1 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. 2 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 2: The Michael Verie Show is on the air. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 3: Mister President, mister Prime Minister, mister speakers, see members of 4 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 3: the knesse It and cherished citizens of Israel. We gather 5 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 3: in a day of profound joy, of soaring hope, of 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 3: renewed faith, and above all, a day to give our 7 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 3: deepest thanks to the Almighty God of Abraham. 8 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 2: The President at a peace summit in Egypt. This is 9 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 2: something we have all wanted for a very very long time. 10 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: Whether you cared deeply about peace in the Middle East, 11 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 2: or whether you just wanted the violence to end, or 12 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 2: whether you were ready for America to focus on internal 13 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:05,919 Speaker 2: issue shoes, you can all be happy, as can Graham 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 2: le Board. He told the story. Last week we reported 15 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 2: that a man in a delivery uniform entered Winnies restaurant 16 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: and tried to steal shrimp. And he called it, I 17 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: guess if not one of maybe altogether the most creative 18 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: ways criminals have tried to get to him in his career, 19 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 2: and he was able to thwart that effort. Owner Graham 20 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 2: le Board of Winnies as our guest, welcome to the program. 21 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,559 Speaker 1: Graham I'm very happy to be here. 22 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 2: First of all, tell me about Winnies. 23 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: So, Winnies in Midtown we've been open about four years. 24 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: Right after COVID, I had been in fine dining, and 25 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: so my wife and I and my business partner always 26 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: loved the idea of how having a casual, more casual 27 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: sandwich kind of place. So it's cocktails, great little patio 28 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: and fun, say fun and inventive sandwiches. 29 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:12,239 Speaker 2: Where were you in fine dining? 30 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: So I was the director of operations for Killing's, so 31 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: all of the restaurants that Ronnie owned, and then before 32 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: that I had a restaurant in the Heights called Bernardine's. 33 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 2: You had Bernadine's, Yes, sir. I thought Bernadine's was Chris 34 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 2: Cusack No. 35 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: So he was, Yeah, he was the owner. I was 36 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: the chef, and kind of inspiration. Bernardine was my grandmother. 37 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 2: I knew it was named for somebody's grandmother. I assumed 38 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 2: it was Chris's grandmother. Okay, that's that's very interesting my grandmother. 39 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: I'm from Louisiana, which is where kind of the Cajun 40 00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: influence and Louisiana influence from Bernardines. And then by translation, 41 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: Winnies too. We make a heck of a great gumbo 42 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: trimp po boy. We get our bread from New Orleans. 43 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:08,959 Speaker 1: It's fantastic. 44 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 2: Wait, hold on, going back to Berney's. What were you 45 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 2: doing before that? 46 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: Before that, I was a butcher working with Felix Flores, 47 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: Texas Meet and then when I was in New Orleans, 48 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: I worked in places like Blucherie Commander's palace restaurant called Stella. 49 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: So I've been around, but the Gulf Coast is my home. 50 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: Where were you born in the last fifteen years? Where 51 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 2: were you born? 52 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: I'm sorry didn't here. 53 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 2: Where were you born? 54 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: Lafayette, Louisiana? 55 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 2: And then where you did you know? The new mayor 56 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 2: of New Orleans is from Episcopal High School in Houston. 57 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 2: I was just I was just told that you knew that. 58 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: I didn't know that. 59 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 2: Yes, I don't know anything about the new mayor, but 60 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 2: I was just told that fact kind of interesting. 61 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: So you were born in I did that there is 62 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: a new mayor? 63 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I gotta tell you. I thought Nagan. 64 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 2: You know, Nagan was pitched as a guy that was 65 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 2: a business guy. He was a VP at Cox. He 66 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 2: he was not going to be you know it was 67 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 2: not going to be the nonsense we've seen before. It 68 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 2: wasn't going to be racial politics. And he turned out 69 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 2: to be the worst of them all. I was glad 70 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,599 Speaker 2: to be shed of Moreole, who I thought was a crook, 71 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 2: and then Reagan turned Nagan turned out to be a 72 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 2: terrible crook. I thought Landra actually helped Landrew. I thought 73 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 2: Landrew was going to be good. I've about given up. 74 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 2: And I love New Orleans. I mean, when I was 75 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 2: growing up, we got more excited going to New Orleans 76 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 2: than we did Houston. New Orleans was it, man, that 77 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 2: was the cultural mecca, and I'm just so disappointed at 78 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 2: what has become of a once great city. It's it's 79 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 2: very frustrating. So you go to high school in Lafayette. 80 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: I did Episcopal School of Acadianna. 81 00:04:58,279 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 2: Okay, and what's your parents dream? 82 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: All towns just outside of that called Cade and my 83 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: father was an attorney, okay, and did mom work she 84 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 1: did not okay? 85 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 2: And then from there, where'd you go. 86 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: From there? Went to culinary school in Rhode Island, which 87 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: Johnson and Wales. 88 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 2: That sounds expensive and pretty. 89 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: It was anything, but it was located right next to 90 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: a landfill in Providence. 91 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 2: Did you pay off for it? 92 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: Culinary school is one of those things I have a 93 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:42,359 Speaker 1: lot of people ask me whether it's worth it. I 94 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 1: think from an there's a lot of things you can 95 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: learn in culinary school, but the biggest value for me 96 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: came in learning the basics of how to operate a business, 97 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: how to handle the money, what to do, how to 98 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: treat employeloyees. That is something that most people who get 99 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 1: into the restaurant business the love of cooking don't necessarily 100 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: always know, and it really can get a lot of people. 101 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: I mean, the failure rate is high en up in 102 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: restaurants in general. That if you don't know how to 103 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: be a good steward of the money that you take in, 104 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: it can be really challenging. 105 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 2: I've known a lot of people go. 106 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,280 Speaker 1: To school, and you gave me a good structure for that. 107 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,239 Speaker 2: I've known a lot of people go to culinary school, 108 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 2: whether the Cordon Blue or CIA or any number of 109 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 2: different culinary schools of various levels of reputation, and I 110 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 2: have never once had one of them tell me that 111 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,559 Speaker 2: they learned the valuable lesson of how to manage people, 112 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 2: deal with people, how and fire people and run a business. 113 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 2: I think that is brilliant because for a lot of people, 114 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,719 Speaker 2: you know, doctor medical school has changed now dramatically to 115 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 2: where doctors are I am told taught a bedside manner, 116 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 2: which was something that you could be considered a great 117 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 2: doctor and very very unlikable or obtuse when it came 118 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 2: to human interaction. I think that's fantastic because I don't 119 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 2: think restaurants fail because their food isn't good. I think 120 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 2: that it's almost never the case that a restaurant fails 121 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 2: because their food isn't good. And I am of the 122 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 2: theory that most people don't know the difference between great 123 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 2: food and good food. If it's solid and consistent and 124 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 2: a price point that wherever they are they can afford, 125 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 2: that restaurant will survive if if you like the experience 126 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 2: that you have. And I'm probably true of that too. 127 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 2: And I like food. I mean I'm a big I 128 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 2: talk about food more than most people. But I think 129 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 2: that having learned that lesson would put you in very 130 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 2: good stead and a lot of people don't learn. And 131 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 2: I've been into restaurants where the owner will invite me 132 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 2: to come and see the place, and you go in 133 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 2: and they're yelling at their employees. And then you go 134 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 2: up and you meet them, and they're they're all of 135 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 2: a sudden nice to you because they want you to 136 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 2: say something nice about them, and they proceed to tell 137 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 2: you how stupid their customers are, and their customers don't 138 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 2: appreciate how brilliant they are. And I just think, boy, 139 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 2: that's that's got to be a tortured existence. Grandble a board. 140 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 2: Hold with me for just a moment, My good man, 141 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 2: do you have a favorite artist musician? 142 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: Musician? 143 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, favorite song? Oh good? I asked our guests what 144 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 2: his favorite artist was so we could play that song. 145 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 2: And Ramon comes back doesn't play that artist, which is 146 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,079 Speaker 2: odd because it's also one of your favorites. That you 147 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 2: just add a power play on your part, is what 148 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 2: that was? What? I did not ask him a question 149 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 2: about his dog? 150 00:08:51,200 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 4: You did, Ramone said, to ask you why he's playing that. 151 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 2: You gave him some reason that he played this. 152 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,679 Speaker 1: I named my dog after this song. 153 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 2: Why, oh so your dog's name is Ventura Highway. 154 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 1: My dog's name is cater Todd Ventura Highway. 155 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 2: But yes, it took me a second. I was racking 156 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 2: my brain. I had I had to hold are you. 157 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: Forty two? 158 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 2: Well, when you're fifty four and you know the song 159 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 2: and you're trying to think of the line, you have 160 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 2: to sing the whole song to get to that part. 161 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 2: You can't just you can't just quickly recall it. So 162 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 2: you went to culinary school. You felt you you feel 163 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 2: like it was it was the juice was worth the 164 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,800 Speaker 2: squeeze in that you learned a lot about the business 165 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 2: of running a restaurant, which I'm fascinated by. Have a 166 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 2: number of friends who are restaurant owners. I'm a consumer 167 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 2: fascinated by the business of restaurants, and I often use 168 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 2: restaurants as an example for a number of different anecdotes 169 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 2: or stories that I'm telling, because everybody can identify with 170 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 2: the restaurant. Everybody can identify with parenting. No matter what 171 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 2: you do, everybody at some point goes to a restaurant, 172 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 2: even if it's just a fast food restaurant. And it's 173 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 2: interesting that you learn the business of it because for 174 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 2: being such a common and important part of our lives, 175 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 2: there's very little training. You know, UH has an HRM program, 176 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 2: but that's really for because of the Hilton family. That's 177 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 2: really more the hotel industry lodging as opposed to restaurants. 178 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 2: And I think most people learn the restaurant business on 179 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 2: their own. How did you choose that school? 180 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: It? You know, there's a bunch of culinary schools and 181 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: some very good ones in Louisiana. But I grew up cooking. 182 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 1: The men in my family cook. It's a big part 183 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:05,079 Speaker 1: of our culture, and so I had a firm grasp 184 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: of how to cook already, how to make food taste good. 185 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: So I wanted to go somewhere to learn food that 186 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: I didn't know, and Providence has a very big Italian scene. 187 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: I've lived in New England, you know, earlier, and so 188 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: I was searching for a school that could give me 189 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: the tools that I was specifically looking for, which you know, 190 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: there aren't a ton of culinary schools that that have 191 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: that business minded focus, and so that's why I ended 192 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: up choosing Johnson Wales. 193 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 2: Mister Leboard must have done pretty well. 194 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: He did all right, Yes, sir, a great father. 195 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,679 Speaker 2: Is he still alive? He is? He must be very 196 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 2: proud of. 197 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: You, I like to think so. And he telled me, so. 198 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 2: Are you married? 199 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 1: I am? 200 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 2: You have kids? 201 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:07,320 Speaker 1: Married with three kids? 202 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 2: What are their names. 203 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 1: My wife Page is amazing, and our kids are Sophie, 204 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: Celeste and Alden. 205 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 2: See those are rich people names they are. That's like patrician, 206 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 2: blue blood Northeastern names. You've got a little Northeastern pinky 207 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 2: out when he drinks his his hot tea to you, Graham, 208 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 2: A little bit of that, I can tell. 209 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: That's fair. 210 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 2: But it might mix well with the Louisiana down home. 211 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 2: You know sometimes that that that can be a you know, 212 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 2: Emerald Lagassi acts like he was born on Carondole, but 213 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 2: he wasn't. So so you graduate from there and then 214 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 2: what uh? 215 00:12:57,520 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: Moved back to New Orleans cook there for about a 216 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: day decade from pages from Baton Rouge. 217 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 2: Oh okay, all right, what high school she got to? 218 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: She went to a Baptist high schools name is escaping me. 219 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness. Okay, well tell me when you think 220 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 2: of it. So you go to New Orleans. So what's 221 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 2: your first job there? 222 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 1: First job there was Commander's Palace. 223 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 2: Wow. 224 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: And what we're doing there in the pastry department and 225 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: guard man Jay under Tory mcphil uh. 226 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 2: What was your favorite pastry to make? 227 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:45,800 Speaker 1: I load making the bread, putting two flets on a 228 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,680 Speaker 1: busy day, we'd make hundreds and hundreds of them. At 229 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: one point my right arm or looked like Raffael Nadals 230 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: just from whisking egg whites. 231 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 2: How about that, Yeah, it's I guess we don't think 232 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 2: about you know. After the BP explosion, I was invited 233 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 2: to come and do my show out of New Orleans 234 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:14,559 Speaker 2: to encourage the return of folks to New Orleans tourism 235 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 2: and the return of the economy in One of the 236 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 2: folks that invited me to broadcast out of their restaurant 237 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 2: was Commander's Palace, and I did. And it's against FCC 238 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 2: regulations to drink while you're on the air. People still 239 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 2: do it, but I was a former lawyer. I was 240 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 2: a little persnickety at that point and worried I don't 241 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 2: want to lose my job. But they kept bringing me 242 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 2: drinks through the course of the show, and I may 243 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 2: or may not have partaken of them. But it was 244 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 2: so much fun to be in there. They had a 245 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 2: little side room that had French doors and I could 246 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 2: see the restaurant outside of that as I did the show, 247 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 2: and it was so much fun. I had such a 248 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 2: I love that restaurant. My wife and I. One of 249 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 2: our favorite places to go in New Orleans is Is 250 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 2: on Sunday for brunch. And you've got the guy that's 251 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 2: like the drum major that comes high stepping up in there. Oh, 252 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 2: that's fantastic. It's like cab cal a smaller version of 253 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 2: cab Callaway. 254 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: All right. So then from there, from there, I worked 255 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 1: in a restaurant in the French Quarter called Stella, which 256 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 1: is no longer open, but that was a very you know, 257 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 1: fine dining, casing menu only kind of experience. 258 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 2: I don't know if I've been there before, but I 259 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 2: know of it, which must make it pretty famous for 260 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 2: it to hit my radar. 261 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: It was the place to be in New Orleans at 262 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: the time. That and restaurant August, which August is an institution. 263 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: But if you were in the CBD or in the 264 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: French Quarter, that was where you were going. 265 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 2: How much do you think you were getting paid at 266 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 2: Commander's Palace? 267 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: Oh, I mean, I can tell you twelve dollars an hour? 268 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 2: And where were you living. 269 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 1: At that point? I was living with a cousin near 270 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: Tulane on Pine and simple. 271 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 2: Okay, And then why'd you leave and go to Stella? 272 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: Just maybe it's because I'm add maybe it's because I can't. 273 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: I thought I had maxed out my ceiling, but I 274 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: moved restaurants probably every six months to a year in 275 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: New Orleans. Learn as much as you can, and then 276 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: move on. I was at a stage in my cooking 277 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: career where I was trying to absorb as much information 278 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: as I could, as quickly as I could. 279 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 2: I think that's actually a pretty good strategy, especially for 280 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 2: that Field coland just on Gramble aboard of Winnie's Restaurant Midtown, 281 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 2: our guest coming up. Really, the only reason to open 282 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 2: another RCC is to have Wayne Tubs concerts. I could 283 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 2: put us out all the headache of running a place, 284 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 2: because it is a headache. I'm here to tell you, folks, 285 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:07,200 Speaker 2: it is a headache to run a bar or restaurant. 286 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,639 Speaker 2: And if people knew what a headache it was, they 287 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,199 Speaker 2: would they do two things differently. They would complain less 288 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 2: about little pitdly things. Had a guy sent me an 289 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 2: email over the weekend Ramon, He says, maybe it's to 290 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 2: Margarita speaking, but I need you to talk to Russell 291 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:28,639 Speaker 2: about the fact that my wife doesn't want a full 292 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 2: whatever it was Enchilada platter, so she orders the children's platter. 293 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 2: Children's platter supposed to cost less, but because she's not 294 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 2: a child, they charge her regular. And they said, we 295 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 2: can't discount it if you're not a child, and bye 296 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaker 2: bye bye bye, bye bye bye. And I said, you know, 297 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 2: maybe it's my margarita speaking. I didn't have any margaritas. 298 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 2: But I think you're a jackass. And if I owned 299 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,679 Speaker 2: a restaurant, I wouldn't want you there. He's a frequent emailer. 300 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 2: I said, let me explain for the restaurant that I 301 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 2: don't own. I thought that it was still at Gringos, 302 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 2: but let me explain for the restaurant I don't own. 303 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 2: I know I'm not passing this on to Russell. Why 304 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 2: they do that. You offer a price break for kids 305 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 2: to help families out, so that families can go out 306 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 2: on It's not a value proposition. Dollar dollar in, dollar out. 307 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,880 Speaker 2: You offer a discount for the third or fourth member 308 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 2: of a party because they're a child. If an adult 309 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,400 Speaker 2: is going to order a smaller platter, you don't offer 310 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 2: a child's discount because it's not a child. It's not 311 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 2: based on how many beans you serve. And oh, by 312 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 2: the way, it wasn't even gringos he ate at. 313 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:38,399 Speaker 1: It was some. 314 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 2: Indiscription undetermined tex Mex restaurant in Brenham. I said, you 315 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 2: know what, just why, why why send me that? I 316 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 2: don't I don't understand you. If you're at the point 317 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:55,640 Speaker 2: that you're mad over that, you got so many things 318 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:57,720 Speaker 2: going so right that you need to focus on them, 319 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 2: because that's not a that's not a good reason to 320 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 2: send me an email. So, Graham, you went to h Commander, 321 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 2: you went from Commander's Palace to Stella. You're working in 322 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:10,200 Speaker 2: some pretty fancy restaurants here. I mean, it's just not 323 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,840 Speaker 2: an easy thing to do. And then where. 324 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: Well, I was a chef at a duck hunting camp 325 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: in gate On, Louisiana called uh and I did that 326 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: in the winters. It was called the Florence Club. 327 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 2: Okay, just so you know, anytime you say something, I'm 328 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 2: gonna ask for the name. No, okay, that's just gonna happen. 329 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: Graham, I find it so funny. Sorry to go on 330 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 1: a tangent, but I find it so funny. As a restaurant, 331 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: you have to feather when you can respond to ridiculous 332 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: emails like that. Yeah, because if you don't want to 333 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: be combative with the general public, because trolls, it's like 334 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,639 Speaker 1: arguing with idiots. They'll bring you down to their level 335 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: and beat you with experience. 336 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,679 Speaker 2: But do you know Ricky Craig that on subcap for yourself? 337 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: Yeah? Absolutely, Okay, Ricky. 338 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 2: Is certifiably nuts and that's why I love him. And 339 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 2: he stopped doing it now, But he used to be 340 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 2: kind of famous, you know, ten fifteen years ago, for 341 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 2: people would go online and criticize and he would just 342 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 2: unload on him. And he would do it if he 343 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 2: had some drinks in him. But Ricky would do it 344 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 2: Stone Cools over and people would say, you shouldn't talk 345 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 2: to people like that. Do you see what you say 346 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:28,520 Speaker 2: to him? I mean, it's feather is such a good word. 347 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:33,399 Speaker 2: It's it's such a good word for exactly. You have 348 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 2: to have the discernment to know you can't do that. 349 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 2: I used to be a little better at that, but 350 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 2: I think in the era of Trump, I feel more 351 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 2: comfortable just unloading on people as to how did you feel. 352 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 2: You know, if I post a picture of me and 353 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 2: my son, I'll have people who say you need to 354 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 2: stand up straighter. You need to get kicked in the nuts. 355 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 3: What are you? 356 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:57,640 Speaker 2: I don't even know you. What are you doing criticizing 357 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 2: my you know, my posture in my photo. Anyway, I 358 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 2: got distracted, Graham. I got distracted, Graham. The board is 359 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,320 Speaker 2: our guest Whennie's Restaurant in Midtown, So what is the 360 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 2: next restaurant from there? You were the chef and then 361 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 2: where Yeah? 362 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: And then I moved to Houston. 363 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:14,440 Speaker 2: Why did you move to Houston? 364 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: You know, at the time, growing up in Louisiana, we 365 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: always thought of Houston as a bad word. It just 366 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: urban sprawl, know nothing about it. But I had kind 367 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: of maximized what I was looking to do in New Orleans. 368 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: Wasn't making much money, not a lot of upward momentum, 369 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: and the city is so based on tourism that the 370 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: summer months are you know, devastating, So you're not getting 371 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: the hours that you're looking for. And so I came 372 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 1: to Houston and staged which is an unpaid kind of 373 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:01,919 Speaker 1: two day interview for Brian Caswell at Stella Sola. 374 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, have you been? 375 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: Yes? You think Brian's friend had lunch at Latoulli a 376 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: couple of weeks ago with my business partner and loved 377 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: it like a Greatest Hits album. Uh, it's fantastic and 378 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: restaurant itself is gorgeous. 379 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:27,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, Brian got knocked Caswell got knocked down, 380 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 2: as as a lot of people do when when they 381 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 2: get really big, really fast. And then he he spent 382 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 2: his time in Siberia. He was cooking for some guys 383 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 2: at you know, their hunting leases on the weekend, and 384 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:42,920 Speaker 2: I think he was he was kind of in a 385 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:48,680 Speaker 2: in a Eric Clapton away finding himself again. And then 386 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 2: when he started this project, you could tell his his 387 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 2: his dad had passed, but it was like he's a 388 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 2: different person now and and he's a wiser may it 389 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 2: may not be his inner jet because he was as 390 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 2: a young man when when he and Bill had their 391 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:05,640 Speaker 2: their place down in Icon, but I think he's much 392 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,959 Speaker 2: wiser and a happier person. I'm very happy for him. 393 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 2: He's he's it's it's been interesting to watch his growth 394 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,480 Speaker 2: and development personally anyway. So so you'd go to work 395 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 2: for for Caswell at Stella, which great Wrestler. 396 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: Was opened for next a week and then we opened, uh, 397 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: and then it closed, So I had to find another job, 398 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: and that's how I ended up as a butcher. 399 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 2: Did you read it little biggs. 400 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 1: Uh Sliger place? Yeah, maybe once or twice. 401 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 2: It's fantastic. 402 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:42,560 Speaker 1: It was not in my rotation. I lived in the Heights, 403 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: so Montrose was not. 404 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 2: It replaced a little Chinese It replaced a little fast 405 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:57,479 Speaker 2: food Chinese place called means not means called. I'll think 406 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 2: of it in a minute, but it replaced this little 407 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 2: place that was The guy had the the uh. He 408 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 2: kind of reminded me of Caswell. He was Asian, but 409 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 2: he's built like Caswell, big guy, and he had this 410 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 2: idea that he was going to take this thing and 411 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 2: take it national and in franchise it and the holend. 412 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 2: It didn't work, but their food was fantastic. It was 413 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 2: just fantastic anyway. So so Stella and then where. 414 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: And then I was a butcher for Black Hill meets YEP, 415 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:31,639 Speaker 1: which was local port selling almost exclusively wholesale to restaurants. 416 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:35,679 Speaker 2: Yeah. Felix used to put on display demonstrations for us 417 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 2: at the RCC and he would come come over. 418 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, Felix. So Jess Timmons, who I know through Felix, 419 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 1: is a great friend. 420 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 2: And ran r yeah, yeah, well he used to come 421 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 2: over met I got. 422 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: A tour of the kitchen before you guys open. 423 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 2: Was that the most overdone kitchen you've ever been in 424 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:52,640 Speaker 2: your life. 425 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: You could have put out weddings for five thousand easily 426 00:24:58,119 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: out of that kitchen. 427 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 2: I knew I had done it. When Tillman Fertita came 428 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,199 Speaker 2: over to visit the first time, unannounced, he said, can 429 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 2: I see your kitchen? Of course, I've asked to see 430 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 2: everybody else's kitchen. And we go in and he said, Michael, 431 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 2: this is ten times more kitchen than you need. Is 432 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:16,639 Speaker 2: that bad? Yes, that's that's bad. Oh, nobody told me 433 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:19,719 Speaker 2: hold on Grandma Board when he's restaurant in midtown Houston, 434 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 2: supposed to be great publish, supposed to be phenomenal publics, 435 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:24,920 Speaker 2: And Cody Johnson said that you know why he would know? 436 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 2: Do you like Grandma Board? What do you like about it? 437 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,800 Speaker 2: And a fount plain? Why are you on another call 438 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 2: if we have a guest with what do you like 439 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:44,200 Speaker 2: about it? Where the women? I'm very pretty because he 440 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:47,120 Speaker 2: was getting nice to you. When you call it you're 441 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 2: like a dog, that's all you care about. Give me 442 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 2: a treat. Oh, you're killing my family. Okay, Well, the 443 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 2: treats are over there in that box over the thing 444 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 2: to say treats. Okay, yet take all the time you need. 445 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 2: My friend Jane Gee rights. Aside from good food, Winnies 446 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:07,879 Speaker 2: goes all out in Christmas decorations, great holiday decorps. They 447 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:13,080 Speaker 2: closed down to decorate. John Feeler writes, the Catholic Girls 448 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 2: High School in Baton Rouge is, or at least was 449 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 2: Saint Joseph's academy. My wife taught there in about seventy four. 450 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 2: I can't believe, dude, for God's wife's school. I cannot 451 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:29,400 Speaker 2: believe that. Let's see, there was one other comment on him. 452 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:35,719 Speaker 2: I was going, it's Sammy Hagar's seventieth, seventy eighth birthday today. 453 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 2: How about that. Graham lea Board is our guest. He's 454 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 2: the owner of Winnie's restaurant in Midtown. Why don't you 455 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 2: tell me the story and then we'll go back to 456 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 2: your very fascinating journey to get here. So you're at 457 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 2: the restaurant, which, by the way, my friend Cody Johnson 458 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:01,159 Speaker 2: says that y'all are just fantastic. I thought you were 459 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,520 Speaker 2: a black guy. I don't know why, and so I 460 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 2: was surprised. So he sent me a message when I 461 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 2: told the story last week, and he said, uh, oh man, 462 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 2: you got to try their Poe boys. They're fantastic. They're wonderful. 463 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,360 Speaker 2: And I know him if you want to talk to him, 464 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:21,240 Speaker 2: and I said, and so he said something else, and 465 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 2: I said, wait, is he a white guy? And he 466 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,960 Speaker 2: said yeah. I said, I didn't know that, and he 467 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,640 Speaker 2: sent me a message and we started talking today. He said, 468 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 2: ask him about the chicken palm caesar sandwich and the 469 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 2: pork belly BLT. And then we were going to break 470 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 2: and I was going to make a fat joke, but 471 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:42,159 Speaker 2: I realized when you make a fat joke and you 472 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 2: don't do it in a nuanced way, then it comes 473 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 2: across as you know, just being rude, which I don't mind, 474 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,360 Speaker 2: but it wasn't intending to because Cody's a friend of mine. 475 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:52,199 Speaker 2: And he said, I know you were about to make 476 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,159 Speaker 2: a fat joke, and for whatever reason, you held up. 477 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 2: Just so you know, I've lost thirty five pounds, I'm 478 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,640 Speaker 2: safe from fat jokes. Well, Cody, it was fat enough 479 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 2: that he can lose thirty five pounds and he's still 480 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 2: going to get some fat jokes, but good on him 481 00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 2: for losing thirty five pounds. How well do you know 482 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 2: Cody Johnson? 483 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:09,959 Speaker 3: Oh? 484 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: I've known Cody for years. We hunt together. I've gone 485 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 1: to his ranch a few times. His wife, Stephanie is amazing. 486 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 2: He's wonderful, and. 487 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: They are living a life that I am from time 488 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,160 Speaker 1: to time jealous of. You know, I love my kids, 489 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,920 Speaker 1: I love my family, wouldn't trade it for anything, but 490 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: being Danks has it pluses, you know. 491 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 2: I agree. And you know, my wife and I didn't 492 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 2: have kids until much later, and we adopted, but we 493 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 2: didn't have kids so much later. And I always hated 494 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 2: when people would tell us to have kids, and I 495 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 2: resented that. So I don't do it. But between you 496 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 2: and me, I think they should have kids because I 497 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 2: never realized how much I would love love having kids 498 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 2: until I did. And I think it's hard to imagine 499 00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 2: for some people. It's hard to imagine yourself in that 500 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 2: role and what your relationship is going to be like 501 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 2: with your spouse and what your time and how your 502 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 2: time is going to be spent. All right, so you're 503 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 2: at Winnies and what happened? 504 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:14,400 Speaker 1: So we you know, life of a restaurant tour. I 505 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:17,280 Speaker 1: was there to check a water heater issue. I'm almost 506 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 1: never there right at the open, but I was the 507 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: first person to arrive and one of my staff comes 508 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:29,760 Speaker 1: and gets me out of the office and said, did 509 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:32,080 Speaker 1: you take twenty pounds of shrimp out of the cooler? 510 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 1: I said no, So I had thought at the time 511 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: we'd seen the guy, but nothing clocked as unusual. I mean, 512 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: deliveries start coming in right as we get there. People 513 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: drop product, wait for a check, and hit the road, 514 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: and so I assumed the guy was waiting for a check, 515 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: not really thinking twice about it. But when my employee 516 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: asked me about the shrimp, I got up, walked over 517 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: and felt the shrimp and they were still cold, right, 518 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: you know, still ice cold, So they hadn't been left 519 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 1: out all night, which was my first assumption. But the 520 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: guy was nowhere to be found. So there's a facet 521 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: to the story that I didn't report earlier. I walked 522 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:24,120 Speaker 1: out of our back door down the alley and saw 523 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: a bicycle with a trailer on it, And on the 524 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: trailer of the bicycle was two boxes filled with wagu beef, 525 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: seven tomahawk ribbas and ten pounds of ground wagu that 526 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:47,000 Speaker 1: this guy had already stolen from another restaurant. So I 527 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: grabbed that meat because there's a sticker on it unless 528 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 1: you know what restaurant it belongs to, and confronted the 529 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: man as he's walking out of the restaurant trying to 530 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: break into the other businesses. So he's coming out of 531 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:03,600 Speaker 1: the hallway and now he sees me with the meat 532 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,720 Speaker 1: that he had already stolen, and that's when we tussled, 533 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 1: and I pushed him out of the back door and 534 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: locked it. 535 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:14,120 Speaker 2: Uh, but did you did you engage him in any 536 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 2: particular moves that you had watched on TikTok? Oh? 537 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:22,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I used all of the prowess of 538 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 1: my junior varsity defensive end abilities to arm bar him 539 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: out of the back door. 540 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:31,440 Speaker 2: And what was his height? Weight? 541 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: Oh, little guy? I mean maybe five five, one hundred 542 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: and ten pounds, one hundred and twenty pounds. 543 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 2: How old would you guess? He was not much? 544 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 1: Probably mid forties, older than me, but nothing that really 545 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: stood out. 546 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 2: How often do you think he smokes myth. 547 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: Uh? He was on something, that's for sure. 548 00:31:58,000 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 2: And how what's your height weight? 549 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: I'm six foot two oh five. 550 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:06,200 Speaker 2: Was he a white black? Hispanic? 551 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: Uh? Either very tan white or Hispanic? Nothing clear? 552 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:14,000 Speaker 2: Did he have an accent? 553 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: Never? No, no accent. 554 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 2: Was he wearing a ball cap? He was not. 555 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,680 Speaker 1: He had a close knit we like to call it 556 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: a New Iberia haircut. 557 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 2: Was he unkempt in any way. 558 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: No, which is why he wasn't out of place. He 559 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: looked like a delivery driver, wearing shorts, had glove work 560 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:40,920 Speaker 1: gloves on. Yeah. 561 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:45,160 Speaker 2: Maybe maybe he was having a you know, like a 562 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 2: fried shrimp dinner, had some family members coming over that night. 563 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 2: Have you guessed? Have you thought to yourself. 564 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: Looking for the surf? 565 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 2: What's that? 566 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:56,720 Speaker 1: I said? He had the turf in the meat. You know, 567 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:58,000 Speaker 1: he's looking for the surf. 568 00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, So so you arm bar him out and 569 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 2: then uh then then what happens? You called a popo 570 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 2: or what happened? 571 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: Call the police? Police show up? Uh, you know, ask 572 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,200 Speaker 1: him if I want to press charges? Of course, you 573 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 1: always press charges. That's how we get resources allocated to 574 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:22,080 Speaker 1: our neighborhood. So stuck stuck around, filed the police report, 575 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: and a real life Houston detective called me a couple 576 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:29,000 Speaker 1: of days later, wanting to or actually later that day, 577 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 1: wanting to uh hear my story telling me they were 578 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: on the case, which I can only assume is because 579 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,840 Speaker 1: of the chronicle story of course. 580 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, but hey, if it got attention. Do you remember 581 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 2: his name? 582 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: Uh, the detective? I do not. 583 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 2: H Was he a polite very Did he come and eat? 584 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 1: No? I don't know that yet. If he did, he 585 00:33:57,480 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: didn't ask for me. 586 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 2: Do you offer a law enforcement discount? 587 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: Uh? We haven't in the past, but we would. 588 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:09,480 Speaker 2: Hmmm. All right, So then then what happens? So you 589 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:11,920 Speaker 2: called it at that point? Are you one of those 590 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,680 Speaker 2: guys because we all know that type. Are you one 591 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 2: of those guys that, after this happens the whole day, 592 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 2: you're telling everybody all day about it. 593 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:22,840 Speaker 1: Hell yeah, okay, I'm telling the story.