August 6, 2025 • 20 mins
In this inspiring episode, Dr. Falquier is joined by Chef Suhan Lee, whose incredible journey takes us from his injuries in the Marine Corps to his creativity in the kitchen. Chef Suhan turned his passion for health and healing IBS into the creation of allergen friendly sauces. His story is one of transformation, innovation and purpose.
In this episode you’ll hear:
2:00 – What happened to Chef Suhan after he was injured in the Marine Corps?
4:30 – How do antibiotics affect the microbiome?
6:15 – From being in the military to becoming a chef
7:30 – The health story behind Get Saucy
9:30 – How Chef Suhan created an allergen friendly Tikka Masala
13:15 – Save time in the kitchen
15:30 – What is an auto-immune protocol?
17:10 – The goal of culinary medicine
Website link: https://getsaucy.com/
Credits:
Host - Dr. Sabrina Falquier, MD, CCMS, DipABLM
Sound and Editing - Will Crann
Executive Producer - Esther Garfin
©2025 Alternative Food Network Inc.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/culinary-medicine-recipe--3467840/support.
In this episode you’ll hear:
2:00 – What happened to Chef Suhan after he was injured in the Marine Corps?
4:30 – How do antibiotics affect the microbiome?
6:15 – From being in the military to becoming a chef
7:30 – The health story behind Get Saucy
9:30 – How Chef Suhan created an allergen friendly Tikka Masala
13:15 – Save time in the kitchen
15:30 – What is an auto-immune protocol?
17:10 – The goal of culinary medicine
Website link: https://getsaucy.com/
Credits:
Host - Dr. Sabrina Falquier, MD, CCMS, DipABLM
Sound and Editing - Will Crann
Executive Producer - Esther Garfin
©2025 Alternative Food Network Inc.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/culinary-medicine-recipe--3467840/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A little bit of consideration in your health. Food is medicine.
That's a very deep Korean thought, and I think if
you just put a little thought into what you put
into your body, you could have a better quality of life.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to culinary Medicine Recipe. I'm so happy you're here.
I'm your host, doctor Saprina Falke. I was a primary
care doctor for sixteen years and went to school for
four years to specialize in culinary medicine. In this work,
I get to combine my passionate expertise in both medicine
and food to teach people about food is medicine and
to empower them to understand what ingredients optimize health and
(00:38):
also how to cook those ingredients to make delicious meals.
On the show, I interviewed top chefs, doctors, healthcare visionaries,
and food service professionals who are making great strides in
the field of culinary medicine. Join me as we continue
to explore the amazing world of culinary medicine, where I
will empower you to make changes to your health and
wellness with great food right away. Welcome to today's episode.
(01:03):
Culinary Medicine is fundamentally about empowering people to achieve better
health through nutritional knowledge and culinary literacy. I've spoken about
many times a key aspect of this encouraging more home cooking.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with using convenience products in the
kitchen as long as we're mindful of their quality. That
means choosing items made from minimally processed ingredients with simple,
(01:24):
recognizable components and avoiding those loaded with additives. It also
means being cautious with salt levels and paying attention to
the type and quality of oils that are used in
the product. Being a little bit more aware of what
goes into our food, we can make home cooking easier
and healthier without sacrificing taste or convenience. Today's guests co
created a product that helps people do just that. Chef
(01:46):
Lee has deep rooted passion for food and hospitality. He
has a career that has included Michelin Star kitchens, executive dining,
and entrepreneurial ventures where he's led teams, streamline operations, and
crafted exceptional dining experiences. Welcome, Chef Suhana. I am so
happy to have you here to have this great conversation.
So how your career has moved is incredibly interesting to me.
(02:10):
Tell us how you went from being in the US
Marine Corps into becoming a chef.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
I've always had a passion for food. I cooked that home.
I made Thanksgiving dinner every year from when I was
a little kid until I became an adult. I eagerly
watched all those cooking shows on PBS on the weekends,
and I worked in a bakery throughout high school. So
I left college immediately after nine to eleven and I
enlisted into the Marine Corps. But unfortunately, I got injured
(02:37):
and I underwent several surgeries, and after each of them,
I had to undergo a series of antibiotics. I ended
up contracting meningitis as well, and I had to endergo
treatment of very strong antibiotics to fight off the infection
that was spreading through my body. After that, I developed
IBS symptoms following all those treatments, and later on I
(03:00):
learned I had to change my diet to reduce inflammation.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
So how did you put those two together, So you're
getting all these strong antibiotics, you get IBS. How was
the link made for you that food might make a
difference to help you move in a healthier direction.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yes, so the connection with the IBS and the food,
I didn't immediately make it. It took a very long time. Actually,
I didn't recognize the IBS symptoms until it became chronic.
You know, I would eat something and you know, I
was eating a lot of not so great foods. I
started having a lot of gut issues and so then
it wasn't until I studied a little bit of biology
(03:39):
and I learned about the gut microbiome and leaky gut
and all these things that I read a study on
these diets that they were showing to help improve these symptoms.
So that was a big aha moment where I was
seeing a lot of whole foods and so I started
incorporating a lot of that and my symptoms lessened a lot.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Did you take these biology classes because of how you
were physically feeling or separately, and then you started making
the connection.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
The biology came much later on. I was interested in
figuring out what was wrong with me, So that's why
I started to get interested in biology. I actually got
my degree and I concentrate on neurobiology and also the
gut brain access. So that was a huge thing for me.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
So for those of our listeners just to give a
one to one on what antibiotics do to the microbiome
and what the microbiome is. So the microbiome is a
healthy bacteria in our gut or our intestines, and the
goal is for that bacteria to have a lot of diversity,
so to be a lot of different kinds, and also
for them to be as healthy as possible. So what
(04:53):
we eat can either help that bacteria be healthy or
hinder it. And antibiotics are something that really affects the microbiome.
And kind of the simplest way to describe it is
if you have these really healthy bacteria and you give
it antibiotics, not only is it killing the bacteria you
want it to kill, like in Chef Suhen's case, the
meningitis and these other infections that you had, but it
(05:16):
also kills the healthy bacteria that we want to keep
around in our intestines. So what happens is it affects
how healthy our microbiome is, meaning how many bacteria they
are and how healthy they are. And one of the
things that the microbiome creates, it's this barrier or this
mucus layer between our intestines where the food goes through
and the inside of our body, and if that mucus
(05:37):
layer is really thin, it causes our body to absorb
things that it's not meant to absorb, which some people
experience something like leaky gut. So that's just to give
a one oh one.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I like to look at it as a whole body thing,
a very holistic view. You have all these systems that
interact with each other, so you might not know that
something upstream might affect something else downstream. And whenever I
see connections or people making these discoveries, it's really fascinating
(06:11):
about how interconnected everything is in the body.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
So you have this personal journey with your career and
your health in multiple ways, and you discover food when
did the kitchen come back for you? In a professional manner?
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So when I was in recovery after my surgeries, I
had about a year of rehab and my career was
pretty much over at that point. So I said, you know,
I asked myself, what do I want to do with
my life? What do I really enjoy? And I said
I love cooking, And I was like, I would love
to go to culinary school. Let's see, the dream is
(06:52):
to become an executive chef. You know, that was the dream.
So as soon as I was able to went into
culinary school, I love every second of it. It was
just a great time. And that's when I entered the kitchens.
I live in New York City. Well then I lived
in New York City. Now I live in Long Island.
But being in the city, I had access to all
(07:13):
these top restaurants, you know, legendary restaurants, and I got
to be inside of them, work in them, and through
that experience, I was able to really hone flavor, learn
how to layer things, how to really get technical with
my cooking. And that's what I think I bring into
the Get Saucy.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
So where does Brian come in? Where does a co
founder Get Saucy come in? How did your worlds collide?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yes, So with Brian we actually connected through mutual people.
He was on this quest to be able to make
sauces that are easy for him to make, or sauces
that of his favorite cuisines. He has a very broad
global cuisine palette, and because of his crones, he's unable
(08:02):
to have any of his favorite foods. So, you know,
I'm sure you're aware there's the Bland diet, you know,
the automune protocol very simply is a diet that is
restrictive in tree spices, seeds, night shades. All of these
kind of contribute to layering flavors. So either you have
(08:25):
to spend a lot of time to cook your own
foods because they're not as easily available, or you have
to have a chef that is well versed, and even
that is kind of difficult to find. So through that
it was almost a challenge to see who could make
tika masala, you know, one of his favorite dishes. So
(08:47):
he has tried hiring many chefs and they were unable
to do it. Mind you, it's quite difficult, but I
really enjoy a challenge, especially ones that seem impossible. So
I jumped on this opportunity and I was able to
deliver a tika masala that would be approximate to a
(09:08):
tika massala that you got you would get in a restaurant,
so and easy to make, complex flavorful sauce that you
can easily make a meal in fifteen minutes.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
So, speaking of the tika masala, my family enjoyed a
delicious meal last night, and I'm looking at the ingredient list,
and I'm comparing that to what is traditionally in a
tika masala. So please take us into your culinary chef brain. Yeah,
so how did that process? Without giving away your trade secrets?
(09:41):
But how does your brain work in a situation like
this because some of the swaps are giant, like tomatoes
aren't in there, and that's a typical and tika masala.
So what are you willing to share? Because it is
really good. We all enjoyed it. It was three generations and
we're all thumbs up on it.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
That's awesome. I really that, you know, I really love
that feed. So for me, in any given dish, trying
to translate it over to you know, automoon prot called
diet friendly version. I, you know, identify what makes the
tika masala, and to me, it's tomatoes. It's human that's
(10:19):
probably the biggest flavor out of the gouram masala. The
spice blend a lot of warmth, earthy flavors and you know,
a creaminess. So once I identify those, then I kind
of try to work backwards. You know, it's not a
one for one substitution because that's just not possible. So
(10:41):
what happened was I actually had worked on doing a
tomato is marinara first, and once I was able to
nail that and utilize the layers of the tomato compounds
that we use other flavors that have a lot of
in it, like seaweeds, these several seaweeds, three seaweeds that
(11:05):
have these flavor compounds that are found in tomatoes, just
minus the inflammatory skin you know, solanine found in night chain.
So with the tomatoes base, and then it was just
a matter of figuring out how to layer different flavors
and still capture the spirit of what it is. Right. So,
(11:29):
once we got approximation, I would taste tests with my neighbors.
I have some Indian neighbors that are very generous with
their time and they love to give me tips. Their
parents live nearby too, and they would tell me, you know,
this tastes just like they're from the southern part of
India and they're like this this is something I would
(11:52):
expect to get over there. So, you know, once I
was starting to get the green light, I was like,
or we have something, and you know, it was just
a matter of Brian tasting it. And he tells the
story of how it brought him back to a date
with his wife at his favorite Indian restaurant, and that
(12:14):
you know, it sparked that connection, so you know, it
made him really happy. And that's I think the core
part of what we're trying to do is to bring
joy back to eating. It also reinforces the ability to
stick with the diet, because if you have all these
planned foods, it's really difficult because it takes the enjoyment
(12:35):
part out of it, so it's hard to sustain it.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I have another culinary medicine chef M d Friend and
when people she said, when people were taste testing for
her cookbook, when stories started coming out, her memories start
coming out after they'd eaten the food, that's when you
know that she'd gotten it. And what you're describing with
Brian with the Tika Maasala sounds like you got just that,
So that's that must have felt really good.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Oh yeah. He calls it the ratituy moment where it
just brought and back, and.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, I love it. If this was a video podcast,
I feel like there'd be the bubble of the reta
toury moment right about now over our heads. The part
I also want to emphasize is anyone can enjoy it
even if you don't have dietary limitations or specific foods
that you need to avoid yet because it is so
well tailored for the allergens and different like the autoimmune
(13:29):
protocol it is. So I keep thinking about ways that
to get people to know this product. So if a
healthcare department who works with people with cron disease that
do need auto immune protocol or who have to avoid
night shades to be able to know about this as
(13:49):
a resource. So really looking at as a resource, just like
you would have resources for physical activity or going to
the gym, of here's a resource that can help one
relax and to get people into the kitchen. What you
said not only of the joy and being able to
make meals that have these complex flavors, and also to
(14:10):
help people relax that if you're using something that's started
and then you're adding your own, if it's animal protein
or vegetables or you know, plant based proteins, that that
does not mean you're not eating something that's nutrient dense.
I feel like a lot of people feel like there's
if there's anything jarred or anything simply processed. So that
(14:31):
that means it's no longer in the quote unquote healthy category.
And I appreciate how being able to make a fifteen
to twenty minute meal on a busy day is fantastic,
and it sounds like that was one of your goals
and that you've helped not only Brian, but now other
people as well, which is really really good.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
I think that's probably one of the best points of
our product, is well, give you something that you know,
you know, you can trust. It doesn't it's free of
the top nine allergens, minimally processed, and we also try
to keep the nutrient level as high as possible, balancing
out food safety of course, but having the ability to
(15:15):
just reach in the pantry and then access a whole
bunch of different cuisines, that's kind of like our purpose.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
That's so good and I want to I know you
mentioned like the autoimmune protocol and it can be really complex,
So just for our listeners, there are some people that
have dietary restrictions that are definitely something that you'd want
to work with somebody who really knows nutrition and your
healthcare team together, and the Autoimmune Protocol essentially is to
(15:46):
simplify an elimination diet where you eliminate most of the
top foods that can cause inflammation or an autoimmune response
and then figure out which ones work for you, and
for some people it can be some can tolerate some,
some people can't tolerate any and to again work with
a team to help you figure out which work for you,
(16:09):
and that it takes time, so it's not a quick process,
and it's any time you're doing any research, which in
this case would be with one's body. Is that you
can only have one variable at a time. So if
you're eliminating everything and then you're trying to figure out
can I tolerate nightshades or logom specifically to only add
that on rather than all of them at once, and
(16:29):
then the symptoms come back and you don't know what
the variable is.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
To work with, the more people we can help eat
food that won't cause them any issues and still enjoy
it fully with their whole family. That's everything that the
company is about.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
If there's somebody in the household who has to eat
a certain way, like certain limitations on the foods that
they're able to eat, and then yet there's still five
people to eat that can make cooking really complicated, and
having a product that not only is easy to use,
but also that many people can cook. So I'm thinking,
you know, my teenagers could cook this, an elderly person
or a busy household. It really doesn't limit it. And
(17:08):
that's what's so huge about culinary medicine is really the
goal of getting people in kitchens and empowering them to
know what is a product that I can feel comfortable
with from my health standpoint, that I'm adding nutrient density,
that it's going to be delicious, that it's going to
be enjoyed by multiple people in the household, hopefully all
everyone in the household, and that it's getting people to
(17:30):
do scratch cooking. So using a minimally processed food like
this is not cheating so to speak. And I'm doing
air quotes with that. It really is a tool to
get delicious food on the table. And one of the
other parts I say is there's not many people I'm
guessing that have ever made take a masala from scratch ever,
(17:51):
and if they have had it, it's usually at a
restaurant most people. And if it's at a restaurant, what
are the ingredients that are added that are happy behind
the scenes, so in the back of the house, whereas
here you guys are so fantastic about putting out there
exactly what's in it. Like you mentioned the word clean ingredients,
so being really upfront of using nutrient density bringing out flavor,
(18:15):
and that is something to hang your hat on, is
to say, Okay, I'm using a mentally processed food to
go along with whatever ingredients I'm going to add, and
then I'm going to feel really good about it. That's
culinary medicine. That is getting scratch cooking on the table,
helping people move the needle of their health forward. And
I really cannot thank you enough for I keep saying
(18:35):
geeking out. I just love the science of it. And
I congratulate you because I know I haven't said this,
but I want to say it out loud that I
imagine you were quite young when you had to make
that career swerve unexpectedly and to not only go to
culinary school, but it sounds like also the study of
biology took place in there somewhere, and to see what
(18:56):
you're doing with your career now. So I love that
yours and Brian's were worlds collided and that you were
able to find what seemed like your path in life
that was the unexpected path. So I commend you for
the work that you're doing.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
As we're finishing up, how can people reach you?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Oh, they can reach me at Emailsuhan at getsaucy dot com.
I'm also on Instagram at chef Souhan. I haven't really
I'm not really a social media person, but you know,
I'm learning. I think it's a great resource for reaching
out to people. Also on LinkedIn as well, Chef suhn
(19:37):
Lee perfect.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Thank you so much of Souhan. I really appreciate your
time and again your expertise and to be able to
for all of us to enjoy what otherwise could have been.
You could have been a private chef for Brian alone,
and you decide to share it with the rest of
the world. So thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Well, thank you for having me here. I think that
a little bit of consideration in your health food is medicine.
That's a very deep Korean thought, and I think if
you just put a little thought into what you put
into your body, you could have a better quality of life.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
I hope you feel motivated by this episode. Please leave
us a rating and a review and mention our show
to others who you think could use this information. That
could be your doctor, It could be somebody who works
in the food service industry who's interested in the health components.
It could be a friend that is working on.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Their health journey.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
If you want to hear more, please remember to follow
Culinary Medicine Recipe on your favorite podcast listening platform. Until
next time, Sandu and Bona Pettie, All content provided or
opinions expressed in this episode are for informational purposes only
and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please
(20:53):
take advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional.
A little bit of consideration in your health. Food is medicine.
That's a very deep Korean thought, and I think if
you just put a little thought into what you put
into your body, you could have a better quality of life.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to culinary Medicine Recipe. I'm so happy you're here.
I'm your host, doctor Saprina Falke. I was a primary
care doctor for sixteen years and went to school for
four years to specialize in culinary medicine. In this work,
I get to combine my passionate expertise in both medicine
and food to teach people about food is medicine and
to empower them to understand what ingredients optimize health and
(00:38):
also how to cook those ingredients to make delicious meals.
On the show, I interviewed top chefs, doctors, healthcare visionaries,
and food service professionals who are making great strides in
the field of culinary medicine. Join me as we continue
to explore the amazing world of culinary medicine, where I
will empower you to make changes to your health and
wellness with great food right away. Welcome to today's episode.
(01:03):
Culinary Medicine is fundamentally about empowering people to achieve better
health through nutritional knowledge and culinary literacy. I've spoken about
many times a key aspect of this encouraging more home cooking.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with using convenience products in the
kitchen as long as we're mindful of their quality. That
means choosing items made from minimally processed ingredients with simple,
(01:24):
recognizable components and avoiding those loaded with additives. It also
means being cautious with salt levels and paying attention to
the type and quality of oils that are used in
the product. Being a little bit more aware of what
goes into our food, we can make home cooking easier
and healthier without sacrificing taste or convenience. Today's guests co
created a product that helps people do just that. Chef
(01:46):
Lee has deep rooted passion for food and hospitality. He
has a career that has included Michelin Star kitchens, executive dining,
and entrepreneurial ventures where he's led teams, streamline operations, and
crafted exceptional dining experiences. Welcome, Chef Suhana. I am so
happy to have you here to have this great conversation.
So how your career has moved is incredibly interesting to me.
(02:10):
Tell us how you went from being in the US
Marine Corps into becoming a chef.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
I've always had a passion for food. I cooked that home.
I made Thanksgiving dinner every year from when I was
a little kid until I became an adult. I eagerly
watched all those cooking shows on PBS on the weekends,
and I worked in a bakery throughout high school. So
I left college immediately after nine to eleven and I
enlisted into the Marine Corps. But unfortunately, I got injured
(02:37):
and I underwent several surgeries, and after each of them,
I had to undergo a series of antibiotics. I ended
up contracting meningitis as well, and I had to endergo
treatment of very strong antibiotics to fight off the infection
that was spreading through my body. After that, I developed
IBS symptoms following all those treatments, and later on I
(03:00):
learned I had to change my diet to reduce inflammation.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
So how did you put those two together, So you're
getting all these strong antibiotics, you get IBS. How was
the link made for you that food might make a
difference to help you move in a healthier direction.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yes, so the connection with the IBS and the food,
I didn't immediately make it. It took a very long time. Actually,
I didn't recognize the IBS symptoms until it became chronic.
You know, I would eat something and you know, I
was eating a lot of not so great foods. I
started having a lot of gut issues and so then
it wasn't until I studied a little bit of biology
(03:39):
and I learned about the gut microbiome and leaky gut
and all these things that I read a study on
these diets that they were showing to help improve these symptoms.
So that was a big aha moment where I was
seeing a lot of whole foods and so I started
incorporating a lot of that and my symptoms lessened a lot.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Did you take these biology classes because of how you
were physically feeling or separately, and then you started making
the connection.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
The biology came much later on. I was interested in
figuring out what was wrong with me, So that's why
I started to get interested in biology. I actually got
my degree and I concentrate on neurobiology and also the
gut brain access. So that was a huge thing for me.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
So for those of our listeners just to give a
one to one on what antibiotics do to the microbiome
and what the microbiome is. So the microbiome is a
healthy bacteria in our gut or our intestines, and the
goal is for that bacteria to have a lot of diversity,
so to be a lot of different kinds, and also
for them to be as healthy as possible. So what
(04:53):
we eat can either help that bacteria be healthy or
hinder it. And antibiotics are something that really affects the microbiome.
And kind of the simplest way to describe it is
if you have these really healthy bacteria and you give
it antibiotics, not only is it killing the bacteria you
want it to kill, like in Chef Suhen's case, the
meningitis and these other infections that you had, but it
(05:16):
also kills the healthy bacteria that we want to keep
around in our intestines. So what happens is it affects
how healthy our microbiome is, meaning how many bacteria they
are and how healthy they are. And one of the
things that the microbiome creates, it's this barrier or this
mucus layer between our intestines where the food goes through
and the inside of our body, and if that mucus
(05:37):
layer is really thin, it causes our body to absorb
things that it's not meant to absorb, which some people
experience something like leaky gut. So that's just to give
a one oh one.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I like to look at it as a whole body thing,
a very holistic view. You have all these systems that
interact with each other, so you might not know that
something upstream might affect something else downstream. And whenever I
see connections or people making these discoveries, it's really fascinating
(06:11):
about how interconnected everything is in the body.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
So you have this personal journey with your career and
your health in multiple ways, and you discover food when
did the kitchen come back for you? In a professional manner?
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So when I was in recovery after my surgeries, I
had about a year of rehab and my career was
pretty much over at that point. So I said, you know,
I asked myself, what do I want to do with
my life? What do I really enjoy? And I said
I love cooking, And I was like, I would love
to go to culinary school. Let's see, the dream is
(06:52):
to become an executive chef. You know, that was the dream.
So as soon as I was able to went into
culinary school, I love every second of it. It was
just a great time. And that's when I entered the kitchens.
I live in New York City. Well then I lived
in New York City. Now I live in Long Island.
But being in the city, I had access to all
(07:13):
these top restaurants, you know, legendary restaurants, and I got
to be inside of them, work in them, and through
that experience, I was able to really hone flavor, learn
how to layer things, how to really get technical with
my cooking. And that's what I think I bring into
the Get Saucy.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
So where does Brian come in? Where does a co
founder Get Saucy come in? How did your worlds collide?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yes, So with Brian we actually connected through mutual people.
He was on this quest to be able to make
sauces that are easy for him to make, or sauces
that of his favorite cuisines. He has a very broad
global cuisine palette, and because of his crones, he's unable
(08:02):
to have any of his favorite foods. So, you know,
I'm sure you're aware there's the Bland diet, you know,
the automune protocol very simply is a diet that is
restrictive in tree spices, seeds, night shades. All of these
kind of contribute to layering flavors. So either you have
(08:25):
to spend a lot of time to cook your own
foods because they're not as easily available, or you have
to have a chef that is well versed, and even
that is kind of difficult to find. So through that
it was almost a challenge to see who could make
tika masala, you know, one of his favorite dishes. So
(08:47):
he has tried hiring many chefs and they were unable
to do it. Mind you, it's quite difficult, but I
really enjoy a challenge, especially ones that seem impossible. So
I jumped on this opportunity and I was able to
deliver a tika masala that would be approximate to a
(09:08):
tika massala that you got you would get in a restaurant,
so and easy to make, complex flavorful sauce that you
can easily make a meal in fifteen minutes.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
So, speaking of the tika masala, my family enjoyed a
delicious meal last night, and I'm looking at the ingredient list,
and I'm comparing that to what is traditionally in a
tika masala. So please take us into your culinary chef brain. Yeah,
so how did that process? Without giving away your trade secrets?
(09:41):
But how does your brain work in a situation like
this because some of the swaps are giant, like tomatoes
aren't in there, and that's a typical and tika masala.
So what are you willing to share? Because it is
really good. We all enjoyed it. It was three generations and
we're all thumbs up on it.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
That's awesome. I really that, you know, I really love
that feed. So for me, in any given dish, trying
to translate it over to you know, automoon prot called
diet friendly version. I, you know, identify what makes the
tika masala, and to me, it's tomatoes. It's human that's
(10:19):
probably the biggest flavor out of the gouram masala. The
spice blend a lot of warmth, earthy flavors and you know,
a creaminess. So once I identify those, then I kind
of try to work backwards. You know, it's not a
one for one substitution because that's just not possible. So
(10:41):
what happened was I actually had worked on doing a
tomato is marinara first, and once I was able to
nail that and utilize the layers of the tomato compounds
that we use other flavors that have a lot of
in it, like seaweeds, these several seaweeds, three seaweeds that
(11:05):
have these flavor compounds that are found in tomatoes, just
minus the inflammatory skin you know, solanine found in night chain.
So with the tomatoes base, and then it was just
a matter of figuring out how to layer different flavors
and still capture the spirit of what it is. Right. So,
(11:29):
once we got approximation, I would taste tests with my neighbors.
I have some Indian neighbors that are very generous with
their time and they love to give me tips. Their
parents live nearby too, and they would tell me, you know,
this tastes just like they're from the southern part of
India and they're like this this is something I would
(11:52):
expect to get over there. So, you know, once I
was starting to get the green light, I was like,
or we have something, and you know, it was just
a matter of Brian tasting it. And he tells the
story of how it brought him back to a date
with his wife at his favorite Indian restaurant, and that
(12:14):
you know, it sparked that connection, so you know, it
made him really happy. And that's I think the core
part of what we're trying to do is to bring
joy back to eating. It also reinforces the ability to
stick with the diet, because if you have all these
planned foods, it's really difficult because it takes the enjoyment
(12:35):
part out of it, so it's hard to sustain it.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I have another culinary medicine chef M d Friend and
when people she said, when people were taste testing for
her cookbook, when stories started coming out, her memories start
coming out after they'd eaten the food, that's when you
know that she'd gotten it. And what you're describing with
Brian with the Tika Maasala sounds like you got just that,
So that's that must have felt really good.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Oh yeah. He calls it the ratituy moment where it
just brought and back, and.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, I love it. If this was a video podcast,
I feel like there'd be the bubble of the reta
toury moment right about now over our heads. The part
I also want to emphasize is anyone can enjoy it
even if you don't have dietary limitations or specific foods
that you need to avoid yet because it is so
well tailored for the allergens and different like the autoimmune
(13:29):
protocol it is. So I keep thinking about ways that
to get people to know this product. So if a
healthcare department who works with people with cron disease that
do need auto immune protocol or who have to avoid
night shades to be able to know about this as
(13:49):
a resource. So really looking at as a resource, just like
you would have resources for physical activity or going to
the gym, of here's a resource that can help one
relax and to get people into the kitchen. What you
said not only of the joy and being able to
make meals that have these complex flavors, and also to
(14:10):
help people relax that if you're using something that's started
and then you're adding your own, if it's animal protein
or vegetables or you know, plant based proteins, that that
does not mean you're not eating something that's nutrient dense.
I feel like a lot of people feel like there's
if there's anything jarred or anything simply processed. So that
(14:31):
that means it's no longer in the quote unquote healthy category.
And I appreciate how being able to make a fifteen
to twenty minute meal on a busy day is fantastic,
and it sounds like that was one of your goals
and that you've helped not only Brian, but now other
people as well, which is really really good.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
I think that's probably one of the best points of
our product, is well, give you something that you know,
you know, you can trust. It doesn't it's free of
the top nine allergens, minimally processed, and we also try
to keep the nutrient level as high as possible, balancing
out food safety of course, but having the ability to
(15:15):
just reach in the pantry and then access a whole
bunch of different cuisines, that's kind of like our purpose.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
That's so good and I want to I know you
mentioned like the autoimmune protocol and it can be really complex,
So just for our listeners, there are some people that
have dietary restrictions that are definitely something that you'd want
to work with somebody who really knows nutrition and your
healthcare team together, and the Autoimmune Protocol essentially is to
(15:46):
simplify an elimination diet where you eliminate most of the
top foods that can cause inflammation or an autoimmune response
and then figure out which ones work for you, and
for some people it can be some can tolerate some,
some people can't tolerate any and to again work with
a team to help you figure out which work for you,
(16:09):
and that it takes time, so it's not a quick process,
and it's any time you're doing any research, which in
this case would be with one's body. Is that you
can only have one variable at a time. So if
you're eliminating everything and then you're trying to figure out
can I tolerate nightshades or logom specifically to only add
that on rather than all of them at once, and
(16:29):
then the symptoms come back and you don't know what
the variable is.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
To work with, the more people we can help eat
food that won't cause them any issues and still enjoy
it fully with their whole family. That's everything that the
company is about.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
If there's somebody in the household who has to eat
a certain way, like certain limitations on the foods that
they're able to eat, and then yet there's still five
people to eat that can make cooking really complicated, and
having a product that not only is easy to use,
but also that many people can cook. So I'm thinking,
you know, my teenagers could cook this, an elderly person
or a busy household. It really doesn't limit it. And
(17:08):
that's what's so huge about culinary medicine is really the
goal of getting people in kitchens and empowering them to
know what is a product that I can feel comfortable
with from my health standpoint, that I'm adding nutrient density,
that it's going to be delicious, that it's going to
be enjoyed by multiple people in the household, hopefully all
everyone in the household, and that it's getting people to
(17:30):
do scratch cooking. So using a minimally processed food like
this is not cheating so to speak. And I'm doing
air quotes with that. It really is a tool to
get delicious food on the table. And one of the
other parts I say is there's not many people I'm
guessing that have ever made take a masala from scratch ever,
(17:51):
and if they have had it, it's usually at a
restaurant most people. And if it's at a restaurant, what
are the ingredients that are added that are happy behind
the scenes, so in the back of the house, whereas
here you guys are so fantastic about putting out there
exactly what's in it. Like you mentioned the word clean ingredients,
so being really upfront of using nutrient density bringing out flavor,
(18:15):
and that is something to hang your hat on, is
to say, Okay, I'm using a mentally processed food to
go along with whatever ingredients I'm going to add, and
then I'm going to feel really good about it. That's
culinary medicine. That is getting scratch cooking on the table,
helping people move the needle of their health forward. And
I really cannot thank you enough for I keep saying
(18:35):
geeking out. I just love the science of it. And
I congratulate you because I know I haven't said this,
but I want to say it out loud that I
imagine you were quite young when you had to make
that career swerve unexpectedly and to not only go to
culinary school, but it sounds like also the study of
biology took place in there somewhere, and to see what
(18:56):
you're doing with your career now. So I love that
yours and Brian's were worlds collided and that you were
able to find what seemed like your path in life
that was the unexpected path. So I commend you for
the work that you're doing.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
As we're finishing up, how can people reach you?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Oh, they can reach me at Emailsuhan at getsaucy dot com.
I'm also on Instagram at chef Souhan. I haven't really
I'm not really a social media person, but you know,
I'm learning. I think it's a great resource for reaching
out to people. Also on LinkedIn as well, Chef suhn
(19:37):
Lee perfect.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Thank you so much of Souhan. I really appreciate your
time and again your expertise and to be able to
for all of us to enjoy what otherwise could have been.
You could have been a private chef for Brian alone,
and you decide to share it with the rest of
the world. So thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Well, thank you for having me here. I think that
a little bit of consideration in your health food is medicine.
That's a very deep Korean thought, and I think if
you just put a little thought into what you put
into your body, you could have a better quality of life.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
I hope you feel motivated by this episode. Please leave
us a rating and a review and mention our show
to others who you think could use this information. That
could be your doctor, It could be somebody who works
in the food service industry who's interested in the health components.
It could be a friend that is working on.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Their health journey.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
If you want to hear more, please remember to follow
Culinary Medicine Recipe on your favorite podcast listening platform. Until
next time, Sandu and Bona Pettie, All content provided or
opinions expressed in this episode are for informational purposes only
and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please
(20:53):
take advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional.
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