Chefs Without Restaurants
Join Chris Spear as he interviews food and beverage entrepreneurs who have built successful careers outside of traditional restaurant kitchens.
From personal chefs, caterers, and food truck operators to cookbook authors, research chefs, and farmers, each guest has paved their own way in the culinary world. Through candid conversations, they share the challenges, lessons, and successes of creating a business on their own terms.
With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry—including running his own personal chef business, Perfect Little Bites—Chris is dedicated to helping chefs and food entrepreneurs navigate their own unconventional paths in the industry.
If you're looking for inspiration, business insights, and real stories from those who have stepped beyond the restaurant world, this podcast is for you.
🎧 New episodes available—subscribe now and start exploring the road less traveled in the culinary industry!
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 44 minutes
- Episodes
- 259
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Research Chef Shola Olunloyo of Studio Kitchen - Cultural Appropriation, Staging and Cooking Nigerian Food at The Stone Barnes Center
This week I speak with Philadelphia chef Shola Olunloyo. Shola has carved out a creative niche in modern cooking instruction as a consulting chef. The Studiokitchen was created as a research and ide…
The Cooking Gene- A Discussion with Culinary Historian, Food Writer and Historical Interpreter Michael Twitty
This week, I have Michael Twitty. He's a food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian and historical interpreter personally charged with preparing, preserving and promoting African American f…
The Season 2 Trailer for The Chefs Without Restaurants Podcast
Welcome to season two of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. I'm your host, Chris Spear. On the show, I have conversations with culinary entrepreneurs, and people in the food and beverage industry…
Chef Charles Hunter III on Using Social Media and a Blog to Launch His Personal Chef Business
This week we speak with Charles Hunter III. He’s a personal chef, recipe developer and food blogger based in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s the owner of The Salted Table Company, an in-home catering comp…
When Passion Doesn't Pay The Bills - Pastry Chef Ryan Dumapit
On this weeks show I have Ryan Dumapit. He has a degree in pastry arts, and food service management. But Ryan doesn’t have a singular path in the food industry. In fact, he also went to school for IT…
In Pursuit of Better BBQ - Chef Alex Smith
On this week's Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, I speak with chef Alex Smith. While Alex has been in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years now, he’s only spent the last 10 years cooking.…
Pastry Chef Monica Glass on Exploring Opportunities Outside of Restaurants
On this week's Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, I speak with Philadelphia pastry chef Monica Glass. Upon graduating from Penn State, Monica moved to New York City to embark on a career in public re…
Caterer Sam Hefter Brings the Taco Party to the People
On this week's Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, I speak with Sam Hefter, the chef and owner of Hefter Catering in Kansas City. Sam's catering business focuses on upscale taco bars. We talk about h…
Exploring Gullah Geechee Cuisine with Chef Amethyst Ganaway
In this episode of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, host Chris Spear welcomes Chef Amethyst Ganaway to discuss her culinary journey, which spans over a decade in both front-of-house and back-of…
On the Farm - A Discussion with Photographer Aliza Eliazarov About Heritage Breed Animals and Their Portraits
On this week’s Chefs Without Restaurants podcast I have renowned photographer Aliza Eliazarov. On November 17, she has a book coming out called On the Farm: Heritage & Heralded Animal Breeds in Portr…
Vietnamese-American Chef Tu David Phu Talks About His Upbringing, His E-Commerce Food Store, and What Community Means to Him
On the podcast this week, I have chef Tu David Phu. Tu is a first generation Vietnamese-American, born and raised in Oakland, California. You might know him from season 15 of the Bravo Tv show Top Ch…
A Conversation with Pastry Chef Kate Holowchik of Lionheart Confections
This week I speak with pastry chef, and self-proclaimed culinary renegade Kate Holowchik. After working her way through some of Boston's eclectic kitchens, she's now finding her personal voice with t…
Mr. Bake - Talking About Sweets, Cooking on TV and Representation in the Food Media
This week I speak with Kareem Queeman, better known as Mr. Bake. He’s the owner and operator of Mr. Bake Sweets, a small dessert studio located in Largo, MD. He’s been baking for 20+ years.
In the ye…
25 Years at Crook's Corner Restaurant - A Conversation with Chef Bill Smith
On the show this week, I have chef Bill Smith. Bill was the chef at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for 25 years, before retiring in January 2019. I wanted to talk to Bill about his tim…
Discussing the State of the Catering and Personal Chef Industries with Chef Brendon Hudson of Liliahna Catering
On the podcast this week I have chef Brendon Hudson. He’s owner and chef of Liliahna catering company. Brendon was recently voted Best Chef by Baltimore Magazine’s readers poll.
We discuss the state o…
Chef Kimberly Schaub Discusses Being a Research and Development Chef, and Kitchen Culture
On the podcast this week I have chef Kimberly Schaub. She’s spent much of her culinary career in the research and development field, working for companies like Beecher’s Handmade Cheese and Bulletpro…
Charging For Your Services, Content Creation and So Much More - A Discussion with Chef Justin Khanna part 2
This is part 2 of a discussion I had with chef Justin Khanna. If you haven't listened to part 1 yet, I suggest listening to it first, as this episode jumps right into the middle of our discussion. On…
The Transition From Restaurant Cooking to the Personal Chef and Events Business - A Discussion with Chef Justin Khanna part 1
On the podcast this week I have chef Justin Khanna. He's the co-founder of Voyager's Table, a bespoke event production company. He’s also the host of The Repertoire Podcast (formerly The Emulsion pod…
Mike Tholis of Rendezvous Farm - Leaving the Chef World for The Farming Life
On the podcast this week I have Mike Tholis. Mike is the owner of Rendezvous Farm in Frederick, Maryland. Before starting his farm, Mike was a chef for 5 years in Washington D.C. restaurants, and has…
Chef Matthew Jennings - Getting Healthy, Moving to Vermont and His New Job and Business Ventures
On today's show, we have Matthew Jennings, a chef and consultant who is also the Vice President of Culinary at Healthy Living Market & Cafe in Vermont. Along with Jason Rose, Matt is the founder of F…