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
Contract Foodservice, High-Volume Cooking and Culinary School - A Discussion with Chef Dan Doyle
On this episode we have chef Dan Doyle. Dan is currently a regional chef with Legends Hospitality, and works with Live Nation.
In this episode:
· Contract foodservice
· High-volume cook…
Filipino Cooking and the Calasag Pop-up - with Dylan Ubaldo (Toyomansi)
On this episode we have Dylan Ubaldo, a chef, musician, audio engineer and event organizer based in Baltimore, MD. He started the Calasag pop-up to bring Filipino, and Filipino-American food to the a…
Mexican Cooking and Funding a Restaurant - A Conversation with DC Chef Christian Irabién of Amparo Fondita and Muchas Gracias
On this episode we have chef Christian Irabién. Originally from Mexico, Christian began his culinary career working at his grandparents’ restaurant in El Paso. Over the years he strayed away from wor…
Using Food as a Tool for Social Design - with Chef Krystal Mack
On this episode we have Krystal Mack. She is a culinary artist, creative consultant, entrepreneur, writer, self-taught baker, and activist who uses food as a vehicle for storytelling, cultural exchan…
Chef Jeremy Umansky on Koji and Miso
This week we have a special throwback mini-episode. In 2018 I had the opportunity to attend the StarChefs Congress in NYC. One of the workshops was on koji and miso with Jeremy Umansky of Larder in C…
Seasonal Cooking and Local Sourcing with Jake Cline and Matt Tilman of Hometown Harvest Kitchen and Food Truck
On this episode we have Jake Cline and Matt Tilman of Hometown Harvest restaurant and food truck in Frederick, Maryland.
In this episode:
· Local sourcing and seasonal cooking
· The co…
From Haiti to The White House - with Chef Sebastien (KuisineKing)
On this episode, we sit down with Chef Sebastien (Kuisine King), a Washington DC area chef.
In this episode:
· Cooking at The White House
· Thoughts on going to culinary school
· …
Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Brand Building and Community - A Discussion with Chef Marc O'Neil
Chef Marc O’Neil discovered his love of cooking at the age of 5 when his brother taught him how to cook bacon. He eventually starting working in kitchens, from Burger King to The Westin at BWI. Now h…
From Cooking at The Cheesecake Factory, to Working For the Voltaggio Brothers - with Chef Lo
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Personal Chef Dre (Urbanchef31) on Building a Business, Leveraging Connections and Not Burning Bridges
In this episode we talk with chef Dre (UrbanChef31) of Urban Taste, a personal chef and meal prep business in the Washington DC area. We discuss building a business from scratch, leveraging your conn…
Talking Meal Prep and Private Dinners with Washington DC Personal Chefs
This is a mini episode that dives into some of the specifics of doing weekly meal prep for customers. Unlike special events which can be sporadic, meal prep can be a consistent revenue stream that ke…
The Bouffista Experience - A Conversation with Caterer and Personal Chef Kizi
Chef Kizi is the owner of Bouffista’s Kitchen, a personal chef and catering business based out of Frederick, Maryland. She was born and raised in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa), with parents fr…
BBQ Talk with Jerrod Cline of Bub-B-Que Food Truck
Jerrod Cline is the owner, and all-around BBQ guy, of Bub-B-Que, a BBQ food truck based out of Frederick, Maryland.
In this episode:
· Lots of talk about BBQ
· The dynamic of working wi…
Food Festivals and Working For Free with Chef Thomas O'Hara
Thomas O’Hara is currently the breakfast chef at the Hillbrook Inn in Charlestown, WV. He started his cooking career at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cambridge, MD, and has continued at restaurants such…
Holiday Gift Buying Guide for Chefs and Food Lovers
In this mini-episode, we drop our holiday gift ideas. Whether you're going to be shopping for chefs, home cooks or serious food enthusiasts, we have some ideas for great gifts. Chefs Chris, Andrew an…
The First Official Chefs Without Restaurants Episode
This is the first official episode of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. On this episode Chris Spear (Perfect Little Bites) and Andrew Wilkinson (Pizza Llama) interview each other, trying to keep…
An Intro to the Chefs Without Restaurants Podcast
On this episode, Chefs Without Restaurants founder Chris Spear, and podcast co-host Andrew Wilkinson talk about what you can expect from the podcast. They discuss the mission and goals of the organiz…
Chefs Without Restaurants: Exploring the Journeys of Culinary Innovators and Food Entrepreneurs
Join host Chris Spear each week on Chefs Without Restaurants, a podcast dedicated to showcasing the stories of culinary entrepreneurs working outside the traditional restaurant environment. With 32 y…