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August 19, 2025 48 mins

In today's episode, we chat with Curtis Duffy, James Beard Award winner, Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur, and author of the powerful new memoir Fireproof.

Curtis shares how his traumatic childhood in rural Ohio led him to find refuge in an unlikely place: a high school home economics class. He discusses his journey from that first spark of passion to training under culinary legends like Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz, building Grace into a three-Michelin-starred institution, and the bold decision to walk away at its peak to launch Ever during a global pandemic.

Join us as Curtis reveals why writing Fireproof was more challenging than earning any award, how putting his painful truth on paper became his ultimate act of healing, and what it really means to be "fireproof" — not avoiding the heat, but learning to thrive in it.

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