Walk-In Talk Podcast

Chef Jacob Rios was supposed to become a mechanical engineer.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, he was a straight-A student with a passion for mathematics, engineering, and the Air Force. His future seemed certain.
Then his parents sold their home, their cars, and walked away from their careers to give their children better opportunities in Florida.
For Jacob, the transition changed everything.
He struggled with English, failed the standardized tests he needed to pursue college, and watched his confidence disappear. The student who once excelled at everything suddenly felt like a failure.
For the first time, Jacob began questioning his own intelligence.
And he carried something even heavier: the belief that he'd let his parents down.
A television commercial for culinary school eventually gave him a new direction. His mother supported the decision. His father wasn't convinced.
But Jacob found something in professional kitchens that he'd been missing: purpose, confidence, and people willing to believe in him.
Working his way through some of Central Florida's busiest restaurants, including Fulton's Crab House and Wolfgang Puck, Jacob learned the business under chefs who recognized his determination. Later, working alongside Chef Vanoy Rogers, he discovered another side of cooking through creativity, experimentation, and a deeper understanding of ingredients.
Then COVID changed everything.
After losing his job, Jacob moved his family to Charleston, South Carolina, where staffing shortages and the realities of rebuilding restaurant operations forced him to reconsider what leadership really meant.
Instead of simply disciplining struggling employees, he began developing them.
Dishwashers became cooks. Cooks became supervisors. And three principles became the foundation of his approach: honesty, integrity, and respect.
Today, Jacob is the Corporate Executive Chef for Next Level Brands, helping lead culinary operations across Tampa Bay restaurants including Union New American, Boulon Brasserie, and Forbici.
But his greatest passion isn't simply creating dishes or opening restaurants.
It's developing the next generation of chefs.
Through a structured mentorship program, Jacob is helping employees build the skills, confidence, and leadership abilities needed to advance their careers.
And in one of the episode's most personal moments, Jacob shares how winning a competition on Food Network's Chopped finally brought the words he'd waited years to hear from his father.
"You're not a mechanical engineer. You're an engineer of the kitchen."
The conversation comes full circle as Jacob reflects on fatherhood, the sacrifices his parents made, and his determination to support his own children's dreams, whatever they may be.
In the Walk-In Talk Media studio, Jacob also prepares two dishes that reflect his culinary journey: Puerto Rican shrimp mofongo inspired by his childhood and Shogun Farms wild boar with chocolate mole, huarache, and ayocote beans inspired by his recent travels to Mexico City.
This is a conversation about immigration, family sacrifice, overcoming self-doubt, restaurant leadership, mentorship, and finding purpose in an unexpected career.
From the industry. For the industry.
EPISODE TAKEAWAYS
1. Family Sacrifice Can Become Both Motivation and Pressure
Jacob's parents left their careers and sold nearly everything to create better opportunities for their children. When his original career plans fell apart, Jacob struggled with the feeling that he'd failed them.
2. A Language Barrier Can Change How You See Yourself
Once a confident, high-achieving student in Puerto Rico, Jacob found himself questioning his intelligence after struggling with English and standardized testing in Florida.
3. Finding Your Purpose Doesn't Always Follow the Original Plan
Mechanical engineering was Jacob's dream. A culinary school commercial introduced him to an entirely different future, one that eventually gave him back the confidence he'd lost.
4. The Right Mentor Can Change Someone's Life
Chefs Mark Boor, Rob, and Vanoy Rogers helped Jacob develop different aspects of his career, from kitchen operations and financial management to creativity, experimentation, and leadership.
5. COVID Forced a Different Approach to Restaurant Leadership
Facing severe staffing shortages in Charleston, Jacob discovered that developing employees was more sustainable than simply disciplining or replacing them.
6. Honesty, Integrity, and Respect Are More Than Words
These three principles became the foundation of Jacob's leadership philosophy and continue to influence the culture he helps build at Next Level Brands.
7. The Next Generation of Chefs Needs More Than Culinary Skills
Jacob discusses the Chef de Partie development program at Next Level Brands, designed to help employees advance through mentorship, leadership training, and professional development.
8. Restaurant Success Begins With the People Behind the Food
Managing multiple restaurant concepts requires financial discipline, operational consistency, creativity, and a workplace culture where employees feel supported and respected.
9. Food Can Preserve Your Identity
Jacob's shrimp mofongo connects his Puerto Rican upbringing with the French and Italian techniques he learned throughout his career. His wild boar with chocolate mole reflects his continued curiosity and culinary exploration.
10. Success Can Change the Meaning of Family Expectations
After winning Chopped, Jacob finally heard his father acknowledge the career he'd built. Now a father of three, he's committed to supporting his children's ambitions from the beginning rather than defining their futures for them.
 
The Companies Helping Shape Hospitality
Metro Foodservice Solutions - Commercial-grade storage, transport, and workflow systems that help professional kitchens operate efficiently.
RAK Porcelain USA - Professional tableware built for performance, durability, and presentation at the highest level.
TriMark USA - North America's largest foodservice design, equipment, and supplies provider, helping operators build smarter, more efficient kitchens.
Testo North America - Precision measurement and food safety solutions designed for professional hospitality operations.
Citrus America - Commercial juicing solutions delivering consistency, speed, and quality to foodservice operators.
Cahaba Club – Growing exceptional herbs, edible flowers, and specialty produce that bring fresh flavor and vibrant presentation to our studio kitchen.
Shogun Farms - produces premium Florida wild boar through ethical sourcing, humane raising, and a natural feeding program that delivers exceptional flavor from farm to table.
Walk-In Talk Media proudly supports organizations making a measurable impact on hospitality professionals and communities across North America and beyond.
Operation BBQ Relief - Disaster response through hot meals served by culinary volunteers across the country.
Sustainable Supperclub - Community driven dining experiences focused on sustainability, food access, and social impact.
The Burnt Chef Project North America – Supporting mental health awareness and wellbeing throughout the hospitality industry.
 
Industry Events & Media Partnerships
Florida Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner delivering on-site coverage of operators, suppliers, chefs, and hospitality innovation throughout the Southeast.
 New York Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner highlighting the people, products, and stories shaping hospitality across the Northeast.
 California Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner covering West Coast hospitality innovation, culinary trends, and foodservice leadership.
 Pizza Tomorrow Summit - Official Media Partner covering the latest innovations, leadership, and growth in the pizza industry.
 U.S. Culinary Open -Official Media Partner documenting one of America's premier live culinary competitions and the chefs competing at the highest level.
 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay - Regional media partner sharing stories from the people, restaurants, and events shaping Tampa Bay's hospitality community.
About Walk-In Talk Media
Walk-In Talk Media is an industry-recognized B2B food and hospitality media company focused on chef-driven storytelling and real conversations inside the business of food.
 Through cinematic video, photography, podcasting, documentaries, and live event coverage, Walk-In Talk Media highlights the chefs, operators, brands, and organizations shaping the future of hospitality. 
From Michelin-starred chefs and independent restaurants to manufacturers, distributors, and industry associations, Walk-In Talk Media exists to tell the stories moving hospitality forward.

At 14 years old, Chef Diego Garcia left his family in Mexico and returned to New York alone.
He barely spoke English. He wasn't going to school. He worked wherever he could, and for a period of time, he had nowhere to live. Diego slept in the New York City subway, cleaned himself up in restaurant bathrooms and helped people carry groceries while trying to save enough money to rent a room.
His parents back in Mexico had no idea.
But Diego's story didn't begin there.
Growing up in Puebla, he worked alongside his family in street markets, unloaded trucks filled with produce and learned to slaughter goats and prepare barbacoa with his father and grandfather. Food wasn't a career yet. It was simply part of life.
New York changed that.
Restaurants became Diego's education. He learned English by reading newspapers on the train and learned his craft inside kitchens. French technique, Italian cooking, sustainable seafood and years of working alongside chefs from different cultures eventually gave him a language of his own.
The road wasn't clean.
As a teenager in Florida, Diego found himself selling drugs, stealing cars and dangerously close to a future he knew he didn't want. He left, returned to New York and made a decision that would alter the direction of his life: he was going all in on cooking.
Today, Diego is approaching 200 events through his own private-chef business while working toward his ultimate goal of opening a restaurant built around seafood, Mexican heritage and the many cultures and techniques that shaped him along the way.
But this conversation goes much deeper than food.
Diego talks about homelessness, poverty, pride, family violence, bad decisions, abusive kitchen culture, leadership, fatherhood, healing from childhood trauma and finally learning to be proud of himself.
For years, he was trying to make his parents proud.
Only recently did he realize there was someone else he needed to make proud too.
Himself.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Survival came before ambition.
At 14, Diego returned to the United States alone because he believed staying in Mexico offered him little opportunity for education or a future. When homelessness followed, he focused on getting through one day at a time.
Food was part of his life long before it became a profession.
Growing up in Puebla meant markets, produce, livestock and barbacoa. By 11 or 12, he was already helping his father and grandfather process goats and cook them using techniques passed through his family.
Restaurants became his classroom.
Without culinary school and with limited English, Diego learned inside kitchens while teaching himself English through newspapers, books, music and everyday conversation.
His path could have gone very differently.
As a teenager in South Florida, Diego became involved with drugs, stolen cars and other illegal activity. Recognizing where that road could lead, he left Florida, cut ties with that life and returned to New York.
Cooking became the alternative.
Returning to professional kitchens gave Diego a direction. What began as survival became a deliberate pursuit of culinary knowledge and eventually a career.
He learned leadership from good kitchens and bad ones.
Diego experienced yelling, humiliation, racism and physical mistreatment in kitchens. Rather than repeating it when he became a leader, he decided to pay closer attention to what the people working for him might be going through.
His cooking reflects more than one home.
Mexico remains central to Diego's identity, but New York is part of him too. French, Italian, Nordic, Asian and seafood-driven influences have become tools he uses to express his Mexican heritage rather than replace it.
His restaurant vision is rooted in honesty.
Diego ultimately wants a seafood-driven marisquería built around fresh ingredients, Mexican roots and genuine hospitality. His goal isn't to tell guests how impressed they should be. He wants them to leave genuinely satisfied.
Success has become personal.
For much of his life, Diego measured himself against whether his parents would be proud of him. Seeing his mother's reaction to his recent television appearance helped him recognize something he had rarely allowed himself to feel:
 
The Companies Helping Shape Hospitality
Metro Foodservice Solutions - Commercial-grade storage, transport, and workflow systems that help professional kitchens operate efficiently.
RAK Porcelain USA - Professional tableware built for performance, durability, and presentation at the highest level.
TriMark USA - North America's largest foodservice design, equipment, and supplies provider, helping operators build smarter, more efficient kitchens.
Testo North America - Precision measurement and food safety solutions designed for professional hospitality operations.
Crab Island Seafood - Florida-based manufacturer of premium seafood dips and spreads inspired by coastal flavors.
Citrus America - Commercial juicing solutions delivering consistency, speed, and quality to foodservice operators.
Cahaba Club – Growing exceptional herbs, edible flowers, and specialty produce that bring fresh flavor and vibrant presentation to our studio kitchen.
Shogun Farms - produces premium Florida wild boar through ethical sourcing, humane raising, and a natural feeding program that delivers exceptional flavor from farm to table.
Walk-In Talk Media proudly supports organizations making a measurable impact on hospitality professionals and communities across North America and beyond.
Operation BBQ Relief - Disaster response through hot meals served by culinary volunteers across the country.
Sustainable Supperclub - Community driven dining experiences focused on sustainability, food access, and social impact.
The Burnt Chef Project North America – Supporting mental health awareness and wellbeing throughout the hospitality industry.
 
Industry Events & Media Partnerships
Florida Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner delivering on-site coverage of operators, suppliers, chefs, and hospitality innovation throughout the Southeast.
 New York Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner highlighting the people, products, and stories shaping hospitality across the Northeast.
 California Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner covering West Coast hospitality innovation, culinary trends, and foodservice leadership.
 Pizza Tomorrow Summit - Official Media Partner covering the latest innovations, leadership, and growth in the pizza industry.
 U.S. Culinary Open -Official Media Partner documenting one of America's premier live culinary competitions and the chefs competing at the highest level.
 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay - Regional media partner sharing stories from the people, restaurants, and events shaping Tampa Bay's hospitality community.
About Walk-In Talk Media
Walk-In Talk Media is an industry-recognized B2B food and hospitality media company focused on chef-driven storytelling and real conversations inside the business of food.
 Through cinematic video, photography, podcasting, documentaries, and live event coverage, Walk-In Talk Media highlights the chefs, operators, brands, and organizations shaping the future of hospitality. 
From Michelin-starred chefs and independent restaurants to manufacturers, distributors, and industry associations, Walk-In Talk Media exists to tell the stories moving hospitality forward.

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-6951710a-0184-832c-9d32-bda2c450a8ea-1" data-turn-id-container= "request-6951710a-0184-832c-9d32-bda2c450a8ea-1" data-testid= "conversation-turn-14" data-turn="assistant"> Chef Clayton Parrett has spent more than two decades in kitchens, but he still considers himself a student.
Growing up in rural South Louisiana, Clayton's earliest education came from the land. Hunting, fishing, livestock, agriculture and eventually working around a slaughterhouse taught him where food came from long before he understood that cooking would become his life.
That path eventually took him offshore, cooking on drilling operations in the Gulf for weeks at a time. The isolation and relentless routine taught him patience, discipline and responsibility, lessons that would follow him through restaurants, universities, convention centers and hotels before ultimately bringing him to the historic Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, Florida.
But Clayton says one of the biggest turning points in his career came when he learned something entirely different:
How to fail.
Accepting failure gave him permission to experiment, take chances and become more curious about food. It also helped shape a philosophy he still carries today. Clayton doesn't particularly believe in mastery. There are too many cultures, ingredients, techniques and traditions he hasn't experienced yet.
"I prefer to say I'm a student for life."
That curiosity is now helping drive the culinary direction at Fenway, where Clayton and his team are exploring global beef, ingredient provenance and the kind of luxury dining experience capable of competing on a much larger stage. One of their long-term ambitions is earning consideration among the world's leading steakhouses.
And Clayton brought that same curiosity into the Walk-In Talk studio.
Using wild boar tenderloin from studio partner Shogun Farms, Clayton created a dish rooted deeply in memories of Louisiana, incorporating field peas, persimmon, satsuma, sumac and produce from Cahaba Club. It's a plate built around the landscape and flavors that helped shape him as a chef.
He followed it with an entirely different exploration: an antelope croquette with smoked Gouda and three vibrant sauces, combining classical French technique with an ingredient many diners rarely encounter.
And then came the beef.
Japanese A5 Wagyu rated BMS 12, representing the level of sourcing, education and product knowledge Clayton and his team are working to bring to Fenway.
What's Hot Tampa Bay
Leah Wilson of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay also returns to the studio for her recurring What's Hot Tampa Bay segment, and this time the conversation is all about Best of the Bay.
Leah breaks down how the long-running Tampa Bay competition works, from public nominations and voting to the annual Best of the Bay celebration, and why the recognition means so much to the restaurants, chefs, businesses and personalities selected by the community.
There's an added connection this year: Chef Clayton Parrett and Fenway are participating in the Best of the Bay celebration, putting Clayton directly into one of the biggest hospitality and culture events on Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's calendar.
It makes for an episode that moves naturally between where a chef comes from, what keeps him learning, the food he is building today and the Tampa Bay community he is now helping shape.
Chef Clayton Parrett Fenway Hotel | Dunedin, Florida
Featuring Leah Wilson Creative Loafing Tampa Bay | What's Hot Tampa Bay
Featuring ingredients from Walk-In Talk Media studio partners Shogun Farms and Cahaba Club.
A Walk-In Talk Media production.
From the industry. For the industry.




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Key Takeaways
His culinary education began with the land. Growing up in South Louisiana gave Clayton an early understanding of animals, agriculture, seasonality and the relationship between food and community.
Work ethic became survival early. He left home young, lived with friends, finished school and worked long hours because quitting was never really part of the plan.
Offshore cooking changed him. Spending weeks at a time on Gulf drilling operations taught him patience, routine, responsibility and how to function when there is nowhere else to go.
Learning to fail changed his relationship with food. Clayton says his real passion developed once he understood that failure was acceptable as long as he kept trying.
He does not believe the learning ever ends. Rather than chasing the idea of mastery, Clayton sees himself as a lifelong student of ingredients, cultures, techniques and people.
Food is education. To Clayton, an ingredient is never just something to cook. It is an opportunity to understand geography, biology, agriculture, culture and technique.
Community remains central. Whether talking about Louisiana, hurricanes, family or his kitchen team, Clayton repeatedly comes back to the idea that people survive and grow together.
Leadership means giving knowledge away. He wants the cooks who work with him to leave knowing as much as he can possibly teach them.
The Fenway's beef program is becoming increasingly ambitious. Clayton is studying breeds, origins, grading systems and global sourcing while building a team capable of understanding luxury beef at a deeper level.
Recognition is a goal, but not the purpose. The dream of landing among the world's top steakhouses matters because of what it would say about the work of his team, not because Clayton is chasing a title for himself.
The Companies Helping Shape Hospitality
Metro Foodservice Solutions - Commercial-grade storage, transport, and workflow systems that help professional kitchens operate efficiently.
RAK Porcelain USA - Professional tableware built for performance, durability, and presentation at the highest level.
TriMark USA - North America's largest foodservice design, equipment, and supplies provider, helping operators build smarter, more efficient kitchens.
Testo North America - Precision measurement and food safety solutions designed for professional hospitality operations.
Crab Island Seafood - Florida-based manufacturer of premium seafood dips and spreads inspired by coastal flavors.
Citrus America - Commercial juicing solutions delivering consistency, speed, and quality to foodservice operators.
Cahaba Club – Growing exceptional herbs, edible flowers, and specialty produce that bring fresh flavor and vibrant presentation to our studio kitchen.
Shogun Farms - produces premium Florida wild boar through ethical sourcing, humane raising, and a natural feeding program that delivers exceptional flavor from farm to table.
Walk-In Talk Media proudly supports organizations making a measurable impact on hospitality professionals and communities across North America and beyond.
Operation BBQ Relief - Disaster response through hot meals served by culinary volunteers across the country.
Sustainable Supperclub - Community driven dining experiences focused on sustainability, food access, and social impact.
The Burnt Chef Project North America – Supporting mental health awareness and wellbeing throughout the hospitality industry.
 
Industry Events & Media Partnerships
Florida Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner delivering on-site coverage of operators, suppliers, chefs, and hospitality innovation throughout the Southeast.
 New York Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner highlighting the people, products, and stories shaping hospitality across the Northeast.
 California Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner covering West Coast hospitality innovation, culinary trends, and foodservice leadership.
 Pizza Tomorrow Summit - Official Media Partner covering the latest innovations, leadership, and growth in the pizza industry.
 U.S. Culinary Open -Official Media Partner documenting one of America's premier live culinary competitions and the chefs competing at the highest level.
 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay - Regional media partner sharing stories from the people, restaurants, and events shaping Tampa Bay's hospitality community.
About Walk-In Talk Media
Walk-In Talk Media is an industry-recognized B2B food and hospitality media company focused on chef-driven storytelling and real conversations inside the business of food.
 Through cinematic video, photography, podcasting, documentaries, and live event coverage, Walk-In Talk Media highlights the chefs, operators, brands, and organizations shaping the future of hospitality. 
From Michelin-starred chefs and independent restaurants to manufacturers, distributors, and industry associations, Walk-In Talk Media exists to tell the stories moving hospitality forward.

Brought to you by Testo North America
When contaminated produce enters the food supply, finding where it came from is only the beginning.
On this episode of Inside Food Safety, Eric Moore is joined by returning guest Kiley Harper-Larsen to examine recent Cyclospora and Salmonella investigations involving lettuce, jalapeños and the growing list of finished products affected when a single ingredient moves through a complex supply chain.
The conversation goes beyond the recalls themselves.
What food-safety standards apply to produce grown outside the United States? What are importers actually required to verify? How does an investigation move forward when laboratory testing doesn't provide a clear answer? Why can a recall continue expanding long after the original problem is discovered? And how much can a chef or restaurant operator realistically know about where their ingredients came from?
Eric and Kiley break down the realities of foreign supplier verification, FDA oversight, third-party audits, processing, repacking and traceability, while examining where vulnerabilities remain in both domestic and imported food systems.
Because when an ingredient can travel from a farm to a packing house, importer, processor, distributor and eventually a restaurant kitchen, one question becomes increasingly important:
Who is responsible for making sure it's safe?
Inside Food Safety with Eric Moore
Presented by Walk-In Talk Media
Featuring returning guest Kiley Harper-Larsen
Key Takeaways
• Food safety responsibility is shared across the supply chain. Growers, packers, importers, processors, distributors, restaurants and regulators all play a role.
• Domestic and imported food are legally expected to meet the same U.S. safety standards. The difference can be how those standards are verified and enforced throughout the supply chain.
• Recalls often expand because investigators are discovering where the original ingredient went. An expanding recall does not necessarily mean new contamination is being found each time.
• Cyclospora and Salmonella can present very different investigative challenges. Testing speed, incubation periods, epidemiology and traceability can significantly affect how quickly investigators identify the source.
• A laboratory result is only one part of an outbreak investigation. Epidemiological evidence and traceback can still help investigators identify a likely source when product testing does not provide a definitive answer.
• Repacking creates major traceability challenges. Once products from multiple farms, lots or suppliers are combined and repacked, identifying the original source can become significantly more difficult.
• Restaurants cannot realistically know every farm behind every ingredient. Strong relationships with reputable suppliers and approved vendor systems become critical when problems emerge.
• Traceability remains one of the biggest challenges. Faster, clearer product tracking could help investigators identify affected products and remove them from the food supply sooner.
• The biggest vulnerability may be the system itself. Food safety depends on many interconnected parts working correctly at the same time, from farming and water management to processing, importing, distribution and restaurant operations.
For chefs and operators, the practical question is simple: Know who you're buying from. Ask where products are coming from. Understand how seriously your suppliers take food safety and traceability.
About Inside Food Safety
Inside Food Safety examines the food-safety issues affecting restaurants, foodservice operators, manufacturers, distributors and consumers, bringing industry professionals into the conversation to separate regulation, headlines and real-world food safety.
Featuring
Eric Moore
Food Safety Expert | Testo North America
Kiley Harper-Larsen
Food and Produce Safety Professional | Ag Safety Lady
Inside Food Safety is brought to you by Testo North America.
A Walk-In Talk Media production.
From the industry. For the industry.

Chef Olivia Giesler never planned on becoming a chef.
Growing up in Ohio, medicine seemed like the logical path. She studied biology and chemistry with plans for a career in healthcare. But an experience in Costa Rica at seventeen, followed by an opportunity inside Mitchell's Ocean Club, introduced her to a completely different world.
The kitchen won.
Olivia went all in: culinary school, competition teams, restaurant openings, long days, motherhood and eventually the challenge of becoming Executive Chef of The Pearl in Tampa.
Today, The Pearl has been recognized by the Michelin Guide three consecutive years. But Olivia doesn't measure success by plaques, titles or what comes next.
For her, it's about the journey. The people who believed in her. The cooks she now gets to mentor. The team beside her. And the relentless pursuit of getting a little better every day.
In this episode of Walk-In Talk, Chef Olivia Giesler talks about choosing the kitchen over medicine, traveling to Costa Rica at seventeen, becoming a mother while building a culinary career, opening The Pearl, Michelin recognition, mentorship, leadership and why hospitality has always been about people.
"The guide isn't what defines us. It's the journey." — Chef Olivia Giesler
Takeaways:
She didn't grow up planning to be a chef. Medicine was the expected path, but the kitchen was where she felt alive.
Costa Rica at 17 was a pivotal experience. It exposed her to food, culture, travel, risk and independence at a formative age.
She is wired for challenge. She repeatedly describes herself as relentless, competitive and energized by discomfort.
Her career was built through immersion. Culinary school, full-time work, competitions, volunteering, store openings, mentorship.
Mentorship is one of the emotional cores of the episode. People invested in her early, and now she feels responsible for doing the same for younger cooks.
Motherhood reshaped her ambition without killing it. She learned there are seasons when family has to come first and seasons when she can go full throttle professionally.
Opening The Pearl was one of the hardest things she's done. First Executive Chef role, new concept, new team, opening pressures, construction, hiring, systems, all at once.
Michelin recognition matters, but it doesn't define her. She is proud of it, but her identity is not built around awards.
Her philosophy is rooted in hospitality. The biggest throughline is people, care, intention and giving others a great experience.
Her cooking philosophy is deliberate. Nothing is on the plate by accident, down to the carrots, egg, acid, garnish and texture.
Her best line may actually be this: "I'm relentlessly passionate about life."
Another excellent line is: "The guide isn't what defines us; it's the journey."
 
The Companies Helping Shape Hospitality
Metro Foodservice Solutions - Commercial-grade storage, transport, and workflow systems that help professional kitchens operate efficiently.
RAK Porcelain USA - Professional tableware built for performance, durability, and presentation at the highest level.
TriMark USA - North America's largest foodservice design, equipment, and supplies provider, helping operators build smarter, more efficient kitchens.
Testo North America - Precision measurement and food safety solutions designed for professional hospitality operations.
Crab Island Seafood - Florida-based manufacturer of premium seafood dips and spreads inspired by coastal flavors.
Citrus America - Commercial juicing solutions delivering consistency, speed, and quality to foodservice operators.
Cahaba Club – Growing exceptional herbs, edible flowers, and specialty produce that bring fresh flavor and vibrant presentation to our studio kitchen.
Shogun Farms - produces premium Florida wild boar through ethical sourcing, humane raising, and a natural feeding program that delivers exceptional flavor from farm to table.
Walk-In Talk Media proudly supports organizations making a measurable impact on hospitality professionals and communities across North America and beyond.
Operation BBQ Relief - Disaster response through hot meals served by culinary volunteers across the country.
Sustainable Supperclub - Community driven dining experiences focused on sustainability, food access, and social impact.
The Burnt Chef Project North America – Supporting mental health awareness and wellbeing throughout the hospitality industry.
 
Industry Events & Media Partnerships
Florida Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner delivering on-site coverage of operators, suppliers, chefs, and hospitality innovation throughout the Southeast.
 New York Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner highlighting the people, products, and stories shaping hospitality across the Northeast.
 California Restaurant Show - Official Media Partner covering West Coast hospitality innovation, culinary trends, and foodservice leadership.
 Pizza Tomorrow Summit - Official Media Partner covering the latest innovations, leadership, and growth in the pizza industry.
 U.S. Culinary Open -Official Media Partner documenting one of America's premier live culinary competitions and the chefs competing at the highest level.
 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay - Regional media partner sharing stories from the people, restaurants, and events shaping Tampa Bay's hospitality community.
About Walk-In Talk Media
Walk-In Talk Media is an industry-recognized B2B food and hospitality media company focused on chef-driven storytelling and real conversations inside the business of food.
 Through cinematic video, photography, podcasting, documentaries, and live event coverage, Walk-In Talk Media highlights the chefs, operators, brands, and organizations shaping the future of hospitality. 
From Michelin-starred chefs and independent restaurants to manufacturers, distributors, and industry associations, Walk-In Talk Media exists to tell the stories moving hospitality forward.