Cooking Your Way Through Life

Things we pretend to like, a few confessions, and why you should never trust a single bite.

This episode almost did not make it. I lost about 70% of the content I filmed in Atlanta, and this conversation with Jamal was part of it. So while I was in Athens, Greece, Jamal and Lexi hopped on with me online and we recorded it all over again. I am so glad we did.

We get into all kinds of things we pretend to like, including some things I found out Lexi pretends to like for Jamal lol. A few of these confessions caught me completely off guard, and I think you will recognize yourself in some of them.

On the culinary side we talk about why the first taste of something should not be the only taste. If you have only tried something once, or only had it prepared one way, how do you really know you do not like it? Sometimes a different method or a different cook is all it takes to change your mind.

Listen to the full episode, and then go follow Jamal and Lexi.

What do you pretend to like? Tell me wherever you are listening.

Follow Jamal & Lexi: Instagram: @jbyeldell | @lexiwandesigns | @lexisrisuwanyeldell | @blackcrownath | @heykhanompang.thecorgi

Follow Chef Hollywood: Website: https://chculinarycreations.com Instagram | Facebook | TikTok: @ChefHollywood88

Overrated vs underrated hot takes on all kinds of things, and a guest who is not shy about sharing his opinions.

This week I am joined by Asher, and for an episode called Overrated and Underrated I knew he was going to have plenty to say lol. Asher has a deep background in food and beverage as a former bar owner, general manager, and F&B professional, and today he works in Destinations and Operations at Celebrity Cruises.

This is a fun one and we cover a lot of ground. We talk about what everybody loves that we think is overrated, what is underrated and deserves more attention, and whether people really like certain things or are just following the hype. We also dig into whether social media has made us genuinely like things or just convinced us we are supposed to, and the things we used to roll our eyes at until we changed our minds.

On the culinary side we go behind the bar and behind the menu. We break down the $25 cocktail vs the $12 cocktail and how price, presentation, and reputation shape what we expect before we even taste it. Then we get into the menu item that sells vs the one the staff loves, and what popularity does and does not tell you.

There is also a quick-fire round where Asher calls things overrated, underrated, or properly rated and has to defend every answer. Brunch, espresso martinis, all-inclusive resorts, buffets, cruise ship food, and more.

What is overrated and underrated in your world? Tell me wherever you are listening.

Follow Asher: Instagram: @smashresroh

Follow Chef Hollywood: Website: https://chculinarycreations.com Instagram | Facebook | TikTok: @ChefHollywood

Things I learned way too late and why I am not calling it regret because that is not what this is.

There is a real difference between regretting something and wishing you had a piece of knowledge earlier. Today is a solo episode and it is fully in that second space. If you know better you do better and I stand on that completely. The frustration is not that I eventually learned these things. It is that I could have used them sooner.

I talk about the idea that growth is not a straight path and it was never meant to be. You are going to fail. You are going to have to learn some things more than once. And the only thing that actually determines where you end up is whether you keep going.

On the culinary side I bring it into the kitchen and connect the lessons to how we develop as cooks and what it looks like to apply a growth mindset to the food we make every day.

I also want to hear from you. What do you think you learned way too late? Drop it wherever you are listening because this is the kind of conversation that is better when more people are in it.

Follow Chef Hollywood: Website: https://chculinarycreations.com Instagram | Facebook | TikTok: @ChefHollywood88

What are you cheap about and where do you think the more expensive option is actually worth every penny?

Today I am joined by Kathleen, also known as Chef Leen, and this one was a long time coming. Me and Kathleen first met in Boston when we were both training to work for America's Test Kitchen with Holland America Cruise Lines and a lot has changed since then. She now has two beautiful little girls with her husband Chris and catching up before we got into the episode made this conversation feel extra special from the jump.

The topic is something everybody has an opinion on. We talk about the things we absolutely refuse to spend money on even when we can afford to, the things we think other people are cheap about that are actually worth more, and whether being cheap and being financially responsible are even the same thing because I think those two get confused more than people realize.

We also get into the moments where we used to be cheap about something until we finally spent the money and realized the cheaper version was actually costing us more in the long run. That one hits different when you start adding it up.

On the culinary side we talk about where price and quality are not always the same thing in the kitchen. There are ingredients and tools where the budget option works perfectly fine and others where spending a little more changes the entire result. Knowing the difference is the real skill and it applies to a lot more than just cooking.

Loads of funny stories, real talk, and two chefs who have known each other long enough to say exactly what they think.

Follow Chef Leen: Instagram: @chefleen Website: www.chefleen.com

Follow Chef Hollywood: Website: https://chculinarycreations.com Instagram | Facebook | TikTok: @ChefHollywood88

Things I will never do again, lessons I only needed once, and a petty rapid fire list of never-agains that I think you are going to relate to more than you expect.

This is a solo episode and I want to say upfront that this is not a regret episode. Regretting something and being glad you did it while knowing you are never doing it again are two completely different things. The older you get the longer that second list becomes and today we are going through all of it together.

We talk about the things that were worth doing exactly once, experiences that had real value without deserving a repeat. We get into the lessons people warned me about that I still had to go through personally before they clicked, because some knowledge only comes through experience no matter how clearly someone explains it to you.

We also get into the moment when trying again stops being persistence and starts being ignoring an answer that life has already given you more than once. That line is one of the most important things you can learn to recognize.

And then I give you my completely unserious never-again list because not everything needs to carry a lesson. Some things are just petty and funny and I am keeping it that way.

On the culinary side I connect it all to the kitchen, the lessons no instructor can brand into your brain until experience does it for you, and the idea that chefs are always allowed to take a dish off the menu. So are you.

Drop your never-again list wherever you are listening. Serious and ridiculous both welcome.

Follow Chef Hollywood: Website: https://chculinarycreations.com Instagram | Facebook | TikTok: @ChefHollywood88