The meez Podcast
Josh Sharkey (Entrepreneur, professional chef, and founder/CEO of meez, the culinaryOS for food professionals) interviews world class entrepreneurs in the food space that are shifting the paradigm of how we innovate and operate in our industry.
Episodes
158 episodes
Janello On Red Sauce Joints, Chicken Parm, And What Makes Them Last
#146Josh sits down with Jason Anello, better known as Janello, at Da Nico on Mulberry Street in Manhattan's Little Italy. Janello is an experience strategist on a mission to bring back dinnertime. That inspired him to create The R...
Rocco DiSpirito talks technique, content creation, and the path of the modern chef
#145Josh sits down with chef, restaurateur, author, and television pioneer Rocco DiSpirito for a wide-ranging conversation about how dramatically the path of a chef has changed. Recorded at Bar Rocco, the episode begins with Josh ...
Revisiting Epic Conversations: Wylie Dufresne of Stretch Pizza, Du's Donuts, Alder, and wd~50 (Part 2)
We’re revisiting Part Two of Josh’s conversation with legendary chef Wylie Dufresne, continuing their fireside chat from the annual meez team summit at the Tarrytown Estates outside New York City. After exploring the story and philosophy behind...
Revisiting Epic Conversations: Wylie Dufresne of Stretch Pizza, Du's Donuts, Alder and wd~50 (Part 1)
We’re revisiting one of the standout conversations from the meez Podcast archive. In this episode, Josh sits down with legendary chef Wylie Dufresne for a conversation on creativity, leadership, and the tension between making great art and buil...
Revisiting Epic Conversations: John Karangis - Executive Chef, VP of Culinary Innovation Shake Shack
Revisiting Viral meez Episodes — we're bringing back one of the most-listened-to conversations in meez Podcast history. This episode originally aired October 31, 2023.Have you ever wondered who is behind all of the new and exciting flavo...
Kenny Warner on How AI Models Really Work, Why Clean Data Wins, and the Future of Restaurant AI
#144Josh and Mike sit down with Kenny Warner, VP of Data Science and Engineering at meez, for a conversation that starts with Kenny's unlikely path into tech leaving college after his sophomore year to launch a cause-marketing sta...
From Dishwasher to Restaurant Empire: Cameron Mitchell on Loyalty and Culture
#143Josh sits down with Cameron Mitchell, founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, to explore the leadership philosophy behind one of the country's most respected independent restaurant groups. Cameron shares the remarkabl...
Drew Nieporent on Nobu, Tribeca Grill, and the Art of the Restaurateur
#142Josh sits down with Drew Nieporent, one of the most influential restaurateurs in American dining and the man behind Montrachet, Tribeca Grill, Nobu, Corton, and Bâtard. Over four decades he opened 40 restaurants and has partne...
Maddy Shannon on 'the Anticipate and deliver' approach, the price of a restaurant meal, and the Ai paradigm
#141Josh sits down with Maddy Shannon, Head of Product Strategy at SpotOn, who has spent her career making independent restaurants more profitable. From a start at Bain, to the business team at The Alinea Group under Nick Kokonas,...
Deirdre Auld On Leading With Curiosity, Not Fixing
#140Josh sits down with Deirdre Auld, CEO and partner of Coda Restaurant Group in Boston, whose portfolio includes SRV, Baleia, Gufo, The Salty Pig, and the soon-to-open Celine. Deirdre traces her circuitous path into hospitality ...
Xavier from OEO on restaurant bookkeepers vs Ai and how to charge corkage fees
#139Josh and Mike sit down with Xavier Mariezcurrena Vega, co-founder of Over Easy Office and ChouxBox to trace the winding road that took him from busing tables as a teenager to running a 400-person back-office operation spannin...
28 years inside Nobu with Chef Thomas Buckley, why Nobu's legacy continues to grow, lasting relationships, and Thomas' $250 Grilled Cheese
#138Josh sits down with Thomas Buckley, Corporate Executive Chef of Nobu Restaurants and one of the key culinary leaders behind more than 60 Nobu locations worldwide. Thomas shares the unlikely path that took him from a vegetarian...
Jenn Saesue and Chat Suansilphong of Fish Cheeks, Bangkok Supper Club and now Bubs Bakery on Thai cuisine and how to actually make good gluten free baked goods
#137Josh sits down with Jenn Saesue and Chat Suansilphong, co-founders of 55 Hospitality, recorded at Bangkok Supper Club. Chat learned to cook in his father's restaurant in Thailand before the CIA and Colicchio & Sons. Jenn o...
Ming-Tai Huh on Square's 40% layoff, the restaurant tech stack, and the dream of one day quantifying the ROI of marketing.
#136Josh and Mike sit down with Ming-Tai Huh, restaurateur, MIT graduate, former Toast and Square executive, and co-founder of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. Ming shares the unlikely path that took him from management consult...
Why the Best Champagne Comes From Growers, Not the Big Houses. Plus Per Se's Yes vs Noma's No, and working with your spouse.
#135Josh sits down with chef and sommelier Sandia Chang for a conversation that spans 20 years of restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic. From her start on the fish station at Bouley in 2003, to four years at Per Se under Thoma...
Acclaimed actress, Tony award winner and Iron Chef judge Julie White chopping it up with Josh on all things food TV and the best food movies
#134Josh sits down with Tony Award-winning actress Julie White for a wildly entertaining deep dive into the evolution of food television, from the chaotic brilliance of Iron Chef Japan to Chef’s Table, Top Chef, and the modern re...
Greg Baxtrom on his first cookbook, sobriety, the reality of chef driven restaurants, and the babysitter math of dining out decisions
#133Josh sits down with chef Greg Baxtrom fora a conversation about his newly released book, Nothing Matters but Delicious: A Radically Honest Cookbook released this week. Greg dives into his thoughts on ambition, addiction,...
Is your restaurant you're favorite place to be? Plus authentic is a construct, working with your life partner, and wild stories of pigs in walk-ins
#132Josh and Mike sit down with Todd Duplechan, chef and co-owner behind Lenoir, Dovetail Pizza, and the newly opened Bonnie’s, for a wide-ranging conversation that blends wild kitchen stories with deeper reflections on what it ac...
How Chili's Got Hot Again and the K-Shaped Economy Debate
#131Josh sits down with Michael Jacober for a wide-ranging conversation about restaurant value, shifting diner behavior, and why legacy brands like Chili’s are suddenly feeling relevant again. They unpack the idea of a “K-shaped” ...
In the Ai weeds with Sterling Douglass. And "Build or Buy?" is now a decision every restaurant can make with their tech stack.
#130Josh sits down with Sterling Douglass, CEO and co-founder of Chowly, alongside Michael Jacober, for a deep dive into how AI is reshaping the restaurant and technology landscape in real time. What starts as a conversation about...
Tony Aiazzi on bootrapping, Over Easy Office, and bespoke chef knives. Plus Ai as the last mile and singing Chef David Burke's praise.
#129Josh sits down with Tony Aiazzi for a wide-ranging conversation about restaurant tech, bootstrapping, and the hidden operational work that keeps hospitality businesses running. Tony shares his path from the Culinary Institute ...
Free Money and explaining GPOs with Rich Kemp of Buyer's Edge, plus will Ai actually make things cheaper?
#128This episode starts with a practical look at one of the least understood parts of the restaurant business: group purchasing organizations. Josh, Matt, and Mike are joined by Rich Kemp, whose background in food distribution and...
QuickFire: Chef Vojtech Vegh
#127Josh sits down with Chef Vojtech Vegh for a quickfire episode packed with eye-opening zero waste cooking ideas, from turning avocado seeds into tea to transforming banana peels into something that tastes like pulled pork. Vojt...
Should Every Restaurant Have a $5 Beer? Plus the Industry Tipping Point, ADHD as a Superpower, Frequency always wins
#126Josh, Mike, and Matt sits down with Keith Benjamin, nightlife operator and co-founder behind Uptown Social, Share House, Bodega, By The Way, and The Waverly, for a conversation about betting big, building brands, and turning h...
Who really is “The Man”? Plus tallow replacing seed oils, and slinging premade pancakes.
#125Josh sits down with Matthew Conway and Michael Jacober for a spirited conversation about restaurant pricing, profitability, and what guests are actually paying for when they go out. What starts with a nearly $9 Modelo in New Y...