October 6, 2025 • 21 mins
A jet-black rose ravioli, a purple “lean” sauce with Houston swagger, and a taco journey that started outside a mechanic shop—this conversation cooks.
We sat down at World Food Championships with Chef Machete, a Houston chef-owner who blends flavor, hip-hop culture, and sharp business instincts to stand out when the supply chain tries to make everyone the same. From candles and drama on the competition stage to tight prep and tighter margins back home, he shows how story and craft can turn a crowded category into your lane.
We get honest about the state of the industry: vendor consolidation pushing independents toward sameness, rising food costs that challenge every menu decision, and third-party delivery fees that quietly punish both operators and guests. Machete explains why he skips the big-box route to source directly from producers, how menu engineering protects quality, and where to draw a line with delivery apps to keep dine-in value intact. His pandemic pivot - The Taco Emergency, a late-night taco lifeline, shows the grit behind the brand and the speed required to survive shocks.
Culture ties it together. From Houston screw tapes to custom grills for his staff and an open kitchen where the machete is both tool and theater, he turns authenticity into marketing without feeling like marketing. We talk about team-building that allows owners to travel, collaborate, and learn, the discipline to cut toxic hires within 90 days, and the mindset to close locations that don’t fit before they drag the brand down.
Rapid-fire questions reveal the craft beneath the show: herb prep done right, live-fire respect, leadership on the pass, and a love for visuals that move people to taste.
If you’re a chef, operator, or food-obsessed fan, you’ll leave with practical ideas on creativity under constraint, pricing strategy, vendor choices, and social storytelling that actually resonates. Hit follow, share this with a friend who loves bold food and bolder moves, and drop a review to tell us your wildest late-night taco order.
Follow Chef Machete at https://www.instagram.com/real_chef_machete/?hl=en on IG
Buy his "purple sauce" here: https://chefmachete.com/collections/buy-lean-sauce
Check out his spot in Houston, TX here: https://www.instagram.com/gordo_ninos_nasa/?hl=en
Welcome to the show! Burnt Hands Perspective
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Thank you to our location sponsor, Luce Secondo, located in Summit Pointe in Chesapeake, VA www.lucesecondo.com
For sponsorship opportunities, don't hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
*The views and opinions on this show are meant for entertainment purposes only. They do not reflect the views of our sponsors. We are not here to babysit your feelings, if you are a true industry pro, you will know that what we say is meant to make you laugh and have a great time. If you don't get that, this is not the podcast for you. You've been warned. Enjoy the ride!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:34):
All right, we're here right now with live and
direct World Food Champions inIndianapolis.
Sitting here with my manMachete.
What's up, yeah?
Machete getting ready to cut itup.
We're about to get it.
SPEAKER_02 (00:45):
We're about to get it.
SPEAKER_03 (00:45):
Welcome to the party.
SPEAKER_02 (00:46):
Welcome to the party.
Thank you all for having me on,by the way, man.
You are the party though, right?
Oh, I bring the party.
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
You didn't bring your grills today, though.
I didn't bring the grills today.
I was hoping for them grills.
We're gonna have to turn thelights down.
We're still rocking glitterthough.
Yeah, yeah.
So we're gonna roll that b-rollanyway.
While we're playing this thing,we're gonna edit that b-roll
with them grills in therebecause you were down there
yesterday just flossing.
First of all, start with yourdish.
Unique, beautiful, executed ice.
Rodge that uh we'll put that upthere too.
(01:13):
Right on, right on, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
Yeah, so you what you competed in pasta.
Yeah, yeah.
But you had a total differenttwist on it.
SPEAKER_02 (01:18):
Yeah, it is super insane twist.
I did a black rose ravioli,stuffed it with some ricottas, a
little lemon pepper seasoning inthere, you know, because hey,
you gotta throw some lemonpepper and a little everything
sometimes.
You know, made a champagnecaviar sauce with a bele-a rose.
It was it was beautiful.
It was beautiful.
The austeria caviar just cameout.
SPEAKER_03 (01:35):
You said it was the Ave Maria.
SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
Yeah, the Ave Maria.
SPEAKER_00 (01:38):
That's a good name for it because the rose was
black with squid ink.
Yes.
He made a really dark thing.
And you had the red candlesaround, said all that.
You weren't out there killingthem.
You're out there like it was youwere putting a Dracula on them.
That's right, that's right.
I want to be dramatic as hell.
You know, this is thechampionships, this ain't the
game.
SPEAKER_03 (01:53):
I mean, you're very you're a very subtle person.
I'm pretty sure.
You're just so subtle anyway.
SPEAKER_00 (01:58):
I threw last night after everything.
You went out, had a little time,now you're here today.
SPEAKER_02 (02:01):
Yeah, Indiana just showed me a good time last night
as well.
No, you showed up too, bro.
I showed up a little fashionablylate today.
SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
Tell me about your chefing.
Tell us where you're at.
What's going on, right?
SPEAKER_02 (02:09):
Man, I'm a chef and owner of Godo Nino's.
We're uh we're a Tex Mex typestyle restaurant.
Humex, we call it, you know?
Okay, Humex meaning Houston.
SPEAKER_04 (02:16):
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we're fashioned.
SPEAKER_02 (02:18):
You're in Houston.
Oh yeah, yeah, we're fromHouston.
So, man, it's uh we're known forour tacos, our pastor tacos.
Okay.
Yeah, especially Houston, trustme.
It's big.
What's your nationality?
What's your background?
It's bad, it's bad.
My mom's from Detroit, my dadfrom you know, from Detroit too.
Let's go, let's go.
313.
That's there.
Cool, man.
SPEAKER_00 (02:37):
Good for you.
So when you when did you startworking in the food uh in this
competition, bro?
Did you start with this thisyear or did you been a year?
SPEAKER_02 (02:43):
This is my first year.
SPEAKER_00 (02:44):
Okay, you came in slaying right out there.
SPEAKER_02 (02:45):
Yeah, came in, baby.
Came in.
SPEAKER_00 (02:49):
How long you been a chef, man?
But talk to us about that.
SPEAKER_02 (02:52):
Man, professionally your journey.
Yeah, man, it's it's kind of aweird story.
I uh everything in life broughtme back to cooking.
You know, I've been cookingsince I was a kid.
You know, my mom, my mom was anindoor cook, my dad was the
outdoor cook, you know.
So I learned a little bit ofthat, and just every single job
I did in life just probably keptbringing me back, kept bringing
me back.
I was a merchant marine foryears, you know what I'm saying?
I was a chief steward on ships.
Okay.
I did that.
(03:12):
I've been a professional shipfor about 13 years now.
So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (03:16):
Lucky 13.
SPEAKER_02 (03:17):
Lucky 13.
SPEAKER_00 (03:18):
Let's get it.
What's the hardest thing you'refinding, man?
Because the restaurant industryis constantly changing.
Yeah.
Um, you know, taco's a thing,you're saying you're the best
taco, right?
You go back 15 years now, tacowasn't a thing.
That was called taco bell.
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:30):
Now, now every everything that was cool back
then is turned into a taco now,right?
So even if you had uh tuna backwhere we're from, pepper tuna,
saree tuna, yeah.
Just turned into a taco now,right?
Yeah, crazy.
So you have to be strong andcompetitive to do that.
So, how what do you feel aboutthe change in the movement of
the restaurant industry rightnow?
I mean, are where are you at init?
(03:52):
What's your feeling?
SPEAKER_02 (03:53):
It's it's like you said, it's a constant chain.
It's actually depressing, man,because looking back from five
years ago, it wasn't like it isnow, because we're constantly
changing the food costs, we'reconstantly seeing prices rise,
you know, old vendors that weused to love going out of
business, you know.
So for me, it it's it, you know,it's not challenging enough, but
it's just enough where it'slike, man, I wish we can regain
some of that old style back.
SPEAKER_00 (04:14):
What I'm noticing, dude, is you it's funny you say
that.
It's a great point he's talkingabout.
Because back in the day when wehad to do this, right?
We had we had small vendorswhich had small vendors, which
had small vendors, producers,purveyors, all that shit.
We had it was all small.
Yeah, yeah.
Now it's almost like back in the90s, early 90s, late 80s, when
we used to hear our parentstalking about the Walmart, all
(04:35):
these chain plates that aretaking out the small people.
So it's not it's not a question.
You got places like restaurantdepot now we have to compete
with.
And you have the big package uhuh people who are who are giving
us, purveying us the the foods,right?
SPEAKER_02 (04:48):
Yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00 (04:49):
So is that like that there or do you have a good
selection of smaller purveyorsin in in the world?
SPEAKER_02 (04:54):
Yeah, so like me personally, I don't I don't use
um I don't use Cisco or anybodylike that.
We go straight from themiddleman, we go straight to the
actual uh veterinary.
Really?
Okay.
Yeah, we have our own staff, ourown team that kind of journeys
out there and then pushes itout, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:06):
Yeah, right.
So so what I'm worried aboutsometimes when I was talking
about the growth of this, right?
How my my affair sometimes,dude, is the big package, right?
So let's say if there's a cityor something that has a
restaurant depot or somethinglike that, every time that comes
in, another one falls off, asmaller one falls off.
A bigger, someone bigger tryingto compete with restaurant depot
or something like that, will buyout the little people so they
(05:28):
can stay competing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Therefore, now you're only stuckto two or three purveyors.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right?
So now 5,500 restaurants in thecity are using the same three
purveyors.
We got to get more creative aschefs now because we're all
using it.
All the same shit.
Yeah, yeah.
So how are you gonna make youringredient different now, right?
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (05:44):
Creativity.
Exactly that part.
Saturday fucking Dracula shit.
And my lean sauce.
Have you ever seen everything?
It says lean.
You got that lean, bro.
You seen it?
You seen that?
You got the lean sauce.
It's all purple sauce we put onour on all of our tacos, all of
our food.
What is it?
What's it?
It's a dairy-based sauce.
I can't really say, but it hasPaul Wall's tears in it.
Paul Wall's tears.
That's what makes it purple.
So you got them.
(06:05):
Did you get them in for theonion?
Oh, that's my dog.
Yeah, it's like a little vodkahere and there.
Show them an onion.
Yeah, yeah.
Hit them with the onion.
Hit it with the onion.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
Hit him with the onion.
Give me that teardrop.
SPEAKER_02 (06:15):
That's great.
Yeah, man.
Nice, nice.
Stuff like that is how you getthe creativity, you know what I
mean?
Sure.
And we even we even put in drinkbottles how we sell it.
So oh, right.
Yeah, there's no doubt.
SPEAKER_00 (06:25):
Okay, we gotta get some of that.
Okay, we gotta get some of that.
If you have one for the so wecan food, I know.
But you know what you do?
Send us a little clip of that.
We're gonna put it out for allyou people watching.
You know, if you're if you'relistening, you can't see it, but
you can damn listen to us talkabout it.
That's right, that's right.
But uh, as far as the uh YouTubestuff, we'll put that on there.
I want to see.
I know, yeah, yeah.
And put your link up there.
Yeah, it's good to be.
Because I already know your foodis banging, Rod.
Just watching your hair work andcook and how you present
(06:45):
yourself, your chef coats ontime, your your grill.
You had a grill made.
Talk about the grill you hadmade for the house.
SPEAKER_02 (06:50):
Yeah, you had a custom grill.
I had a custom grill my jewellerpotion.
Shout out to Potion, man.
Uh, he was like, got me one thatsays world food on the bottom
champs.
It was sick.
It was a broad today, man.
Yeah, we're gonna start.
Like I said, we're putting it uphere.
SPEAKER_00 (07:02):
That was it was hot.
So if you got the hook, if yougot the hook on the grills, I
know some people.
Oh, yeah.
I know some people at the one.
SPEAKER_02 (07:08):
Let me know.
He'll send you all the packages,get you molded up, you can ship
it out in a week.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, he's cold.
He's cold.
Okay.
I'm gonna have to get we'regetting grouped.
SPEAKER_03 (07:16):
I know, I know.
BHP with the fist, we need ourfist at the middle.
SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
Yeah, that'd be hard.
I like it.
I love it.
I love it.
So where are you going fromthis?
How long have you had yourrestaurants?
SPEAKER_02 (07:25):
Uh I started going to these in 2018.
Uh, started doing at a mechanicshop, doing dollar tacos.
Really?
And then kind of got into thewhole hip hop scene over there
in Houston.
So you're a hip hop head?
Oh, hell yeah.
Yeah.
Big time, right?
Big time, man.
SPEAKER_00 (07:38):
So you you you grew from that.
So you're doing mechanic tacos.
First time I hear that.
Yeah, yeah.
Farmers markets.
You're at a goddamn mechanicshop.
Yeah, yeah.
Mechanic tacos.
It reminds me of that kidswatching that movie Turbo with
the snake.
Oh, yeah, turbo.
You got the taco trucks at themechanic shop.
Yes, but you're right there.
I'm in the zone.
(07:59):
So you went from there.
What when you took the risk toopen up, were you nervous?
Or did you just say, Fuck it, Igo for it because you didn't
know better?
SPEAKER_02 (08:05):
Man, it was during the pandemic.
Uh everything kind of juststarted shutting down, you know.
Our our whole gig was it wasstreet food.
I want to bring street food backto Houston.
So that's why we started doingthe taco carts.
We did bars, you know, we wouldgo to nightclubs out staying
outside.
We had like three different onesat a time.
Just making money at nothing.
Banging, slang in the block, youknow what I'm saying?
Bleeding the block.
It was crazy.
But uh, and then COVID happened,and we lost our whole shinding,
you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00 (08:25):
So really, so they shut you down because no one
else was allowed to socialize.
You weren't allowed to be on theblock.
It's supposed to be have fun andeat, you know.
You couldn't hand the vid outfor everybody.
SPEAKER_02 (08:34):
So I so I switched it up.
We started doing a late nighttaco run called Taco Emergency.
Right.
Call us at three in the morning,four in the morning.
Oh my god.
It's still an emergency.
We call it the pandemic, though.
So we made so much money duringthe pandemic, you know?
SPEAKER_03 (08:50):
So you you shifted to like nighttime.
Oh, yeah.
Like far out.
SPEAKER_02 (08:54):
Yeah, from like six to like three, four, we would do
it.
SPEAKER_03 (08:56):
And you just ran tacos?
SPEAKER_02 (08:57):
Yeah, yeah, we make them, people call us up.
SPEAKER_03 (08:59):
You know how many times we said if there was a
margarita truck that camethrough the neighborhood for
moms instead of an ice creamtruck?
SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
With a slingshot with a taco in there, we'll hit
it hit it their window.
Yeah.
Let them know you're here tocome out and get that taco.
That's right.
That's great.
That's a light.
That's a great idea.
SPEAKER_03 (09:14):
So that is oh, I love that.
SPEAKER_00 (09:15):
So what are your hours now?
SPEAKER_02 (09:16):
Are you are you kind of like a bar or are you more of
a we're like a fast pace now?
So we do uh 10 in the morning to8 p.m.
Monday through Saturday.
Okay.
Yeah.
That sounds a CCO I'm looking atyou.
I'm thinking, I'm thinkingsomething a little bit later.
SPEAKER_03 (09:28):
Night time.
SPEAKER_02 (09:28):
We we did have that.
We had one uh I think in thislittle area called Kema.
We had that for about a year.
We didn't really like the sceneout there, so we sold it.
Sometimes you gotta know when.
SPEAKER_00 (09:35):
So here's the funny thing.
Getting back from the fun of thetalking about the partying and
all that stuff, that comes withit.
But there also becomes aresponsibility and an obligation
to the food, right?
To the ingredients.
So no matter how much we talkabout the fun part of it all and
talking shit about everythingand making it making light of
everything.
Bottom line is though, we have apassion for food that really it
(09:56):
supersedes everything.
SPEAKER_01 (09:57):
Yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00 (09:58):
And when you gotta know when to pull out of stuff,
you gotta know when the food'sbeing affected, when you're when
you become uh more of a businessthan you are, a passion.
That's right.
If that's not your stick, man,you gotta know what to do,
right?
You gotta be gotta be all beforeyou fold, right?
That's right.
And you exactly you gottaprotect your brand.
SPEAKER_01 (10:14):
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
So if you're in an area that's not doing right, or
if the area doesn't accept you,or if maybe the area is just not
ready for what you have, youhave to make that decision at
that time.
And a lot of people don'tunderstand that, and they try
and stick it through becausetheir pride gets in the way, and
then it folds on the other hand.
They don't have control of that.
And that's when you startgetting a bad name.
So shout out to you for knowingwhen the fold.
Hopefully that's the case.
And if you didn't, let's justplay it.
SPEAKER_02 (10:34):
Yeah, no, no, I did.
I didn't, man.
You know, I had to put emotionsaside.
Yeah.
Emotions aside over everything.
You know, I was like, you knowwhat?
So you're gonna do this, you'relike you said, fuck up the
brand.
SPEAKER_00 (10:42):
Can't fuck up the brand, it's temporary.
It is fuck it up, it's nottemporary.
Yeah, fuck up the channel.
SPEAKER_02 (10:47):
No matter what.
SPEAKER_00 (10:48):
So every opportunity we have, especially as chefs,
every opportunity we have isgolden.
We wake up every day, everymorning, it's a competition.
I love it.
It's fun to hear to compete.
It's fun to come over here andget your head out the kitchen a
little bit and play the game.
You gotta continue to do it.
And even if you didn't take homethe gold here, you gotta come
back next year and get it.
And that's fun.
That's right.
But but every day for us is acompetition at home because we
compete with our competitionthere.
(11:09):
We compete with our employeesshowing up, we complete keeping
them there and making themhappy.
We compete with the customers.
We compete with uh making surethey're happy.
We compete with fucking Yelp andTripAdvisor, all that other
bullshit that we have no controlover.
You got people up there thatjust think they know everything,
and maybe they do.
I guess in their world it iseverything, right?
Everything was good but theDoorDash.
(11:30):
You know what I mean?
I didn't fuck with DoorDash.
That stuff to me, people don'tunderstand the markups that are
going on with those.
Oh, yeah.
And I know convenience is huge.
Super huge.
And there's a place forconvenience, no doubt.
But when it comes to me,DoorDash calls me and then I
hang up on them as fast as I cananswer.
Yeah.
They might as well try and sellme insurance for my or a
(11:51):
warranty for my job.
Okay, you know what I mean?
It's bad enough that we have tobe in a position to mark up the
way we have to now.
And then they're gonna donothing for nothing and mark it
up way more than it takes to getthat shit to your house.
SPEAKER_01 (12:10):
And charge you on your end the same percentage.
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (12:14):
So what people don't understand is a little fee
they're paying on their end whenthey pick up that phone or get
on the internet, rather, right?
And then social media shit, theycall that DoorDash or whatever
community, whatever it is,whatever it is, right?
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:24):
Wh whatever that happens, they don't realize that
they're being just a percentageof what they're paying for that.
We're paying way more than that.
And we have to jack our pricesup.
And if we decide if I decide I'mgonna go with that, now I have
to jack my prices up to make forit on the dining room too.
You're right.
Yeah, you're right.
It's universal, man, because ourprices go up.
They all do it.
So I don't do, I don't mess withthat stuff for the customers who
(12:44):
come and sit down in the table.
Yeah, that's where we're at.
That's wrong.
I like that.
I like that.
I want to give to them the bestI can because everything's so
expensive anyway, bro.
It is, man.
You know, level it, thosevolcano, uh, those doors
hammers.
Oh, yeah, doors hammered.
Those things.
SPEAKER_02 (12:56):
If you go on his page, check it out, man.
SPEAKER_00 (12:58):
That was incredible, man.
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
So when I braze those out, thosethings are very expensive.
They cost me cost me huge money,right?
So the the markup on that, we'renot making money on those.
SPEAKER_01 (13:09):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (13:09):
You know, we have to mark everything up equivalently,
uh, equivocally to make sure wemake the percentages.
SPEAKER_01 (13:13):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:13):
But you know, getting off that, going back to
your style in tacos, it don'tmatter if you're making filet
mignon or or uh the low uh ataco pastor or whatever it is,
yeah.
Food cost is food costs.
Food costs, food costs better.
I mean, we gotta be you know,you gotta sell a lot more tick
uh a lot more tacos than for sayI have to sell um uh guanchale
disc or something, you know,because the markups are
different, right?
SPEAKER_02 (13:33):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:33):
So how are you finding that?
Is the competition in your areayou're accepted, you say you're
number one, you're voted numberone.
SPEAKER_02 (13:38):
Yeah, yeah, with another competition out there
with me.
Dead facts.
Dead facts.
SPEAKER_00 (13:43):
Where do you see yourself going here in the
future, though?
SPEAKER_02 (13:45):
Man, uh I got a couple concepts I've wanted to
work on, you know, here andthere.
You know, just to find the righttime, the placement for it, you
know.
Yeah, and as far as employees?
Employees, man.
My team right now is golden,dude.
Mine too, but it's the firstteam I've had ever, I think.
They're solid as hell.
Hell yeah, man.
And I'm the same way.
SPEAKER_00 (14:01):
My hands are up to my team.
My team's the reason why I'mhere right now.
Same.
Big employees.
If my team's weren't, and thiswas last minute.
This was last minute comparisonto last year.
And if it wasn't for my team.
I wasn't gonna came inSeptember.
If it wasn't for my two teams Ihave, there'd be no way this is
happening.
And if it wasn't for the teamhere, right here, we got to do
that.
SPEAKER_02 (14:19):
Y'all solid too, man.
SPEAKER_00 (14:19):
This wouldn't happen either.
So if you we all surroundourselves with the right teams,
right?
Middle, we're gonna be able to.
If we were bums, they would havethe team doing this, would be
pissed, right?
We all have to be solid.
And that's why I surround myselfwith the restaurant.
Everything we do is a trial.
Uh, we try and take our time.
There's no there's no haste.
But man, when you get a bademployee and it's toxic, bro,
you gotta get rid of them.
SPEAKER_02 (14:40):
Trust me, man.
Sell them.
Trust me, man.
Sell them.
I give them 90 days.
I give them 90 days.
I'm like, if you can't make itin 90 days, you out.
Give them out, yeah.
I get you a grill.
Yeah, man.
Oh, all my boys have grills.
So they gotta wear them grillsin service.
Okay.
They gotta wear them duringservice.
Hell yeah.
What do they sell?
It's a uniform.
No, some are gold, some aresellers, you know.
That's a uniform, man.
I like that.
(15:00):
That's the best.
Not yet.
Not yet.
Give it a moment.
You're working on it.
We couldn't get it, we couldn'tget it back in time for a year.
I was like, man.
SPEAKER_03 (15:07):
We need a we gotta we need to get a photo of that
too.
Oh yeah, grills up.
SPEAKER_00 (15:11):
Well, I think that and you know, like for people to
learn.
Christian, you're wearing agrill.
I help you know this.
SPEAKER_03 (15:17):
I I already know this.
Here we go.
Um if I can say that anylighter.
Here we go.
Um, it's for you, like you'vealso kind of cornered on
leveraging social media.
Yeah.
You have a big personality.
So I think that helps.
Like, with and you were hypingthe crowd up down there.
People talk to you, theygravitate.
(15:38):
So when you're you know, givingadvice to other people in the
industry that maybe are justkind of starting that process,
how did you go about like yourmarketing, like the grill?
Like you just was it allorganic?
Did you just have your team helpout?
SPEAKER_02 (15:50):
Me, all around me.
I'm a Houstonian, you know, abang screw, you know, and I jam
that music, you know, that'sthat's my culture right there.
So you know, everything I do isdo for the culture.
SPEAKER_00 (15:59):
You know, your your followers, you got a good amount
of followers on your good crewon there.
And uh, and and like she says,that's not easy.
SPEAKER_03 (16:06):
It's not.
It's not too far.
SPEAKER_00 (16:08):
So your personality really has to be number one.
Yeah, that's it.
Engage that.
That engagement.
Yeah.
So best you mean.
We have let's let's do thequestion thing with you.
You gotta do the question?
Let's see what you got.
You got Spitfire, love these tenquestions.
Shoot them out as fast as youcan, be as vulgar.
Ten questions.
SPEAKER_03 (16:24):
Okay, somewhat rapid fire questions.
So we're gonna go through themand we will uh I'll do my best.
SPEAKER_02 (16:30):
All right, you'll be you'll be good.
I'm gonna do my best.
SPEAKER_03 (16:33):
All right, so you can answer in a you know, a few
words.
So a few words.
All right, besides knives, go tokitchen tool.
SPEAKER_02 (16:41):
Oh, um, um man, that's a good one.
Spatula, I guess.
All right.
My spatula's my everything.
I do flips with it.
Okay, do tricks with it.
I'm flare.
You can do a flare chef.
Okay, flare chef.
Yep.
You can see your flaws, but youshould have said a machete, bro.
Oh man.
SPEAKER_03 (16:57):
Or machete.
Rewind that machete.
SPEAKER_02 (16:59):
No, that's what we cook with in a restaurant.
Yeah.
You see him because my spatula'sa machete.
It's an open face restaurant.
Yeah, it's an open facerestaurant, so when you come up,
you watch your food get made.
Okay, cool.
So, yeah, so we're sending amachete, he's chopping the meat,
like he's lit as hell.
So, we gotta go here too.
SPEAKER_03 (17:12):
All right, we gotta know it.
Well, I totally buy my sisterand all lives in Houston, so
we're coming there anyways.
All right.
What puts you in the mood more?
Smell or visual?
SPEAKER_02 (17:20):
Ooh.
Visuals.
Okay.
I love smelling via visuals,though, for sure.
SPEAKER_03 (17:27):
All right.
Worst position in the kitchen.
Ooh.
SPEAKER_02 (17:32):
Washing cilantro.
That's a good one.
That is.
That's a good one.
SPEAKER_00 (17:37):
That's what I'm saying.
Actually, really cool.
SPEAKER_02 (17:38):
Oh my gosh, ice bath it getting dry.
SPEAKER_00 (17:40):
Flat Italian parsley's the same.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Because it's cold.
But the people not only that,but the people don't understand.
Let me tell you the troubles ofthis, okay?
Let me tell you the struggles ofmise and plas, okay?
So here's a fucking struggle.
When you're flat Italianparsley, cilantro, anything like
that, it's all good to wash it,but you gotta dry that shit
before you chop it.
We gotta make sure it allseparates, it doesn't get
bruised off, it don't get soggy.
(18:01):
That's the problem.
SPEAKER_03 (18:03):
That was a good that was a very unique one.
Best position in the kitchen.
SPEAKER_02 (18:06):
Best position?
Executive chef.
All right.
Okay, I like that.
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_03 (18:10):
The uh favorite ingredient you can never live
without soy.
SPEAKER_02 (18:13):
Soy zoz.
I love soy zy.
SPEAKER_00 (18:14):
I thought you were gonna throw salon from the back
in the soy zol.
Okay.
Soy soy.
SPEAKER_03 (18:20):
All right.
What, if any, style of cookingintimidates you the most?
SPEAKER_02 (18:24):
Oh, live fire is crazy.
I don't know.
I do it, but you know, sometimesyou never know if the win factor
is wrong.
Yeah, man.
Too much job though.
That's a good one.
That's a good one.
SPEAKER_03 (18:35):
All right.
Favorite fast food restaurant.
SPEAKER_02 (18:37):
Oh, man.
Hell no, I'm saying that.
Favorite fast food.
I would have to say, uh don'tsay that wing stop Ross.
No, I've never ate there.
Oh, no?
I've never ate there.
I've never ate there.
Um Favorite fast food.
Man, I don't even know.
I really eat fast food too much.
Uh um Jersey Mites.
Okay.
I love Jersey Mice.
Jersey Mike's good.
(18:58):
It's fresh, it's clean, it'sclean.
I get the number 13.
You know what I mean?
I like it.
All right.
Jersey Mites.
SPEAKER_03 (19:03):
If your kitchen was a car, what kind of car would it
be?
SPEAKER_02 (19:06):
Oh.
Be a stew baker or something,you know?
unknown (19:10):
Studebaker.
SPEAKER_02 (19:12):
A remodeled one or an old Janet.
SPEAKER_00 (19:13):
Old school, man.
Rusty's heads get him.
SPEAKER_03 (19:16):
Through the floorboards, feet on the ground.
All right.
Pop the clutch or go into it.
There you go.
All right.
Baking, yes or no?
SPEAKER_02 (19:25):
Baking, I'm okay at it, but no.
SPEAKER_03 (19:28):
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (19:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (19:29):
Gloves or washing your hands?
SPEAKER_02 (19:31):
Uh, all of it.
SPEAKER_03 (19:31):
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (19:32):
I'll do it all.
SPEAKER_03 (19:32):
Yeah, I got you.
Do you know the owner?
SPEAKER_00 (19:34):
Do I know the owner?
Yeah, yeah, that's bummer.
All right.
So what we mean by that is whatdo you think of that saying?
How many people know the owner?
Too many.
How do you do the owner know,though?
Oh, never.
Oh, they don't know me.
SPEAKER_02 (19:47):
Somebody's like, let me speak to the owner.
I'm like, speaking?
Yeah.
Like, oh, oh, oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:51):
I'll tell them straight up, dude.
If you if if they don't say myname, exactly.
They don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (19:56):
My government name?
SPEAKER_00 (19:57):
Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_02 (19:57):
No.
SPEAKER_03 (19:58):
Which I did see on the sign downstairs.
SPEAKER_02 (20:00):
Yeah, no, they put it up.
I was like, man.
SPEAKER_03 (20:02):
So I got that secret.
So I do know the owner now.
It's okay.
I'm gonna eat that.
He's like out there with aSharpie scratching that off.
SPEAKER_04 (20:10):
I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (20:11):
All right.
And if you could cook withanyone, who would it be?
I want to cook with you.
SPEAKER_00 (20:15):
My man.
My man.
I would love to, though.
That would be great.
We gotta make the entertaining.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
I love it.
We have a lot of things.
We're going to use we're goinghere.
SPEAKER_03 (20:24):
So we have a lot of states to go to now.
So we're going to have to on theon the burnt hands held tour.
SPEAKER_00 (20:29):
No fly out.
That's even better.
Oh, you can fly to Virginia.
We can do it.
We can do a live collab on thevideo.
Yeah, that'd be live.
Yeah, I got my video on for it.
We'll come out with it.
I got your video.
Come on out.
Yep.
Let's go, man.
Let's go.
Let's go.
All right.
Collab on that.
Collab on the video too.
You know what I mean?
That'd be cool.
That would be fun.
That's what this is all about.
It's so fun.
Seeing good like-minded people,I love it.
(20:49):
Chefs working together andnetworking.
You know, I go a year or twowithout even leaving my town
when it comes to cooking.
Yeah.
And you forget what it's like,and then you become blinded.
So all you people out there whoare just blinded and you don't
cook, you don't leave, and maketime.
If your team's not good enoughto let you leave, fix your
fucking team.
Yeah, get rid of them.
Get rid of them.
If you can't leave and you can'ttrust your staff, fix that.
(21:11):
Get yourself out there, man.
Get out there, experience, andhave these bonds and build these
relationships with other chefs.
You're gonna learn so much.
You will know about each other.
You get inspired by each otherand keep on working it, man.
So it's been an honor having youon here, bro.
I appreciate y'all gettinghaving a lot of here.
Anything you want to say to thepeople.
If you could say one thing toanyone out there in the struggle
of this industry or anything,what would you say to them right
(21:31):
now?
SPEAKER_02 (21:32):
Man, stay relevant and be consistent.
Be consistent.
Very good.
SPEAKER_00 (21:36):
Love you.
All right, man.
That's gonna be a wrap, bro.
All right, buddy.
Let's get a wrap.
Ciao for now.
SPEAKER_03 (21:40):
All right.
See ya.
SPEAKER_00 (21:41):
Alrighty.
All right, we're here right now with live and
direct World Food Champions inIndianapolis.
Sitting here with my manMachete.
What's up, yeah?
Machete getting ready to cut itup.
We're about to get it.
SPEAKER_02 (00:45):
We're about to get it.
SPEAKER_03 (00:45):
Welcome to the party.
SPEAKER_02 (00:46):
Welcome to the party.
Thank you all for having me on,by the way, man.
You are the party though, right?
Oh, I bring the party.
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
You didn't bring your grills today, though.
I didn't bring the grills today.
I was hoping for them grills.
We're gonna have to turn thelights down.
We're still rocking glitterthough.
Yeah, yeah.
So we're gonna roll that b-rollanyway.
While we're playing this thing,we're gonna edit that b-roll
with them grills in therebecause you were down there
yesterday just flossing.
First of all, start with yourdish.
Unique, beautiful, executed ice.
Rodge that uh we'll put that upthere too.
(01:13):
Right on, right on, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
Yeah, so you what you competed in pasta.
Yeah, yeah.
But you had a total differenttwist on it.
SPEAKER_02 (01:18):
Yeah, it is super insane twist.
I did a black rose ravioli,stuffed it with some ricottas, a
little lemon pepper seasoning inthere, you know, because hey,
you gotta throw some lemonpepper and a little everything
sometimes.
You know, made a champagnecaviar sauce with a bele-a rose.
It was it was beautiful.
It was beautiful.
The austeria caviar just cameout.
SPEAKER_03 (01:35):
You said it was the Ave Maria.
SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
Yeah, the Ave Maria.
SPEAKER_00 (01:38):
That's a good name for it because the rose was
black with squid ink.
Yes.
He made a really dark thing.
And you had the red candlesaround, said all that.
You weren't out there killingthem.
You're out there like it was youwere putting a Dracula on them.
That's right, that's right.
I want to be dramatic as hell.
You know, this is thechampionships, this ain't the
game.
SPEAKER_03 (01:53):
I mean, you're very you're a very subtle person.
I'm pretty sure.
You're just so subtle anyway.
SPEAKER_00 (01:58):
I threw last night after everything.
You went out, had a little time,now you're here today.
SPEAKER_02 (02:01):
Yeah, Indiana just showed me a good time last night
as well.
No, you showed up too, bro.
I showed up a little fashionablylate today.
SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
Tell me about your chefing.
Tell us where you're at.
What's going on, right?
SPEAKER_02 (02:09):
Man, I'm a chef and owner of Godo Nino's.
We're uh we're a Tex Mex typestyle restaurant.
Humex, we call it, you know?
Okay, Humex meaning Houston.
SPEAKER_04 (02:16):
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we're fashioned.
SPEAKER_02 (02:18):
You're in Houston.
Oh yeah, yeah, we're fromHouston.
So, man, it's uh we're known forour tacos, our pastor tacos.
Okay.
Yeah, especially Houston, trustme.
It's big.
What's your nationality?
What's your background?
It's bad, it's bad.
My mom's from Detroit, my dadfrom you know, from Detroit too.
Let's go, let's go.
313.
That's there.
Cool, man.
SPEAKER_00 (02:37):
Good for you.
So when you when did you startworking in the food uh in this
competition, bro?
Did you start with this thisyear or did you been a year?
SPEAKER_02 (02:43):
This is my first year.
SPEAKER_00 (02:44):
Okay, you came in slaying right out there.
SPEAKER_02 (02:45):
Yeah, came in, baby.
Came in.
SPEAKER_00 (02:49):
How long you been a chef, man?
But talk to us about that.
SPEAKER_02 (02:52):
Man, professionally your journey.
Yeah, man, it's it's kind of aweird story.
I uh everything in life broughtme back to cooking.
You know, I've been cookingsince I was a kid.
You know, my mom, my mom was anindoor cook, my dad was the
outdoor cook, you know.
So I learned a little bit ofthat, and just every single job
I did in life just probably keptbringing me back, kept bringing
me back.
I was a merchant marine foryears, you know what I'm saying?
I was a chief steward on ships.
Okay.
I did that.
(03:12):
I've been a professional shipfor about 13 years now.
So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (03:16):
Lucky 13.
SPEAKER_02 (03:17):
Lucky 13.
SPEAKER_00 (03:18):
Let's get it.
What's the hardest thing you'refinding, man?
Because the restaurant industryis constantly changing.
Yeah.
Um, you know, taco's a thing,you're saying you're the best
taco, right?
You go back 15 years now, tacowasn't a thing.
That was called taco bell.
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:30):
Now, now every everything that was cool back
then is turned into a taco now,right?
So even if you had uh tuna backwhere we're from, pepper tuna,
saree tuna, yeah.
Just turned into a taco now,right?
Yeah, crazy.
So you have to be strong andcompetitive to do that.
So, how what do you feel aboutthe change in the movement of
the restaurant industry rightnow?
I mean, are where are you at init?
(03:52):
What's your feeling?
SPEAKER_02 (03:53):
It's it's like you said, it's a constant chain.
It's actually depressing, man,because looking back from five
years ago, it wasn't like it isnow, because we're constantly
changing the food costs, we'reconstantly seeing prices rise,
you know, old vendors that weused to love going out of
business, you know.
So for me, it it's it, you know,it's not challenging enough, but
it's just enough where it'slike, man, I wish we can regain
some of that old style back.
SPEAKER_00 (04:14):
What I'm noticing, dude, is you it's funny you say
that.
It's a great point he's talkingabout.
Because back in the day when wehad to do this, right?
We had we had small vendorswhich had small vendors, which
had small vendors, producers,purveyors, all that shit.
We had it was all small.
Yeah, yeah.
Now it's almost like back in the90s, early 90s, late 80s, when
we used to hear our parentstalking about the Walmart, all
(04:35):
these chain plates that aretaking out the small people.
So it's not it's not a question.
You got places like restaurantdepot now we have to compete
with.
And you have the big package uhuh people who are who are giving
us, purveying us the the foods,right?
SPEAKER_02 (04:48):
Yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00 (04:49):
So is that like that there or do you have a good
selection of smaller purveyorsin in in the world?
SPEAKER_02 (04:54):
Yeah, so like me personally, I don't I don't use
um I don't use Cisco or anybodylike that.
We go straight from themiddleman, we go straight to the
actual uh veterinary.
Really?
Okay.
Yeah, we have our own staff, ourown team that kind of journeys
out there and then pushes itout, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:06):
Yeah, right.
So so what I'm worried aboutsometimes when I was talking
about the growth of this, right?
How my my affair sometimes,dude, is the big package, right?
So let's say if there's a cityor something that has a
restaurant depot or somethinglike that, every time that comes
in, another one falls off, asmaller one falls off.
A bigger, someone bigger tryingto compete with restaurant depot
or something like that, will buyout the little people so they
(05:28):
can stay competing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Therefore, now you're only stuckto two or three purveyors.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right?
So now 5,500 restaurants in thecity are using the same three
purveyors.
We got to get more creative aschefs now because we're all
using it.
All the same shit.
Yeah, yeah.
So how are you gonna make youringredient different now, right?
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (05:44):
Creativity.
Exactly that part.
Saturday fucking Dracula shit.
And my lean sauce.
Have you ever seen everything?
It says lean.
You got that lean, bro.
You seen it?
You seen that?
You got the lean sauce.
It's all purple sauce we put onour on all of our tacos, all of
our food.
What is it?
What's it?
It's a dairy-based sauce.
I can't really say, but it hasPaul Wall's tears in it.
Paul Wall's tears.
That's what makes it purple.
So you got them.
(06:05):
Did you get them in for theonion?
Oh, that's my dog.
Yeah, it's like a little vodkahere and there.
Show them an onion.
Yeah, yeah.
Hit them with the onion.
Hit it with the onion.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
Hit him with the onion.
Give me that teardrop.
SPEAKER_02 (06:15):
That's great.
Yeah, man.
Nice, nice.
Stuff like that is how you getthe creativity, you know what I
mean?
Sure.
And we even we even put in drinkbottles how we sell it.
So oh, right.
Yeah, there's no doubt.
SPEAKER_00 (06:25):
Okay, we gotta get some of that.
Okay, we gotta get some of that.
If you have one for the so wecan food, I know.
But you know what you do?
Send us a little clip of that.
We're gonna put it out for allyou people watching.
You know, if you're if you'relistening, you can't see it, but
you can damn listen to us talkabout it.
That's right, that's right.
But uh, as far as the uh YouTubestuff, we'll put that on there.
I want to see.
I know, yeah, yeah.
And put your link up there.
Yeah, it's good to be.
Because I already know your foodis banging, Rod.
Just watching your hair work andcook and how you present
(06:45):
yourself, your chef coats ontime, your your grill.
You had a grill made.
Talk about the grill you hadmade for the house.
SPEAKER_02 (06:50):
Yeah, you had a custom grill.
I had a custom grill my jewellerpotion.
Shout out to Potion, man.
Uh, he was like, got me one thatsays world food on the bottom
champs.
It was sick.
It was a broad today, man.
Yeah, we're gonna start.
Like I said, we're putting it uphere.
SPEAKER_00 (07:02):
That was it was hot.
So if you got the hook, if yougot the hook on the grills, I
know some people.
Oh, yeah.
I know some people at the one.
SPEAKER_02 (07:08):
Let me know.
He'll send you all the packages,get you molded up, you can ship
it out in a week.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, he's cold.
He's cold.
Okay.
I'm gonna have to get we'regetting grouped.
SPEAKER_03 (07:16):
I know, I know.
BHP with the fist, we need ourfist at the middle.
SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
Yeah, that'd be hard.
I like it.
I love it.
I love it.
So where are you going fromthis?
How long have you had yourrestaurants?
SPEAKER_02 (07:25):
Uh I started going to these in 2018.
Uh, started doing at a mechanicshop, doing dollar tacos.
Really?
And then kind of got into thewhole hip hop scene over there
in Houston.
So you're a hip hop head?
Oh, hell yeah.
Yeah.
Big time, right?
Big time, man.
SPEAKER_00 (07:38):
So you you you grew from that.
So you're doing mechanic tacos.
First time I hear that.
Yeah, yeah.
Farmers markets.
You're at a goddamn mechanicshop.
Yeah, yeah.
Mechanic tacos.
It reminds me of that kidswatching that movie Turbo with
the snake.
Oh, yeah, turbo.
You got the taco trucks at themechanic shop.
Yes, but you're right there.
I'm in the zone.
(07:59):
So you went from there.
What when you took the risk toopen up, were you nervous?
Or did you just say, Fuck it, Igo for it because you didn't
know better?
SPEAKER_02 (08:05):
Man, it was during the pandemic.
Uh everything kind of juststarted shutting down, you know.
Our our whole gig was it wasstreet food.
I want to bring street food backto Houston.
So that's why we started doingthe taco carts.
We did bars, you know, we wouldgo to nightclubs out staying
outside.
We had like three different onesat a time.
Just making money at nothing.
Banging, slang in the block, youknow what I'm saying?
Bleeding the block.
It was crazy.
But uh, and then COVID happened,and we lost our whole shinding,
you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00 (08:25):
So really, so they shut you down because no one
else was allowed to socialize.
You weren't allowed to be on theblock.
It's supposed to be have fun andeat, you know.
You couldn't hand the vid outfor everybody.
SPEAKER_02 (08:34):
So I so I switched it up.
We started doing a late nighttaco run called Taco Emergency.
Right.
Call us at three in the morning,four in the morning.
Oh my god.
It's still an emergency.
We call it the pandemic, though.
So we made so much money duringthe pandemic, you know?
SPEAKER_03 (08:50):
So you you shifted to like nighttime.
Oh, yeah.
Like far out.
SPEAKER_02 (08:54):
Yeah, from like six to like three, four, we would do
it.
SPEAKER_03 (08:56):
And you just ran tacos?
SPEAKER_02 (08:57):
Yeah, yeah, we make them, people call us up.
SPEAKER_03 (08:59):
You know how many times we said if there was a
margarita truck that camethrough the neighborhood for
moms instead of an ice creamtruck?
SPEAKER_00 (09:05):
With a slingshot with a taco in there, we'll hit
it hit it their window.
Yeah.
Let them know you're here tocome out and get that taco.
That's right.
That's great.
That's a light.
That's a great idea.
SPEAKER_03 (09:14):
So that is oh, I love that.
SPEAKER_00 (09:15):
So what are your hours now?
SPEAKER_02 (09:16):
Are you are you kind of like a bar or are you more of
a we're like a fast pace now?
So we do uh 10 in the morning to8 p.m.
Monday through Saturday.
Okay.
Yeah.
That sounds a CCO I'm looking atyou.
I'm thinking, I'm thinkingsomething a little bit later.
SPEAKER_03 (09:28):
Night time.
SPEAKER_02 (09:28):
We we did have that.
We had one uh I think in thislittle area called Kema.
We had that for about a year.
We didn't really like the sceneout there, so we sold it.
Sometimes you gotta know when.
SPEAKER_00 (09:35):
So here's the funny thing.
Getting back from the fun of thetalking about the partying and
all that stuff, that comes withit.
But there also becomes aresponsibility and an obligation
to the food, right?
To the ingredients.
So no matter how much we talkabout the fun part of it all and
talking shit about everythingand making it making light of
everything.
Bottom line is though, we have apassion for food that really it
(09:56):
supersedes everything.
SPEAKER_01 (09:57):
Yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00 (09:58):
And when you gotta know when to pull out of stuff,
you gotta know when the food'sbeing affected, when you're when
you become uh more of a businessthan you are, a passion.
That's right.
If that's not your stick, man,you gotta know what to do,
right?
You gotta be gotta be all beforeyou fold, right?
That's right.
And you exactly you gottaprotect your brand.
SPEAKER_01 (10:14):
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
So if you're in an area that's not doing right, or
if the area doesn't accept you,or if maybe the area is just not
ready for what you have, youhave to make that decision at
that time.
And a lot of people don'tunderstand that, and they try
and stick it through becausetheir pride gets in the way, and
then it folds on the other hand.
They don't have control of that.
And that's when you startgetting a bad name.
So shout out to you for knowingwhen the fold.
Hopefully that's the case.
And if you didn't, let's justplay it.
SPEAKER_02 (10:34):
Yeah, no, no, I did.
I didn't, man.
You know, I had to put emotionsaside.
Yeah.
Emotions aside over everything.
You know, I was like, you knowwhat?
So you're gonna do this, you'relike you said, fuck up the
brand.
SPEAKER_00 (10:42):
Can't fuck up the brand, it's temporary.
It is fuck it up, it's nottemporary.
Yeah, fuck up the channel.
SPEAKER_02 (10:47):
No matter what.
SPEAKER_00 (10:48):
So every opportunity we have, especially as chefs,
every opportunity we have isgolden.
We wake up every day, everymorning, it's a competition.
I love it.
It's fun to hear to compete.
It's fun to come over here andget your head out the kitchen a
little bit and play the game.
You gotta continue to do it.
And even if you didn't take homethe gold here, you gotta come
back next year and get it.
And that's fun.
That's right.
But but every day for us is acompetition at home because we
compete with our competitionthere.
(11:09):
We compete with our employeesshowing up, we complete keeping
them there and making themhappy.
We compete with the customers.
We compete with uh making surethey're happy.
We compete with fucking Yelp andTripAdvisor, all that other
bullshit that we have no controlover.
You got people up there thatjust think they know everything,
and maybe they do.
I guess in their world it iseverything, right?
Everything was good but theDoorDash.
(11:30):
You know what I mean?
I didn't fuck with DoorDash.
That stuff to me, people don'tunderstand the markups that are
going on with those.
Oh, yeah.
And I know convenience is huge.
Super huge.
And there's a place forconvenience, no doubt.
But when it comes to me,DoorDash calls me and then I
hang up on them as fast as I cananswer.
Yeah.
They might as well try and sellme insurance for my or a
(11:51):
warranty for my job.
Okay, you know what I mean?
It's bad enough that we have tobe in a position to mark up the
way we have to now.
And then they're gonna donothing for nothing and mark it
up way more than it takes to getthat shit to your house.
SPEAKER_01 (12:10):
And charge you on your end the same percentage.
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (12:14):
So what people don't understand is a little fee
they're paying on their end whenthey pick up that phone or get
on the internet, rather, right?
And then social media shit, theycall that DoorDash or whatever
community, whatever it is,whatever it is, right?
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:24):
Wh whatever that happens, they don't realize that
they're being just a percentageof what they're paying for that.
We're paying way more than that.
And we have to jack our pricesup.
And if we decide if I decide I'mgonna go with that, now I have
to jack my prices up to make forit on the dining room too.
You're right.
Yeah, you're right.
It's universal, man, because ourprices go up.
They all do it.
So I don't do, I don't mess withthat stuff for the customers who
(12:44):
come and sit down in the table.
Yeah, that's where we're at.
That's wrong.
I like that.
I like that.
I want to give to them the bestI can because everything's so
expensive anyway, bro.
It is, man.
You know, level it, thosevolcano, uh, those doors
hammers.
Oh, yeah, doors hammered.
Those things.
SPEAKER_02 (12:56):
If you go on his page, check it out, man.
SPEAKER_00 (12:58):
That was incredible, man.
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
So when I braze those out, thosethings are very expensive.
They cost me cost me huge money,right?
So the the markup on that, we'renot making money on those.
SPEAKER_01 (13:09):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (13:09):
You know, we have to mark everything up equivalently,
uh, equivocally to make sure wemake the percentages.
SPEAKER_01 (13:13):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:13):
But you know, getting off that, going back to
your style in tacos, it don'tmatter if you're making filet
mignon or or uh the low uh ataco pastor or whatever it is,
yeah.
Food cost is food costs.
Food costs, food costs better.
I mean, we gotta be you know,you gotta sell a lot more tick
uh a lot more tacos than for sayI have to sell um uh guanchale
disc or something, you know,because the markups are
different, right?
SPEAKER_02 (13:33):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:33):
So how are you finding that?
Is the competition in your areayou're accepted, you say you're
number one, you're voted numberone.
SPEAKER_02 (13:38):
Yeah, yeah, with another competition out there
with me.
Dead facts.
Dead facts.
SPEAKER_00 (13:43):
Where do you see yourself going here in the
future, though?
SPEAKER_02 (13:45):
Man, uh I got a couple concepts I've wanted to
work on, you know, here andthere.
You know, just to find the righttime, the placement for it, you
know.
Yeah, and as far as employees?
Employees, man.
My team right now is golden,dude.
Mine too, but it's the firstteam I've had ever, I think.
They're solid as hell.
Hell yeah, man.
And I'm the same way.
SPEAKER_00 (14:01):
My hands are up to my team.
My team's the reason why I'mhere right now.
Same.
Big employees.
If my team's weren't, and thiswas last minute.
This was last minute comparisonto last year.
And if it wasn't for my team.
I wasn't gonna came inSeptember.
If it wasn't for my two teams Ihave, there'd be no way this is
happening.
And if it wasn't for the teamhere, right here, we got to do
that.
SPEAKER_02 (14:19):
Y'all solid too, man.
SPEAKER_00 (14:19):
This wouldn't happen either.
So if you we all surroundourselves with the right teams,
right?
Middle, we're gonna be able to.
If we were bums, they would havethe team doing this, would be
pissed, right?
We all have to be solid.
And that's why I surround myselfwith the restaurant.
Everything we do is a trial.
Uh, we try and take our time.
There's no there's no haste.
But man, when you get a bademployee and it's toxic, bro,
you gotta get rid of them.
SPEAKER_02 (14:40):
Trust me, man.
Sell them.
Trust me, man.
Sell them.
I give them 90 days.
I give them 90 days.
I'm like, if you can't make itin 90 days, you out.
Give them out, yeah.
I get you a grill.
Yeah, man.
Oh, all my boys have grills.
So they gotta wear them grillsin service.
Okay.
They gotta wear them duringservice.
Hell yeah.
What do they sell?
It's a uniform.
No, some are gold, some aresellers, you know.
That's a uniform, man.
I like that.
(15:00):
That's the best.
Not yet.
Not yet.
Give it a moment.
You're working on it.
We couldn't get it, we couldn'tget it back in time for a year.
I was like, man.
SPEAKER_03 (15:07):
We need a we gotta we need to get a photo of that
too.
Oh yeah, grills up.
SPEAKER_00 (15:11):
Well, I think that and you know, like for people to
learn.
Christian, you're wearing agrill.
I help you know this.
SPEAKER_03 (15:17):
I I already know this.
Here we go.
Um if I can say that anylighter.
Here we go.
Um, it's for you, like you'vealso kind of cornered on
leveraging social media.
Yeah.
You have a big personality.
So I think that helps.
Like, with and you were hypingthe crowd up down there.
People talk to you, theygravitate.
(15:38):
So when you're you know, givingadvice to other people in the
industry that maybe are justkind of starting that process,
how did you go about like yourmarketing, like the grill?
Like you just was it allorganic?
Did you just have your team helpout?
SPEAKER_02 (15:50):
Me, all around me.
I'm a Houstonian, you know, abang screw, you know, and I jam
that music, you know, that'sthat's my culture right there.
So you know, everything I do isdo for the culture.
SPEAKER_00 (15:59):
You know, your your followers, you got a good amount
of followers on your good crewon there.
And uh, and and like she says,that's not easy.
SPEAKER_03 (16:06):
It's not.
It's not too far.
SPEAKER_00 (16:08):
So your personality really has to be number one.
Yeah, that's it.
Engage that.
That engagement.
Yeah.
So best you mean.
We have let's let's do thequestion thing with you.
You gotta do the question?
Let's see what you got.
You got Spitfire, love these tenquestions.
Shoot them out as fast as youcan, be as vulgar.
Ten questions.
SPEAKER_03 (16:24):
Okay, somewhat rapid fire questions.
So we're gonna go through themand we will uh I'll do my best.
SPEAKER_02 (16:30):
All right, you'll be you'll be good.
I'm gonna do my best.
SPEAKER_03 (16:33):
All right, so you can answer in a you know, a few
words.
So a few words.
All right, besides knives, go tokitchen tool.
SPEAKER_02 (16:41):
Oh, um, um man, that's a good one.
Spatula, I guess.
All right.
My spatula's my everything.
I do flips with it.
Okay, do tricks with it.
I'm flare.
You can do a flare chef.
Okay, flare chef.
Yep.
You can see your flaws, but youshould have said a machete, bro.
Oh man.
SPEAKER_03 (16:57):
Or machete.
Rewind that machete.
SPEAKER_02 (16:59):
No, that's what we cook with in a restaurant.
Yeah.
You see him because my spatula'sa machete.
It's an open face restaurant.
Yeah, it's an open facerestaurant, so when you come up,
you watch your food get made.
Okay, cool.
So, yeah, so we're sending amachete, he's chopping the meat,
like he's lit as hell.
So, we gotta go here too.
SPEAKER_03 (17:12):
All right, we gotta know it.
Well, I totally buy my sisterand all lives in Houston, so
we're coming there anyways.
All right.
What puts you in the mood more?
Smell or visual?
SPEAKER_02 (17:20):
Ooh.
Visuals.
Okay.
I love smelling via visuals,though, for sure.
SPEAKER_03 (17:27):
All right.
Worst position in the kitchen.
Ooh.
SPEAKER_02 (17:32):
Washing cilantro.
That's a good one.
That is.
That's a good one.
SPEAKER_00 (17:37):
That's what I'm saying.
Actually, really cool.
SPEAKER_02 (17:38):
Oh my gosh, ice bath it getting dry.
SPEAKER_00 (17:40):
Flat Italian parsley's the same.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Because it's cold.
But the people not only that,but the people don't understand.
Let me tell you the troubles ofthis, okay?
Let me tell you the struggles ofmise and plas, okay?
So here's a fucking struggle.
When you're flat Italianparsley, cilantro, anything like
that, it's all good to wash it,but you gotta dry that shit
before you chop it.
We gotta make sure it allseparates, it doesn't get
bruised off, it don't get soggy.
(18:01):
That's the problem.
SPEAKER_03 (18:03):
That was a good that was a very unique one.
Best position in the kitchen.
SPEAKER_02 (18:06):
Best position?
Executive chef.
All right.
Okay, I like that.
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_03 (18:10):
The uh favorite ingredient you can never live
without soy.
SPEAKER_02 (18:13):
Soy zoz.
I love soy zy.
SPEAKER_00 (18:14):
I thought you were gonna throw salon from the back
in the soy zol.
Okay.
Soy soy.
SPEAKER_03 (18:20):
All right.
What, if any, style of cookingintimidates you the most?
SPEAKER_02 (18:24):
Oh, live fire is crazy.
I don't know.
I do it, but you know, sometimesyou never know if the win factor
is wrong.
Yeah, man.
Too much job though.
That's a good one.
That's a good one.
SPEAKER_03 (18:35):
All right.
Favorite fast food restaurant.
SPEAKER_02 (18:37):
Oh, man.
Hell no, I'm saying that.
Favorite fast food.
I would have to say, uh don'tsay that wing stop Ross.
No, I've never ate there.
Oh, no?
I've never ate there.
I've never ate there.
Um Favorite fast food.
Man, I don't even know.
I really eat fast food too much.
Uh um Jersey Mites.
Okay.
I love Jersey Mice.
Jersey Mike's good.
(18:58):
It's fresh, it's clean, it'sclean.
I get the number 13.
You know what I mean?
I like it.
All right.
Jersey Mites.
SPEAKER_03 (19:03):
If your kitchen was a car, what kind of car would it
be?
SPEAKER_02 (19:06):
Oh.
Be a stew baker or something,you know?
unknown (19:10):
Studebaker.
SPEAKER_02 (19:12):
A remodeled one or an old Janet.
SPEAKER_00 (19:13):
Old school, man.
Rusty's heads get him.
SPEAKER_03 (19:16):
Through the floorboards, feet on the ground.
All right.
Pop the clutch or go into it.
There you go.
All right.
Baking, yes or no?
SPEAKER_02 (19:25):
Baking, I'm okay at it, but no.
SPEAKER_03 (19:28):
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (19:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (19:29):
Gloves or washing your hands?
SPEAKER_02 (19:31):
Uh, all of it.
SPEAKER_03 (19:31):
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (19:32):
I'll do it all.
SPEAKER_03 (19:32):
Yeah, I got you.
Do you know the owner?
SPEAKER_00 (19:34):
Do I know the owner?
Yeah, yeah, that's bummer.
All right.
So what we mean by that is whatdo you think of that saying?
How many people know the owner?
Too many.
How do you do the owner know,though?
Oh, never.
Oh, they don't know me.
SPEAKER_02 (19:47):
Somebody's like, let me speak to the owner.
I'm like, speaking?
Yeah.
Like, oh, oh, oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:51):
I'll tell them straight up, dude.
If you if if they don't say myname, exactly.
They don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (19:56):
My government name?
SPEAKER_00 (19:57):
Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_02 (19:57):
No.
SPEAKER_03 (19:58):
Which I did see on the sign downstairs.
SPEAKER_02 (20:00):
Yeah, no, they put it up.
I was like, man.
SPEAKER_03 (20:02):
So I got that secret.
So I do know the owner now.
It's okay.
I'm gonna eat that.
He's like out there with aSharpie scratching that off.
SPEAKER_04 (20:10):
I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (20:11):
All right.
And if you could cook withanyone, who would it be?
I want to cook with you.
SPEAKER_00 (20:15):
My man.
My man.
I would love to, though.
That would be great.
We gotta make the entertaining.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
I love it.
We have a lot of things.
We're going to use we're goinghere.
SPEAKER_03 (20:24):
So we have a lot of states to go to now.
So we're going to have to on theon the burnt hands held tour.
SPEAKER_00 (20:29):
No fly out.
That's even better.
Oh, you can fly to Virginia.
We can do it.
We can do a live collab on thevideo.
Yeah, that'd be live.
Yeah, I got my video on for it.
We'll come out with it.
I got your video.
Come on out.
Yep.
Let's go, man.
Let's go.
Let's go.
All right.
Collab on that.
Collab on the video too.
You know what I mean?
That'd be cool.
That would be fun.
That's what this is all about.
It's so fun.
Seeing good like-minded people,I love it.
(20:49):
Chefs working together andnetworking.
You know, I go a year or twowithout even leaving my town
when it comes to cooking.
Yeah.
And you forget what it's like,and then you become blinded.
So all you people out there whoare just blinded and you don't
cook, you don't leave, and maketime.
If your team's not good enoughto let you leave, fix your
fucking team.
Yeah, get rid of them.
Get rid of them.
If you can't leave and you can'ttrust your staff, fix that.
(21:11):
Get yourself out there, man.
Get out there, experience, andhave these bonds and build these
relationships with other chefs.
You're gonna learn so much.
You will know about each other.
You get inspired by each otherand keep on working it, man.
So it's been an honor having youon here, bro.
I appreciate y'all gettinghaving a lot of here.
Anything you want to say to thepeople.
If you could say one thing toanyone out there in the struggle
of this industry or anything,what would you say to them right
(21:31):
now?
SPEAKER_02 (21:32):
Man, stay relevant and be consistent.
Be consistent.
Very good.
SPEAKER_00 (21:36):
Love you.
All right, man.
That's gonna be a wrap, bro.
All right, buddy.
Let's get a wrap.
Ciao for now.
SPEAKER_03 (21:40):
All right.
See ya.
SPEAKER_00 (21:41):
Alrighty.
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