1 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor. I'm Anniries and I'm Lauren 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: vocal Bam and we have another bonus episode for you today. 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: Another bonus, another one. Oh my goodness, it's not that dire. 4 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: It's pretty good news. I mean it's it's a really 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,639 Speaker 1: entertaining interview. We were presenting you today with our interview 6 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: with Marwana Ronnie, who is the executive chef and founder 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: of the Chai Pani Restaurant Group, which has a bunch 8 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 1: of Indian restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina, and also here 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: in the Atlanta area. Yes, including one in our very 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: building that is tempting every day. Temptation. Oh yeah, it's 11 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: really it's delicious that like, this is not an advertisement. 12 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: I just like eating there. Yeah. When we did this interview, 13 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: we were quite hungry by the end, quite as we 14 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: usually are during our interviews. The specific type of podcaster 15 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: problem it is, yeah, podcaster problem, food podcaster problem. There's 16 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: somebody I've mentioned before on the show and of my 17 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: good friends at work, Chandler he Um. One thing I 18 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: love about him is he everything he's eaten is the 19 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: best thing he's ever eaten. And he's going to tell 20 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: you all about it. He's going to describe like the 21 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: way the human is interacting with the right like he 22 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,759 Speaker 1: does the whole thing. And he goes to Chaipanese restaurant 23 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:30,759 Speaker 1: in our building, which is called Body Walla. He goes 24 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: there pretty regularly and he always gets the same thing, 25 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: and he always asked me, Annie, have you ever gotten 26 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: the try tip sandwich? I mean, he just goes on 27 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: and I love it. It's a beautiful thing about Chandler, 28 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: and it's his excitement is lovely. It's very infectious. Oh yeah, yeah, 29 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,639 Speaker 1: mar One's excitement was also lovely, and so we wanted 30 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: to share with you our discussion with him. So you 31 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: were you were born in the UK and grew up 32 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: in India, right, How did you wind up in the 33 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: American South? Great question. So my family was Indian that 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: just happened to be spending a few years in London 35 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 1: working when I was born there. But I basically grew 36 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: up in India, but in when I graduated college, my 37 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: I got a graduate assistantship to come and do my 38 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: m b a. At the University of South Carolina, which 39 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 1: is in Columbia, South Carolina, not that far from Myrtle Beach, 40 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: South Carolina. And the reason I mentioned Myrtle Beaches because 41 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: I used to wait tables there in the summertime to 42 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: make money. Um and um. That's how I sort of 43 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: got introduced to the restaurant business a little bit. And 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: the person who ran the restaurant, who own the restaurant, 45 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: I ended up dating and marrying her daughter, Molly, so 46 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: to a certain degree, is sort of married into into 47 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,679 Speaker 1: the restaurant business a little bit. But but cooking is 48 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: part of your family's history. To write your your grandfather 49 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: owned an Irani cafe in India, that's right, so even 50 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,920 Speaker 1: on my side correct, but he was the only one 51 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: in the in the family that owned owned the cafe. 52 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: And then um and then um my mom, um, my 53 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: grandmother operated a bed and breakfast in India, and the 54 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: town that we lived in there was sort of a 55 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: spiritual master grew there who had an ostrom and a 56 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: lot of Westerners would come and this airbnb cat too 57 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: many of those Westerners and many Indians came too, and 58 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: my mom sort of learned how to cook both. Of course, 59 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: she had a cook Indian, but she learned how to 60 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: cook Western style of food. So they're always in a 61 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: little town in the middle of nowhere, and my my 62 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: mom was making sort of Italian style Neapolitan stalth pizza 63 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: and you know, and what she thought would be food 64 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: that would be palatable old Americans like everything from from 65 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: apple pie to you know, to a meat loaf that 66 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: is delightful. Um, how did you turn all of this 67 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: history and then experience into opening your own restaurant? Well, yeah, 68 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: I had no thoughts or even even that waited tables 69 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: in grad school. I mean, I was going to graduate 70 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: school to get my MBA, So I was assuming, you 71 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: know that my career in future would be in some 72 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: business marketing, UM area and and that, and and it was. 73 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 1: I was in the automotive industry, working for luxury manufacturers 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: for almost ten years, Alexus and Mercedes and all aspects 75 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: and then UM and then after that though, Um, this 76 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: was happening in California, in San Francisco Bay Area, and 77 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: my wife and I had just had her childer girl, 78 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: and around the time she was two years old, we 79 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: just realized that we were living the definition of the 80 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: rat race and books as were working full time. Um. 81 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: You know, by the time I got home, I left 82 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: early in the morning to to beat traffic. That my 83 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: daughter was sleeping when left and when I came home 84 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: at night, sometimes as late as levin Um, she was 85 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: in bed. I mean I'd go sometimes twenty four hour 86 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: periods without seeing her awake. And and and we've been 87 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: through a lot because we uh you know, had adopted 88 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: it out from India after struggling with fertility for years. 89 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: So it felt like we've made such a huge commitment 90 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: and sacrifice to have this child and a family, and 91 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: here we were not spending it with her. So we 92 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: left to move to Asheville, North Carolina. And it's a 93 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: long story how we picked Ashville, but we ended up 94 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: here and I changed careers. I moved out of the 95 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: automotive industry, which is very demanding as far as time 96 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: went into um real estate development. I got lucky to 97 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: have a connection and got a job here right away, 98 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: and that was in two thousand and five, and things 99 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: were going wonderfully until if you can remember, two thousand 100 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: nine came along, the Great Recession kicked off and the 101 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: entire industry that I was in collapsed because we were 102 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: doing the private, gated, high end development and and it 103 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 1: was in that that moment where I realized it was 104 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,040 Speaker 1: three weeks away from the company I was worked and 105 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: for going bankrupt. Um where you know, we again had 106 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: another um what are we doing with the life's conversation? 107 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: My wife and I and and that's when she said, Look, 108 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: as for as long as I have known you, you've 109 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: loved food, your phenomenal shift, and you've had this idea 110 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: of percolating that you can't stop talking about about this 111 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 1: type of Indian restaurant that changes everything that people know 112 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 1: about Indian restaurants. Um. And which is yeah, backstory. All 113 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: those years I kept throwing with and talking about anybody 114 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: that listened about this idea. Had she said, maybe this 115 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: is the time to do it. And the reason I've 116 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,039 Speaker 1: never done it up to that point was because, you know, 117 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: it was too huge of her risk and seemed completely 118 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: impractical to quit a job that supported myself, my family 119 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: and the Florida's the house to uh go off and 120 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: do something that had never been done before and that 121 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 1: you know and so but sometimes circumstances just put you 122 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: in a position where you have no choice but to 123 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: go for it. So here I am in Asheville, North Carolina, 124 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: probably the white of town that I had ever lived 125 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: in it up to that point where I swear, I 126 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: swear I think the entire population of Indians in the 127 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: entire town was maybe like ten people. And in the 128 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: mountains of you know, Appalachia. And Uh, I opened this restaurant. Um. 129 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: But in a funny way, everything that had been throughout 130 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: that point was part of the reason why I think 131 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: we're successful. I had a phenomenal business education. I knew 132 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: how to write a business plan and new financials and 133 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: how money worked. I knew how to you know, borrow money, 134 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: how to talk to investors, have talked to banks. Um. 135 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: I knew how to you know price and and figure 136 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: out pay roll and labor and a new marketing. I 137 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: mean I've worked in like I said, one thing you 138 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: learned and selling working high and luxury automobile businesses. How 139 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: to sell and I knew what people would be connected 140 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: to and um, um what kind of storytelling I needed 141 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: to tell. I knew that was going to be a 142 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: huge component of what what I was trying to do, 143 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: was telling the story of what else trying to do? 144 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: Um and uh and it all came together, um and 145 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: and now look back and feel like it was almost 146 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: a blessing that we started in the middle of the recession, 147 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: because it really taught us about, um, you know, not 148 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: doing too much, you know, honing in on exactly what 149 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: we wanted to do, keeping it affordable, and finding ways 150 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: to run the business. Leaning me so even today, Um, 151 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: I mean you've been at Boti Balla. I mean, I 152 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: love the place was beautiful, but most people are shocked 153 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: when I tell him, you know, the budget that we 154 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: opened the restaurant there it is. That's that's how I 155 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: ended up in the American saf what um would you 156 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: would you talk a little bit about the food that 157 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: you serve at Chaipani and Bodi Walla and MG Road. Yeah? 158 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: So you know this this thing that I've been frickly 159 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: in my head forever was was that, Um, why is 160 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: the only food available in America? This stripmall lunchtime buffet 161 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: with currus and non and chicken tika masala And uh, 162 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: this is food that I never ate growing up. I 163 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: didn't eat none unless I went to a restaurant, like 164 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: we just don't eat the swing India. But kind of 165 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: like you know, I guess, um, so family style spaghetti 166 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: meat balls. Italian food was once upon a time what 167 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: everybody thought about when they thought Italian or pizza or 168 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: even strip mall Chinese food. Um, that's that's the category 169 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: that Indian food was stuck in. And and I'm walking 170 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: around saying, where's the homestyle cooking, where's the meals that 171 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: we eat every day at home? Where's the street food 172 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: at India which is so much more interesting and buried 173 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 1: and and um, you know, fun and approachable than sort 174 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: of this exotic you know, curry and rice and stuff 175 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: that we don't even really eat. I jokingly called it 176 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: banquet food or wedding food because it's the kind of 177 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: food that you get when you go to a wedding. 178 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: That's the only time you kind of have a buffet 179 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: in India is really at a wedding. Um. So um, 180 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 1: so what we do is is exactly what I described. Um. 181 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: I started off with only one to do street food, 182 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: and street food in India is it's amazing. Um. The 183 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: problem with calling Indian food Indian food is that there's 184 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: no such thing. It's like saying, oh, I love European food. Um, 185 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: there's no such thing. Right. The Spanish is that Italian 186 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 1: is a Greek. You know, what are we talking about 187 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: so the same with Indian food. When in sta Indian food, 188 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: it doesn't exist. Um. I grew up eating not Indian food, 189 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: but the food of the region that I was in, 190 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: which is my Russian food. When I went south to 191 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: visit my family there, I was eating you know, carola 192 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,079 Speaker 1: food or South Indian food. Um. If I went to 193 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: their doing where my mom grew up, I was eating 194 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 1: the food of that area. But if there is one 195 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: food that can be described truly as Indian food, it's 196 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: our street food. And the reason being because street food 197 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,599 Speaker 1: has no regionality or culture, or nationality or religion associated 198 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: to it. Um. The way street food evolved was, you know, 199 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 1: as migrants left working on farms from wherever their regions 200 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 1: were to the big cities like Delhi and Mumbai and 201 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: Calcutta and Bangalore. Um, many of the enterprising ones that 202 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: became street hawkers started just mashing up food. Um. They'd find, 203 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 1: you know, things that were available locally and influences from 204 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 1: the way they knew how to cook. Um. So those 205 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: street food dishes, you, if you deconstruct him, you'll say like, oh, well, 206 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: that component actually normally you find the South India and 207 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 1: that component that's very Harashian and that components from you 208 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: know um and and that's what I love about it. 209 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 1: I kind of describe it like a sort of a 210 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: DJ making a sort of mashing up various beats and 211 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: rhythms to create a whole new sort of track. And 212 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: that's the street foot is and it's really unique. So 213 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 1: no one street food vendors, you know, Hilquary for example, 214 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: is exactly the same as the other guys. It's all 215 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: based on what they decided to make off of it. 216 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: So that's where we bought the check point and then 217 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: the second thing that we bought was Molly. My wife was, 218 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 1: you know, when we first opened, felt like, I don't 219 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: know if you can open a restaurant where it's only 220 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 1: like small snacks. I mean, you know now the top 221 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 1: of restaurants and small places of the rage, But back 222 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:09,199 Speaker 1: then she was like, I think you want to give 223 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: people like the option from meal also, And so I 224 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: decided to go with the food that everybody cooks at 225 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,679 Speaker 1: home every day. It's called a polly and it's how 226 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: most Indians eat. We don't eat buffets, you know, we uh, 227 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: we have a variety of small dishes. So two or 228 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 1: three types of vegetables, rice, lentils, what we're called doll um. 229 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: You know, if you eat meat and India, then maybe 230 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: there's a little protein like a little chicken curry or something. Um, 231 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: there's always right there or a yogurt based component so 232 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: that you know, it helps cool down the heat, eat 233 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: of the spices, it helps the digestion. There's always a 234 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 1: little fat, bread or starch, whether it's rights or roti 235 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,719 Speaker 1: and uh. And it's sort of um. It's served on 236 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: a round, circular metal platter with lots of little containers. 237 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: So let's just sitting down and eating you know, like 238 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 1: a pile of like a potato style meal where you've 239 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,319 Speaker 1: got a pile of starch and then a pilot like protein. Um, 240 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: you've got the small portions of a of a large 241 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: variety of foods that I'll balance each other. Something sweet, 242 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 1: something salty, something spicy, something sour, um, something acidic, something bitter. 243 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: And most Indians, whether they use the round plate format 244 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: or not, just basically that's how they eat um, at 245 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 1: least growing up. Um. You know. Now we've got fast 246 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: food out the wazoo, So that's the checkoinly does and 247 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,079 Speaker 1: and we use the we use that that polly, that 248 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: that that meal to essentially showcase the diversity of Indian cuisine. 249 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: So every day the style changes. So one day the 250 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: quote unquote curry might be from the mail of our coast, 251 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: and then one day it's from you know, Central India, 252 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 1: and then one day it's from North India like buttered 253 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:51,079 Speaker 1: chicken or sout canere And sure'll, I'll you know, love 254 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: to rotate in some try it and to lunch with 255 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: faith specials. But then I'm going my way to point 256 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: out this is a North Indian style dish that's normally 257 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 1: served a testive occasions. So those are the two things 258 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: that Chaipany serves. And I know, I know this is 259 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 1: a long answer to your question, but you can go 260 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: to you while it's slightly different, because even the street 261 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: food of India isn't a monolith. There's you know, many 262 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: varieties of it, and Chaipanese focused on the variety called shot, 263 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: which is usually sort of crispy, crunchy, mostly vegetarian, sweet sour, 264 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: tangy um, lots of tam and chutney and green chili 265 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: chutney and yogurt used in it. Most of christy wheat 266 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: and crunchy chippy noodle type stuff things. And then there's 267 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: another component of street food in India, um, mostly in 268 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: North India, that's to grill, and that's usually at night um. 269 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: And so at nighttime, you know, you go to the 270 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: right street in Bombay or Delhi, you'll find you know, 271 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: vendor's grilling up Kebob's, you know, chicken lamb beef if 272 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: you know, obviously not for Hindia, but you Muslim uh 273 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: paneer and and it's its own complete different streets seen 274 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: um with fresh non and fresh herbs. So that's what 275 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: you want to do. It does the Indian street grill 276 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: the chop to the Indian street food. That was a mouthful. Um, 277 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: thank thank you. Long answers are terrific on this show. Um, 278 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: I love the idea of Tully's. I never thought about 279 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: it this way, but I guess it's not even like 280 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: a meat and three. It's like a meeting like seven 281 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 1: kind of or like yeah yeah, and there's no one 282 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: central focus that it's the meat and it's like it's 283 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: just the yeah, which is what we have more with 284 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: our interview with Marijuan. But first we have a quick 285 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: break forward from our sponsor and we're back. Thank you sponsor, 286 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: and back to the interview. I read that your your 287 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: mother came and like brought your grandmother's spice splend recipes 288 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: when you were opening Chaipani and like helped train your staff. 289 00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: And um and I and you guys still use your 290 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: own spice plans for for all of your restaurants in 291 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: addition to selling them. Um, which which is a long 292 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: introduction to me wanting to ask, like what is what 293 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: does your family think about all of this? So um, 294 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: you know, I thought that the horrified at the idea 295 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: of their son instead of being after all this education 296 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: and and and career in one business to send me 297 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: dump it all for this risky business. But um my, 298 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: both of them just took it completely in stride. I mean, 299 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: like you, like you mentioned when I called my mom 300 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: and told her I was doing this. Um, I asked him, like, 301 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: do you have any interest in coming and helping out? 302 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: Because you are way better quick than I am. And 303 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: there's the whole side of this that you know, if 304 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: I didn't if I if you don't come, I'm gonna 305 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: just ask somebody else how to do this. And yeah, 306 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: she was a total trooper. And she came and uh, 307 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: and yeah, we spent two months, I mean, forget training. 308 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: She was working the line the day we opened. I mean, 309 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: you know, my six year old mom was at Little 310 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: Labor and on and was, uh, you know, we were slammed. 311 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: I mean plam means there was the day we opened. Um, 312 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: I think we've prepared food for maybe fifty semi five 313 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:08,680 Speaker 1: people walking to the door. Was in the first hour, 314 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: over a hundred people walked in. The line was around 315 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: the block, and we ran out of food at at 316 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 1: two o'clock in the afternoon. Had shut down the restaurant. Um. 317 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: And that happened three days in a row. And we 318 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 1: finally had a completely shut the restaurant down for like 319 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: three days just to prep and recover. Um. And yeah, 320 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 1: my mom was just she was just amazing to it all. Um. 321 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: She would, you know, get here six in the morning 322 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: and start prepping and and and you know, these these 323 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 1: young American cooks that I had hired, almost all of 324 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: whom were still with me now in leadership positions. He 325 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: had no idea what they were doing, but they were 326 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 1: just so excited and so eager to learn and um 327 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,120 Speaker 1: uh and just excited that my mom was kitchen said, 328 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,880 Speaker 1: they all called her mom. You know, she'd she'd yelled 329 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: at them, she'd hit him with a dispatch you live 330 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: when they're doing something wrong. And it was just like 331 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: the scene out of the movie practically, And it was 332 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: probably one of the sweetest times of opening Chainani should 333 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: make family meal for everybody, you know before we open, um. 334 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 1: And and we'd all sit around and she insisted, no 335 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: matter what, everybody, don't get all sit down and eat 336 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:14,919 Speaker 1: family meal. And and she cooked the whole thing. And 337 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: she wouldn't eat. She just stand there and making fresh 338 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: roties for us all you know, um. And still today, 339 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: I mean, she's just incredibly proud of the restaurant. She 340 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,879 Speaker 1: gets nervous, you know, my mom and I get nervous 341 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: every time I start a new one because you know, 342 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: they're Indian and like Wills going so well, I take 343 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: a risk in another one, you know, um. But every 344 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: time I you know, whether I end up in you know, 345 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,640 Speaker 1: Time magazine or whatever, the walls she general whatever I mean, 346 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:46,199 Speaker 1: And I don't think there's a person in India that 347 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: doesn't know about it. Because my mom's down. They're telling 348 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: them my son is in training magazine or my spend 349 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: is and going appetite or whatever. I mean half the 350 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: time she doesn't even know what these magazines are, like 351 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: food and wine upon Eppide or whatever have you, Um, 352 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 1: you know, besides the more popular one. But still she's 353 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: just you know, telling everybody, oh yes when i's the 354 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: very very very you know, very important magazine, and um 355 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: so yeah, there there there they come every couple of 356 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: years to visit, and um, yeah, they're just I think 357 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: they're just happy for me and for my family and 358 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: for the team here. I mean, many of my many 359 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: of the folks that worked for me have gone to 360 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: India and stated with my parents have taken many people 361 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: with me and and a couple of my team have 362 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,119 Speaker 1: gone on their own and every time they go to India, 363 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: they'll make ship stop by my hometown and visited my mom. 364 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: So it's very still, very sweet and familiar that way. 365 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: Oh that's that's amazing. Um, sort of the same way 366 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: that you were you were talking about the street food 367 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: in India being from all kinds of different cultures. Have 368 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,160 Speaker 1: any southern and other local influences made their way into 369 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: the food that you guys cook, He means from here 370 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: where I'm in the South. Yeah. Absolutely, yeah, oh absolutely, 371 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: that was. That was I think one of the big, 372 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 1: one of the big just isciating fact results in in 373 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: what I was doing. Um, you know, I wasn't classically 374 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 1: trained as a chef, and I didn't go to culinary school. 375 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:07,919 Speaker 1: And for the first few years, I said, of all, 376 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: this felt slightly like an outsider or an impostor you know, 377 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: I was getting all these accolades, and you know, people 378 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,159 Speaker 1: were raving and I've never been to colony school. But um, 379 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: but I knew what I was doing. I mean I 380 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: spent insane amounts of time you know, at home sort 381 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 1: of cloning my practice as a good cook. I understood 382 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 1: classic French cuisine, I understood modern American cuisine. I of 383 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: course understood Indian food, and and I and I studied. 384 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, my friends and family will would 385 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,920 Speaker 1: all the time, just jokingly, you know, like every good 386 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: home cook will get a compliment, Oh my god, this 387 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: is amazing. You should openly in restaurant on the day. 388 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:46,160 Speaker 1: But I was sort of about guard in the sense 389 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: that I was the latest modernist cuisine techniques, whether it's 390 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: molecular astronomy or using soup sub even if we're you know, 391 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 1: started appearing in the in the mid nineties eight nineties, 392 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: and I really studied and undertood food. So when I 393 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 1: came to the South, put a real effort into really studying. 394 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: This was even before chide funny open. I want to 395 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: understand the history of Southern food. And in many ways 396 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: it's similar to you know, food in India in different 397 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 1: different parts of India, where in the poorer parts of 398 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: India it's substance um eating. You know, you're foraging, you're 399 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: making do with not much, you're extracting maximum nutrition and 400 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: you know, flavor out of off bits and and and 401 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 1: plants and weeds and and and being creative. Um My 402 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 1: mom's out of the family are farmers and they go 403 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: their farm in the mountainous regions of North India. And 404 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: you know, even though if I go for a walk 405 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: with one of my cousins through the woods or or 406 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:47,359 Speaker 1: you know, by the farms, he's constantly foraging and picking 407 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: up a weed and telling me that, oh yeah, this 408 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: is used during the season to do that. Um So 409 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: that sensibility was always in me. And and uh, I 410 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: looked around here and I realized that um a lot 411 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: of the big difference though between um sort of the 412 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: way the South cooks, where they again, we use you know, 413 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: as much as we can sort of what once would 414 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: be called lesser ingredients just because they were cheaper and 415 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: and you know what are you're talking colors and sweet 416 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: potatoes or um or corn um, but Indians is the 417 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 1: same thing. But Indian India had a five thousand year 418 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: leg up on flavor. We need how to use spices 419 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: to make flavorful these dishes, so you didn't feel like 420 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: you were eating lesser or you know, ingredients and um. 421 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,439 Speaker 1: And here that was my idea, Like what if I 422 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: bought into the restaurant, you know, green tomatoes and kale 423 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: and sweet potatoes and muschid greens and corn and ramps 424 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: and uh and started um incorporating them into our food 425 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,400 Speaker 1: and you know okra and I didn't set up unconsciously 426 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,959 Speaker 1: without even really thinking about it. UM. But it kind 427 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:58,439 Speaker 1: of became this thing where everybody would say, like, I 428 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 1: love how you've taken kale and maybe that was you know, 429 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: the poor batter and you know for this new thing, 430 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: I love what you're doing with okrug and they think 431 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: that I'm doing it because these are inherently Southern ingredients. 432 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 1: And I'm saying no, I'm doing it inherently because this 433 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: is where I happened to beat. And that's just the 434 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: most natural thing that I could do, because that's what 435 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,199 Speaker 1: my mom would do. If you plucked her out of 436 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: her hometown and stuck in the middle of somewhere, she'd 437 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: still cook the food she cooks, but she'd look around 438 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: and use everything that was around here. How did you 439 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 1: decide to open a Southern barbecue joint? Most all, Yeah, yeah, yeah, 440 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: good question. I I feel I feel like had scratch 441 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 1: her for me every time I know. Um, I guess 442 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:43,159 Speaker 1: um that was on serendipity in the sense that I 443 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:46,680 Speaker 1: had no idea, intentional plans to do anything other than 444 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 1: what I was doing and variations and what I was doing. Um. 445 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,720 Speaker 1: But um Ashell was a small town, and most of 446 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 1: the restaurant cheers and the chefs that of know each 447 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: other and run into each other. Um. And I'd run 448 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: into Elliott Moss, who was the chef and my partner 449 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: at Buxton Hall, and I'd run into him when he 450 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,400 Speaker 1: was cooking at a restaurant called The Admiral here in Nashville, 451 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,200 Speaker 1: and the Admiral at the time was you know, really 452 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,440 Speaker 1: sort of making a name for itself as this sort 453 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,280 Speaker 1: of almost like a dive gaster pub where this guy 454 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 1: who also, like me, you had never been classically trained. 455 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,240 Speaker 1: He had started off working at Chick fil A and 456 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: then worked in bars for a long time. It's just 457 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 1: sort of a fry cooking bars, was making this extraordinary 458 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: food and and and it was. And a few times 459 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,479 Speaker 1: I ate that I was like, this is incredible. I mean, 460 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 1: a send a block building that looks like it's the 461 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 1: bar on the wrong side of the tracks eating incredible boots. 462 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:42,480 Speaker 1: So then um, out of the blue, suddenly um not sorry. 463 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: Then fast forward, I've got cha, Pani. I'm doing well. 464 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: And I read on the paper somewhere that the chef 465 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: at the Admiral is opening a barbecue restaurant, and I 466 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: was like, wow, that's gonna be probably amazing. I mean, 467 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: you know, I just had the simp that in probably 468 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:58,159 Speaker 1: very cool because the article to talk about how you 469 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:02,160 Speaker 1: wanted to go back to his roots and cook barbice 470 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 1: hole hog barbecue the way he grew up eating it 471 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,560 Speaker 1: in Eastern Carolina, And I was like, Wow, it's gonna 472 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: be really cool, and I was excited for it. And 473 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,800 Speaker 1: then I heard the grape wine that the project fell apart. 474 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: I don't know what came over me, but I just 475 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: reached out to him just to talk about, like, so, 476 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 1: what happened? Why did the progect fell apart? I mean, 477 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: I was just I thought I would have offered support 478 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: or you know whatever, encouragement or or help to help 479 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: them get along. And um, we started off drinking old 480 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: fashions and four hours later, um we had I had 481 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:39,400 Speaker 1: agreed to help him open a restaurant. So happened? I mean, 482 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: I mean I'm saying, but the things that in the 483 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 1: four hours I recognized was that was how similar his 484 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: story was to mine. Um. You know, he, like I said, 485 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: it was an accidental chef to a certain degree. Um, 486 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,399 Speaker 1: you know, it wasn't classically trained, but had this really 487 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: clear vision for the thing that he wanted to do. 488 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: That was you know, that was his pushing back against 489 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: what he felt barbecue had turned into. You know, like 490 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,919 Speaker 1: most people don't understand how a barbecue got to start, 491 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: you know how you know the Europeans, but you know 492 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: pork and and so many these ingredients, and you know, 493 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: whether it was the first slaves. They were learning trying 494 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: to figure out how to cook, you know, a meal 495 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: for themselves, to sort of the black Southern tradition of 496 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 1: making barbecue. What we think of the barbecue today is 497 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: so divorced from that, and he wanted to bring that back. 498 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: So yeah, so when I saw that, and you know, 499 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 1: that's that was what sort of just made me just 500 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: take the sleep of faith and say, let's do it. 501 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 1: I mean, talk about catching lightning in a bottle. I mean, 502 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,120 Speaker 1: god knows it was. You know, it's been an amazing success. 503 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:44,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we got to eat there while we were 504 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:48,439 Speaker 1: in Asheville, and oh it was really it was really delicious, awesome. 505 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna still hear that. Yeah. Well, I mean and yeah, 506 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: and it's all it's all comfort food, I mean, and 507 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: it's all you know, finding what you find off the land. 508 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,639 Speaker 1: I guess while we're talking about it, uh, you know 509 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: you mentioned Asheville is super white. Um, and you know 510 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: everyone talks about Southern hospitality, but that has not always 511 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 1: extended to people of color in the South. Um, could 512 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: you what would you be willing to tell us a 513 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: little bit about your experience as a person of color 514 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: there um. And you know, introducing Indian food into this 515 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: largely white food scene. UM sure, I mean, um, you know, 516 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:31,400 Speaker 1: I've always felt sort of I don't know. I mean, 517 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 1: you know, people ask me this question all the time, like, hey, 518 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,440 Speaker 1: you're from India, You're brown, you know Myrtle Beach, Columbus, 519 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 1: South Carolina now Asheville, Like, have you ever experienced in 520 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,399 Speaker 1: any kind of whatever discrimination or other nests or anything 521 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: like that. I've always been a very natural amount of skin. Um. 522 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 1: You know, most people, if you were to talk to 523 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: me on the phone and didn't know I was mown 524 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 1: right in from India, you may not even get some 525 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: Indian um. My. My predilection for languages helps me on, 526 00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,080 Speaker 1: you know, adopt actions very easily. It wasn't at all 527 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:02,919 Speaker 1: difficult for me to start speaking like I grew up 528 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:09,080 Speaker 1: in America. UM and and I think um also just 529 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,120 Speaker 1: sort of the history of the South has been um. 530 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: You know what sort of African Americans not so much 531 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 1: with you know, Latinos or Indians or Vietnamese, and that 532 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,000 Speaker 1: sort of dives forward to the South has been happening 533 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: more recently, you know, over the last twenty years, if 534 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: you will, um versus you know, the South history with 535 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,560 Speaker 1: with you know, the black history in the South is 536 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: a lot older. So I feel like it's not quite 537 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: the same. It's not not fair to the history of 538 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: you know, blacks in the South to even compare my 539 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: experiences as an immigrant to theirs. It's just not it's 540 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: it's just absolutely unconscionable, I would say, to even look 541 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 1: at it their way from my perspective. Um So, But 542 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: having said that, what is really interesting to me, um 543 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: and and a reflection of it come of station, has 544 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:02,240 Speaker 1: been happening in this series that I'm being called brown 545 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: the South a seper series, is that the South is 546 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 1: changing dramatically and quickly. Um. You know, there's myself, there's 547 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: Asha Gomez, Vision put Many, John Chit Kumar Farhan Sam. 548 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm naming Indian chefs, the chef's of Indian 549 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: origin that have their restaurants and are doing amazing things 550 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 1: in the South. Not in San Francisco, not in l A, 551 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: not in d C. Not in New York, but in 552 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: small towns in the South, Nashville, Asheville, Birmingham, Oxford, Mississippi. Um. 553 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 1: You know, and uh, the fact that we're not just 554 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: not just doing well. It's succeeding but flourishing and being 555 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: acknowledged for what we're doing. To me is indicative that 556 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 1: even what we think of as the South is changing. 557 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: It's not all happening at the same time, and it's 558 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:52,600 Speaker 1: not happening everywhere. But for me, even like even a 559 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 1: town like Asheville is a little bit of a blueprint 560 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: for what I'm calling the new South is going to 561 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: look like. Um, and we're going to coming year. Um. 562 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: There's economic opportunities that it's affordable. Housing is affordable. Um, 563 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: it's not you know, labor costs are affordable. UM. So UM. 564 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 1: You know Lexington, Kentucky is you know, joking referred to 565 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: as Mexington Kentucky because it's a large Machino population that's 566 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: starting to come to the South. And I think it's 567 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: awesome and amazing and probably scary for some people. Um, 568 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,720 Speaker 1: but it's it's it's um, you know, it's a change. 569 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: So my daughter, you know, she looks just like me. 570 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:36,400 Speaker 1: She's been here since she was two years old, as 571 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: I mentioned, and as far as she's concerned that if 572 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 1: you would ask her where you're from, she will say 573 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,560 Speaker 1: all the South. And I think twenty years from now, 574 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 1: it won't be so unusual for someone that looks like 575 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: me or some variation of black or brown to say 576 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 1: from the South, and it could be completely natural and normal. 577 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: We've got a little bit more of our discussion with 578 00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: mir Juan for you, but first we've got one more 579 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: quick break for word from our sponsor, and we're back. 580 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: Thank you, sponsor, and back to the interview. You said 581 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: earlier that it was kind of a long story, but 582 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: if you wouldn't mind going into it. Why why Asheville? Um? 583 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: Because even when I was in California and we were 584 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: looking at um somewhere we could move where, you know, 585 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:31,160 Speaker 1: we could get out of the rat race and have 586 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: a quality of life that we looked for and sort 587 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: of culture and the progressiveness that both me and Molly 588 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 1: and I were it was important to us. Um um 589 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: Ashville just was um on the radar, so to speak. 590 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: Back in oh five, oh four oh five, Um, you know, 591 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: there were sort of a lot of talk about these 592 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 1: cool hip towns like Austin and you know, uh, Portland's 593 00:31:55,400 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: and um and Asheville as being sort of these and 594 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: these up and coming towns that were sort of like 595 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: these little pockets. Um. And being that Molly's family, my 596 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 1: wife's family was in South Carolina. UM, we just sort 597 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 1: of said, you know, let's just try something completely different. 598 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: And so we moved from you know, a really big 599 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: city in the San Francisco area, uh, to this little 600 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: town and found it to be to a certain degree, 601 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:29,600 Speaker 1: even if not necessarily ethnically diverse, it was it was 602 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: you know, what's the word, ideologically diverse. UM. A lot 603 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:39,000 Speaker 1: of people like us were moving here to start sort 604 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 1: of new lives um. And whether they're young families or whatever, 605 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: single idealistic artists and craftsmen and makers, um, it were. 606 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: It was sort of a goal rush to a certain 607 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 1: degree in Asheville in the mid two thousand's, off small 608 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 1: independent little businesses opening, including small independent little breweries, many 609 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,959 Speaker 1: of which now have blossomed and boomed into huge industries 610 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: and are sort of, i think continuing to feel Ashvill's groats. 611 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:15,320 Speaker 1: So it was almost more refreshing to be in Asheville 612 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,520 Speaker 1: and have this wonderful, endeavorous mix of ideologies, both because 613 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 1: we're still in the South, so it's not like you 614 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 1: can get away from you know that, but you also 615 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:28,920 Speaker 1: have you know, just a wave of sort of um 616 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: people coming through other parts of the country and watching 617 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 1: the two um coexist. It was a wonderful thing to see. 618 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:40,280 Speaker 1: Oh cool, yeah, um yeah everyone. I feel like most 619 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: people that we talked to were like, yeah, well we 620 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:46,200 Speaker 1: had a baby, so we figured would move to Ashville. Um, 621 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:47,960 Speaker 1: that's the that's the that's that would have been the 622 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: shorter answer. That one was good too. Also, everyone that 623 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 1: we've spoken to has has talked about the spirit of 624 00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 1: collaboration among people in the food and drink scene in Nashville. Um, 625 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: could you could you talk a little bit about how 626 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: you how you collaborate with other folks there and and 627 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,400 Speaker 1: like what kind of partnerships and relationships you formed with 628 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:14,359 Speaker 1: other restaurateurs and farmers and brewers. Yeah, it's a very 629 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:16,760 Speaker 1: close knit sort of family of restaurant cheers and makers 630 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:18,440 Speaker 1: and farmers. I mean it's a small town. I mean 631 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: even just geographically speaking, and we're surrounded by makers around us, 632 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:28,680 Speaker 1: farmers and distillers and brewers and and potters, um and 633 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 1: and uh and it's you know, I mean in sure 634 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: in San Francisco, I mean, you know, product coming from 635 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 1: Tamala's Bay or or napam Is still coming from like 636 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:39,800 Speaker 1: an hour or two hours to you know, a hundred 637 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: miles away. Sometimes were so here products literally coming like 638 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:45,319 Speaker 1: from eight minutes away. Um where I live, you know, 639 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: it's ten mins house out of town, and if you 640 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: just go into the five minutes, I mean, it's just 641 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,960 Speaker 1: farm land and and all the local farmers. So, um, 642 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,359 Speaker 1: we all know each other well, and we all sort 643 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:56,920 Speaker 1: of kind of came up at the same time. You know, 644 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 1: right right around the middle of the two thousands is 645 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,439 Speaker 1: when i Allo started opening arrest drums and that put 646 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: many of us in the map and put AshEL in 647 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,400 Speaker 1: the map a little bit, and uh kinship form because 648 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:10,440 Speaker 1: of that. So we're constantly working with each other. Um, 649 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: we just reach out to collaborating events, um, support each other, 650 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:18,280 Speaker 1: eat each other's restaurants, hang out off, and get involved 651 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,120 Speaker 1: in the same events and charities. So if I get 652 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,000 Speaker 1: approach for something, I'll immediately go to the rest of 653 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,160 Speaker 1: my community of chefs and restaurant tears and ask them 654 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,480 Speaker 1: if they want to be involved. We all step up 655 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 1: for each other. If one of us starts a cool initiative, 656 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: all of us you know, take the queue and share 657 00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:36,720 Speaker 1: that information with each other. We have our own independent 658 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:41,839 Speaker 1: restaurant association called the Actual Independent Restaurant Association, and UM. 659 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:45,840 Speaker 1: For example, I'm collaborating right now with you know, UM 660 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 1: fourteen other restaurantiers, chefs and makers in town and businessmen 661 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:53,080 Speaker 1: in town to start our own food and wine festival 662 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 1: because the old one just petered out. It was sort 663 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:58,799 Speaker 1: of more for corporate run type festival that didn't really 664 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,879 Speaker 1: represent the town. And we're all collaborating now to take 665 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: on putting on a food one festival. That's exactly what 666 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 1: you talked about community, collaborative, engaged when we all work together. 667 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: So it's been one of the most Um, it's been 668 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 1: another I mean back again, why Asheville. It's very hard 669 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,359 Speaker 1: to get that in a big city. Um. It's much 670 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,400 Speaker 1: harder in Atlanta. I mean even though close as many people, 671 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: it's hard because you're physically separated, um, you know, UM 672 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:28,919 Speaker 1: and traffic and just all the hassle of a big city. 673 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 1: It's hard to make time to connect with your community 674 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: In a small town like Ashville. It's one of it's 675 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,759 Speaker 1: one of its greater blessings. I mean, I think you 676 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 1: pretty much covered ms of our questions. Unless there's anything 677 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: that you would like to talk about that. We didn't 678 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:47,640 Speaker 1: discuss anything at all. I mean, the the the the 679 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 1: emphasis is that the podcast on the show is on. 680 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:52,600 Speaker 1: I mean, i know what the How Stuff Works is about, 681 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,160 Speaker 1: but I'm assuming this is a different focus, right, Uh yeah, yeah. 682 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,520 Speaker 1: Our our show is um food science and history and 683 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:03,920 Speaker 1: culture and got it, and now now kind of specifically 684 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:06,840 Speaker 1: within particular areas, like we're we're trying to take a 685 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,040 Speaker 1: field trip once every couple of months to go to 686 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:12,880 Speaker 1: another place around the South and just see what's up, right, 687 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:15,920 Speaker 1: I mean, essince you mentioned culture and food and science. 688 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's the more time spending in really 689 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,440 Speaker 1: studying food, the history of food. I find that the 690 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 1: history of food is inseparable from the history of humanity. 691 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,920 Speaker 1: I mean almost everything we've done as a species are 692 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: you know, settling down into small societies instead of being 693 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,400 Speaker 1: nomadic and moving away from hunter gatherer into more of 694 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,240 Speaker 1: an agricultural lifestyle. Our settlements and the banks of rivers 695 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:47,720 Speaker 1: or shores or near mountains or valleys. Our civilizations are wars, 696 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:53,160 Speaker 1: are explorations, Columbus sailing you know out um to find 697 00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:56,200 Speaker 1: you know, the America's everything, It's all been driven by food, 698 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:59,919 Speaker 1: by looking for it, by you know, finding new source 699 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,719 Speaker 1: for it, by finding new experiences and flavors um and 700 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:06,160 Speaker 1: food and and along with that sort of religion, you know, 701 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:09,560 Speaker 1: which the two are go so intertwined that you know 702 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: you can't separate the two. And uh and and so 703 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:15,560 Speaker 1: if when you study food and when you study in history, 704 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,120 Speaker 1: food you realizing you study is the history of who 705 00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: you humans are and how we got to where we 706 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 1: got today. And even now, I mean I believe that um, 707 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:28,840 Speaker 1: food is culturally shaping us. I mean I think you know, 708 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:32,840 Speaker 1: whether it's Instagram or social media or UM or delivery 709 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,360 Speaker 1: services or relates and technology, it's still always seems to 710 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:41,359 Speaker 1: find a way to center around around food. UM. So, yeah, 711 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:49,040 Speaker 1: that that would be my sort takeaway thought. This brings 712 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,239 Speaker 1: us to the end of our interview with Mari Juan. 713 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 1: One of my favorite thing about this interview is he 714 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,560 Speaker 1: kind of summed up the whole history of food as 715 00:38:56,719 --> 00:38:58,920 Speaker 1: like throw away at the end. Oh yeah, yeah. We 716 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,440 Speaker 1: were like, is there anything else you want to say? Oh, actually, 717 00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:06,200 Speaker 1: food is human history and this this beautiful quote. He 718 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:09,480 Speaker 1: just gave it to us for free. It's lovely, Yes, 719 00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:12,959 Speaker 1: it was lovely. We hope you enjoyed the interview and 720 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:16,680 Speaker 1: we would enjoy hearing from you listeners. If you would 721 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 1: like to email as you can, our email is Hello 722 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,479 Speaker 1: at saber pod dot com. We're also on social media 723 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:22,919 Speaker 1: if you'd like to get in touch with us there. 724 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:27,200 Speaker 1: We are at saber Pod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 725 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:30,319 Speaker 1: Thank you, as always to our superproducer Dylan Fagan. Thank 726 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,520 Speaker 1: you to you for listening, and we hope that lots 727 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:33,879 Speaker 1: more good things are coming your way.