Walk-In Talk Podcast

Chef Felicia Lacalle's story is about much more than food.
The Tampa chef and partner at Quiote Tequilaria sits down with Walk-In Talk Podcast for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, divorce, single motherhood, failed partnerships, financial hardship, faith, and the long road back to herself.
Felicia began cooking at a young age, inspired by her mother, her Mexican and Cuban heritage, and even childhood afternoons watching Julia Child. She went on to graduate from Johnson & Wales, spend more than a decade at Roy's, and eventually earn national recognition at Hemingway's—including a first-place win at the 2018 International Cuban Sandwich Festival.
But behind the accolades were years of setbacks and painful choices.
Felicia opens up about substance abuse, losing businesses, destructive relationships, rebuilding as a single mother, returning to faith, and learning how to recognize the patterns that nearly derailed her life.
Today, she is entering a new chapter as a partner at Quiote Tequilaria, where her Mexican roots, Cuban influence, and decades of kitchen experience come together in food that is deeply personal.
The episode also features two dishes prepared in the Walk-In Talk Media studio: duck enmoladas with Oaxacan cheese and a wild boar pork belly dish with boniato mash, charred baby leeks, and pickled mustard seeds.
This is a conversation about resilience, accountability, faith, mental health, restaurant life, and what it takes to rebuild when the life you imagined falls apart.
Featured Dishes
During her Walk-In Talk Media studio session, Chef Felicia prepared two deeply personal dishes that reflect both sides of her culinary heritage. The first was Duck Enmoladas—house-made corn tortillas filled with duck confit, topped with pistachio mole, Oaxacan cheese from Salerno Dairy, crema, and chile de árbol pickled onions. Her second dish showcased Shogun Farms wild boar pork belly, slowly braised with sour orange, garlic and spices, served over brown butter boniato purée with charred baby leeks and pickled mustard seeds—a modern interpretation inspired by her Cuban roots.
Special thanks to our newest studio partner, Shogun Farms, for supplying the premium wild boar pork belly featured in this episode. Their commitment to responsible farming and exceptional specialty proteins helped bring this remarkable dish to life.
Key Takeaways
Success isn't about avoiding failure—it's about refusing to let failure define who you become.
Faith became the foundation that helped Felicia rebuild her life after addiction, divorce, financial hardship, and personal loss.
The restaurant industry can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also magnify mental health struggles, addiction, burnout, and unhealthy lifestyles.
Self-reflection, accountability, and therapy were essential in breaking destructive personal and generational patterns.
Every setback—from failed partnerships to losing businesses—became preparation for the opportunity she has today.
Roy's shaped Felicia's discipline, leadership, and respect for kitchen culture, providing the foundation for her career.
Great food is deeply personal. Life experiences, heritage, and emotional growth ultimately influence what ends up on the plate.
Leadership begins with culture. Felicia believes respect, accountability, and creating a healthy kitchen environment are just as important as culinary skill.
Building something meaningful often requires walking away from situations—even successful ones—that no longer align with your purpose.
Quiote Tequilaria represents more than a restaurant; it represents a lifetime of perseverance, healing, and finally feeling at home in her craft.
Breaking generational cycles requires intentional choices, discipline, and the courage to confront your own mistakes.
Hospitality professionals don't have to face their struggles alone. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
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.
UNOX - Intelligent commercial cooking technology designed to improve consistency, efficiency, and kitchen performance.
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.

One of the largest Cyclospora outbreaks in U.S. history has placed fresh produce safety under the national spotlight.
In this episode of Inside Food Safety, presented by Testo North America, Carl Fiadini and co-host Eric Moore are joined by nationally recognized produce safety expert Kiley Harper-Larsen, M.S., Owner of The Ag Safety Lady and a food safety executive with more than two decades of experience spanning farms, processing facilities, audits, crisis management and regulatory compliance.  She has spent her career working everywhere from farms and packing houses to boardrooms, recalls and FDA inspections.
Together, they examine the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak linked to Taylor Farms and discuss what is currently known, what remains unknown, and why outbreaks like this are among the most difficult events for the produce industry to investigate.
Topics include:
• What Cyclospora is and how it spreads
• Why produce outbreaks are uniquely challenging to trace
• Farm-to-table food safety systems
• Supply chain accountability
• Worker hygiene and agricultural water
• Consumer risk and practical guidance
• The role of technology and testing
• What the industry must do to prevent future outbreaks
Rather than assigning blame, this conversation explores the science, the systems and the lessons that can help strengthen food safety across the entire supply chain.
Guest:
Kiley Harper-Larsen, M.S.
Owner & Lead Consultant, The Ag Safety Lady
Former Corporate Safety Director, A. Duda & Sons
Former Vice President of Product & Personnel Safety, J&J Family of Farms
Presented by Testo North America

Recorded live in New Orleans during an unprecedented week that brought together the Louisiana Restaurant Association Expo, Bocuse d'Or USA, and the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), this special edition of Inside Food Safety explores the unseen systems that protect some of the world's greatest restaurants.
Host Carl Fiadini is joined by Chef Sean "Pooch" Rivera and Eric Moore of Testo North America for a conversation on why food safety has become one of the most critical ingredients in modern hospitality.
From New Orleans' centuries-old restaurant buildings and aging infrastructure to large-scale convention center operations serving thousands of guests, the discussion examines the real-world challenges chefs and operators face every day. The team also explores how technology is helping restaurants monitor refrigeration, cooking oil quality, food temperatures, and inventory—protecting both guests and businesses from costly failures.
Along the way, Carl reflects on the incredible opportunity to film the world's top chefs during Bocuse d'Or, including icons like Emeril Lagasse, Daniel Boulud, and many of today's most celebrated culinary professionals, while highlighting the often-overlooked role food safety plays in supporting culinary excellence.
Whether you own a restaurant, work in hospitality, or simply want a behind-the-scenes look at what keeps world-class kitchens operating safely, this episode offers valuable insights from the heart of one of America's greatest food cities.
Topics include:
Food safety in historic restaurant cities

Why New Orleans presents unique operational challenges

Temperature monitoring and refrigeration protection

How automation helps reduce human error

Protecting inventory during storms and power outages

Cooking oil management and food quality

The connection between culinary excellence and food safety

Behind the scenes at Bocuse d'Or, LRA Expo, and IAFP 2026

Inside Food Safety is hosted by Carl Fiadini and presented in partnership with Testo North America, exploring the people, technology, and best practices shaping safer kitchens across the foodservice industry.

Chef Christian Gill's story is about far more than restaurants, television, or beating Bobby Flay. It is a story of identity, loss, resilience, and learning how to rebuild when life changes without warning.
Raised by a single mother in Lexington, Kentucky, Christian found his creative voice through theater before earning the title of chef through years of hard work in professional kitchens. He created ambitious culinary experiences at the Cincinnati Art Museum, helped build Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey alongside his best friend and business partner, PJ, and later faced the unimaginable task of leading the restaurant after PJ's sudden passing—just before COVID brought the hospitality industry to a standstill.
Christian opens up about grief, therapy, restaurant ownership, and the pressure to keep pushing through when stopping may be the healthier choice. He also shares how six weeks of mentorship under Guy Fieri changed his approach to television, what it took to defeat Bobby Flay with his signature shrimp bánh mì, and why that victory changed the trajectory of his entertainment career.
Today, Christian continues to create as a culinary leader with Spiceology while growing The Culinary Gang through consulting, content, collaborations, pop-ups, and one-of-a-kind dining experiences.
This is a conversation about becoming yourself, earning your place, and discovering how many times a person can reinvent themselves before finding the next chapter.
 
BRAND PARTNERS
Metro Foodservice Solutions & Trimark USA
https://www.metro.com 
Commercial-grade storage, transport, and workflow systems trusted across professional kitchens.
TriMark USA
TriMark is the largest foodservice design, equipment, and supplies provider in North America, helping operators build, equip, and optimize hospitality kitchens through design-build expertise, sourcing, installation, and service.
RAK Porcelain USA
https://www.rakporcelain.com

Professional tableware engineered for durability and presentation.

Citrus America
https://www.citrusamerica.com

Premium citrus solutions supporting chefs, retailers, and distributors.

Crab Island Seafood
https://crabislandseafood.com

Florida-based supplier delivering responsibly sourced seafood to foodservice partners.

Testo North America
https://www.testo.com/en-US

Precision measurement and food safety solutions for professional kitchens.

CAUSE PARTNERS

The Burnt Chef Project
https://www.theburntchefproject.com

Advocating for mental health awareness in the hospitality industry.

Operation BBQ Relief
https://operationbbqrelief.org

Providing meals to communities impacted by natural disasters.

Sustainable Supperclub
https://www.sustainablesupperclub.com
Pop-up dining experiences focused on sustainability and food access.

TRADE SHOW & INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Florida Restaurant Show
https://www.therestaurantshows.com/florida/

New York Restaurant Show
https://www.therestaurantshows.com/new-york/

California Restaurant Show
https://www.therestaurantshows.com/california/

Pizza Tomorrow Summit
https://www.pizzatomorrow.com/

U.S. Culinary Open
https://www.usculinaryopen.com/About

Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
https://www.cltampa.com

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.

The Live Fire Report with Frederic Casagrande
Episode 1
What happens when engineering meets live-fire cooking?
In the premiere episode of The Live Fire Report, BBQ champion and pitmaster Frederic Casagrande travels to Château Grillrost in France to sit down with the family behind Grillrost—one of Europe's most innovative live-fire cooking companies.
Rather than competing with the biggest grill manufacturers, Grillrost has built its reputation by solving the problems pitmasters encounter every day. From patented accessories and modular cooking systems to products designed to last for generations, every piece begins with one question:
How can we make grilling better?
Frederic explores the company's unique family culture, German engineering philosophy, rapid product innovation, and why quality—not price—continues to drive every decision they make.
This conversation isn't just about barbecue equipment.
It's about craftsmanship, independent thinking, and the people pushing live-fire cooking forward.
In this episode:
• How Grillrost grew from a single custom grill into an international brand
• Why family ownership fuels faster innovation
• The philosophy behind German engineering
• Designing products that last a lifetime
• Competing with industry giants by improving—not replacing—the grill
• Why the future of barbecue may actually return to its roots: real fire
 
About
The Live Fire Report
The Live Fire Report is a WITM Original hosted by BBQ champion Frederic Casagrande, exploring the people, craftsmanship, innovation, and culture shaping the world of live-fire cooking. Each episode features conversations with pitmasters, chefs, manufacturers, and industry leaders from around the globe who are advancing barbecue through passion, engineering, and tradition.