Chef Jennifer H. Booker: A Multifaceted Culinary Force

Get ready to spice up your culinary knowledge and feast on the wisdom of seasoned chefs as we whisk you away to the bustling heart of downtown Miami. With sizzling discussions led by myself, Carl Fiadini, and the remarkable Chef Jennifer H. Booker, you're in for a savory blend of mentorship tales, industry triumphs, and a dash of Southern charm. We're celebrating a milestone for Walk Talk podcast, hitting a staggering 2.4 million downloads, and there's no better way to mark the occasion than with flavorful stories and a side of Miami's vibrant culture.

This episode stirs up a rich conversation about the warm embrace of camaraderie in the culinary world. Hear the heartfelt narrative of Chef Darren C. Thompson, who expresses his gratitude for the guidance under Chef Booker's wing, shedding light on the value of mentorship for chefs of color. We'll toast to the incredible journey from historical cooking techniques to modern kitchen innovations, and you, our dear listener, will savor the insights on how personal heritage seasons a chef's approach to every dish.

As we plate up the final course, we navigate the nuanced relationships between mentors

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:56

The views and opinions on this episode of the Walk Talk podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of any on-air personalities, sponsors, partners or companies affiliated with Walk Talk Media. Explicit language and sensitive content warning. Hello Food Fam. This is the Walk Talk podcast, where you will find the perfect blend of food, fun and cooking knowledge. I'm your host, carl Fiadini. Welcome to the number one food podcast in the country. We are podcasting from.

Speaker 1: 1:36

Oh boy, we're in downtown Miami, it's hot, it's spicy and we are here for the F&B at Sea show. Thank you, jackie Pressinger, you are awesome. First things first. Last week we had Lisa Leventhal. She was on the show and if you're into barbecue and whiskey and you missed that episode I think you should go back and check it out. It was pretty badass. So today Jeff is cooking up some Creekstone Farm Prime ribeyes. More on that momentarily, you know. Speaking of Creekstone, thank you Peninsula Food Service for supplying the proteins for today's production Chefs in the central Florida area. Peninsula is the largest distributor of Creekstone Farm beef in the southeast USA. They are complete with a fully staffed butcher shop to help solve all your kitchen inconsistencies. Check out their dry age program too. Our guest this week is Chef Jennifer Booker, restaurant owner and food advocate. She's got a pretty amazing resume. I'm going to let her talk all about it, but first Jeff Jefferson, it's late and we're having a blast. Pop the clutch, baby Slamming the pre-shift, and what is happening?

Speaker 2: 2:59

You know it's been a really good day today. I mean, it started out very early.

Speaker 3: 3:05

Extremely early.

Speaker 2: 3:07

But I think this opportunity to take the time to have a great dinner with friends was, I think, a blast. And thank you from Peninsula. We did a ribeye today and it was prime ribeye. I charred him yesterday, just did a beautiful seye today and it was prime ribeye. I charred them yesterday, just did a beautiful sear.

Speaker 2: 3:24

But I wanted to showcase because we've got some chefs that are in studio here that I had to make sure I had to show what Florida is all about and I wanted to showcase certain herbs, certain blends. So I did a mojito kind mojo driven rub on the actual steak. I wanted to showcase the beautiful Chinese broccoli that's local to Tampa and I charred that on this actual grill and the same kind of marinade that I did with the um, uh, the steak, the corn, which was the elote that I was trying to, you know, kind of play there as well. I did a green he they sauce, which it's the sauce that I'm going to have actually coming out soon, called PTSD. Put that poo I can't really want to say the S, but it's put that blank on anything.

Speaker 2: 4:15

It's. It's just amazing for me to have, you know, these, these, these individuals, in the studio today and we'll get to them in a second. Showcase them my food, kind of like. It's. It's an outreach of what, who you are as a chef. It's a it's putting your soul into something and and you want to just introduce people to your cooking. That's basically what I try to do that's pretty awesome.

Speaker 2: 4:37

Um, and then there's jackie pressinger and the backdrop like right behind me, because I see our two guests looking both from my shoulder, because I picked the perfect place not to be correct and I know what's over my shoulder. It's absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

Speaker 1: 4:54

it is, it's this is our hometown, yes, and it's different. I don't recognize this place, not even nearly a bit.

Speaker 2: 5:02

I, I really don't only only only that section we went to originally.

Speaker 1: 5:07

No, no, no we're not doing that. Yeah, all right, but here's the deal um. It's the f and b at c show and great show. It's he, it's badass. There's. It's in two convention centers. It's at the winwood convention center and shuttled over to the miami beach yeah, and over at the miami beach convention right and do the food and the cocktails and the people and the speakeasy. Oh my gosh, it was really what a great day.

Speaker 2: 5:32

I mean the speaking, by the way, just dope, wait, wait.

Speaker 1: 5:34

Speaking of dope, I just you know pooch is with us today too. Yeah, you know, I mean like yeah, dope, not like hey, he's a dope, I'm just. I just want to be clear about that, you know, because I kind of said he's off to our left um, you know, pooch rivera is in the house. Yeah, I flew in for this too, but he's like he's all over the place with us now.

Speaker 2: 5:51

Huh yeah, it's awesome to have him in town too yeah, pooch baby.

Speaker 1: 5:57

Yeah, man're. At what floor are we? Was it 23rd?

Speaker 2: 6:02

23rd floor.

Speaker 1: 6:03

It's run the 23rd floor downtown miami. It's florida ceiling windows in this thing and um and the door's open.

Speaker 2: 6:09

That's why you heard the siren in their sirens. Yeah, we're in miami, there's.

Speaker 1: 6:13

There's no question about it. I got um the heat, yeah he just won.

Speaker 2: 6:18

Okay, that was that was clarified. They're in the playoff game, right Alright, so.

Speaker 1: 6:24

Back to food. So this trade show is a huge deal and we came in as press Walk Talk podcast, walk Talk media and it's kind of a big deal for us. You know we're coming along.

Speaker 3: 6:38

I mean we're at like 2.7 million downloads right now.

Speaker 1: 6:42

I did this it's just weird. Yeah, stupid, but that's in four months in four months, so we're like a one point 1.7 million in four months correct yeah, because we hit a. We hit a mill between october of 22 to october of 23 so what in 1.7 in four months?

Speaker 2: 7:01

I?

Speaker 1: 7:01

mean.

Speaker 2: 7:02

That doesn't add up to me, no, it doesn't.

Speaker 1: 7:04

We're kind of a big deal, but you know.

Speaker 2: 7:05

No, no, no.

Speaker 1: 7:06

I'm kidding, we're not. No, our stomachs are, my stomach is. But yeah, we're meeting a lot of really cool people at this show. Yeah, as it turns out, you know some folks.

Speaker 2: 7:21

Yeah, it was weird today running into peeps I haven't seen for a couple years.

Speaker 1: 7:24

I'm not going to name them. I saw two people that I knew in a previous produce life and I avoided it. Oh yeah, yeah, never there, yeah, next week. I didn't need that in my life.

Speaker 2: 7:36

Today I will tell you some of the plant-based products out there that we tried today. Um that, that age pumps on cheese was just wow, yeah, yeah. So there I mean kudos to that industry coming to like where it was, to where it needs to be spectacular.

Speaker 1: 7:52

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:52

And you have to chef chef Rob Hodge, we need to get him on. Yes, yes, little chef, mini me, me just got to make sure we have our milk crate for him but then we met. Roy yes yes and and where's Roy from bar bar bar rescue? And then we also met the other one from Bretton Brough, sievertin. Yeah, barton, sie Look, this is a great, this is a great show for us.

Speaker 1: 8:23

But more importantly, most importantly, um, we have, uh, the chef, jennifer Booker, in house, and to me she's eclipsing everyone. I don't, I don't care about none of these other people, because right now it's her. It's her and I, and I did, obviously we just did have a, uh, an eclipse uh, the other day. So it's apropos and uh, chef, welcome to the program well, thank you for having me no, thank you for being here.

Speaker 1: 8:56

I mean, at the end of the day. We've had some pretty colorful conversation for the last hour and a half here leading, leading up to this podcast, and we're not going to talk about not not one bit of it.

Speaker 2: 9:12

Um, but I think Not a generous answer. Yes, she's going to.

Speaker 1: 9:17

Unless you want to, whatever. But here's the thing, you're cool.

Speaker 4: 9:21

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 9:22

You're cool and before we get into everything, do me a favor, Do the audience a favor. Just maybe do like the airplane view of kind of who you are, what you do and how you got there.

Speaker 4: 9:37

Absolutely so. I am a professional chef, I'm a culinary educator, a cookbook author, restaurant owner and a food advocate, lucky enough to have found my calling straight out of culinary school and am blessed enough to make a living doing what I love.

Speaker 1: 10:02

And how long have you actually been in the business?

Speaker 4: 10:05

More than 10 years. Okay.

Speaker 2: 10:07

I love that Cloak and dagger.

Speaker 1: 10:10

It's more than 10 years. I'm not trying to find out the age, okay, I would never do that.

Speaker 2: 10:16

We know who the oldest is, and it's not you, carl.

Speaker 1: 10:18

No, it's not, I'm happy about that. We know who the oldest is, and it's not you, carl. No, it's not, I'm happy about that.

Speaker 2: 10:21

It's probably you, it is me.

Speaker 1: 10:22

It is 100% me. I feel great.

Speaker 2: 10:27

Oh, shots fired From the millennial, oh shit.

Speaker 4: 10:32

You were talking to me at the talk earlier. You deserve that.

Speaker 1: 10:38

We have a whole Airbnb full of chefs. I'm glad there's not a lot Of sharp objects or pans to be thrown, because I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2: 10:47

We had a beverage person come in, so we're very sedated.

Speaker 5: 10:52

A sommelier, a cookbook editor and a sommelier to join the chef, to keep us civilized.

Speaker 2: 10:59

And he's done a really good job. I'll tell you the cookbook editor and his sommelier to join the chef to keep us civilized.

Speaker 1: 11:02

Yes, and he's done a really good job. I tell you so. Also here from the Henry is Chef Darren C Thompson, executive chef.

Speaker 2: 11:13

So also welcome for being here and then what's the connection between chef booker and yourself?

Speaker 5: 11:19

so I love this story chef booker is a a mentor of mine, right? She's taking care of me in this culinary business when a lot of chefs have not. You know, um, I appreciate her, I respect her. She invited me tonight um to be here with her and that's why I'm here, just to be a part of Chef Jennifer Booker.

Speaker 1: 11:45

That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard from a chef in my entire 30 years of this business.

Speaker 2: 11:51

And that's what we don't hear. As chefs, we do this for Dana and out and I know I'm going to speak for Chef Booker possibly, and she might jump in and I apologize if.

Speaker 1: 11:59

I am out of tune. I'm fairly certain that she will jump in. Yeah yeah, Alpha male female. That's part of the whole story.

Speaker 2: 12:07

Anyhow, what? What you just witnessed was a true like testament of what a true chef is. You know, you ask about what the difference between a chef and a cook is and then there's so many different people out there saying it. What you just witnessed was what the difference between a chef and a cook is that bond, that the chef saw a special thing in him that encouraged him not to give up on that final whatever it was he needed to achieve. She saw something in him, that bright light and that's what we do, we see things and that he'll pay that forward to his one, that he sees that light, and so on and so forth, and that is just a beautiful thing. So thank you for educating him and all of us.

Speaker 1: 12:53

So that was beautiful. So not only are you all the things that you are, but you're also a mentor and you're a mentee. Is here, or one of the mentees probably. I mean, I'm sure there's, there's a line of them. I have to believe that Just by the hour and a half conversation, I know this is true.

Speaker 2: 13:14

She's one of my mentors. I mean what she's been through everything in the last three, four years that we've known each other, yeah.

Speaker 5: 13:23

Well, a mentor is not the, the physical, what you've done for someone right. A mentor is the light that you shine right.

Speaker 2: 13:31

The positivity that you can get the example we need to lead.

Speaker 5: 13:34

You know, and so that's where Eli is here, you know, it's the example. I was introduced to Chef Booker by another chef who's my mentor, who they shared a mentor Right, and the light that she showed and the light that she shined upon me is stuck with me forever and it will always continue to stick with me.

Speaker 4: 13:59

You know, when you have an official hype man, You're a personal cheerleader.

Speaker 3: 14:02

No, that's really cool to hear. That's right, and security detail.

Speaker 2: 14:06

I heard it first ear.

Speaker 4: 14:08

Because, like being in the industry and looking for someone that looked like me you know a black female in the industry it just was no one I could find that represented that. So then you look for another mentor that could back you up. They don't want anything from you, but to see you do well and to be able to pay that forward is like huge. Because you know, for me, I'm still in the industry, I'm still doing my thing, I'm still wanting to succeed and make a difference. But to have other chefs who look at me and say, yo, you're a shining light for what I want to do is nothing I plan to do or aspire to be. But the fact that I could be that for them is really humbling, because I looked for that my entire career and didn't find it. So to be that for someone else is very huge.

Speaker 1: 15:04

That is very special. How did your Southern heritage and French training influence your style of cuisine?

Speaker 4: 15:14

Oh, absolutely so. My family is from the Mississippi Delta and we own land and we have farms and I grew up watching my grandparents, my great aunts and uncle, work the land and you know, raise chickens and the garden and slaughter hogs and all those things. And I went to culinary school, which was classical French, and then I was able to work in the industry and then go to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, france, which I call my finishing school, and people are like, well, how does Southern and French like go together? I'm like, well, if you know the history of America, you know that the slaves cook the foods of the slave owners. So perhaps your slave owner was French, or maybe they were Spanish, or maybe they were British, so for me they were French.

Speaker 4: 16:32

And if you look at culinary cuisine and you do a braise, that's French right. So if you do other types of cuisine and you look at where it came from, that is a French influence. So my heritage is definitely deep rooted, deep South, but with that French influence. And I call it different sides of the same culinary coin. If you do French, you definitely do Southern. If you do Southern definitely do French.

Speaker 1: 17:08

So you have a thriving community, I would say. And how do you engage, you know, regarding cookbooks and demonstrations, and how are you engaging with everyone?

Speaker 4: 17:25

Wow, that's a big question.

Speaker 1: 17:27

And you know, when you're speaking with people, does that influence any direction, culinarily speaking, that you're going to head, or is it just like, hey, you know what, I have my own way and that's kind of where I'm going to go with it? Well, I think it's.

Speaker 4: 17:42

You have to be authentic, right, like this is where I come from, this is what I know, this is what I cook. But I'm not so arrogant to say I can't learn from everybody. I talk to, like, well, what is your experience and what do you cook and where do you come from and where do we meet? Right? Oh, you love slow cooking, beans and greens and maybe you do whole hog barbecue. Okay, I can recognize that because that's where I come from. So I think, for me, I'm very humble in the sense that I can always learn more and where I come from is very small and the huge umbrella of culinary cuisine, and so I can talk to you or Chef Jeffrey or Chef Darren and we all come from different places Chef Pooch, my friend Deanna, who's a cookbook editor, the sommelier Like we are coming from somewhere else. But we learn from one another and I think, as a chef, if you stop learning, like you might as well pack up your knives and go home because it's done.

Speaker 2: 18:49

Yeah, and I can testify to that because you and I have had some culinary you know conversations in the kitchen from another organization we've been involved with. She is just a delight. She's not that type of person that you look at her and be that's who she is and she's not going to be wanting to talk to you. She's so inviting and you can talk to her in a level that any person can talk to her you don't have including you.

Speaker 2: 19:17

You don't have to uh turn me on to this I I know I witnessed the conversation, but the conversation, but it was great, no trust me, I was sitting there eating. Look, pooch and I were like sitting there snickering. He's like hey, great job. I'm like, yeah, me too.

Speaker 1: 19:32

So obviously conversation is what I do.

Speaker 4: 19:35

Yes.

Speaker 1: 19:36

For a living? Yes, all right. Really, you think what. You think what? All right, we're talking. You're part of, or you've been part and are part of, various foundations. Why don't you name a?

Speaker 4: 19:53

few Sure. So I came out with my first cookbook Phil Pease to Foie Gras, southern Recipes with a French Accent. So I'm doing a cookbook signing at a Barnes and Noble in Tulsa, oklahoma, and they're like, oh, we can set you up with a foundation and a percentage of your sales will go to this foundation. And I'm like, so green? And I'm like, well, I don't know, and I'm with there with University of Oklahoma, I'm pardon me, oklahoma State University. And they're like, how about Oklahoma State University? And they're like, how about?

Speaker 3: 20:24

Oklahoma State.

Speaker 4: 20:25

University, and I'm like you're right, that would be a great one, and so I set up a scholarship foundation in my name, because I went to Oklahoma State University, oak Mogi, back in the day, and now it's Oklahoma.

Speaker 4: 20:38

State University Institute of Technology is very you know, bespoke, columbus State University Institute of Technology is very, you know, bespoke, and so I set up that scholarship and I was like I went to culinary school on a scholarship because I was still paying back a private school university loan and could not afford to go anywhere else. So I look at that as a way to, you know, pay it forward. So that's one organization, as a way to, you know, pay it forward. So that's one organization. I'm an immediate past president, ladom Siscoffier International Atlanta chapter and that's a big deal, by the way, sure is.

Speaker 4: 21:13

Thank you it was. I think being an officer's wife Prepared me for being president of an organization Of very headstrong Opinionated women, and we'll leave it there. So you know, I have that.

Speaker 2: 21:30

Stay clear, stay clear. Yeah, we are.

Speaker 4: 21:33

I've been involved with American.

Speaker 3: 21:34

Culinary Federation. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's different, it's different.

Speaker 4: 21:40

There's a new organization that came about during COVID. It's called let's Talk Women, and we just came together to survive COVID, right? So we're restaurant owners, entrepreneurs, and how can we get through this freaking pandemic?

Speaker 1: 21:54

Is this all female?

Speaker 4: 21:56

It's called let's Talk Women, so if you identify as a woman, you could be part of the organization. Yes, pooch, you can join.

Speaker 1: 22:04

Because clearly I want to jump into that.

Speaker 4: 22:06

Well, in this day and time, if you say yo, I am a she he her she and me.

Speaker 1: 22:13

No. My pronouns are yes, chef.

Speaker 2: 22:15

That's it, her. But yeah, so this was an organization. I'm glad I got you guys over there.

Speaker 4: 22:22

They're just snickering, but yeah, so this was I'm glad I got you guys over there just snickering but yeah, so we were like, what can we do to help one another get through this pandemic? And so you know that's an organization that is near and dear to go to culinary school domestically on a scholarship, being able to go to Le Corneau and Bleu in Paris, france, and paying, but getting some scholarship money for that as well. And I like to pay that forward because I honestly believe that in our industry if we don't help someone else, we're not going to learn.

Speaker 2: 23:50

Again paying it forward.

Speaker 4: 23:51

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 23:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 23:55

So being in the food service industry, especially if you start when you're teenager, early 20s. We all have stories, he's probably that age's like so excited.

Speaker 2: 24:16

All right hold on, dude, you are the youngest here, I'm just letting you know. This year, okay, I got more grays than all you, but no, you know, have you not looked? At that.

Speaker 5: 24:27

You know you're wrong okay, okay, I retract my statement, right.

Speaker 2: 24:31

I'm older than him. I just want to go on record. I am older than that. Yeah, each one of these is His kids. Gave them that this morning. These were from before my kids, man.

Speaker 1: 24:41

All right. So there's a journey and there are experiences. And again, when you start, when you're younger and you're in this thing, crazy stuff happens. Do you have anything that you can think of? Crazy story, you know something fun or not, that you can kind of put out there for the audience.

Speaker 4: 25:02

I would say crazy was working at a golf club in an unknown city where it was just me and one other female cook. And when it was slow, all the male cooks, the servers would go into the conference room and watch porn.

Speaker 2: 25:22

Why not?

Speaker 4: 25:23

And they're like so do y'all want to come watch porn with us and we're like, absolutely not, we're going to practice these recipes, but it was. I'm actually shocked.

Speaker 1: 25:31

You're not shocked. Get out of here.

Speaker 2: 25:33

I know that it. Where was I?

Speaker 1: 25:37

In the conference room you're referring to is the walk-in.

Speaker 4: 25:39

No, it was actually the conference room of this country club.

Speaker 5: 25:42

Oh my goodness, they do worse in the walk-in. You've got to go to the walk-in.

Speaker 3: 25:45

No, you're in the walk-in now.

Speaker 4: 25:48

The expectation was why don't y'all come and watch porn with us? And it was that. Plus, it was not a locker room for girls, right? So we had to use the guy's locker room, getting cornered in the stairs and having to punch somebody, because this is not going to go down like you think it's going to go down.

Speaker 2: 26:09

So those are the stories, actually the horror stories, of our industry. Yeah, coming of age of a woman industry.

Speaker 4: 26:14

But there's also the good industry stories of having a mentor who said I respect what you do, I like what you do, let's give me a chance. And so for my whole thing is. I believe that pie is infinite. We can each have a slice, there's enough for everybody. I also believe, maybe naively, that boys and girls can be friends, and maybe I'm the only one that believed that my mentor tells me well, baby, that's not going to really go back to that alpha.

Speaker 4: 26:50

I believe that success is infinite. We can help each other. Let's not have the crab in a barrel mentality. But that's just me. Not everybody believes that to be a real thing.

Speaker 1: 27:03

I just want to go back up to something.

Speaker 4: 27:04

Uh-oh.

Speaker 1: 27:05

Well, no, because you painted a picture that that happens. Yeah, you know, and it's changing now in our current, you know, in society, now there's a lot more, there are a lot more females in the business than there ever has been, and I do think, I do think things are changing. That's from my perspective. And you know, in in the, in the cities, um, and areas where I, I work, and I, you know, I'm around, uh, I'm around the restaurants and hotels and clubs, um, with that said, I, I, I recall being in the business, uh, back in the early nineties, and some of those things would happen.

Speaker 1: 27:46

But here's the, here's the cool part, cause you always you're gonna have degenerates, no matter what, and you find them. But then there's, then there's all of of your, your, your comrades from the kitchen, right, maybe even some front of the house, folks, and we've dealt with those, those people before, right, because you know, at the end of the day, you, you don't allow that to happen, right, and you know what I mean. So I just wanted to. You know there's another, there's another side to that and and you know, for all the bad, there's there's good as well, and you know, and I just hope that that's. I hope that the culture is changing.

Speaker 2: 28:26

And I think I think the more of the talk we have with chefs like chef Jennifer just mentioned and had their experiences, the more we talk about this, mentioned and had their experiences, the more we talk about this, that, the more it would be for other women to come out and say, hey, that's not appropriate, and and then stand up to that because it's not there.

Speaker 2: 28:43

There's a very select few of us, um, and I'm I'm definitely a huge advocate of having women, like my last job, my restaurant I had before I left, I I just had nothing but female line and I loved it because the camaraderie I felt with them, the familiness I had of being part of them not just me being the chef, but them letting me be a part of them that, to me, was just a blessing for me to have that opportunity. There's, there's. That's what the mentality is, has to be when we move with our, our cooks, as chefs. We, we have to make this, this bond that, excuse me for the lesser matter of fact, that we have to make this bond that we we're not just above them, we're equals, but we're there to define what our roles are and well, that's because you're a decent human being yeah, well, because we've also been to some really crappy chefs and we don't want to be them well, I'll be honest, like in my career.

Speaker 4: 29:43

so there's chef, there's female chefs who want to work and do the job right, and I've been told you're not strong enough. And oh, we had a female chef and she quit because she couldn't lift the stock pot or she couldn't do a, b and and C. And then you have the female chef that and I'll say it, maybe it's not popular, who you know you get promoted because you're on your knees and it makes it harder for the chefs who don't do that and maybe it's better progressive, et cetera, but there's still that chef who does that, that takes it, you know, a decade back from the chefs who are just working hard and using their talent to get ahead.

Speaker 5: 30:23

I think there's strength to be said in the female chef right now, even in my kitchen. Right now we're looking to promote and I'm looking at females because right now there's power in the women movement right In the world. You know we have always had women take a backseat to men, right, but, to be brutally honest, right, they're more smarter, right, they approach situations with a more level head. You know they're the men it's a lot of egotistic, you know, involved with men's approach to leadership. I got one for you who taught you how to cook Chef Jennifer Booker.

Speaker 2: 31:07

And she's a female, there we go, wait, no, no, she's a female right.

Speaker 1: 31:10

Jeff was going for something.

Speaker 5: 31:12

Not who just taught me how to cook, but cooking, hold on. Cooking is a skill, but to be a chef is an art, right, who taught me how to be a chef? Right, how to be a leader? Right, right, how to captivate.

Speaker 2: 31:26

But who gave you the passion.

Speaker 5: 31:28

Chef Booker.

Speaker 2: 31:28

Right, so a female gave it to you, of course. Well, my point is.

Speaker 5: 31:33

My mom gave me the passion when I said it's a passion right.

Speaker 2: 31:35

So when I looked at that at 12 years old and said, mom, I want to, I want to cook this, after she picked her mouth up off the floor and was like, okay, well, let's go get the. I remember chicken, scallopini and all this other stuff. Yeah, that is the epitome of what a great chef is, because that person that's teaching you is doing it because you have that. You asked that question.

Speaker 5: 31:56

But look when I was 12 and you when you were 12, right? It was not, it was frowned upon. No, we're not the same age.

Speaker 2: 32:05

There's a big difference. I am old enough to be your father.

Speaker 5: 32:10

My grandfather.

Speaker 2: 32:14

Actually I could be old enough to be your grandfather.

Speaker 5: 32:18

Look, there was this outlook on a male that cooking was of a woman Is that sure, chef, I know where I'm from. I was the only chef in my family and I can believe that where you're from the same outlook was that, as a man, you don't cook.

Speaker 2: 32:34

Why would you be cooking? The same outlook was that you know, as a man, that's not a real job. You don't fucking Nope, that's not a real job. Why?

Speaker 5: 32:38

would you be cooking? You know you got a woman. You got a wife at home. Why would you be cooking? And so, from you to me, you know I'm not far from you. I don't know how far you're at, but I know you ain't born in 92. Oh God. But I do know that the male image has never been. I could be your father, I know that.

Speaker 2: 32:59

You might be his father. Let me call my mother.

Speaker 5: 33:02

Let me call my mother.

Speaker 4: 33:03

There were a few questions that night Was your mother in Miami during 1992? December 29, 1992. There were a lot of questions that night.

Speaker 2: 33:11

Listen, in August, that's when Andrew hit I had long curly hair when I was born. Really, you had curly hair. Dad, look at you, you had the Jew fro, oh geez.

Speaker 1: 33:23

But look at the eyes.

Speaker 3: 33:25

Look at the eyes.

Speaker 5: 33:28

We need Oldboy or Mari here to intermediate.

Speaker 2: 33:31

Yeah, mari, mari does the reveals.

Speaker 3: 33:33

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 2: 33:34

Where's?

Speaker 5: 33:35

the DNA test, but honestly though, no. And oh my goodness, where's the?

Speaker 2: 33:37

DNA test. That's my point when you look at the mentorship, and that's what we forget. What really bothers me about chefs that look at women in that interrogatory sub-human.

Speaker 1: 33:50

Who the hell does that?

Speaker 2: 33:52

Dude, there's a lot of chefs. You just heard Chef Booker talk about it.

Speaker 1: 33:55

No, but that's not subhuman. Yeah, there's a no.

Speaker 2: 33:58

I'm so sorry to me, it's such a different. No, no, no, no.

Speaker 5: 34:02

And I agree with subhuman no when you do this to uh when you I worked in san francisco with chef dominic crin, right from from france we throw our names out.

Speaker 4: 34:13

There she was.

Speaker 5: 34:14

She was the first she was the first woman chef with three michelin stars in the us right, but in the in france they wouldn't recognize her because in france the chefs right escoffier. You know these guys, they were mad being wrong on an idea doesn't equate to it being subhuman.

Speaker 2: 34:40

I'm so sorry it's not, no, no definitions are are.

Speaker 1: 34:44

That's the wrong terminology but on.

Speaker 5: 34:46

I don't stand on, you said, on an idea, but on on the principle that this, this chef, is worthy enough for all the praise that all these male chefs Roger Verger, escoffier got. It's not about idea. Idea is science. It's proven that this chef creates great food. They are pushing the boundaries in this industry, but they have to take a back seat because they're a woman opposed to a man Exactly. And that's what it is.

Speaker 2: 35:24

You know, it's not ideas, Ideas for me here's my bottom line on this one is that anybody that holds a woman to a substandard of a man that can't lift a pot or can't do anything, remember your mama.

Speaker 3: 35:37

Yeah, your mama did it, it's.

Speaker 2: 35:38

it's interesting, it's point blank that's, that's my, that's my thing and that's my argument. My mom is the one that gave me my palate. If it wasn't for my mother, I wouldn't have the palate I have today. It doesn't matter who I went through the ranks or who I worked with, or who what. It's my mom that gave me that, and if my mom can lift that flower bag or whatever it was to do it, then that's what she did.

Speaker 5: 35:59

But look, think about it. Anybody this table right. If the, if the conclusion came between mom and dad, right, who's living?

Speaker 2: 36:08

well, I know who's living now. I got that point blank in my life this drunken motherfucker who barely came home, every night he gotta go, you know I mean mama was the only one that was really genuine and true, like like to you.

Speaker 5: 36:22

You know who could push you to those boundaries. Your dad was like son, just get a goddamn job it doesn't matter, son.

Speaker 2: 36:29

Here's the thing you gotta remember. Who is that person that's pushing the female to get do it? Because here's the thing is. The fact of the matter is, in society is it was always the woman in the kitchen. When did it become become that the woman was no longer looked at as the one that needs a busy kitchen like I'm?

Speaker 4: 36:44

gonna I'm gonna shut y'all both down okay so you can say, and you can go in the industry, say my mother, my grandmother, they gave me the history, the passion. And then they're going to say that's great, but let me teach you this european, white male way of cooking. Right, these are the, the mother sauces, these are the proper knife cuts. This is the way you set up your mise en place. It has nothing to do with a woman at all, right, right? So you go into that and then the woman is no longer in the kitchen of a professional restaurant or hotel or whatever it is. And that's fine for women to cook at home. You may even have a walk-up restaurant, but we're not recognized to do a professional kitchen. And that's just the bottom line.

Speaker 4: 37:30

And most men you talk to most male chefs who say their history is from a female matriarch, whatever her role was. But when you get in there and you get that Michelin star, you get that James Beard award, it's not because of a woman, but because what did a European male teach you? The proper way of cooking. And we're going to recognize and award you for that. And that's just real. And I remember in college teaching a or taking a course about women as empresses, as leaders, as in empresses as leaders, and then that not being popular and that not being, you know, the mainstream and men kind of taking up. And we talked a little bit earlier about alpha male alpha female where they fail and all those things.

Speaker 4: 38:29

But if I were to go forward and say, yo, I. I got my passion from my grandmother, my grandfather, my great aunts and uncles. But I went to culinary school and I learned classical french cuisine. Then I went to la corda blue in paris once again, classical french cuisine. Guess who gets credit for all the talent and accolades that I have? It's not my grandparents, it's not my grandmother, it's the scoffier who taught us classical french so wait a minute, hold on uh and and uh, right now, um pooch is?

Speaker 2: 39:04

uh, he just jumped on, he just we talked about. I just have a quick question, but go ahead before you do.

Speaker 1: 39:08

Here's the thing um, when you, if you learn something, that is the curriculum and that's what you learn and that's the way that it's done. Cool now, from from their baseline. That's where chefs usually the create, you know, the ones who are creative and forward thinking. That's when they start from the base. They change, they add, they play, they do things and all of a sudden there is recognition. I'm not saying that always happens, but I'm saying, like at the, at the end of the day, if there's a curriculum and somebody is learning that curriculum, great, whether it's a female or a male. I just think today, things are changing a little at a time. I see it myself. I see it. I don't think it's perfect by any stretch, but I think it's changing. And even this conversation, the fact that we're talking about it, is part of the change Progress, it's progress.

Speaker 2: 40:11

Here's my thought process on that too, because we keep on relying upon the French cuisine, right. And that's the written cuisine, but I'm going to go take it back a little bit more. For me, I learned classically trained French, but I got into an industry that I love Asian cooking and Asian cooking brings you back to a years that are nowhere near to what French cooking is in simplistic let's. Let's talk about simplicity.

Speaker 5: 40:42

Would, you say. That's why chefs are reverting now to loving, like, for instance, keith, that everyone here at the table knows other than carl um shut up the chef down.

Speaker 3: 40:47

I love him, I love everything he's saying, but I just wanted to know, like, do you think everybody at this table, do you think that's why chefs now are reverting back to, or not even reverting back to, reverting to Asian style of cooking, whether it be from the Middle East all the way to Asia, and throw in India in there? But like you're going, because it's not that it's wrong, but the way we think and the way we've been trained, it's ass backwards and that is so compelling to me, like I want more of it, because I want you to be so contrary to what I know, because now I'm still learning. It's forcing me to have to learn again.

Speaker 4: 41:19

But what is the difference? You're still learning a male-dominated type of cuisine, whether it is in West or East.

Speaker 4: 41:27

South or North You're not talking about the mamasans who do the cooking. You're talking about Asian cuisine, which is a male-dominated cuisine. Let's be real honest about it. Asian cuisine, which is a male-dominated cuisine, like, let's be real honest about it, and it's just a reality. And yeah, maybe we're getting more recognition. Bottom line guys, if, if I were to interview the three of you and say, okay, jeffrey or carl or pooch, like you say, oh yeah, my mama taught me how to cook and my love of cook is from a mama, bottom line is you're going to recognize your traditional education and the restaurant you came from and your mentor, who probably is a guy, and your mom is way on the back seat, which that's what it is, and maybe we're getting more forward to say OK, there's some women in my life that I recognize.

Speaker 5: 42:15

Let me talk about my mentor. Oh, my gosh.

Speaker 4: 42:21

You see, he interrupted me Because that's what men do, but you go ahead.

Speaker 5: 42:26

This is going to be the best episode and I don't really have room under the table.

Speaker 2: 42:30

Because he's man spreading as well, he's man spreading.

Speaker 5: 42:34

But look, let me tell you, my mentor was a guy who I worked for for years. Right, chef Jennifer Booker came to New Orleans and we went to the Ella Brennan's award dinner where they nominated all these chefs from New Orleans who were the top chefs in New Orleans, right? And I met Chef Booker there in that time and we talked that night and you know what the advice she gave me was so motherly. You know what she told me. Hey, you should go back to school, you should study, you should get this degree, you should look at, you know these cooking techniques, and that's what would catapult your career. And my mentor, who was a man you know these cooking techniques, and that's what would catapult your career. And my mentor, who was a man. You know what he told me. Oh, she don't know what the fuck she's talking about, you know. But that motherly instinct is what nourished all of us and let's just.

Speaker 4: 43:31

If we're going to be real, let's just be real. Your mentor also was trying to get me in bed.

Speaker 5: 43:38

I can't confirm what you're talking about.

Speaker 4: 43:41

Of course he didn't want you to listen to the advice I had, because the advice I gave you was not because, we were trying to get in bed. It was just real advice.

Speaker 5: 43:52

Even outside of that.

Speaker 5: 43:53

Even outside of that, even outside of that For so many years, at the end of the day, you know, even outside of that, even outside of that, but for so many years, you know. You know I have worked for someone, a male figure, who was my mentor, who I thought was pushing me in the right direction. And when chef introduced education and like learning, you know, like another level of success, he was against that. You know why? Because it would open my eyes to a whole other industry. And she, yeah, being this mother figure, you know it's selflessness is out of the way. You know it's all about. You know how can I catapult you into a different direction? You know, as my, my mentee, my brother, my son, you know, my nephew, whatever it is, but my male mentor was like fuck that I don't want him to learn any more than what I know, because that's not a mentor number one, that's that's.

Speaker 1: 44:49

That's not a mentor, that's a douche, that that's somebody who is you know. Obviously you filled a role in the kitchen there and he was taught you enough to get through it, but yeah, but hold on.

Speaker 2: 45:00

That was this.

Speaker 1: 45:03

Yeah, you're right, but hold on a second. I think I'm on to something. Bring it Real chefs at Dade County, let's go.

Speaker 5: 45:12

They're not from here, Just because we're here in Dade County today, I know.

Speaker 2: 46:03

And we can see PDD's house from here.

Speaker 1: 46:09

I don't want nothing to do with that. All right, I want to get back to something here, because the truth is, when somebody and I believe this and I don't care about genders, I don't care nothing, like none of these, I don't even like so we don't normally, we don't usually do third rail stuff on the show but the reality is, it's out there and this is the real world.

Speaker 1: 46:32

Of course, I don't give a damn what color you are, I don't give a damn if you're a man or a woman, I don't. If you can do the job, then you do it, and and, and, and. I feel a general consensus it should be the general consensus that that's what it is. We've come a long way, because the fact is, I'm 50 years old. I've I've seen, I've seen crappy things done to people, okay, based on all sorts of things. And the reality is, if I today can look at things like this and say you know what it's the right man or woman or whatever for the job, whatever that job is, then that's what it should be.

Speaker 4: 47:12

Well, Carl, I agree. If you lived in a Shangri-La, I wish.

Speaker 1: 47:16

I did. You lived in a Shangri-La. I wish I did.

Speaker 4: 47:17

Because, you're a man a young man, and you're a Latin young man. You believe and you have been taught, you know more than I do. As a woman who is a homeowner, who is paying you to do these things and that translates in the kitchen as well I can tell my employees. You're not wrong, this is what I know, because I know this and they will tell me yeah, but or how about? And I think, damn, where do you get off telling me as?

Speaker 1: 47:48

a disrespectful.

Speaker 4: 47:50

It's not just, it's beyond disrespectful is what we're bringing up into our culinary industry to say. We're raising our boys and our men to believe that because they are men or identify as men, they know more than women. Period all the time.

Speaker 1: 48:09

I think the older you get, and here's the thing.

Speaker 2: 48:13

Watch that older stuff, man.

Speaker 5: 48:15

I'm just going to get over that. No, no, no, because the next thing you're going to be singing, the younger you get, and I'm just sorry.

Speaker 4: 48:25

But they believe they do. That's what blows my whole head.

Speaker 2: 48:29

When we were 16.

Speaker 5: 48:30

We actually really did think that too. They know, what they were told.

Speaker 4: 48:34

That's what it is.

Speaker 1: 48:35

There's 14 and 15 year old Females or girls who think they know more than mom and dad also. It's not. What I'm trying to get at here is I don't put any credence into people who don't know what they're doing or they don't know what they're saying. If I had, if that kid was doing my yard, I'd fire his ass and say, hey, look, it's not working out, and I would get somebody who knows what they were doing.

Speaker 4: 49:02

Or listen to you. Recently he tried to hit me up for more money. So initially I was paying him by the hour to do whatever Pruning, raking, whatever and I thought, god, you're so slow, I'm dying a slow death watching you do these things.

Speaker 2: 49:18

That's the chef in her. That's the chef in her right there.

Speaker 3: 49:22

Listen, there's 7,233 leaves it takes you.

Speaker 5: 49:28

It takes you 3 minutes to do 725 and in that division it's this 12 hours cut one grass. You fucked up. No, that's real.

Speaker 4: 49:37

So my sister is like yo, you need to pay him by the job. And I'm like you, fucked up, you gotta go. No, that's real. So my, my sister, is like yo, you need to pay him by the job. And I'm like you know what, you're right. So he tried to hit me up for more money. He came, he brought his brother. He's like yo, I'm trying to do this quick, so I'm hiring my brother, and I'm like, okay, do a, b and c. He's like, well, you let just do a and b. So are you paying me more money? And I was just offended and I said, because this is just me. I was like, well, no, because I'm not even paying you by the hour any longer, because you're too, slow, let's call it what it is.

Speaker 4: 50:09

So do your A or B in, and I'm not going to pay you for C, because if I've paid you to prune and X, y and Z to make your job easier, why am I now paying you extra money?

Speaker 1: 50:22

to do these things.

Speaker 5: 50:22

Look, you ain't getting paid for deed A, b, c. Look, if I got to reach you to deed that does not compute. I'm reaching to my savings account now at this point and. I ain't reaching to my savings account for nobody. God damn it. Hold on listen now. Here's the situation.

Speaker 2: 50:40

That is true.

Speaker 1: 50:41

You, chef Jennifer, you are inadvertently teaching him, see, because what ends up happening?

Speaker 2: 50:52

You're mentoring another one. You don't even know it, but I'm mentoring him in my pocket.

Speaker 4: 50:56

No, no, no, this isn't a mentorship.

Speaker 5: 50:58

You don't want to pay for the mentorship.

Speaker 1: 51:00

Yes, listen, I am speaking truths here and the reality is he's learning from you. You're not mentoring him, but he's learning from you because he's an entrepreneur, he's got his business going, he's doing his thing and he's doing it wrong. Yes, and now the person who's paying for the work Is going to say I'm not paying you anymore. And here's why, and let him learn from that, because he's a dumb, 16 year old, and that's what it is. And then you get Sometimes you get he, sure is, he's an entrepreneur.

Speaker 4: 51:33

I give him props. He did the job. We talked about it. I'll pay you to do X, Y and Z, and you brought your brother.

Speaker 1: 51:40

I didn't say he's Elon Musk. I didn't say he's a billionaire. I'm saying he's an entrepreneur. I would pay his brother.

Speaker 4: 51:45

You're fired. I'm hiring your brother because he's all about it, but the bottom line is dang. I'm tired of being the mentor. Can somebody mentor and pay me?

Speaker 1: 51:56

I'm trying to help you. I'm just trying.

Speaker 2: 51:59

All right, so you heard it first right there on the walk and talk. Well, the thing is this Chef Booker is looking for a mentor, just dial 976.

Speaker 5: 52:10

Listen, people take mentors and they think that they're supposed to catapult their career. Look, put financing in their bank. Take care of them. Who thinks?

Speaker 1: 52:20

that.

Speaker 2: 52:22

Here's the thing about that. I just want to point out Do you have a younger mentor? See, I think if you're a mentor, no mentor If you're at my age, especially my age.

Speaker 5: 52:37

I want a sugar baby.

Speaker 2: 52:43

No, no, I don't want that at all wwwsugarbabycom Wow.

Speaker 4: 52:50

Do I have a younger mentor? I have had a younger boss, which is a different dance, right? So I have to suggest in a very easy way of hey, I know you want to do A, b and C, but how about X, y and Z, because they're my boss at the end of the day, right, right, right, right, x, y and Z because they're my boss at the end of the day, right, right, right. So to have a younger mentor is a different dance, but you can still learn Like, let's be honest, there's so much to learn from someone who's younger than you.

Speaker 2: 53:26

Social media.

Speaker 4: 53:27

that's case in point For sure, as well as someone who's older than you.

Speaker 5: 53:31

That's the only thing social media can learn, shit else from.

Speaker 4: 53:34

But as a woman.

Speaker 5: 53:36

They can't give you shit else about nothing. Oh my gosh, only social media. How to navigate the world today?

Speaker 3: 53:42

Yeah, that's it, but that's a lot. That's a lot to it. It is a lot, you know it's important.

Speaker 5: 53:46

But the thing is, look, they can't give you shit else.

Speaker 1: 53:59

They can't tell you how to be a great person, the great human being. They don't know shit. Only thing they know is well so gotta put a fucking reel up on tiktok but this is what I'm trying to but this is what I'm trying to get at. Okay, I I'm I'm circling the drain on this, I feel like. But yes, but people either have, uh, an experience or and something to offer, or they don't, and and either they want to learn or they're, or they're not wanting to learn right right.

Speaker 1: 54:15

So you're looking for a relationship, whether you're looking for an employee all of these things you need to. Listen, I've had a hire and fire.

Speaker 2: 54:23

I have hired and fired many, many, many, many people.

Speaker 1: 54:28

And unfortunately, you meet somebody right away and you're like oh man, this one's going to be great, they're going to be great, they're going to be great. And it turns out they're not great and you either have to. You either have to help them be what they can be, or let them go and learn their lesson.

Speaker 4: 54:43

I will say that before me.

Speaker 1: 54:46

Yes, I'm gonna let you go.

Speaker 5: 54:47

Oh, thank you, I appreciate that that's your mentor.

Speaker 4: 54:53

Yes, and then you have to know, then you have to navigate the male-female relationship right, Sure. So even if you're the mentor or the mentee, sex is always on the table.

Speaker 1: 55:03

Sure.

Speaker 4: 55:03

So it's do we do the dance of you can never get it, but you want it, so let's do that dance. Or let's get out of the way so now we can get down to business. So that's like that whole other dance as as a mentor, mentee, and then, um, in my belief, boys and girls could be friends. I have my mentor absolutely not. He's like, but baby, that's not in reality. I'm like well, I don't understand, why can't we just be friends? He's like, that's not real, and so that's the.

Speaker 4: 55:34

that's the most unreal possibility ever, but I don't understand why not If we're friends and we have a common goal and we have a conversation, and I'm not interested, and I don't think you're interested, but obviously you are, because now we're not friends.

Speaker 1: 55:51

So there's all that. You have to navigate too, right, that's another thing.

Speaker 5: 55:54

That's a whole other podcast. That's another level down. The thing is this that's another thing. That's a whole other podcast. That's another level down. The thing is this.

Speaker 2: 55:57

That's at the walk and talk. Hold on Relationshipscom. Hold on Look wwwblackpantymeatcom.

Speaker 5: 56:05

But the thing is this though Everybody is out for something, oh Jesus, Don't get it twisted.

Speaker 1: 56:11

They are not. Look with it, they are not, you are. That's the truth.

Speaker 5: 56:14

Hold on, hold on.

Speaker 4: 56:16

Out for something like what.

Speaker 5: 56:18

Chef Jennifer Hill Booker, you're out tonight because this is my podcast.

Speaker 4: 56:24

It's not. No, I am here because Jeffrey said yo I'm hanging out in Miami, come through, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 56:32

This was the last thing that I would want to put Jennifer up to, and I told Chef Darren.

Speaker 5: 56:37

Hey, I'm hanging out With Chef Jeffrey we're having a Hang out, have a dinner, come through, hold on. But look what I'm telling you, what I think that you know, male, female, whatever you have.

Speaker 4: 56:45

I'm sorry, carl, can you just Put him on mute?

Speaker 5: 56:48

Why would you want to Put me on mute, that's fucked up. That'd be wrong, because you got to get to South Beach, and the only way you get to South Beach is if I call you a Lyft, because if I don't call you a Lyft, you don't even know how to use Lyft.

Speaker 2: 57:01

Oh Lord, there we go, but I'm just saying no, he's doing the generation gap again. No, no, no. Look, I'm saying in general.

Speaker 5: 57:10

You're so chivalrous. Disrespect for whatever. I'm just saying it in general right. Look, the world is evolving, Okay, and this is the approach you have to take. You know what? It's not a lot of people from your generation, jesus he just said your generation.

Speaker 5: 57:27

I don't know if I'm supposed to take offense to that you shouldn't, Because even from my generation, right, who would be sitting here right now having this discussion and being comfortable having this discussion about you know, about life, about the world, it's not a lot of people who would be willing to do that, you know. And so this is what I think. I think that, first of all, Chef Jennifer Booker is a hidden gem.

Speaker 4: 57:54

It's Jennifer Hill, booker, hill, booker. Okay, god damn it.

Speaker 5: 58:00

You won't do that to me.

Speaker 2: 58:01

Chef Jennifer Hill Booker is a. She just pulled the hill out, Hold on Hill.

Speaker 5: 58:05

She must have been loving that motherfucker who was Hill.

Speaker 3: 58:08

Hill was my mate, my mate when that's your third husband, you're sick of it.

Speaker 5: 58:15

That was daddy, that was daddy. But I'm just saying look, people are like where we come from. You know you don't get this platform, you don't get to do what we do. Let me tell you tonight, when I, when I wrote up to meet with Chef Booker, it was I ain't no shit about a fucking podcast. God damn it. I don't know what a podcast is and I don't know what a podcast do. But I'll tell you what. I'm willing to sit here because it's only realness at the table.

Speaker 2: 58:45

Yeah, that's 100%.

Speaker 5: 58:46

You're dealing with a real chef. First of all, look, put me out of the equation. I'm 31 years old. Oh yeah, oh damn you. God damn it. You know what?

Speaker 2: 58:59

Look what's your name again Mine, yeah, yours. Yeah, my name's Jeffrey, jeffrey, fuck you.

Speaker 5: 59:07

I love you too, but I'm saying that you know you don't get this many introductions into this world. No, you know, because there was no podcast when she was being a chef Wow, when she was coming up in the game in the industry, I wasn't on a podcast.

Speaker 2: 59:21

No, when you were coming up, there was nothing known as a podcast. That's just rude. I was an NPR.

Speaker 4: 59:26

What the fuck was the Carmen Sandiego was the closest you get to her in AOL, I'm not your mentor anymore.

Speaker 1: 59:35

It don't matter, you can recruit me. So, chef, what do you have coming up next? What are you working on?

Speaker 4: 59:44

Well, I have some exciting things coming up in the future. I was selected as a James Beard Foundation Windstar Cruise All-Star Chef to be a guest chef on one of their four cruises in 2025.

Speaker 4: 59:57

Super excited about that I was able to be a chef for them in 2022. Beautiful ship um. I'm currently working on my third children's illustrated cookbook, which is regina bina bakes Birthday Cake, and it's stories about my childhood through their lens in the Mississippi Delta. And I'm working on an autobiography which is entitled Life After the Hotline. Like where do chefs go to die? Like you never see old chefs, infirm chefs. Like where are they? What's the exit strategy? Absolutely yeah, there's one. It's a whole story.

Speaker 2: 1:00:33

It's not good ever see old chefs, infirm chefs like where are they?

Speaker 4: 1:00:35

what's the exit strategy?

Speaker 2: 1:00:35

absolutely. Yeah, there's one, it's the whole like story.

Speaker 4: 1:00:38

It's not good so working on that and then, um, I'm doing some what I call like kind of one-off, one ingredient cookbooks. Um, so I did a rice twice which is what to do with leftover rice? Like put an on it, like what's great with an egg on it. So just playing around seeing what's out there and you know, um, empty nesting. Um, covid is like really threw my life upside down, like I I identified as a wife, then a chef, then a mother, and then COVID and I'm like, well, shit, I don't have an identity, like who am I? And so just kind of getting back to what I love and what I want to do, that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 1:01:23

You had mentioned something earlier. You had mentioned something earlier about a chapter in the book about you wish you had a wife.

Speaker 2: 1:01:32

Yes, talk about that real quick before we uh, before we cut is this was this in the green room?

Speaker 4: 1:01:40

so my, my, my experience in the culinary world is I like chefs and I like alpha chefs and, um, I understand, like most chefs say they want to. They want an equal helpmate, which I found to be. You want someone to hold you down while you do your career. And when I got divorced and my sister was living with me, she had recently been divorced and so she kind of took on the role as the wife, right, and I equated it to a husband and wife who were no longer interested in sex.

Speaker 4: 1:02:11

Right, we had separate bedrooms but we still worked as a family Right and she would make sure the kids got off to school, she would make my breakfast, she would make sure we did the groceries, and I thought this is awesome. I I see why men want a wife. I too would like a wife. So it's one of the chapters and in the autobiography I'm working on. Yeah, because it's absolutely amazing and I see why men like that. I want one too.

Speaker 2: 1:02:44

That's why his mic is off.

Speaker 1: 1:02:46

I can appreciate that, because that's where I'm at too. I thought that was fascinating. I thought that was cool. I'm going to check out some of your books.

Speaker 4: 1:02:58

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 1:02:58

All right.

Speaker 4: 1:02:59

Oh, but you can find me on ChefJenniferHillBookercom. My restaurant is BallhouseBeerGardencom. Check me out. I got books and spices and the restaurant is a beer garden and lots of fun.

Speaker 3: 1:03:13

Moulin Rouge.

Speaker 4: 1:03:14

Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 1:03:15

Alright, we're gonna check that out.

Speaker 4: 1:03:18

Thank you. Thank you for being on the show. Absolutely Thank you, Chef.

Speaker 1: 1:03:21

Everybody, chef, darren, the gang, everyone.

Speaker 2: 1:03:24

In the background Everyone. The mic is off, Chef.

Speaker 1: 1:03:27

Chef, I'm sorry, daddy learned a lesson. Yeah, we got Put my goddamn mic on. Quick, we're rolling you go. Thank you so much, thank you.

Speaker 4: 1:03:37

Carl, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 1:03:40

No, the pleasure is ours.

Speaker 4: 1:03:42

Chefs in the Central Florida area.

Speaker 1: 1:03:43

Please check out Peninsula Food Service. Check them out. We are Out. We'll see you next time.