that the expo hadwas something I was always
(18:34):
interested in.
I did mention sports earlier.
So when I did play, you know Ipitched, I had the ball in my
hand.
I played quarterback, I playedcenter mid, like I like having
the ball in my hand.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
You want to be a main player.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Exactly, I want to be in part of the, you know, on
the top.
So having the opportunity towork that side and see it with
the experience of being in thekitchen and knowing you know
it's Friday night, it's Fridaynight, it's 830.
We're fully set.
Half hour wait.
The cook has.
He just sent out a plate.
He's got 16 other things he'sworried about right now.
The last thing he needs or hersorry is the plate coming back
(19:07):
you know.
So the expo is vitally important.
Plus, the servers don't want tolook bad, the plate, the steak,
doesn't come out the right timeor it's the wrong side, or I,
you know, I'm allergic to garlic, so so that control over it.
You have to really micromanageevery single plate, you know,
and I think it it helped mebecome the manager.
I was, um, not that I'm amicromanager, but you have to
(19:28):
worry about everything, you haveto be on top of everything, you
have to know what everyone'sdoing and how they're supposed
to do it, and I think thatreally led to my career rise in
the corporate world, because Iwas really good at telling other
people what to do and I knewhow they you know how they were
supposed to do it.
And my bosses love that and Ithink, yeah, I think, you know,
expo was the first place where Ireally felt like oh, you know,
(19:49):
I'm good at this, I can, I cando this, I think, once you get
into the zone I used to loveExpo too.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I did a it's not that that was my my gig, but I would
fill in and once you get intothe zone of expo, and everything
is firing and you're just andyou're just focused, and you see
the tickets and you, it'sreally, it's like the matrix.
Yeah, it's exactly, it is.
It's like a mix between beingin the matrix and also a
composer and it's reallyterrific.
(20:16):
And it's akin, on the serverside, to just being a food
runner.
You know, I mean, the good foodrunners do check tickets a
little bit, make sure that, hey,whatever they bring in,
everything's supposed to be onthere.
And and it's an easy night,yeah, you make your money, no
side work and you go home.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I did mention not wanting to sweat or clean, right
?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
yes, yes, well, that led me to want to bring up the
food runner part.
Yes, maybe you're running,though.
I mean you're out there, you'rehustling, but it's like that.
You don't talk to anyone.
It's nice you just you get inand go.
Lucas, we'd mentioned earlierthat you were behind the bar
while we were doing ourhoneycomb cocktail trailer.
How was that experience for you, and how do you approach
(20:55):
storytelling through cocktails?
Speaker 1 (20:57):
uh, the first thing I felt was being nervous.
Nervous because I've never beenor done something like that
before.
So it was a new opportunity forme, which is obviously very
exciting.
So it was just a greatexperience all around.
We got to get in there nice andearly that morning and we got
to knock out some beautifulcocktails.
I got to work with some qualityingredients.
But, like, I think that the wayI can create stories with
(21:21):
cocktails is like what theexperience is for man.
You know what I mean.
I feel like every cocktail hasa reason to be drank for the
right time.
You know what I mean, and Ithink that the best story you
can give with a cocktail is thestory that you're making with
that cocktail right at thatpoint in time.
You want people to party.
(21:41):
You have them.
Take a shot of tequila.
You want to cheers?
You want to celebrate something?
People drink champagne.
You want to sit down, smoke acigar, hang out with your
buddies.
What do you do?
Drink some bourbon on a bigrock.
You know what I mean.
Every occasion has the rightcocktail for that time and that
is the best story you can havefor that cocktail that is so
beautifully said and I'm gonnaruin it now because I'm on
(22:06):
boone's farm kind of guy youknow.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Give me some strawberry hill, some, some you
know what that event is thenlet's get wasted.
Let's get wasted baby.
No, I'm totally kidding.
I'm totally kidding.
I'm actually.
I'm so far away from you know,is Boone's Farm a sponsor?
No, they're not, but you knowwhat?
They sponsored most of my upperteen years into my early 20s.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
So same here.
So funny you even brought thatup is so?
I have an older brother.
He's seven years older than me.
He's been one of the biggestfigures in my whole life.
He was also an avid person forme to do things I shouldn't have
done when I was younger.
But Boone's Farm was always athing we did when I was in my 21
, 22 years of life.
He would have me drink forevery second of an age I was.
(22:52):
So he'd give me a bottle ofBoone's Farm and he'd be like
okay, you're 22, chug for 22seconds.
And I'd start chugging and thenhe'd be like 17, 17, 17 and
he'd just keep going until Idrank most of the bottle.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
So so when does he get out of prison?
Never, I mean, we used to go tothe.
You know, being in miami, weused to go to, like the
hurricane games and, um, I wasprobably there too.
Yeah, I'm saying 16, 17, 18, 19, boone's farm, it is what it is
, man like that's.
That was kind of it's kind of athing and we used to be out
(23:27):
there by the walgreens orwhatever it was playing football
before and that there was thatone lot people who grew up in
the 80s and 90s who used to goto hurricanes game, miami
hurricanes remembered that therewas a parking lot that was in
front of a walgreens and that'swhere everybody went to play
football and tailgate and allkinds of shenanigans.
Yes, all good, clean, fun.
(23:48):
Hashtag boone's farm.
Just saying, danny, what's adish on your menu right now that
feels personal to you, and whyclub sandwich?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
sandwich, my favorite sandwich.
I remember again in SouthJersey, going to the deli, we'd
always get ham and turkey.
So sliced bread, ham cheese,turkey cheese, bacon, lettuce,
tomato, mayo, let's go.
And no one serves a clubsandwich.
No one serves a club sandwich.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
There's nothing in a club sandwich.
I don't like.
I like it all.
There should be just a clubsandwich store.
There's nothing in a clubsandwich.
I don't like.
I like it all.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
There should be just a club sandwich store.
It's one of my favoritesandwiches actually.
I knew I liked you for a reason.
I appreciate that, lucas.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Here's my thing If I go somewhere and there's a club
sandwich on the menu.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I'm getting it, I'm not.
I don't have to look anymore.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
But, but, but, but, but, but, but.
If there's an actual physicalclub sandwich in my personal
space, I'm eating it and I'mgoing to love it, right?
What do you mean?
Whoa, whoa, club sandwichmonster.
Okay, All right, I ain't mad atyou.
You might lose a finger.
So that's what he's saying Becareful.
I heard that.
Look again, I'm not mad at this.
I just you know.
(24:53):
Now, if there's a, if thetomato soup is good, I do make a
good tomato biscuit yeah nowwe're talking With the grilled
cheese.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Am I hearing grilled cheese with it?
You can do whatever you wantwith it.
That's what people do, mostpeople do.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Are you a dipper?
Speaker 1 (25:08):
though?
Or are you an eater with thesandwich and you scoop the soup?
Speaker 2 (25:13):
No, I'm dipping.
I don't need to hold two things, I'm already you.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
you know who doesn't dip like a spoon, and yeah, it's
there is some crazy people outthere, man, you just hey, man, I
saw you make a drink, so I'mnever gonna question anything or
the way you do it, so don'tworry spoon away.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
All right, call me the big spoon lucas, if you
could serve a drink to anyone,past or present, who would it be
and what would you make them?
Speaker 1 (25:37):
It's going to sound really bad, but Charlie Sheen
shot of tequila baby.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
That's a great answer .
Speaker 1 (25:45):
I don't know what to say to that.
Is he dead?
No, but he's.
I mean all the things he mighthave in him, maybe you never
know and he's got the tigerblood.
He might be dead inside, buthe's still.
He's dead inside for sure.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
But maybe the tequila is what keeps him.
Yeah, keeps him going.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
You know actually.
So I worked during COVID in abar the whole time and nightclub
we shut down for a couplemonths, obviously, but Florida
opened up before everybody didand I worked in that nightclub
the whole time.
Did not get COVID a single time, and I'm a firm believer, it's
the amount of tequila I drank,dude, did not get COVID a single
time and I'm a firm believer,it's the amount of tequila I
(26:23):
drank dude.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I think it kept my immune system up and it kept me
alive.
That or the 22 seconds ofBoone's Farm every year.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
So journalism, Danny, why you wanted to go into it.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yeah, yes, I majored in it, I wanted to be a sports
reporter.
Again, I wanted to be thePhiladelphia Phillies beat
writer is what I wanted to do.
Well, originally I wanted to bethe shortstop, but I mean, you
look at me, I'm not very big, Ican't hit a curveball, so that
was kind of out of it, and Iknew I wanted to be around
(26:58):
sports, you know, growing up.
So I figured that would be apretty viable option.
I thought, um, but it wasn't.
So, uh, I had to find somethingelse, but I still you know, it
was always I'm still interestedin it like being here doing,
doing the podcast with you guysand you guys setting up the
shoot and all that.
It was super cool, just supercool, to see you guys work and
do all the stuff you guys didand how you know all the
different things you do and howyou set it up and the way john
was setting up the picture withthe screen and this.
(27:19):
I mean it's just, you know, wayabove anything, I'm good at um,
so it was really interesting tosee that and I've always been
interested in that.
And also, lucas, your abilityto make those drinks was really,
really awesome.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Well, it's not those sandwiches, man.
We might have been buzzing toomuch to do this podcast we ate
at the right time.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
We definitely did.
But yeah, journalism wassomething you know you're a
communicator, ultimately, youknow you're telling a story.
Obviously now, with visualbeing such a prevalent and I
mean everywhere anybody can see,I can see anything I want you
know.
But before you'd wake up You'dread the paper, you'd see, well,
what happened last night and Ialways thought being that
raconteur, that storyteller, wassomething that always
(27:58):
interested me and it still does.
You know I obviously don't writearticles or anything like that
now, but I feel every day I getthe opportunity to talk to
someone and tell a story, oreven if it's a five minute
conversation with somebody atthe deli, or you know they're
telling me how their daughter'sdoing or how their mom's doing,
or you know why they hate theEagles, things like that.
You know they love to come inand give me, give me crap about
(28:19):
all that.
So you know those are all youknow blessings and and you know
it's why, it's why I do what Ido, to be able to see the faces
we see and support and and andyou know it's just, it's, it's a
, it's a great, it's a great day.
You know, even the worst daysare the best days.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Who's your favorite broadcaster of all time, harry?
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Callas.
Who is that he was the Philliesuh play-by-play man for my
youth.
He passed away in 09, rightafter we won the world series.
Do you do his voice?
I do not.
I knew you were going to ask me.
No, I do a terrible one.
I have a very good friend ofmine shout out Justin Dean.
He does a tremendous.
Harry Callis no, I would nevereven try and do that no.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
So if you hear this, Justin, give him a call tonight
and use that voice, please don't.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Lucas, you're still a young guy, You're in the bar
scene.
By speaking with you for Idon't know, the last couple of
weeks, I know that you were alittle bit of a wild character.
I'm sure you're a blastactually.
I know you're a blast actually,but you're a man of faith.
You say yes, sir, how do youwrestle with the bar scene?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
faith and being a new dad um, well, first off,
without my faith and my family,I definitely would not be the
person I am today.
Like you said, I was very wild.
I still have a very wildpersonality, but I had to
transition out of that part ofmy life.
You know, you can still releasethe beast once in a while, but
it's all about self-control andknowing your environment.
(29:57):
So I really had to work onchanging my whole lifestyle,
honestly, when I had a family,because you have to put your
kids first and your wife firstbefore you put yourself first.
It's supposed to be God, yourwoman, your family and then
everything else comes along.
So I just really recently gotback into my faith.
About a year ago.
I went through some thingsthroughout my life that made me
(30:19):
lose my faith for a really longtime.
I'm blessed to have asupportive fiance who's very
religious, and she helped mefind my religion again.
So now every Sunday we go toSunday school together.
We are able to go to church asa family.
It's helped me really realignmyself with my morals and who I
feel I am as a person.
You know, because, especially Ifeel like as a young adult, you
(30:42):
start traveling down the pathof trying to find yourself and
you meet all types of people youknow and you want to emulate,
people you look up to or you see, and you kind of lose your own
self person, you know.
I mean you lose yourselfsometimes, man, and you get
caught up in it.
So I think it was a a goodtransition for me.
And sometimes things happen inyour life that you don't expect,
(31:02):
plan for, want.
You know what I mean.
I planned on being a bachelormy whole life, told my parents
that told, never having kids,and then a year later met my
fiance and I told them I'm,she's pregnant, you know.
And then I moved my whole.
I was living in St Augustine atthe time.
I just I moved my whole lifeover here, moved in with my
(31:23):
fiance she was my girlfriend atthe time to put in plant city
and I just tried to change mywhole life, man.
So I think, working behind thebar, I just got to always try to
keep my, my morals intact, youknow, and think about what the
bigger picture is and I try toto resemble that in my like my
leadership too.
I'm a very chill, easygoing guy, but I, you know, we all have a
(31:44):
job to do.
We're here for a specificreason.
I think we need to always keepthat on on track and you just
got to separate that, you know?
Um, I think drinking's fun, butit's all about regulation.
You know what I mean.
Drinking hanging out with yourfriends is one thing.
Getting wasted and driving homedrunk and getting in a car
accident is another thing.
You know what I mean.
So I think it's all about thatregulation, and especially when
(32:07):
invested in alcohol, which islike the most legal drug you can
have in the United States, youknow what I mean.
So I think there's like thathuge stipulation around it that
you really have to walk thatfine line, especially when it
comes to religion.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Danny, looking back, what kept you going in the years
where the grind in the businesscould have pushed you out of
the industry?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Well, I was blessed with a wonderful work ethic,
just seeing how hard my parentsworked every day.
You know, my dad got up everyday and went to work.
My mom got up every day andwent to work.
It just was second nature forme to go to work.
If I needed something or therewas something that had to be
done, I was always taught orshowed like get it done, Do it,
Figure it out.
So I never I guess maybe laterthought of it more as a grind,
but it was always just in it.
You know, I was happily married, you know, have a beautiful
(32:58):
wife and we have a beautifullife and to go to work, and I
was always striving to do more,to get more.
Being a sous chef wasn't enough.
I wanted to be an exec and youknow I wanted to now work
weekends and nights.
I wanted to get a nice cushyshift.
So I got an corporate exec joband then that wasn't enough.
I wanted to be a GM.
I got that and then I realizedI didn't really want any of that
.
Um, I mainly just wanted toschedule and weekends off, uh,
(33:21):
which is not enough.
You know, if you're doing that,you're doing it for the wrong
reasons, you know, Um, so I Ikind of figured out I'll just do
what I want to do.
So I never really looked at ituntil the end of this grind.
I just thought this is my life,this is my career path.
You know, I'm going to get to acertain point and I'm going to
have my schedule and I'll worksomewhere for 15 years and then
(33:41):
they'll throw me a bigretirement party and I don't
know what I'm going to do.
Maybe I'll open a deli, I don'tknow.
But that all got rushed alittle bit faster.
But yeah, I don't.
Uh, you know, I guess I'm notanswering the question in good
faith, Um, but I really neverdid look at it as a grind until
I was like bird's eye view.
You know, I was just in theforest.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
I didn't see the trees.
You see me often enough at theshop.
The food's awesome.
I appreciate that.
But I noticed something.
I noticed things.
That's what I do.
I notice that, amy, your wifeis like your backbone over there
, absolutely, and she is.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
She is a gangster for you in that shop her ability
she has does not come from aculinary background at all, you
know and her ability to just say, yeah, let's do it.
You know, she put her faith inme, her trust in me, um, and
just was there at every step ofthe way.
And you, you know, I'll saythis out loud she probably makes
a better hoagie than I do, youknow.
I'll give her that.
(34:39):
So, yeah, you're absolutelyright, I would never not be able
to do any of this without her.
Um, you know her ability tojuggle, you know, being a real
estate, being a mom, being awife, and then going in there
and making a kick-ass hoagie.
You know, and, and and doing myjob better than I can.
Yeah, you're absolutely right.
You know, I mean you're, I'msure, your wife and you know
(34:59):
I've never had the pleasure ofmeeting her, but I can tell that
you know you come from a goodfamily and a good life and you
made it that way.
So you obviously know as wellas I do or anybody else that you
can't do it alone.
You got to have somebody therewho loves you.
You know who, for the rightreasons, who wants it for the
right reasons, and I'm very,very, very fortunate to have
that lucas in three words, howwould you describe your personal
(35:21):
style at the bar?
Speaker 1 (35:22):
violence, speed and momentum.
Baby, I tell my my guys thatall the time I'm a rip and roar
type of guy, so you can use thatone too.
I try to bring the energy and Imake it happen behind the bar.
Heard that chef.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Same question Cool, calm collective.
All right guys, let me tell yousomething.
Today was really great, john.
As usual, fantastic.
There's going to be a lot ofcontent coming for this.
Lucas, how do we?
Speaker 1 (35:49):
find you.
You can always come and see meat Propagation Whiskey Bar and
Kitchen in Plant City Florida.
You can shoot me an email atbar, at propagationkitchencom,
or you can look me up onInstagram at
libationprojectlucas.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Chef, same.
How do we find?
Speaker 2 (36:06):
you Please don't, but please find the deli at
dannys-delicom.
We're also on Facebook, at W orFacebook Danny's Deli 75.
And we're on DoorDash, google,grubhub, all those other online
ordering systems.
But just come on in.
It's much better if you come in.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
I have to agree with that 100%.
Everything's good.
Everything is good.
You should put the empinadas onthe menu, john.
You know, today you were alittle, you were different today
, You're an animal.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
John Killed it.
Man, you're an animal.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
It's true, it is, you're an animal.
All right, guys, thanks forcoming out.
We appreciate everything thatyou all did today.
John, you too, we are out.
Drinking hanging out with your friends is one thing.
Getting wasted and driving homedrunk and getting in a car
accident is another thing.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hello Food Fam.
This is the Walk Talk Podcastwhere you'll find the perfect
blend of food fun and cookingknowledge.
I'm your host, carl Fiedany.
Welcome to the number one foodpodcast in the country and the
official podcast for the NewYork, california and Florida
restaurant shows, the PizzaTomorrow Summit and the US
Culinary Open at NAFM.
We're recording on site at IbisImages Studios, where food
(00:39):
photography comes alive and Iget to eat it.
Email us to learn more info atthewalkandtalkcom.
Before we dive in, a quick shoutout to Colleen Silk, host of
Hospitality Bites, nowofficially part of the Walk Talk
media family.
Can not wait to begin sharingher episodes right here,
starting with her first guest,me airing this Monday.
Now today's guests bring twodifferent paths, both built on
(01:02):
hustle and heart.
Denny Secuyo got his start backin 95 at a grill in Tallahassee
just a journalism major tryingto pay the rent, fast forward
through every kind of kitchen,hotel, hospital, banquet and
he's running his own deli andloving it.
And joining him is Lucas Peters, bar manager at Propagation
Whiskey Bar and Kitchen and themixologist behind our recent
(01:25):
cocktail about honey.
Oh my God, it was fantastic.
From making protein shakes atage 12 to pouring creative
cocktails in Plant City.
Lucas brings serious passion toevery pour.
Let's get into this, lucas.
Yes, sir, my man, what's upbrother First?
(01:45):
First of all, let me shout youout on that cocktail that we did
for the, for the trailer on the, on the documentary.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You did terrific thank you very much.
That was, uh.
That was an awesome experience,man.
It was really cool working withthat honeycomb too.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I've never got to use a product like that before, so
it was a lot of fun yeah, what'sinteresting is, um, it's
actually for a bourbon winecocktail and I asked you hey man
, what did you want to do?
Out of it was just, the starswere aligned and she says oh,
I'm doing a bourbon winecocktail, oh my god, it was
(02:19):
perfect and then tasted reallygood too it was fabulous, it was
terrific, was terrific.
All right, let's do this.
Lucas, you made two awesomecocktails today.
What did you do?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
So I did two of my favorite cocktails, one of which
is kind of what got me intobartending or what made me love
craft cocktails in general, andit's called the Kentucky Burner.
So it's going to be a flamingpoured cocktail.
It's going to be bourbon heavytwo ounces of bourbon.
To be a flaming poured cocktail, it's going to be bourbon heavy
two ounces of bourbon.
You can do any type of cordialyou want, depending on what
flavor profile you're going for.
I like to use sham board withit, give it nice cherry flavor.
(02:51):
And then I did two differenttypes of bitters with it.
Today I did some walnut bittersas well as some cherry bitters,
and then you do some orangezest and, depending on the
season and the client you'regiving it to, you can toss some
cinnamon in there.
It's a very good seasonalcocktail and it's really fun to
watch too.
That's the biggest part of thiscocktail is it's always a nice
(03:15):
eye piece for everybody, andevery time someone sees it, the
next person wants to order onetoo.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, it's a crowd pleaser and it's going to look
great on film.
You know, we obviously recordeverything here.
What was the second cocktail?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
The second cocktail was named after yours truly.
I call it the Loco Luca.
So it's going to be a tequilabased cocktail, which is my
favorite liquor, so it's goingto have tequila in it.
I love our San Matias.
Right now, that's my favoritetequila I've been repping and
then it's going to have someagave nectar, some lemon juice,
(03:45):
some violet liqueur and somebanana liqueur, and today I've
topped it off with some sodawater, but it was flavored with
grapefruit.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Chef Danny.
Yes, sir, All right.
So today we did something alittle bit different.
You know, normally we have achef come in and there might be
more than one guest, but there'sonly usually one person
creating something.
Today we had cocktails, butthen we also had a couple of
dishes that you put together.
I feel my belly's happy when weput it that way.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Well, I appreciate that and thank you for inviting
me when there were going to bedrinks here as well.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Much appreciated.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Really, and they were delicious.
That's a point of hard teameffort.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
When I say the moons are aligned here, they're
aligned.
Yeah, very happy.
Danny, you made a sandwich andan empanada, both fantastic.
Talk about it.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
The Cuban.
Obviously I think, being inTampa, you know the deli's in
Fishhawk, which is in Lithia onthe map, but in Tampa proper,
and I think if you're in Tampayou have to do a Cuban sandwich.
So we did that.
And then, like you mentioned,we did cheesesteak empanadas,
(04:55):
which are delicious.
They are a very popular item atthe deli.
They're on the super secretspecial menu.
You have to know people to knowpeople to get it.
But they are on our cateringmenu as well.
They're wonderful to do andwonderful to eat and I'm glad
you guys enjoyed them.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Chef, we're in Tampa, mm-hmm, and you are Cuban and
Italian.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And I, just how dare you?
First of all, the sandwich isdelicious, mm-hmm.
But how dare you side with theTampa Cuban when you in fact are
?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
a Miami boy.
This is correct.
Yes, we did speak about thisearlier and I had come to Tampa
very braggadocious about theMiami Cuban and that it was the
OG Cuban.
You know yellow mustard, ham,pork, swiss cheese, pickles
(05:53):
press it, give it to me.
And then I came to Tampa andthere's mayonnaise and salami on
it, and my first thought waswhat the heck is salami doing on
this thing?
You know, what do Cubans knowabout salami?
Apparently a lot, because it'sdelicious.
And so I had to eat a big plateof crow and say, yes, this is
the better version of the cuban,and then thus that's the one we
serve.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
The apologies to all my miami friends, the only
reason I've given you a pass atall is because so how it goes
here in the tampa area.
The cubans and the italiansbuilt Tampa and the Cubans
brought with them their sandwichand obviously the Italians
(06:34):
somehow got salami on there andit was like to appease everyone.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, I guess when you're hungry it doesn't really
matter what's on there, you caneat it.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
True story.
But you know, like I lovesalami but I love Cuban
sandwiches, I'm from Miami too,but I'm Italian, I don't know.
The whole thing is confusing tome, but I will tell you that,
like I always side with the MIA,with the Cuban sandwich, I have
to, I just have to.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I have a very good friend of mine, live in New
Jersey and they do the properMiami Cuban.
They would never be called deadputting mayonnaise and salami
on a Cuban shell.
But they also don't live inTampa.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
I support the Tampa Cuban man.
I'm not from here, but thatthing is wonderful.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Hey, listen, I'm going to eat it and I'm going to
love it.
But let me tell you somethingIf I have a choice, I'm going to
go old school.
Well, old school, miami, oldschool for me.
But if sebastian the ibis, theibis university of miami, were
standing here with you, with us,right now, you would still pick
, uh, you would still have to gowith the tampa, of course, not.
Okay, no, I just wondered ifthere was a boundary here, know
(07:37):
your crowd know your crowd yeah,I know your crowd.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
If he comes to the deli then yes, I have the side
with the tampa cumin, okay, andby the way, danny's deli, it is
danny's deli, okay, yes and andit's not so.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Just so everybody understands it's a, it's a
sandwich shop, that's it.
Yeah, but you're a chef bytrade, yes, right, so it's not
just a sandwich shop.
It isn't like there's justteenagers in there making
sandwiches, like there's.
There's a reason and a rhymefor what you do yeah, I tried to
tried to make it.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
The local neighborhood deli I'm originally
from South Jersey Grew upgetting cold cuts, going to get
some rolls.
The guy behind the counterknows my dad's name when we go
in there.
So that's the kind ofenvironment I wanted to recreate
Fresh made soups, choppedsalads, stuff people are
familiar with.
People recognize it's fresh,that you know.
They can watch us make it.
(08:27):
You know they they love to.
Is that is that my Italian?
I didn't want onions on that,like, no, that's not what's your
name.
Okay, no, this is for, just soyou know.
But it's the kind ofenvironment I wanted, where
people are comfortable, they cantalk to while I'm I'm making
the food.
Um, and I'm really happy, youknow, to be able to do it every
(08:47):
day.
It's uh, you know, like youmentioned, I had a long career
and a lot of different spots and, um, I can, you know I go to
sleep happy, I wake up happy.
I don't get the Sunday scaries.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So you know, that's, that's uh, it's worth its weight
in gold it's awesome you stillhave that passion too, man,
because after for so long in thesame industry, a lot of people
usually get burnt out.
You're able to transition thatinto something you love and
something you can keep doing foryears to come.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I advise not having a boss that helps whenever
possible, lucas.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Yes, sir, propagation cool spot and it's a happening
spot too.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
It is.
It's definitely up and coming,man.
We opened up in september thislast year.
We have had a crazy year, got alot of barrel picks in this
year we got did a lot of coolstuff.
I've got a lot of events andtastings going on right now.
We're located right in downtownplant city.
Most people think of it as acountry town because it is a
country town, so we're bringingthat newer food, the higher
(09:49):
quality, but we're still tryingto keep it nice and comfortable
and welcoming for people becausewe want to be able to offer
that higher level of food andcocktails but make people still
want to be comfortable and happyin their hometown.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
All right, so let me tell you something.
You embody the aura of amixologist, of a bartender.
You, you have it okay, you aremissing the mustache I've tried,
man you can blame god for thatone.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Do you know?
Missing facial hair?
Speaker 3 (10:16):
yeah, but other than that, you, you've got the look
and you're sick of that yeah,right, and and you've got you.
You, you produce, you come, youcome with this.
So, if you're gonna, what'syour process for creating a new
cocktail from scratch?
How do you come up with the,with the ingredients or the
profiles?
What are you thinking about?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Honestly, it depends on who I'm catering to Like.
Who's my client, who's my guest?
What is this for?
You know what I mean Likewhat's the experience for?
What am I working with here?
Is this going to be a party?
Is this cocktail designed forpeople to sit down and sip?
Is it for a bourbon lover, atequila lover?
Who is this for?
Because if I made cocktails formyself all the time, I wouldn't
(10:54):
be able to cater to all theaudience.
You know what I mean.
All my cocktails would probablytaste similar and they'd
probably all have tequila inthem.
So I have to switch it up,especially working for a whiskey
bar.
But the basis is you start withthe base ingredient man, and
the liquor is the most importantthing, because you could have
two different types of bourbonsand they could have the same
(11:15):
proof, but if they're finished adifferent way, you can have a
completely different cocktailwith that same type of
ingredients, just with adifferent bourbon.
So I think it's all about thebase, and then you just got to
transition it to where you wantthat cocktail to be.
And it's also very importantwhen you build it and how you
want to serve it, because ifyou're going to be using ice or
dilution or anything like that.
(11:36):
The glass that it's actuallyserved in makes a huge impact on
the cocktail itself, as well aspresentation.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
And that's because, why itself, as well as
presentation, and that's becausewhy, that's because of uh the,
how the, uh the essence comesout of the, the head of the, the
glass.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Yep, that that's one thing, because your sense of
smell is 30 of your sense oftaste.
So that's why you see a lot ofpeople garnish cocktails with,
uh, citrus or anything like that, because it allows to bring out
those more subtle notes in thecocktail and it allows it to
give you better balance too.
So, if you have like, let'sjust talk about bourbon for a
second.
So there's a specific glass youuse to drink bourbon.
(12:11):
It's called a glencairn and theactual shape of the glass is
designed for sipping bourbonbecause it allows, um, not the
heat of the bourbon, but itallows you to actually smell it
if you just stuck your glass oryour nose even close to the
glass.
So it's literally built anddesigned for sipping bourbon.
Same with, uh, like a margaritaglass or martini glass.
(12:31):
You know what I mean.
They're all have their theirreasonings behind things and why
they're built in that cocktail.
Let me tell you something?
Speaker 3 (12:39):
there's no good reason for a martini glass.
I like martinis, but there's noreason in the planet to have
something that just wants tospill.
It wants to land on your coat.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
You know what I'm hearing.
I think you need to drink yourcocktails faster, that's what
I'm hearing.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
No, no, no, no, I've listened.
You have to understandsomething.
I grew up in the same house asmy great-grandfather, my
grandparents, my parents.
Everything is in like a rocksglass.
Wine is in a rocks glass, like.
Whatever it is, it's in thesame cup.
Okay, and that's just how I getdown.
I'm even okay with a coupeglass, like it's cool, but that,
(13:15):
martini, get it away from me.
Give me the content, but get itaway from me.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I think martinis, man , just like.
They just show elegance, youknow, in simplicity, and I think
that's why women love them ingeneral, because they can feel
bougie and you can drink themost.
You could drink straight Tito'sin a martini glass and you're
going to feel bougie, you knowwhat I mean.
You could drink water out of amartini glass and you're going
to feel bougie.
They do seem impractical.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
They do, Danny.
You've worked in about everyfood service environment out
there.
What's the most surprisinglesson that you have in going
your own way and opening yourown deli?
I would say self-reliance.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
You know I think I mentioned in previous
conversations we've had that oneof my most favorite things
about working in the kitchen atthe beginning was the team
aspect of it.
You know, I'm a big, big sportsfan, so team sports has always
been a part of my life.
I coach you soccer, things likethat.
So being a part of a team andplaying my role, whether it was
as a leader or as the chef orthe sous chef, or the expo or
(14:10):
the kitchen manager or the frontof the house manager, or never
the bartender sorry Lucas, I wasnever good enough.
Um uh, but you, you know youplay your role.
You're part of a team, but whenit comes to owning your own
business, you're going to makeall the decisions end up falling
on your plate.
The self-reliance aspect of itthat obviously I have support.
I have my beautiful wife, amy,my mom, my mom and other people
(14:34):
around me all my friends who ownbusinesses, things like that
that are around that can help me.
Ultimately, it's my decisionUnfortunately, it's my name who
own businesses things like thatthat are around that can help me
.
Ultimately, it's it's mydecision.
It's unfortunate, it's my nameon the building, so all the
decisions come to me.
So the self-reliance and thelearning things I didn't know
that I thought I knew is goingto be the most surprising, I
think is uh is definitely.
(14:56):
I've been blessed with greatcustomers and great support
throughout the community.
So, yeah, the self-relianceaspect, that definitely would be
the thing that's the mosteye-opening.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Are you putting in more effort now than you were
when you were in a professionalkitchen?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Well, I mean, I'm doing what I want.
So I don't know, I wouldn'tknow if it's efforting.
I'm thoroughly enjoying whatI'm doing's.
I'm not looking at it so muchas work, so much as this is my
life.
You know, this is, this is whatI want to do every day.
This is what I want to be, um,so, you know, when you say
efforting, I I know you mean theword like, like, try.
Are you trying harder?
You're working harder?
Um, yes, I'm working harder,but I don't look at it as
(15:35):
working harder.
I just I'm doing what I want todo so.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
I see the parallel because I've always worked heavy
hours, no matter what job I'vehad, and and being in sales and
food services, which is themajority, uh, of where I come
from it's a seven day job.
It's every day of the year, youknow, holidays and birthdays
and all that stuff included, andit's taxing.
(15:59):
Well, now I mean, I have thiscompany, there's a ton of work
that goes into this and it'sovernight hours and it's crazy
stuff, probably working more nowthan I ever have.
But again, I think I agree withyou.
You don't seem upset, I'm notupset.
It's fun.
I mean there's parts of thisthat are like you.
Really it's daunting, it's fun.
I mean there's parts of thisthat are like you, really it's
(16:20):
daunting.
It's like, oh, my God, I gottago do, I gotta do this.
But then you start creating andyou start piecing the stuff
together.
You start connecting people,the relationships and the brands
that we're working with, allthe different parts, and you
know John and his photography,the film that we're putting out.
When you start seeing theresults of the work and it's
(16:41):
like our stuff, it's what we'redoing.
I don't know that I would everbe able to go back 100%.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
No one's telling you to do it except you Correct
You're investing in yourself atthe end of the day, in your
product, in your brand, in yourname.
So it doesn't feel like it'swork, it's just a part of life.
100 doesn't feel like it's work, it's just a part of life 100%
that Very wise young man.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
I've been around the country a couple times.
Lucas, what's one spirit orflavor trend that you think is
underrated?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Ooh mezcal man.
I feel like it's kind of up andcoming a little bit, but I
think a lot of people are scaredof it.
Dude A, it's tequila.
So that throws people offalready.
And the way they make mezcal,instead of doing a traditional
tequila, is they actually theysmoke the agave before they
break it down and that's whereyou get all that flavor from in
the tequila.
(17:27):
So people think they smoke thetequila itself.
No, they smoke the agave andthen they cook it and then they
break it down.
So it's a really fun spirit,but I think that naturally smoky
flavor just really throwspeople off.
I I can get down with somemezcal.
I feel let me make you a mezcalold-fashioned, yeah oh no, they
were delicious.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
I'd like to see how you I'd like to see.
Are there more drinks and itcould be find out tonight.
Do do what I want and do what Iwant.
No, I mean, I'm down for mezcal.
They do a great.
It's a, it's a terrific, uh,terrific drinker sipper.
I would love that.
Yeah, dude, I got you.
Man Dan, you mentioned Expo wasyour favorite station.
Why did it resonate so muchwith you and how do you think it
(18:09):
helped in your leadership styletoday?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Well, that's a very elegant way to ask me that,
considering my answers, would bebecause I didn't want to sweat
and I didn't want to clean.
That's why I wanted to work theexpo.
But seriously, I thought expowas my favorite station because
nothing leaves the kitchen untilthe expo says it leaves the
kitchen.
If the chef says it leaves thekitchen and expo says no, the
plate doesn't leave the kitchen.
The control that the expo hadwas something I was always
(18:34):
interested in.
I did mention sports earlier.
So when I did play, you know Ipitched, I had the ball in my
hand.
I played quarterback, I playedcenter mid, like I like having
the ball in my hand.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
You want to be a main player.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Exactly, I want to be in part of the, you know, on
the top.
So having the opportunity towork that side and see it with
the experience of being in thekitchen and knowing you know
it's Friday night, it's Fridaynight, it's 830.
We're fully set.
Half hour wait.
The cook has.
He just sent out a plate.
He's got 16 other things he'sworried about right now.
The last thing he needs or hersorry is the plate coming back
(19:07):
you know.
So the expo is vitally important.
Plus, the servers don't want tolook bad, the plate, the steak,
doesn't come out the right timeor it's the wrong side, or I,
you know, I'm allergic to garlic, so so that control over it.
You have to really micromanageevery single plate, you know,
and I think it it helped mebecome the manager.
I was, um, not that I'm amicromanager, but you have to
(19:28):
worry about everything, you haveto be on top of everything, you
have to know what everyone'sdoing and how they're supposed
to do it, and I think thatreally led to my career rise in
the corporate world, because Iwas really good at telling other
people what to do and I knewhow they you know how they were
supposed to do it.
And my bosses love that and Ithink, yeah, I think, you know,
expo was the first place where Ireally felt like oh, you know,
(19:49):
I'm good at this, I can, I cando this, I think, once you get
into the zone I used to loveExpo too.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I did a it's not that that was my my gig, but I would
fill in and once you get intothe zone of expo, and everything
is firing and you're just andyou're just focused, and you see
the tickets and you, it'sreally, it's like the matrix.
Yeah, it's exactly, it is.
It's like a mix between beingin the matrix and also a
composer and it's reallyterrific.
(20:16):
And it's akin, on the serverside, to just being a food
runner.
You know, I mean, the good foodrunners do check tickets a
little bit, make sure that, hey,whatever they bring in,
everything's supposed to be onthere.
And and it's an easy night,yeah, you make your money, no
side work and you go home.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I did mention not wanting to sweat or clean, right
?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
yes, yes, well, that led me to want to bring up the
food runner part.
Yes, maybe you're running,though.
I mean you're out there, you'rehustling, but it's like that.
You don't talk to anyone.
It's nice you just you get inand go.
Lucas, we'd mentioned earlierthat you were behind the bar
while we were doing ourhoneycomb cocktail trailer.
How was that experience for you, and how do you approach
(20:55):
storytelling through cocktails?
Speaker 1 (20:57):
uh, the first thing I felt was being nervous.
Nervous because I've never beenor done something like that
before.
So it was a new opportunity forme, which is obviously very
exciting.
So it was just a greatexperience all around.
We got to get in there nice andearly that morning and we got
to knock out some beautifulcocktails.
I got to work with some qualityingredients.
But, like, I think that the wayI can create stories with
(21:21):
cocktails is like what theexperience is for man.
You know what I mean.
I feel like every cocktail hasa reason to be drank for the
right time.
You know what I mean, and Ithink that the best story you
can give with a cocktail is thestory that you're making with
that cocktail right at thatpoint in time.
You want people to party.
(21:41):
You have them.
Take a shot of tequila.
You want to cheers?
You want to celebrate something?
People drink champagne.
You want to sit down, smoke acigar, hang out with your
buddies.
What do you do?
Drink some bourbon on a bigrock.
You know what I mean.
Every occasion has the rightcocktail for that time and that
is the best story you can havefor that cocktail that is so
beautifully said and I'm gonnaruin it now because I'm on
(22:06):
boone's farm kind of guy youknow.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Give me some strawberry hill, some, some you
know what that event is thenlet's get wasted.
Let's get wasted baby.
No, I'm totally kidding.
I'm totally kidding.
I'm actually.
I'm so far away from you know,is Boone's Farm a sponsor?
No, they're not, but you knowwhat?
They sponsored most of my upperteen years into my early 20s.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
So same here.
So funny you even brought thatup is so?
I have an older brother.
He's seven years older than me.
He's been one of the biggestfigures in my whole life.
He was also an avid person forme to do things I shouldn't have
done when I was younger.
But Boone's Farm was always athing we did when I was in my 21
, 22 years of life.
He would have me drink forevery second of an age I was.
(22:52):
So he'd give me a bottle ofBoone's Farm and he'd be like
okay, you're 22, chug for 22seconds.
And I'd start chugging and thenhe'd be like 17, 17, 17 and
he'd just keep going until Idrank most of the bottle.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
So so when does he get out of prison?
Never, I mean, we used to go tothe.
You know, being in miami, weused to go to, like the
hurricane games and, um, I wasprobably there too.
Yeah, I'm saying 16, 17, 18, 19, boone's farm, it is what it is
, man like that's.
That was kind of it's kind of athing and we used to be out
(23:27):
there by the walgreens orwhatever it was playing football
before and that there was thatone lot people who grew up in
the 80s and 90s who used to goto hurricanes game, miami
hurricanes remembered that therewas a parking lot that was in
front of a walgreens and that'swhere everybody went to play
football and tailgate and allkinds of shenanigans.
Yes, all good, clean, fun.
(23:48):
Hashtag boone's farm.
Just saying, danny, what's adish on your menu right now that
feels personal to you, and whyclub sandwich?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
sandwich, my favorite sandwich.
I remember again in SouthJersey, going to the deli, we'd
always get ham and turkey.
So sliced bread, ham cheese,turkey cheese, bacon, lettuce,
tomato, mayo, let's go.
And no one serves a clubsandwich.
No one serves a club sandwich.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
There's nothing in a club sandwich.
I don't like.
I like it all.
There should be just a clubsandwich store.
There's nothing in a clubsandwich.
I don't like.
I like it all.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
There should be just a club sandwich store.
It's one of my favoritesandwiches actually.
I knew I liked you for a reason.
I appreciate that, lucas.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Here's my thing If I go somewhere and there's a club
sandwich on the menu.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I'm getting it, I'm not.
I don't have to look anymore.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
But, but, but, but, but, but, but.
If there's an actual physicalclub sandwich in my personal
space, I'm eating it and I'mgoing to love it, right?
What do you mean?
Whoa, whoa, club sandwichmonster.
Okay, All right, I ain't mad atyou.
You might lose a finger.
So that's what he's saying Becareful.
I heard that.
Look again, I'm not mad at this.
I just you know.
(24:53):
Now, if there's a, if thetomato soup is good, I do make a
good tomato biscuit yeah nowwe're talking With the grilled
cheese.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Am I hearing grilled cheese with it?
You can do whatever you wantwith it.
That's what people do, mostpeople do.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Are you a dipper?
Speaker 1 (25:08):
though?
Or are you an eater with thesandwich and you scoop the soup?
Speaker 2 (25:13):
No, I'm dipping.
I don't need to hold two things, I'm already you.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
you know who doesn't dip like a spoon, and yeah, it's
there is some crazy people outthere, man, you just hey, man, I
saw you make a drink, so I'mnever gonna question anything or
the way you do it, so don'tworry spoon away.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
All right, call me the big spoon lucas, if you
could serve a drink to anyone,past or present, who would it be
and what would you make them?
Speaker 1 (25:37):
It's going to sound really bad, but Charlie Sheen
shot of tequila baby.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
That's a great answer .
Speaker 1 (25:45):
I don't know what to say to that.
Is he dead?
No, but he's.
I mean all the things he mighthave in him, maybe you never
know and he's got the tigerblood.
He might be dead inside, buthe's still.
He's dead inside for sure.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
But maybe the tequila is what keeps him.
Yeah, keeps him going.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
You know actually.
So I worked during COVID in abar the whole time and nightclub
we shut down for a couplemonths, obviously, but Florida
opened up before everybody didand I worked in that nightclub
the whole time.
Did not get COVID a single time, and I'm a firm believer, it's
the amount of tequila I drank,dude, did not get COVID a single
time and I'm a firm believer,it's the amount of tequila I
(26:23):
drank dude.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I think it kept my immune system up and it kept me
alive.
That or the 22 seconds ofBoone's Farm every year.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
So journalism, Danny, why you wanted to go into it.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yeah, yes, I majored in it, I wanted to be a sports
reporter.
Again, I wanted to be thePhiladelphia Phillies beat
writer is what I wanted to do.
Well, originally I wanted to bethe shortstop, but I mean, you
look at me, I'm not very big, Ican't hit a curveball, so that
was kind of out of it, and Iknew I wanted to be around
(26:58):
sports, you know, growing up.
So I figured that would be apretty viable option.
I thought, um, but it wasn't.
So, uh, I had to find somethingelse, but I still you know, it
was always I'm still interestedin it like being here doing,
doing the podcast with you guysand you guys setting up the
shoot and all that.
It was super cool, just supercool, to see you guys work and
do all the stuff you guys didand how you know all the
different things you do and howyou set it up and the way john
was setting up the picture withthe screen and this.
(27:19):
I mean it's just, you know, wayabove anything, I'm good at um,
so it was really interesting tosee that and I've always been
interested in that.
And also, lucas, your abilityto make those drinks was really,
really awesome.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Well, it's not those sandwiches, man.
We might have been buzzing toomuch to do this podcast we ate
at the right time.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
We definitely did.
But yeah, journalism wassomething you know you're a
communicator, ultimately, youknow you're telling a story.
Obviously now, with visualbeing such a prevalent and I
mean everywhere anybody can see,I can see anything I want you
know.
But before you'd wake up You'dread the paper, you'd see, well,
what happened last night and Ialways thought being that
raconteur, that storyteller, wassomething that always
(27:58):
interested me and it still does.
You know I obviously don't writearticles or anything like that
now, but I feel every day I getthe opportunity to talk to
someone and tell a story, oreven if it's a five minute
conversation with somebody atthe deli, or you know they're
telling me how their daughter'sdoing or how their mom's doing,
or you know why they hate theEagles, things like that.
You know they love to come inand give me, give me crap about
(28:19):
all that.
So you know those are all youknow blessings and and you know
it's why, it's why I do what Ido, to be able to see the faces
we see and support and and andyou know it's just, it's, it's a
, it's a great, it's a great day.
You know, even the worst daysare the best days.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Who's your favorite broadcaster of all time, harry?
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Callas.
Who is that he was the Philliesuh play-by-play man for my
youth.
He passed away in 09, rightafter we won the world series.
Do you do his voice?
I do not.
I knew you were going to ask me.
No, I do a terrible one.
I have a very good friend ofmine shout out Justin Dean.
He does a tremendous.
Harry Callis no, I would nevereven try and do that no.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
So if you hear this, Justin, give him a call tonight
and use that voice, please don't.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Lucas, you're still a young guy, You're in the bar
scene.
By speaking with you for Idon't know, the last couple of
weeks, I know that you were alittle bit of a wild character.
I'm sure you're a blastactually.
I know you're a blast actually,but you're a man of faith.
You say yes, sir, how do youwrestle with the bar scene?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
faith and being a new dad um, well, first off,
without my faith and my family,I definitely would not be the
person I am today.
Like you said, I was very wild.
I still have a very wildpersonality, but I had to
transition out of that part ofmy life.
You know, you can still releasethe beast once in a while, but
it's all about self-control andknowing your environment.
(29:57):
So I really had to work onchanging my whole lifestyle,
honestly, when I had a family,because you have to put your
kids first and your wife firstbefore you put yourself first.
It's supposed to be God, yourwoman, your family and then
everything else comes along.
So I just really recently gotback into my faith.
About a year ago.
I went through some thingsthroughout my life that made me
(30:19):
lose my faith for a really longtime.
I'm blessed to have asupportive fiance who's very
religious, and she helped mefind my religion again.
So now every Sunday we go toSunday school together.
We are able to go to church asa family.
It's helped me really realignmyself with my morals and who I
feel I am as a person.
You know, because, especially Ifeel like as a young adult, you
(30:42):
start traveling down the pathof trying to find yourself and
you meet all types of people youknow and you want to emulate,
people you look up to or you see, and you kind of lose your own
self person, you know.
I mean you lose yourselfsometimes, man, and you get
caught up in it.
So I think it was a a goodtransition for me.
And sometimes things happen inyour life that you don't expect,
(31:02):
plan for, want.
You know what I mean.
I planned on being a bachelormy whole life, told my parents
that told, never having kids,and then a year later met my
fiance and I told them I'm,she's pregnant, you know.
And then I moved my whole.
I was living in St Augustine atthe time.
I just I moved my whole lifeover here, moved in with my
(31:23):
fiance she was my girlfriend atthe time to put in plant city
and I just tried to change mywhole life, man.
So I think, working behind thebar, I just got to always try to
keep my, my morals intact, youknow, and think about what the
bigger picture is and I try toto resemble that in my like my
leadership too.
I'm a very chill, easygoing guy, but I, you know, we all have a
(31:44):
job to do.
We're here for a specificreason.
I think we need to always keepthat on on track and you just
got to separate that, you know?
Um, I think drinking's fun, butit's all about regulation.
You know what I mean.
Drinking hanging out with yourfriends is one thing.
Getting wasted and driving homedrunk and getting in a car
accident is another thing.
You know what I mean.
So I think it's all about thatregulation, and especially when
(32:07):
invested in alcohol, which islike the most legal drug you can
have in the United States, youknow what I mean.
So I think there's like thathuge stipulation around it that
you really have to walk thatfine line, especially when it
comes to religion.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Danny, looking back, what kept you going in the years
where the grind in the businesscould have pushed you out of
the industry?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Well, I was blessed with a wonderful work ethic,
just seeing how hard my parentsworked every day.
You know, my dad got up everyday and went to work.
My mom got up every day andwent to work.
It just was second nature forme to go to work.
If I needed something or therewas something that had to be
done, I was always taught orshowed like get it done, Do it,
Figure it out.
So I never I guess maybe laterthought of it more as a grind,
but it was always just in it.
You know, I was happily married, you know, have a beautiful
(32:58):
wife and we have a beautifullife and to go to work, and I
was always striving to do more,to get more.
Being a sous chef wasn't enough.
I wanted to be an exec and youknow I wanted to now work
weekends and nights.
I wanted to get a nice cushyshift.
So I got an corporate exec joband then that wasn't enough.
I wanted to be a GM.
I got that and then I realizedI didn't really want any of that
.
Um, I mainly just wanted toschedule and weekends off, uh,
(33:21):
which is not enough.
You know, if you're doing that,you're doing it for the wrong
reasons, you know, Um, so I Ikind of figured out I'll just do
what I want to do.
So I never really looked at ituntil the end of this grind.
I just thought this is my life,this is my career path.
You know, I'm going to get to acertain point and I'm going to
have my schedule and I'll worksomewhere for 15 years and then
(33:41):
they'll throw me a bigretirement party and I don't
know what I'm going to do.
Maybe I'll open a deli, I don'tknow.
But that all got rushed alittle bit faster.
But yeah, I don't.
Uh, you know, I guess I'm notanswering the question in good
faith, Um, but I really neverdid look at it as a grind until
I was like bird's eye view.
You know, I was just in theforest.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
I didn't see the trees.
You see me often enough at theshop.
The food's awesome.
I appreciate that.
But I noticed something.
I noticed things.
That's what I do.
I notice that, amy, your wifeis like your backbone over there
, absolutely, and she is.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
She is a gangster for you in that shop her ability
she has does not come from aculinary background at all, you
know and her ability to just say, yeah, let's do it.
You know, she put her faith inme, her trust in me, um, and
just was there at every step ofthe way.
And you, you know, I'll saythis out loud she probably makes
a better hoagie than I do, youknow.
I'll give her that.
(34:39):
So, yeah, you're absolutelyright, I would never not be able
to do any of this without her.
Um, you know her ability tojuggle, you know, being a real
estate, being a mom, being awife, and then going in there
and making a kick-ass hoagie.
You know, and, and and doing myjob better than I can.
Yeah, you're absolutely right.
You know, I mean you're, I'msure, your wife and you know
(34:59):
I've never had the pleasure ofmeeting her, but I can tell that
you know you come from a goodfamily and a good life and you
made it that way.
So you obviously know as wellas I do or anybody else that you
can't do it alone.
You got to have somebody therewho loves you.
You know who, for the rightreasons, who wants it for the
right reasons, and I'm very,very, very fortunate to have
that lucas in three words, howwould you describe your personal
(35:21):
style at the bar?
Speaker 1 (35:22):
violence, speed and momentum.
Baby, I tell my my guys thatall the time I'm a rip and roar
type of guy, so you can use thatone too.
I try to bring the energy and Imake it happen behind the bar.
Heard that chef.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Same question Cool, calm collective.
All right guys, let me tell yousomething.
Today was really great, john.
As usual, fantastic.
There's going to be a lot ofcontent coming for this.
Lucas, how do we?
Speaker 1 (35:49):
find you.
You can always come and see meat Propagation Whiskey Bar and
Kitchen in Plant City Florida.
You can shoot me an email atbar, at propagationkitchencom,
or you can look me up onInstagram at
libationprojectlucas.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Chef, same.
How do we find?
Speaker 2 (36:06):
you Please don't, but please find the deli at
dannys-delicom.
We're also on Facebook, at W orFacebook Danny's Deli 75.
And we're on DoorDash, google,grubhub, all those other online
ordering systems.
But just come on in.
It's much better if you come in.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
I have to agree with that 100%.
Everything's good.
Everything is good.
You should put the empinadas onthe menu, john.
You know, today you were alittle, you were different today
, You're an animal.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
John Killed it.
Man, you're an animal.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
It's true, it is, you're an animal.
All right, guys, thanks forcoming out.
We appreciate everything thatyou all did today.
John, you too, we are out.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com