September 5, 2025 • 34 mins
Chef Paul Gaskins joins us today to delve into the pressing issue of rising food costs and their implications for both the culinary industry and consumers. As we explore the intricacies of ingredient pricing, it becomes evident that these financial dynamics not only influence how restaurants curate their menus but also significantly affect the dining experiences of patrons. Chef Paul, from the Inn at Celebration, shares his culinary expertise by preparing exquisite dishes such as seared scallops paired with passion fruit leche de tigre and a crab and kimchi fried rice enhanced with saffron aioli. Through our discussion, we aim to illuminate the broader context of food value in today's economy, examining how these escalating costs shape our perceptions of quality and affordability in the dining landscape. Join us as we navigate the intersection of culinary artistry and economic reality, providing insights that resonate with chefs and diners alike.
In this thought-provoking episode of the Walk-In Talk Podcast, Chef Paul Gaskins engages in a comprehensive discussion about the intricacies of the culinary industry amidst rising food prices. With his trademark culinary flair, he prepares two delectable dishes, utilizing ingredients that are both accessible and innovative. The conversation delves into the vital themes of sustainability and the shifting perceptions of value in dining experiences. Chef Paul articulates the delicate balance between maintaining quality and ensuring affordability for guests, while also addressing the need for chefs to be resourceful and creative in their approach to menu development. As he shares his culinary philosophy, listeners are invited to reflect on the broader implications of food sourcing and the artistry involved in transforming humble ingredients into exceptional dishes. This episode is a compelling exploration of the intersection between culinary excellence and economic realities, offering valuable insights for anyone passionate about the world of food.
Takeaways:
- The escalating prices of ingredients profoundly influence the operations of restaurants and the perceived value of dishes.
- Chef Paul Gaskins emphasizes the importance of creativity in menu design amidst rising food costs.
- The culinary world is witnessing a shift in what constitutes luxury dining, moving beyond traditional expensive ingredients.
- Utilizing leftover ingredients creatively is not only sustainable but also a testament to a chef's ingenuity and resourcefulness.
- Diners today are more discerning, seeking memorable flavors rather than merely judging based on portion size.
- Increasing awareness of food sourcing and costs is essential for fostering appreciation for the culinary arts.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You've just stepped inside theWalk and Talk podcast, number one
in the nation for food lovers,chefs, and storytellers.
I'm Carl Fiordini, your host,shining a light on the flavor, the
hustle, and the heart of the industry.
We're the official podcast forthe New York, California and Florida
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Open at nafm, and the NorthAmerican media platform for the Burnt
(00:22):
Chef project, recorded.
At Ibis Images Studios, wherefood photography.
Comes alive and I get thefirst bite.
Find out more info at the Walkand talk dot com.
Welcome back to the Walk andTalk podcast.
Today I'm joined by areturning guest who always brings
something exciting to the table.
Chef Paul Gaskins, executivechef from the Inn at Celebration.
(00:44):
In the studio, he's cooking uptwo incredible dishes.
Seared scallops with passionfruit leche de tigre and chocolo
watermelon radish salad and acrab and kimchi fried rice finished
with saffron aioli.
Just hearing that and, youknow it's.
Going to be good, But I also.
Want to go deeper into aconversation that affects everyone.
Not just chefs, not justdiners, but all of us who buy food
(01:07):
every day.
Ingredient prices are climbingeverywhere, and that changes how
restaurants build menus, howguests perceive value, and even how
families shop and cook at home.
So with Chef Paul, we're goingto explore what rising food costs
really mean and how they'reshaping the way we look at food as
a whole.
Chef Paul, welcome to the program.
(01:27):
Thank you.
What a day.
I mean, really, what a.
What a day.
Those dishes.
I just ate six pounds of rice.
I was just saying, like,literally, while you guys were, you
know, out there in the studio,you know, doing what you're doing,
I scarfed rice and crab andscallops and everything.
(01:49):
You did a hell of a job today, Jeff.
Appreciate it.
Appreciate that.
It was a pleasure to be backand pleasure to cook.
Cook again.
Yeah.
It's been a minute.
Let's jump into the dishes.
What did you do today?
So the mindset was to usesomething that was very easy to acquire,
not too expensive.
And then at the same time, inparticularly, the second dish was
(02:11):
to use a leftover product andturn into a brand new dish.
Like what?
So the.
The rice itself was usedyesterday for a different application.
And then we saved over therice and turned it into a kimchi
fried rice with crab.
What made you think crab and kimchi?
Like, what.
What drove you to that?
(02:32):
Mainly just I was thinkingseafood in general, and then the
kimchi is always a great wayto add acid and texture and flavor
to things.
The aioli took it to another level.
It adds the creaminess that'sneeded to add a different element
or a different aspect of the dish.
Yes.
Like a whole nother dimension,because, you know, you can eat it
(02:53):
without it, and it's great.
And then you add it.
You mix it in another dimension.
Saffron helps that aspect too.
100.
So wait a minute.
Let's get back.
Let's get to this.
Let's talk about the ceviche.
Okay.
The ceviche itself.
The original idea was octopus,but I kind of twisted it up and did
(03:14):
scallops today.
Passion fruit.
That is something that's verynative to Peru.
During my adventures in Peru,kind of picked up that little element
or that little part of my game.
And then I just tried it totwist it a little bit.
So we added lots of flavors.
Everything from fish sauce tolime juice, orange juice, passion
(03:36):
fruit to ginger that youprobably wouldn't even imagine that
would be in there.
And then a little bit of heatwith a little bit of chili oil.
That was my favorite.
Okay, I appreciate it.
That was my favorite.
And that.
That leche de tigre was stupid.
So delicious.
You can use that, I think, onjust about almost anything.
(03:57):
You know, the funny thing is,fish sauce is not one of those things
that you would think aboutusing unless you're in the industry,
and that's something that youwould take up.
But it has a lot of depth infish sauce.
I told my mother in law, she's Cuban.
I told my mother in law whatwe're doing here today.
She always asked God low, whydon't you, you know, as you asked
me what.
And I told her, and she says,oh, my God.
(04:20):
You know, she loves.
She loved it, like, the soundof it.
So I'm gonna bring some ofthat home.
Please do.
Please, please let me know her thoughts.
Please.
This is a little bit differentin terms of savage.
Correct.
Because we added a hot elementto it.
Usually ceviche is totallycold and something that you're just
used to, whether it's close toa sashimi or yellowtail or some kind
(04:45):
of fish with it.
But I noticed that people areventuring out with other elements
to it.
So ceviche is not just thetraditional fish anymore.
People are adding otherelements to it.
So I decided to add thescallops today.
When you're approaching a dishlike you did for the first one and
you're looking at costs,everything's a little bit strange
(05:05):
today.
In the economy of things, Ifeel like it might be trending a
little bit better.
I think it's improving slowly, albeit.
How are you approachingputting dishes together, building
out your menus?
In today's environment,creativity is a big.
Aspect of it, and to becreative, it can't be just me.
I use my team, my cooks, mylead cooks, my sous chefs, and we
(05:30):
collaborate and we create ideas.
Ultimately, it is me in thesense that I finalized the dish,
but the thought process isit's a group effort.
Also, I built the ideas off ofhow can I do this where it's not
so expensive andsustainability is probably a key
aspect of that or key word tothink about.
(05:51):
Well, first off, let me justsay this.
You brought Diego today asyour in house sue over here, and
I just want to say he did aspectacular job.
You're awesome.
Thank you.
Thank you, dear.
Would you say that diners aremore aware of where their money is
going on the plate, or do theystill kind of judge everything by
their portion size?
I think it's a little bit of both.
(06:12):
Portion size means a lot topeople because they want.
You want to make sure thatyour dollar goes as far as it can.
So, you know, if you'respending $30 on a plate, you want
to make sure that you don'thave to go to another restaurant
afterwards, whether it's afast food place or even go home and
have to have a bowl of cerealbecause you're, you know, you're
still hungry.
So portion size does takeprobably front, front, front, I guess
(06:36):
front and center.
But then at the same time, Iwould say if you can impress them
with flavors and you canimpress them with something that's
memorable, that they can comeback and they can recognize that,
hey, I really had a good dishhere and it was worth $30, then you
can get repeat business, youcan get return business.
And then at the same time,they can remember it as a great dish
(06:59):
and like, hey, that was worth $30.
I think there's a lot ofmisconceptions because you have elevated
establishments where you'regoing to get something that's not
your typical traditional, youknow, home style meal.
And people who aren'taccustomed to that, they're going
to leave unhappy.
Typically not because itdoesn't taste good.
(07:23):
It's because they look at thefact that there's three peas on a
plate, you know, with aschmear of something, and they don't
understand all of the workthat went into the schmear or the
drizzle or Whatever that sauceis, the science behind all of that,
they don't get it, and they'relooking for a big plate of something.
(07:47):
I feel like a lot of peoplestill eat with their eyes.
Almost definitely.
Most definitely.
People eat with the firstthing is your eyes, and then after
that, then becomes taste andwhat it looks like.
And so when you have a pieceof museum art on a plate, a lot of
folks don't get it yet.
A lot of people do.
Obviously, I'm, you know,especially the last 25 years of this,
(08:09):
you know, dare I say, FoodNetwork esque.
I would say social media is a big.
A very big part of that.
But I still, in my travels andthe people who I come across, man,
it's.
It's still out there to be.
People get hung up on that.
I think they look at stilllike going back to our conversation
about value for dollar ordollar for value.
(08:30):
But I believe you can still,because of the environment today
with social media and like yousaid, the Food Network and Food Network
chefs and all the glamourchefs that are out there, I think
people still can recognizethat there's talent there and recognize
what it took to.
To put that together.
It's not just the cook.
It's not just the chef.
(08:51):
You know what, there's adishwasher in the back washing the
dishes.
Somebody's got to clean andmake sure everything is sanitized
and ready to go.
Hardly anyone, unless you'rein the industry would understand
when the.
If your dish pit isn't keepingup and you don't even have enough
silver to go back out, youknow, if you're flipping tables that
fast or turning them quickly,the stress that puts on the entire
(09:14):
building, it starts with, you.
Know, I hate to say it, but itactually starts in the dish bed.
It truly does.
There's different levels ofchefdom, let's say, then you have
your home cooks.
What lessons can a home cooklearn from a pro?
Use all ingredients.
(09:35):
So you buy an onion, you'renot gonna use it all for one dish
that you make.
Let's say you're making meatloaf.
You're not using that whole onion.
You might need to use thatonion the next day or the next day.
So when you do shop, shop anduse all items, use everything that
you buy, and create meal plansor meals that you.
You can basically crossutilize products throughout.
(09:59):
You want to be able to makeyour dollar go further.
So the only way to do that istraditionally is to meal plan and
buy things that can be cost utilized.
A lot of Times.
That has to do with prep, though.
It does.
So that means.
That means somebody at homemay have to take some time, sit down
(10:21):
and actually look at their week.
Right.
Because if you're going to gobuy, let's say, the onion and I can
tell you from my refrigeratorat home, and I don't do the cooking.
Okay.
I don't, truth be told.
Mm, Shocker.
Right, John?
Yeah.
But I see a lot of stuff thatjust ends up in the garbage.
I'm talking produce.
(10:43):
If there was a plan pastwhatever that was gonna be used for
initially, that $15 of fruitsand veg that ends up in a trash can,
we'll go another week and ahalf because it's already half prepped
out or whatever.
It's already in containers oryou freeze it or whatever it is.
Am I crazy?
(11:03):
No, you're.
You're exactly right.
In a sense I have.
I'm fortunate in the sensethat I do live next to a farm and
this farm produces produce.
So when I need something, I,I'll go to farm and I just buy what
I need.
So being, I guess,ostentatious and buying too much
of one ingredient is, yeah,you're going to end up with some
(11:24):
trash.
You're going to end up withsome stuff that's going to end up
in the trash.
And unfortunately, yourdollars are ended up in that very
same spot.
Guest comes in, they sit down,they open the menu, they look and
they see pricing.
And let's just say it's alittle bit higher than what they're
accustomed to or what theythought it was going to be.
(11:44):
What would you wish that theyunderstood about how that menu item
is costed out?
I think the, probably thebiggest, one of the biggest misconception
is I would say probably proteins.
Proteins are expensive.
Beef is expensive.
Chicken is expensive.
Seafood can be expensive,depending on what you want.
(12:04):
It is.
I, I would love, if customerswould understand that, you know,
go.
Go to the grocery store andtry to buy a ribeye at steak.
It's going to cost you 25, 30bucks for that one or two steaks
or whatever it may be.
It does cost.
I do not want to put that coston the gas.
My, my goal is to createplates and create food that is flavorful
(12:27):
and at the same time cost effective.
Not only for my business orthe business that I work for, but
for the guests, for theclients, because I want them to understand
that, hey, I'm not here to, totake money out of your pocket, just
to be taking money out of your pocket.
I want you to have a memorable experience.
At the same time, I want youto come back because it was affordable.
(12:47):
When we were filming yourdishes and your storytelling segment
earlier, you'd mentioned inmost case scenarios, the cost doesn't
even get passed down to the guest.
That's the goal.
The goal is not to pass it onto the guests.
Once again, you want thereturn guests.
And if you pass the cost ontothe guest, it will be noticeable.
(13:10):
They will notice, especiallyif they're returning customers, they
come two or three times a weekand they're going to notice it.
Yeah, the price went up 50cents or the price went up a dollar
or things of that sort.
We do have a business to run.
We do have to pay our employees.
We there, there's a lot ofcomponents to that version of it.
But at the same time, I don'tbelieve in that.
We should push that onto theclient to now we create a brand new
(13:34):
dish that's a little more expensive.
It needs to be explained tothe guests.
It needs to be from the serveror the chef needs to come out and
be able to explain, hey,you're getting, you know, you're
getting a 16 ounce rib eye.
This is a little bit, littlemore price than if you got a 10 ounce
ribeye.
So there's a difference.
Yeah, you know, a lot of thisalso translates from, let's say distributor
(13:55):
to, to chef or buyer.
Because when you're buyingbulk and you start pricing or costing
down to the ounces, it'sreally not a huge pop in, in, in
cost.
It's not, you know, where thatcost comes from.
Like you said, if you buy abulk, you can buy a New York strip,
(14:18):
strip loin.
You're going to cut X amountof steaks out of that strip line.
You're going to cut them at Xamount of ounces per steak.
The cost is actually the labor.
People don't think about it.
Somebody has to cut this, thisstrip loin down to stakes and it
takes time.
You have to clean it, you haveto cut it down, you have to package
it, you have to get it readyfor the, you know, service.
(14:39):
So there's a labor componentthat people do not calculate.
Robot robots.
I don't know if that's gonnawork in kitchens.
I am not a proponent.
We see them at the trade showswhere it's like robo do everything
correct and it's, they'repretty amazing.
But I genuinely, well, Igenuinely want to believe that like
(15:05):
a skilled knifesman in thekitchen isn't going to be Overtaken
by an AI robot.
Okay.
Let's hope that we, you know,we can still keep jobs and keep our,
our artistry together.
It's truth.
I just had a conversation thisweek about AI taking over salespeople's
(15:26):
jobs.
As you know, we're gettinginto a place where everything is
online ordering.
Yes.
You know, you're not reallyhaving that same conversation with
your distributors, customerservice department, your salesperson,
things like that.
It's just, it's a really scary trend.
Since AI has kind of takenover that version.
(15:47):
It has been scary.
There was a point in timewhere I refused to buy online.
I refused to buy anything online.
And going to the malls orgoing to the stores was the way you
shop because you want toactually see it, physically see it
to go to an online version.
Especially in this industryand being a chef or cooking or.
(16:09):
I just, I have a hard timeseeing it.
I have a hard time seeing AItaking hold or taking a foot into
it.
If I go back 20, some 20 plusyears ago, early 2000s, let's say,
and I get into the producedistribution game, I'm in sales back
then.
(16:30):
This is just beforeblackberries came out, you know,
smartphones.
And I remember no matter whereyou were on your old flip phone,
you would have to answer thatcall, stop whatever you were doing.
And if you didn't have yourbook with you, you had to write on
your hand, you had to writeoff on a piece of cardboard like
(16:50):
you were anywhere you would like.
I used to have this like justrandom ripped pieces of cardboard
in my house or in the carbecause, you know, you just.
Your orders, this is your livelihood.
It's on this stupid piece ofpaper that's you're scribbling on.
I get it.
And now, and then it went to,you know, BlackBerry, then iPhone.
And now we, you know,everything is like full digital.
Correct.
It's easier to text andcommunicate with you in the kitchen
(17:15):
than it is to pick up the phone.
That part I can see it.
I mean, technology has takenthat, taking a hold of that version
of it, and we've all becomeaccustomed to that version of it.
Once again, I just don't seeit in our, in our career fields.
Well, picture this if you will.
Your, your chatgpt for thekitchen knows what you need, right.
(17:38):
And just automatically populates.
It automatically goes straightto the distributor, then at the distributor's
warehouse, it's, you know,some, you know, robot pulling your
stuff, getting on it.
All you need is AI guests.
And it's a full completecircle now.
You, you're exactly right.
You know what I mean?
If we go to AI guests, thenjust, let's go for it, then we're
all in.
All in on a robot.
(17:59):
What happens when a chef hasto choose between sourcing a high
and high quality ingredientjust to keep the dish affordable?
So my answer to that, in theway I believe it, you're going to
have some high end dishes,you're going to have some low end
dishes.
The low end dishes cost you alittle bit less.
So theoretically, if you sortenough of the low end dishes and
(18:23):
just a few of the high enddishes, it balance out.
So, so in reality, what you'resaying is when you build your restaurant
concept, you're winning orlosing starts there, Correct?
Right, correct.
Because if you're like, hey,you know, I want to be the swankiest
(18:44):
place in town and all yourmenu items are, you know, 50 bucks
and up, you're in bad shape.
You're never going to make it.
You need something to balance that.
You're not going to be able tosell everyone a $50 steak.
You're going to needsomething, you're going to need some
of those 34, 35 pieces ofchicken, whatever version of you
want to make, and you needenough of them to compensate for
(19:06):
that 50 steak.
Now that's not to say youdon't want to sell that 50 stick
because the more you sell, themore profit margin that you would
get as a businessman.
But let's be, let's be real.
Be real, I guess, and you needto sell some lower cost items just
to balance out the cost to you.
And just to get people in the door.
And just to get the people inthe door.
(19:28):
You know, the higher end steakhouses, they have lower end things
on their menu.
They just need to, they sellenough of those so that the higher
end stuff doesn't affect themas much.
What I've always foundfascinating in, in this game, you
can bring in a lower qualitypiece of meat and you work that meat
(19:50):
and all of a sudden it's delicious.
And you would never know thatit was a select or a choice piece
of beef.
I think that's where the, Ithink that is where the magic and
mastery of making money happens.
Now, I'm not, just to beclear, I'm not saying like somebody
brings in a lower qualitypiece of meat and then, you know,
(20:13):
promotes it and sells it assomething, as a higher quality.
I'm not talking about that.
Correct.
I'm saying, hey, we're goingto have a lower priced menu.
Item.
It's a lower quality piece of,you know, beef or whatever, but we're
going to make it the.
The best tasting piece of meat ever.
That's the goal for every chef.
The goal for every chef is to.
Turn.
(20:34):
A very ordinary product intosomething amazing.
So making something that, forinstance, the rice today, you know,
it's rice.
I mean, rice is a sustainable thing.
To turn leftover rice intosomething else.
That's what you need to do asa chef.
And that's what we're, aschefs, that's what we are tasked
(20:54):
to do, to be creative enoughto turn something that's very ordinary
into something to your point, amazing.
In 2015, I just happen toremember the year.
So I go to dinner, it was afamily dinner, and I was with my
father, and there was maybe 20of us.
So we went to a.
This is a south Florida.
Went to a restaurant, and he'slooking at the menu.
(21:17):
My father can cook, right?
We.
He owned a restaurant.
Like, he knows, you know, heknows what he's doing.
He's looking at the menu.
There's people everywhere.
And he says, hey, Carlo, $15for a meatloaf.
And I'm just like, bob, don'torder it.
You know, like, don't order it.
He's.
I'd make this at home for like $3.
(21:39):
Like, yeah, but you're.
Come on, stop.
This is.
Stop.
But this is what you'recontending with.
And I bring that up becauserice is one of those things where
people make it home.
Let's talk ingredients for a second.
What ingredients areoverlooked that people can use that
are amazing with flavor?
(22:00):
I would say, honestly, vegetables.
Vegetables are so much overlooked.
And the reason why I saidthat, let's say cabbage.
You know how many things youcan do with cabbage?
You can broil cabbage, you cangrill cabbage, you can roast cabbage,
you can base, you can boilcabbage, you can kraut cabbage.
You can do so many things withcabbage that, you know, you don't
(22:22):
think about it.
You don't think aboutvegetables that way.
You don't.
You don't look at vegetablesthat way.
You don't look at a tomato,what you can turn a tomato into.
People don't look at what isin front of them.
That's relatively inexpensive.
Produce is not super expensive.
It really, truly is not.
We are so bent on eating meatand eating heartier things to get
(22:45):
full.
But I'm be honest with you, meand my wife, we cook vegetable dishes
two to three times a week.
And it's just.
It's Vegetables.
It's just vegetables.
We took a.
We took a spaghetti squash andstuff it with more vegetables.
It makes something out of it that.
Actually circles back to howto get more longevity under your.
(23:07):
Out of what you're buying orwhat you're buying and how you save
more money in your pocket.
Correct, Correct.
It does.
Are you listening, people?
I mean, this is what I'mtalking about.
I just talked to somebodyyesterday or the day before, and
they're entering a competition.
And the ingredient, thespecial ingredient is squash.
(23:27):
The dish has to be, like.
Of squash.
Squash for.
I get you.
Yeah.
And I'm like, oh, man.
I mean, just, you know, find the.
The squash blossom and theflour and fry it.
And you can actually use,like, a spaghetti cut.
And, you know, you get thesquash blossom and you do the whole.
You know, and he's like, yeah.
And, you know, take an acornsquash and gut it.
You can use that as the bowl.
(23:47):
It's like, oh, man, that's dope.
That's gonna be.
That's gonna be pretty badass.
You know, it works.
It.
Vegetables are filling.
You know, you don't alwayshave to have a starch.
There's a lot of times whereme and my wife, we will eat maybe
a protein, maybe it's a leanprotein, and then we eat vegetables.
So going back to yourquestion, I truly believe vegetables
is one, and produce is one ofthose things.
(24:10):
You know, fruits can also be used.
You can make fruit savory.
They have sugars in them.
But if you grill a pineapple,it doesn't taste like a pineapple
much anymore.
Once you grill it, it changes.
Peaches.
Fruits are the same way.
You can do many things withthem, and they're healthier for you.
If you saw the difference in cost.
Yeah.
You know, and I'm speakingcommercially, the average case cost
(24:37):
for a box of produce is about$20, I would say.
Yes, I would agree with that.
A box of your average, youknow, beef is $125 or more.
Or more.
I'm saying Costco.
Yeah.
Correct.
Cost, huh?
That's a huge variance.
(24:57):
And obviously, you can stretchthose fruits and veggies to go so
far.
You can dehydrate, you canfreeze them.
You can do all sorts of reallyamazing things and get different
flavors from all of what youcan do with it.
So a lot of vegetables have the.
Have the same texture, or someof them can be portrayed as the same
(25:17):
texture as meat.
Mushrooms is, you know, that'sthe common one, of course.
But things like cabbage,Romanesco cauliflower.
I mean, you turn that to acauliflower steak.
It's on my menu.
It's one of my dishes on the menu.
It's a color of our steak thatwe sell and it's a total vegan dish.
This is all vegan.
And it's with that black ricethat you had mentioned.
Talk about, it's a Fort Benton rice.
(25:38):
But you know, you do thingsdifferent a little bit.
It's a little more costeffective meal.
That's not to say I don't havesteaks on my man, because I do.
And people, the averageclientele wants that.
But I will make it affordablefor you to come.
I'm not trying to into your pockets.
So do you think that the, theeconomy of things, the cost of things
(26:01):
is keeping people at homeright now or is dining out still
essential?
I think dining out still essential.
And the reason why I say thatis because of social media nowadays.
Social media is driving peoplestill to go see what's the latest
trend, what's the latest fador dish that people are creating,
what's the latest restaurant,what's the hottest spot.
(26:26):
There's all kinds ofrestaurants out there that are coming
up with, in all kind of chefsthat are coming up with new dishes
and new ways of, of cooking.
I use the analogy of my wifeand I often, she's.
I, I like to experiment with food.
And therefore if you broughtme a spoon that's layered with a
(26:51):
few ingredients on there andit's just going to be a flavor explosion,
I'll pay for that because Iwant to, I want to, I want to try
that.
I want to see what that is.
Even if just one spoon, Iwould agree.
Well, wifey, she's like, well,no, I want like a piece of chicken,
I want the rice, I want a salad.
(27:12):
I want to, you know, verytraditional, very traditional.
And I don't want that.
I have traditional at homeevery single day.
If I go out, I want to, I wantsome sort of high end cocktail mixed
nice, beautiful thing and somebadass like just layered, flavored,
full of spoonful of awesomeness.
You know, because it's amemorable experience that you're
(27:33):
looking for.
Yeah.
If not, why go out if you're,if we're going to go out, go out
for something interesting, notfor something you can make at home.
Correct.
Like the meatloaf.
Well, I even turn meatloafinto something amazing too though.
True story.
No, I mean, listen, was it youthat made the meatloaf?
Who made meatloaf?
Recently somebody here didmeatloaf, didn't they?
Huh?
(27:53):
Maybe it was at home.
I don't even know anymore.
Everything is a blur.
My, my food life is anabsolute blur.
Okay.
Yeah, because we did thisgreat stuff today.
I'm going to go home and theymade pollo frita today.
So my mother in law says I'm avery blessed man with food.
I think we all have apreconceived notion of luxury when
(28:14):
it comes to dining, but wealso now have a very acute understanding
of inflation.
How do those two wordsultimately go together in today's
food world?
What is considered luxurynowadays could be something totally
different than what it, whatit used to be.
(28:35):
Luxury used to be caviar andthings of that sort.
Luxury nowadays is not a caviar.
Luxury is something that.
It could be scallops, it couldbe a crab cake.
That's just been elevatedenough in today's cooking world.
And the chefs of the cookingworld have learned how to take the
average ingredient and make it luxury.
(28:57):
There's categories for food.
There's, there's fine dining,there's casual, there's, there's
theme.
Fast food, of course, butthere's a crossover amongst all three
of them, or four of them,excuse me, are the categories that
I just mentioned.
There's a crossover where youcan take something that was very.
(29:17):
For instance, you could take aburger, an elevator burger, to make
it a gourmet burger.
So luxury is a perception nowis not necessarily the ingredients
anymore.
It's a perception now is what,what we perceive as something that
is gourmet or something abovewhat is norm.
You can go back to the caviarwith that, you know, growing.
(29:42):
When I was, well, when we wereall growing up, you thought caviar,
you thought like.
Correct.
The rich and the famous.
Right.
But now people are doingcaviar bumps, you know, like in their
casual and their shorts andflip flops.
Correct.
Right.
You know, I, I don't.
There's some sort ofconnection between.
Yes.
Luxury or perceived value.
(30:03):
Correct, Right.
But I think like today, Idon't know.
I don't know if people aregetting dressed up anymore.
I feel like we're goingthrough these different stages.
Like in the 90s, everybody gotdressed up to go everywhere.
Correct.
Everywhere.
And now you're in flip flops,in some Tommy Bahamas Dockers or
something.
When they say.
Right, but then you, but thenyou have those.
(30:24):
I think it's the hipster crowdthat kind of lives that lifestyle.
Right.
Where they're still, theystill kind of get dressed up a little
bit.
They have a very distinct style.
I do believe that they'regoing to do caviar bombs, you know,
in conjunction along with a,you know, Tommy Bahama flip flop
word.
The flip flop wearing folks.
I feel like that's a, that's a thing.
(30:45):
And you can count me in onthat too, by the way.
I'm, you know, I don'tdiscriminate on the camera.
Hey, chef, look, you know,costs go up, costs go down.
You know, we happen to be inthis, like, you know, middle stage
where they're a little bitstill high, but maybe it looks like
they're going to start eking down.
Doesn't that give a highlight?
Doesn't that illustrate thefact that there's people out there
(31:07):
that are working the farms?
There's people out there inthe kitchens working 15, 18 hours
a week.
Like, doesn't that bring theattention back to them?
It should.
It should bring back theattention to the, to the farmer.
And like you said, the hardworkers that are in the kitchen,
the ones that are actuallypreparing all your meals when you
do come and visit theirestablishments, the farmer.
(31:32):
I think I mentioned earlierthat I have a farm near me and I've
done a couple little cookingshows at the farm to help their business.
And the thought is behind allthat was just to help them get noticed
by more and more people.
Where I live, it helped drivebusiness and it helped when they
(31:53):
have a chef come and dosomething at their farm, it helps
their business.
And then the other version ofit is majority of my vendors, specifically
produce, are farmers.
And I buy from specific farmsknowing that I'm helping those forms
and their sustainability fortheir employees.
(32:15):
And I think it's a great thing.
So if you could change onething about how people see food's
worth, what would it be?
I think the, probably thebiggest perception for food and people,
how people view food is theyneed to understand that food is obviously
we needed to.
(32:36):
To survive.
We need water and food.
We need to be able to eat anddrink when we need to eat and drink.
I'm sure of that.
But my enjoyment in cookingcomes from seeing my customer's face
after I fed them and the factthat I can create something that
they really, truly enjoy.
And then they let me know thatthey truly, truly enjoy that.
(32:59):
That that's why I cook.
That's why I enjoy it.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
You and I are simpatico onthat, I think.
John, too.
You get a headshake.
Yep.
Got a head shake, Chef.
And Diego, you guys rocked itout today.
Sincerely.
Sincerely.
You did.
(33:19):
And I appreciate the fact thatyou came out and we need to do more
of this, okay?
Because the truth is, you kindof fell off for a minute, man.
And, you know, I know you'rebusy out there, you know, buying
cool, cool stuff in Argentina,you know?
You know, you listen, you'rehaving a great time.
You're having a great time, man.
You got little travels.
(33:40):
Yes, yes.
The.
Your Abram from Argentina was dope.
I appreciate that.
That leather, beautiful, dopeass apron.
How do people find you?
Chef Paul G. And I'm at theinet celebration.
Come find me.
Excellent.
John is as per usual.
You're badass, man.
Appreciate you guys.
Thank you for coming out.
(34:01):
Thank you.
We are out.
You've just stepped inside theWalk and Talk podcast, number one
in the nation for food lovers,chefs, and storytellers.
I'm Carl Fiordini, your host,shining a light on the flavor, the
hustle, and the heart of the industry.
We're the official podcast forthe New York, California and Florida
restaurant shows, the PizzaTomorrow Summit, the US Culinary
Open at nafm, and the NorthAmerican media platform for the Burnt
(00:22):
Chef project, recorded.
At Ibis Images Studios, wherefood photography.
Comes alive and I get thefirst bite.
Find out more info at the Walkand talk dot com.
Welcome back to the Walk andTalk podcast.
Today I'm joined by areturning guest who always brings
something exciting to the table.
Chef Paul Gaskins, executivechef from the Inn at Celebration.
(00:44):
In the studio, he's cooking uptwo incredible dishes.
Seared scallops with passionfruit leche de tigre and chocolo
watermelon radish salad and acrab and kimchi fried rice finished
with saffron aioli.
Just hearing that and, youknow it's.
Going to be good, But I also.
Want to go deeper into aconversation that affects everyone.
Not just chefs, not justdiners, but all of us who buy food
(01:07):
every day.
Ingredient prices are climbingeverywhere, and that changes how
restaurants build menus, howguests perceive value, and even how
families shop and cook at home.
So with Chef Paul, we're goingto explore what rising food costs
really mean and how they'reshaping the way we look at food as
a whole.
Chef Paul, welcome to the program.
(01:27):
Thank you.
What a day.
I mean, really, what a.
What a day.
Those dishes.
I just ate six pounds of rice.
I was just saying, like,literally, while you guys were, you
know, out there in the studio,you know, doing what you're doing,
I scarfed rice and crab andscallops and everything.
(01:49):
You did a hell of a job today, Jeff.
Appreciate it.
Appreciate that.
It was a pleasure to be backand pleasure to cook.
Cook again.
Yeah.
It's been a minute.
Let's jump into the dishes.
What did you do today?
So the mindset was to usesomething that was very easy to acquire,
not too expensive.
And then at the same time, inparticularly, the second dish was
(02:11):
to use a leftover product andturn into a brand new dish.
Like what?
So the.
The rice itself was usedyesterday for a different application.
And then we saved over therice and turned it into a kimchi
fried rice with crab.
What made you think crab and kimchi?
Like, what.
What drove you to that?
(02:32):
Mainly just I was thinkingseafood in general, and then the
kimchi is always a great wayto add acid and texture and flavor
to things.
The aioli took it to another level.
It adds the creaminess that'sneeded to add a different element
or a different aspect of the dish.
Yes.
Like a whole nother dimension,because, you know, you can eat it
(02:53):
without it, and it's great.
And then you add it.
You mix it in another dimension.
Saffron helps that aspect too.
100.
So wait a minute.
Let's get back.
Let's get to this.
Let's talk about the ceviche.
Okay.
The ceviche itself.
The original idea was octopus,but I kind of twisted it up and did
(03:14):
scallops today.
Passion fruit.
That is something that's verynative to Peru.
During my adventures in Peru,kind of picked up that little element
or that little part of my game.
And then I just tried it totwist it a little bit.
So we added lots of flavors.
Everything from fish sauce tolime juice, orange juice, passion
(03:36):
fruit to ginger that youprobably wouldn't even imagine that
would be in there.
And then a little bit of heatwith a little bit of chili oil.
That was my favorite.
Okay, I appreciate it.
That was my favorite.
And that.
That leche de tigre was stupid.
So delicious.
You can use that, I think, onjust about almost anything.
(03:57):
You know, the funny thing is,fish sauce is not one of those things
that you would think aboutusing unless you're in the industry,
and that's something that youwould take up.
But it has a lot of depth infish sauce.
I told my mother in law, she's Cuban.
I told my mother in law whatwe're doing here today.
She always asked God low, whydon't you, you know, as you asked
me what.
And I told her, and she says,oh, my God.
(04:20):
You know, she loves.
She loved it, like, the soundof it.
So I'm gonna bring some ofthat home.
Please do.
Please, please let me know her thoughts.
Please.
This is a little bit differentin terms of savage.
Correct.
Because we added a hot elementto it.
Usually ceviche is totallycold and something that you're just
used to, whether it's close toa sashimi or yellowtail or some kind
(04:45):
of fish with it.
But I noticed that people areventuring out with other elements
to it.
So ceviche is not just thetraditional fish anymore.
People are adding otherelements to it.
So I decided to add thescallops today.
When you're approaching a dishlike you did for the first one and
you're looking at costs,everything's a little bit strange
(05:05):
today.
In the economy of things, Ifeel like it might be trending a
little bit better.
I think it's improving slowly, albeit.
How are you approachingputting dishes together, building
out your menus?
In today's environment,creativity is a big.
Aspect of it, and to becreative, it can't be just me.
I use my team, my cooks, mylead cooks, my sous chefs, and we
(05:30):
collaborate and we create ideas.
Ultimately, it is me in thesense that I finalized the dish,
but the thought process isit's a group effort.
Also, I built the ideas off ofhow can I do this where it's not
so expensive andsustainability is probably a key
aspect of that or key word tothink about.
(05:51):
Well, first off, let me justsay this.
You brought Diego today asyour in house sue over here, and
I just want to say he did aspectacular job.
You're awesome.
Thank you.
Thank you, dear.
Would you say that diners aremore aware of where their money is
going on the plate, or do theystill kind of judge everything by
their portion size?
I think it's a little bit of both.
(06:12):
Portion size means a lot topeople because they want.
You want to make sure thatyour dollar goes as far as it can.
So, you know, if you'respending $30 on a plate, you want
to make sure that you don'thave to go to another restaurant
afterwards, whether it's afast food place or even go home and
have to have a bowl of cerealbecause you're, you know, you're
still hungry.
So portion size does takeprobably front, front, front, I guess
(06:36):
front and center.
But then at the same time, Iwould say if you can impress them
with flavors and you canimpress them with something that's
memorable, that they can comeback and they can recognize that,
hey, I really had a good dishhere and it was worth $30, then you
can get repeat business, youcan get return business.
And then at the same time,they can remember it as a great dish
(06:59):
and like, hey, that was worth $30.
I think there's a lot ofmisconceptions because you have elevated
establishments where you'regoing to get something that's not
your typical traditional, youknow, home style meal.
And people who aren'taccustomed to that, they're going
to leave unhappy.
Typically not because itdoesn't taste good.
(07:23):
It's because they look at thefact that there's three peas on a
plate, you know, with aschmear of something, and they don't
understand all of the workthat went into the schmear or the
drizzle or Whatever that sauceis, the science behind all of that,
they don't get it, and they'relooking for a big plate of something.
(07:47):
I feel like a lot of peoplestill eat with their eyes.
Almost definitely.
Most definitely.
People eat with the firstthing is your eyes, and then after
that, then becomes taste andwhat it looks like.
And so when you have a pieceof museum art on a plate, a lot of
folks don't get it yet.
A lot of people do.
Obviously, I'm, you know,especially the last 25 years of this,
(08:09):
you know, dare I say, FoodNetwork esque.
I would say social media is a big.
A very big part of that.
But I still, in my travels andthe people who I come across, man,
it's.
It's still out there to be.
People get hung up on that.
I think they look at stilllike going back to our conversation
about value for dollar ordollar for value.
(08:30):
But I believe you can still,because of the environment today
with social media and like yousaid, the Food Network and Food Network
chefs and all the glamourchefs that are out there, I think
people still can recognizethat there's talent there and recognize
what it took to.
To put that together.
It's not just the cook.
It's not just the chef.
(08:51):
You know what, there's adishwasher in the back washing the
dishes.
Somebody's got to clean andmake sure everything is sanitized
and ready to go.
Hardly anyone, unless you'rein the industry would understand
when the.
If your dish pit isn't keepingup and you don't even have enough
silver to go back out, youknow, if you're flipping tables that
fast or turning them quickly,the stress that puts on the entire
(09:14):
building, it starts with, you.
Know, I hate to say it, but itactually starts in the dish bed.
It truly does.
There's different levels ofchefdom, let's say, then you have
your home cooks.
What lessons can a home cooklearn from a pro?
Use all ingredients.
(09:35):
So you buy an onion, you'renot gonna use it all for one dish
that you make.
Let's say you're making meatloaf.
You're not using that whole onion.
You might need to use thatonion the next day or the next day.
So when you do shop, shop anduse all items, use everything that
you buy, and create meal plansor meals that you.
You can basically crossutilize products throughout.
(09:59):
You want to be able to makeyour dollar go further.
So the only way to do that istraditionally is to meal plan and
buy things that can be cost utilized.
A lot of Times.
That has to do with prep, though.
It does.
So that means.
That means somebody at homemay have to take some time, sit down
(10:21):
and actually look at their week.
Right.
Because if you're going to gobuy, let's say, the onion and I can
tell you from my refrigeratorat home, and I don't do the cooking.
Okay.
I don't, truth be told.
Mm, Shocker.
Right, John?
Yeah.
But I see a lot of stuff thatjust ends up in the garbage.
I'm talking produce.
(10:43):
If there was a plan pastwhatever that was gonna be used for
initially, that $15 of fruitsand veg that ends up in a trash can,
we'll go another week and ahalf because it's already half prepped
out or whatever.
It's already in containers oryou freeze it or whatever it is.
Am I crazy?
(11:03):
No, you're.
You're exactly right.
In a sense I have.
I'm fortunate in the sensethat I do live next to a farm and
this farm produces produce.
So when I need something, I,I'll go to farm and I just buy what
I need.
So being, I guess,ostentatious and buying too much
of one ingredient is, yeah,you're going to end up with some
(11:24):
trash.
You're going to end up withsome stuff that's going to end up
in the trash.
And unfortunately, yourdollars are ended up in that very
same spot.
Guest comes in, they sit down,they open the menu, they look and
they see pricing.
And let's just say it's alittle bit higher than what they're
accustomed to or what theythought it was going to be.
(11:44):
What would you wish that theyunderstood about how that menu item
is costed out?
I think the, probably thebiggest, one of the biggest misconception
is I would say probably proteins.
Proteins are expensive.
Beef is expensive.
Chicken is expensive.
Seafood can be expensive,depending on what you want.
(12:04):
It is.
I, I would love, if customerswould understand that, you know,
go.
Go to the grocery store andtry to buy a ribeye at steak.
It's going to cost you 25, 30bucks for that one or two steaks
or whatever it may be.
It does cost.
I do not want to put that coston the gas.
My, my goal is to createplates and create food that is flavorful
(12:27):
and at the same time cost effective.
Not only for my business orthe business that I work for, but
for the guests, for theclients, because I want them to understand
that, hey, I'm not here to, totake money out of your pocket, just
to be taking money out of your pocket.
I want you to have a memorable experience.
At the same time, I want youto come back because it was affordable.
(12:47):
When we were filming yourdishes and your storytelling segment
earlier, you'd mentioned inmost case scenarios, the cost doesn't
even get passed down to the guest.
That's the goal.
The goal is not to pass it onto the guests.
Once again, you want thereturn guests.
And if you pass the cost ontothe guest, it will be noticeable.
(13:10):
They will notice, especiallyif they're returning customers, they
come two or three times a weekand they're going to notice it.
Yeah, the price went up 50cents or the price went up a dollar
or things of that sort.
We do have a business to run.
We do have to pay our employees.
We there, there's a lot ofcomponents to that version of it.
But at the same time, I don'tbelieve in that.
We should push that onto theclient to now we create a brand new
(13:34):
dish that's a little more expensive.
It needs to be explained tothe guests.
It needs to be from the serveror the chef needs to come out and
be able to explain, hey,you're getting, you know, you're
getting a 16 ounce rib eye.
This is a little bit, littlemore price than if you got a 10 ounce
ribeye.
So there's a difference.
Yeah, you know, a lot of thisalso translates from, let's say distributor
(13:55):
to, to chef or buyer.
Because when you're buyingbulk and you start pricing or costing
down to the ounces, it'sreally not a huge pop in, in, in
cost.
It's not, you know, where thatcost comes from.
Like you said, if you buy abulk, you can buy a New York strip,
(14:18):
strip loin.
You're going to cut X amountof steaks out of that strip line.
You're going to cut them at Xamount of ounces per steak.
The cost is actually the labor.
People don't think about it.
Somebody has to cut this, thisstrip loin down to stakes and it
takes time.
You have to clean it, you haveto cut it down, you have to package
it, you have to get it readyfor the, you know, service.
(14:39):
So there's a labor componentthat people do not calculate.
Robot robots.
I don't know if that's gonnawork in kitchens.
I am not a proponent.
We see them at the trade showswhere it's like robo do everything
correct and it's, they'repretty amazing.
But I genuinely, well, Igenuinely want to believe that like
(15:05):
a skilled knifesman in thekitchen isn't going to be Overtaken
by an AI robot.
Okay.
Let's hope that we, you know,we can still keep jobs and keep our,
our artistry together.
It's truth.
I just had a conversation thisweek about AI taking over salespeople's
(15:26):
jobs.
As you know, we're gettinginto a place where everything is
online ordering.
Yes.
You know, you're not reallyhaving that same conversation with
your distributors, customerservice department, your salesperson,
things like that.
It's just, it's a really scary trend.
Since AI has kind of takenover that version.
(15:47):
It has been scary.
There was a point in timewhere I refused to buy online.
I refused to buy anything online.
And going to the malls orgoing to the stores was the way you
shop because you want toactually see it, physically see it
to go to an online version.
Especially in this industryand being a chef or cooking or.
(16:09):
I just, I have a hard timeseeing it.
I have a hard time seeing AItaking hold or taking a foot into
it.
If I go back 20, some 20 plusyears ago, early 2000s, let's say,
and I get into the producedistribution game, I'm in sales back
then.
(16:30):
This is just beforeblackberries came out, you know,
smartphones.
And I remember no matter whereyou were on your old flip phone,
you would have to answer thatcall, stop whatever you were doing.
And if you didn't have yourbook with you, you had to write on
your hand, you had to writeoff on a piece of cardboard like
(16:50):
you were anywhere you would like.
I used to have this like justrandom ripped pieces of cardboard
in my house or in the carbecause, you know, you just.
Your orders, this is your livelihood.
It's on this stupid piece ofpaper that's you're scribbling on.
I get it.
And now, and then it went to,you know, BlackBerry, then iPhone.
And now we, you know,everything is like full digital.
Correct.
It's easier to text andcommunicate with you in the kitchen
(17:15):
than it is to pick up the phone.
That part I can see it.
I mean, technology has takenthat, taking a hold of that version
of it, and we've all becomeaccustomed to that version of it.
Once again, I just don't seeit in our, in our career fields.
Well, picture this if you will.
Your, your chatgpt for thekitchen knows what you need, right.
(17:38):
And just automatically populates.
It automatically goes straightto the distributor, then at the distributor's
warehouse, it's, you know,some, you know, robot pulling your
stuff, getting on it.
All you need is AI guests.
And it's a full completecircle now.
You, you're exactly right.
You know what I mean?
If we go to AI guests, thenjust, let's go for it, then we're
all in.
All in on a robot.
(17:59):
What happens when a chef hasto choose between sourcing a high
and high quality ingredientjust to keep the dish affordable?
So my answer to that, in theway I believe it, you're going to
have some high end dishes,you're going to have some low end
dishes.
The low end dishes cost you alittle bit less.
So theoretically, if you sortenough of the low end dishes and
(18:23):
just a few of the high enddishes, it balance out.
So, so in reality, what you'resaying is when you build your restaurant
concept, you're winning orlosing starts there, Correct?
Right, correct.
Because if you're like, hey,you know, I want to be the swankiest
(18:44):
place in town and all yourmenu items are, you know, 50 bucks
and up, you're in bad shape.
You're never going to make it.
You need something to balance that.
You're not going to be able tosell everyone a $50 steak.
You're going to needsomething, you're going to need some
of those 34, 35 pieces ofchicken, whatever version of you
want to make, and you needenough of them to compensate for
(19:06):
that 50 steak.
Now that's not to say youdon't want to sell that 50 stick
because the more you sell, themore profit margin that you would
get as a businessman.
But let's be, let's be real.
Be real, I guess, and you needto sell some lower cost items just
to balance out the cost to you.
And just to get people in the door.
And just to get the people inthe door.
(19:28):
You know, the higher end steakhouses, they have lower end things
on their menu.
They just need to, they sellenough of those so that the higher
end stuff doesn't affect themas much.
What I've always foundfascinating in, in this game, you
can bring in a lower qualitypiece of meat and you work that meat
(19:50):
and all of a sudden it's delicious.
And you would never know thatit was a select or a choice piece
of beef.
I think that's where the, Ithink that is where the magic and
mastery of making money happens.
Now, I'm not, just to beclear, I'm not saying like somebody
brings in a lower qualitypiece of meat and then, you know,
(20:13):
promotes it and sells it assomething, as a higher quality.
I'm not talking about that.
Correct.
I'm saying, hey, we're goingto have a lower priced menu.
Item.
It's a lower quality piece of,you know, beef or whatever, but we're
going to make it the.
The best tasting piece of meat ever.
That's the goal for every chef.
The goal for every chef is to.
Turn.
(20:34):
A very ordinary product intosomething amazing.
So making something that, forinstance, the rice today, you know,
it's rice.
I mean, rice is a sustainable thing.
To turn leftover rice intosomething else.
That's what you need to do asa chef.
And that's what we're, aschefs, that's what we are tasked
(20:54):
to do, to be creative enoughto turn something that's very ordinary
into something to your point, amazing.
In 2015, I just happen toremember the year.
So I go to dinner, it was afamily dinner, and I was with my
father, and there was maybe 20of us.
So we went to a.
This is a south Florida.
Went to a restaurant, and he'slooking at the menu.
(21:17):
My father can cook, right?
We.
He owned a restaurant.
Like, he knows, you know, heknows what he's doing.
He's looking at the menu.
There's people everywhere.
And he says, hey, Carlo, $15for a meatloaf.
And I'm just like, bob, don'torder it.
You know, like, don't order it.
He's.
I'd make this at home for like $3.
(21:39):
Like, yeah, but you're.
Come on, stop.
This is.
Stop.
But this is what you'recontending with.
And I bring that up becauserice is one of those things where
people make it home.
Let's talk ingredients for a second.
What ingredients areoverlooked that people can use that
are amazing with flavor?
(22:00):
I would say, honestly, vegetables.
Vegetables are so much overlooked.
And the reason why I saidthat, let's say cabbage.
You know how many things youcan do with cabbage?
You can broil cabbage, you cangrill cabbage, you can roast cabbage,
you can base, you can boilcabbage, you can kraut cabbage.
You can do so many things withcabbage that, you know, you don't
(22:22):
think about it.
You don't think aboutvegetables that way.
You don't.
You don't look at vegetablesthat way.
You don't look at a tomato,what you can turn a tomato into.
People don't look at what isin front of them.
That's relatively inexpensive.
Produce is not super expensive.
It really, truly is not.
We are so bent on eating meatand eating heartier things to get
(22:45):
full.
But I'm be honest with you, meand my wife, we cook vegetable dishes
two to three times a week.
And it's just.
It's Vegetables.
It's just vegetables.
We took a.
We took a spaghetti squash andstuff it with more vegetables.
It makes something out of it that.
Actually circles back to howto get more longevity under your.
(23:07):
Out of what you're buying orwhat you're buying and how you save
more money in your pocket.
Correct, Correct.
It does.
Are you listening, people?
I mean, this is what I'mtalking about.
I just talked to somebodyyesterday or the day before, and
they're entering a competition.
And the ingredient, thespecial ingredient is squash.
(23:27):
The dish has to be, like.
Of squash.
Squash for.
I get you.
Yeah.
And I'm like, oh, man.
I mean, just, you know, find the.
The squash blossom and theflour and fry it.
And you can actually use,like, a spaghetti cut.
And, you know, you get thesquash blossom and you do the whole.
You know, and he's like, yeah.
And, you know, take an acornsquash and gut it.
You can use that as the bowl.
(23:47):
It's like, oh, man, that's dope.
That's gonna be.
That's gonna be pretty badass.
You know, it works.
It.
Vegetables are filling.
You know, you don't alwayshave to have a starch.
There's a lot of times whereme and my wife, we will eat maybe
a protein, maybe it's a leanprotein, and then we eat vegetables.
So going back to yourquestion, I truly believe vegetables
is one, and produce is one ofthose things.
(24:10):
You know, fruits can also be used.
You can make fruit savory.
They have sugars in them.
But if you grill a pineapple,it doesn't taste like a pineapple
much anymore.
Once you grill it, it changes.
Peaches.
Fruits are the same way.
You can do many things withthem, and they're healthier for you.
If you saw the difference in cost.
Yeah.
You know, and I'm speakingcommercially, the average case cost
(24:37):
for a box of produce is about$20, I would say.
Yes, I would agree with that.
A box of your average, youknow, beef is $125 or more.
Or more.
I'm saying Costco.
Yeah.
Correct.
Cost, huh?
That's a huge variance.
(24:57):
And obviously, you can stretchthose fruits and veggies to go so
far.
You can dehydrate, you canfreeze them.
You can do all sorts of reallyamazing things and get different
flavors from all of what youcan do with it.
So a lot of vegetables have the.
Have the same texture, or someof them can be portrayed as the same
(25:17):
texture as meat.
Mushrooms is, you know, that'sthe common one, of course.
But things like cabbage,Romanesco cauliflower.
I mean, you turn that to acauliflower steak.
It's on my menu.
It's one of my dishes on the menu.
It's a color of our steak thatwe sell and it's a total vegan dish.
This is all vegan.
And it's with that black ricethat you had mentioned.
Talk about, it's a Fort Benton rice.
(25:38):
But you know, you do thingsdifferent a little bit.
It's a little more costeffective meal.
That's not to say I don't havesteaks on my man, because I do.
And people, the averageclientele wants that.
But I will make it affordablefor you to come.
I'm not trying to into your pockets.
So do you think that the, theeconomy of things, the cost of things
(26:01):
is keeping people at homeright now or is dining out still
essential?
I think dining out still essential.
And the reason why I say thatis because of social media nowadays.
Social media is driving peoplestill to go see what's the latest
trend, what's the latest fador dish that people are creating,
what's the latest restaurant,what's the hottest spot.
(26:26):
There's all kinds ofrestaurants out there that are coming
up with, in all kind of chefsthat are coming up with new dishes
and new ways of, of cooking.
I use the analogy of my wifeand I often, she's.
I, I like to experiment with food.
And therefore if you broughtme a spoon that's layered with a
(26:51):
few ingredients on there andit's just going to be a flavor explosion,
I'll pay for that because Iwant to, I want to, I want to try
that.
I want to see what that is.
Even if just one spoon, Iwould agree.
Well, wifey, she's like, well,no, I want like a piece of chicken,
I want the rice, I want a salad.
(27:12):
I want to, you know, verytraditional, very traditional.
And I don't want that.
I have traditional at homeevery single day.
If I go out, I want to, I wantsome sort of high end cocktail mixed
nice, beautiful thing and somebadass like just layered, flavored,
full of spoonful of awesomeness.
You know, because it's amemorable experience that you're
(27:33):
looking for.
Yeah.
If not, why go out if you're,if we're going to go out, go out
for something interesting, notfor something you can make at home.
Correct.
Like the meatloaf.
Well, I even turn meatloafinto something amazing too though.
True story.
No, I mean, listen, was it youthat made the meatloaf?
Who made meatloaf?
Recently somebody here didmeatloaf, didn't they?
Huh?
(27:53):
Maybe it was at home.
I don't even know anymore.
Everything is a blur.
My, my food life is anabsolute blur.
Okay.
Yeah, because we did thisgreat stuff today.
I'm going to go home and theymade pollo frita today.
So my mother in law says I'm avery blessed man with food.
I think we all have apreconceived notion of luxury when
(28:14):
it comes to dining, but wealso now have a very acute understanding
of inflation.
How do those two wordsultimately go together in today's
food world?
What is considered luxurynowadays could be something totally
different than what it, whatit used to be.
(28:35):
Luxury used to be caviar andthings of that sort.
Luxury nowadays is not a caviar.
Luxury is something that.
It could be scallops, it couldbe a crab cake.
That's just been elevatedenough in today's cooking world.
And the chefs of the cookingworld have learned how to take the
average ingredient and make it luxury.
(28:57):
There's categories for food.
There's, there's fine dining,there's casual, there's, there's
theme.
Fast food, of course, butthere's a crossover amongst all three
of them, or four of them,excuse me, are the categories that
I just mentioned.
There's a crossover where youcan take something that was very.
(29:17):
For instance, you could take aburger, an elevator burger, to make
it a gourmet burger.
So luxury is a perception nowis not necessarily the ingredients
anymore.
It's a perception now is what,what we perceive as something that
is gourmet or something abovewhat is norm.
You can go back to the caviarwith that, you know, growing.
(29:42):
When I was, well, when we wereall growing up, you thought caviar,
you thought like.
Correct.
The rich and the famous.
Right.
But now people are doingcaviar bumps, you know, like in their
casual and their shorts andflip flops.
Correct.
Right.
You know, I, I don't.
There's some sort ofconnection between.
Yes.
Luxury or perceived value.
(30:03):
Correct, Right.
But I think like today, Idon't know.
I don't know if people aregetting dressed up anymore.
I feel like we're goingthrough these different stages.
Like in the 90s, everybody gotdressed up to go everywhere.
Correct.
Everywhere.
And now you're in flip flops,in some Tommy Bahamas Dockers or
something.
When they say.
Right, but then you, but thenyou have those.
(30:24):
I think it's the hipster crowdthat kind of lives that lifestyle.
Right.
Where they're still, theystill kind of get dressed up a little
bit.
They have a very distinct style.
I do believe that they'regoing to do caviar bombs, you know,
in conjunction along with a,you know, Tommy Bahama flip flop
word.
The flip flop wearing folks.
I feel like that's a, that's a thing.
(30:45):
And you can count me in onthat too, by the way.
I'm, you know, I don'tdiscriminate on the camera.
Hey, chef, look, you know,costs go up, costs go down.
You know, we happen to be inthis, like, you know, middle stage
where they're a little bitstill high, but maybe it looks like
they're going to start eking down.
Doesn't that give a highlight?
Doesn't that illustrate thefact that there's people out there
(31:07):
that are working the farms?
There's people out there inthe kitchens working 15, 18 hours
a week.
Like, doesn't that bring theattention back to them?
It should.
It should bring back theattention to the, to the farmer.
And like you said, the hardworkers that are in the kitchen,
the ones that are actuallypreparing all your meals when you
do come and visit theirestablishments, the farmer.
(31:32):
I think I mentioned earlierthat I have a farm near me and I've
done a couple little cookingshows at the farm to help their business.
And the thought is behind allthat was just to help them get noticed
by more and more people.
Where I live, it helped drivebusiness and it helped when they
(31:53):
have a chef come and dosomething at their farm, it helps
their business.
And then the other version ofit is majority of my vendors, specifically
produce, are farmers.
And I buy from specific farmsknowing that I'm helping those forms
and their sustainability fortheir employees.
(32:15):
And I think it's a great thing.
So if you could change onething about how people see food's
worth, what would it be?
I think the, probably thebiggest perception for food and people,
how people view food is theyneed to understand that food is obviously
we needed to.
(32:36):
To survive.
We need water and food.
We need to be able to eat anddrink when we need to eat and drink.
I'm sure of that.
But my enjoyment in cookingcomes from seeing my customer's face
after I fed them and the factthat I can create something that
they really, truly enjoy.
And then they let me know thatthey truly, truly enjoy that.
(32:59):
That that's why I cook.
That's why I enjoy it.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
You and I are simpatico onthat, I think.
John, too.
You get a headshake.
Yep.
Got a head shake, Chef.
And Diego, you guys rocked itout today.
Sincerely.
Sincerely.
You did.
(33:19):
And I appreciate the fact thatyou came out and we need to do more
of this, okay?
Because the truth is, you kindof fell off for a minute, man.
And, you know, I know you'rebusy out there, you know, buying
cool, cool stuff in Argentina,you know?
You know, you listen, you'rehaving a great time.
You're having a great time, man.
You got little travels.
(33:40):
Yes, yes.
The.
Your Abram from Argentina was dope.
I appreciate that.
That leather, beautiful, dopeass apron.
How do people find you?
Chef Paul G. And I'm at theinet celebration.
Come find me.
Excellent.
John is as per usual.
You're badass, man.
Appreciate you guys.
Thank you for coming out.
(34:01):
Thank you.
We are out.
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