August 27, 2024 • 4 mins
The Cleveland-based chef and 2023 James Beard award finalist talks EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Chef Brandon, what's that, ma'am? Is this really you?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
This is Hey, It's really me, dude. The they my
social media guy sent me a message said you want
to talk? I said, who's this guy?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Elliott?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
He sounds like a he sounds like a mad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Man, dude.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I so being completely honest. We had I had read
about the program at the at the state, at the
Correctional Institute and how everything was done through a was
done through inmates in this program, and that the name
of the program was Edwin's. And we started digging in
and found out it's your place out of Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Dude. What an awesome program.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey, look at man, thank you. We've been slugging it
out for over a decade. Man. They're just doing it
quietly and you know, not taking any like cheap media
like you know, Food Network and people like that. You know,
these people are bad. So we just do it for
the right reasons, the right way. And when when good
people like yourself hear about it, they highlight it. But
we do everything. Man. We got a training program we
have it's a French fine dining restaurants we built. How
(01:00):
we got childcare center. It's like a little a little
campus for people coming out of prison.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hey, so Brandon, let me ask you this the there
was another article that we pulled up talked about how
at one point you were facing jail time did you
did you end up doing time exactly?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, dude, I was in and out of jails when
I was younger, and I had this chef in Detroit
who you know, he taught me a really important lesson. Man,
he says, he's not practice that makes perfect, it's perfect
practice that makes perfect. And those lessons got me out
of Detroit and around the world. Man, New York, Paris, Michelin,
three star restaurants. It was wild and it just over
time decided, you know, to give it back and you know,
(01:39):
kind of create that break for others.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Hey, And what is the the other thing it says
is that your your program, this edwins program is offered
at six hundred and fifty two prisons.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah. Yeah, look at look, here's the idea, just to
serve somebody, right, someone who's got hope and then just
off from a pathway to its achieve it. You know,
hope is hope can be cheap sometimes, man. You have
to have pathways. And so what we started doing was
we recorded all of our lessons, like thirty hours of
video like how to make best chamel sauce, Holland Days,
how to roast, how to brave, how to how to
(02:12):
open wine, how to make wine. All these lessons we
put on videos and put reading assigned to it, and
we got it on tablets across America in prison and
we have like one hundred thousand users over six hundred
and fifty institutions. Has become like the number one program
for education.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
That is amazing. That is really is that crazy? No,
it really is.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
That really is And did I did I read did
you go to Did you go to CIA up in
Hudson Valley? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, up and up in New York one for associates
and bachelor's Yeah. I was a great school man. They
taught a lot and we stay in close contact, always
trying to spread the word.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Oh that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
On my one of my really really really good friends
came out of came out of CIA. It still does
a is a chef and has opened up a bunch
of restaurants or whatever. Nothing, But I just hear so
many good things about their program.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
But dude, I love your story.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Thank you say, listen, you know what the best part
about it is do we don't ask for state or
federal funds. Man, We'll like to do this all with
independent individuals. Like we'll give and donate. We have smart
business and like we'll hit some foundations up, like you know,
I when we need to buy a building for housing
or something like that. But all we ask these prisons
for man always added for twelve years, all I've asked
for is just access because I know if we can
get information to people, they'll they'll they'll learn and if
(03:26):
they learn, it's a it could change life. Right, And
that's that's what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Hey, so let me ask you this.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
If somebody went to and you have your own you
have your own restaurant in Cleveland, right, I.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Had two restaurants, a butcher shop and a bakery. You
know your training everywhere do you do?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
People like what what are the names of the places?
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Like if somebody from DC orre listening anywhere is going
to be in Cleveland, how do they how do they
find you?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Dude? Edwin's It's called Edwins so Edwin's restaurant dot org
and listen, listen, how creative I am right. It's called
the Edwins Bakery, the Edwins butcher Shop, and Edwin too.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
You know what, Brandon, you are a goddamn genius, my friend.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
It's so easy.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Well, listen, I don't know if I'm ever in Do
you ever make your way to DC at all?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Oh? For sure? Yeah, dude, I'll be around the country
like either. If it's not speaking or consulting, I get
out there. But if I'm in the area, I'll find
a way to connect them. We'll do something.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Absolutely, And if I find my way to Cleveland, I'll
come in for a free meal.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Done, excellent, excellent.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Hey, Brandon, I'm going to uh, if you don't mind,
I'm gonna put you on hold. I want to keep
your keep your number in case we need you for anything. Cool,
no problem, Hey, appreciate it, Brandon, Hold tight one second?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
All right, I gotcha. Thanks, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
All Hey, you got to talk to you later. How
freaking awesome is Sorry?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah,
Hey, Chef Brandon, what's that, ma'am? Is this really you?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
This is Hey, It's really me, dude. The they my
social media guy sent me a message said you want
to talk? I said, who's this guy?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Elliott?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
He sounds like a he sounds like a mad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Man, dude.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I so being completely honest. We had I had read
about the program at the at the state, at the
Correctional Institute and how everything was done through a was
done through inmates in this program, and that the name
of the program was Edwin's. And we started digging in
and found out it's your place out of Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Dude. What an awesome program.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey, look at man, thank you. We've been slugging it
out for over a decade. Man. They're just doing it
quietly and you know, not taking any like cheap media
like you know, Food Network and people like that. You know,
these people are bad. So we just do it for
the right reasons, the right way. And when when good
people like yourself hear about it, they highlight it. But
we do everything. Man. We got a training program we
have it's a French fine dining restaurants we built. How
(01:00):
we got childcare center. It's like a little a little
campus for people coming out of prison.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hey, so Brandon, let me ask you this the there
was another article that we pulled up talked about how
at one point you were facing jail time did you
did you end up doing time exactly?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, dude, I was in and out of jails when
I was younger, and I had this chef in Detroit
who you know, he taught me a really important lesson. Man,
he says, he's not practice that makes perfect, it's perfect
practice that makes perfect. And those lessons got me out
of Detroit and around the world. Man, New York, Paris, Michelin,
three star restaurants. It was wild and it just over
time decided, you know, to give it back and you know,
(01:39):
kind of create that break for others.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Hey, And what is the the other thing it says
is that your your program, this edwins program is offered
at six hundred and fifty two prisons.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah. Yeah, look at look, here's the idea, just to
serve somebody, right, someone who's got hope and then just
off from a pathway to its achieve it. You know,
hope is hope can be cheap sometimes, man. You have
to have pathways. And so what we started doing was
we recorded all of our lessons, like thirty hours of
video like how to make best chamel sauce, Holland Days,
how to roast, how to brave, how to how to
(02:12):
open wine, how to make wine. All these lessons we
put on videos and put reading assigned to it, and
we got it on tablets across America in prison and
we have like one hundred thousand users over six hundred
and fifty institutions. Has become like the number one program
for education.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
That is amazing. That is really is that crazy? No,
it really is.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
That really is And did I did I read did
you go to Did you go to CIA up in
Hudson Valley? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, up and up in New York one for associates
and bachelor's Yeah. I was a great school man. They
taught a lot and we stay in close contact, always
trying to spread the word.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Oh that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
On my one of my really really really good friends
came out of came out of CIA. It still does
a is a chef and has opened up a bunch
of restaurants or whatever. Nothing, But I just hear so
many good things about their program.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
But dude, I love your story.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Thank you say, listen, you know what the best part
about it is do we don't ask for state or
federal funds. Man, We'll like to do this all with
independent individuals. Like we'll give and donate. We have smart
business and like we'll hit some foundations up, like you know,
I when we need to buy a building for housing
or something like that. But all we ask these prisons
for man always added for twelve years, all I've asked
for is just access because I know if we can
get information to people, they'll they'll they'll learn and if
(03:26):
they learn, it's a it could change life. Right, And
that's that's what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Hey, so let me ask you this.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
If somebody went to and you have your own you
have your own restaurant in Cleveland, right, I.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Had two restaurants, a butcher shop and a bakery. You
know your training everywhere do you do?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
People like what what are the names of the places?
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Like if somebody from DC orre listening anywhere is going
to be in Cleveland, how do they how do they
find you?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Dude? Edwin's It's called Edwins so Edwin's restaurant dot org
and listen, listen, how creative I am right. It's called
the Edwins Bakery, the Edwins butcher Shop, and Edwin too.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
You know what, Brandon, you are a goddamn genius, my friend.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
It's so easy.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Well, listen, I don't know if I'm ever in Do
you ever make your way to DC at all?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Oh? For sure? Yeah, dude, I'll be around the country
like either. If it's not speaking or consulting, I get
out there. But if I'm in the area, I'll find
a way to connect them. We'll do something.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Absolutely, And if I find my way to Cleveland, I'll
come in for a free meal.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Done, excellent, excellent.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Hey, Brandon, I'm going to uh, if you don't mind,
I'm gonna put you on hold. I want to keep
your keep your number in case we need you for anything. Cool,
no problem, Hey, appreciate it, Brandon, Hold tight one second?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
All right, I gotcha. Thanks, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
All Hey, you got to talk to you later. How
freaking awesome is Sorry?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah,
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