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Speaker 1: What's up as way up with Angela Yee.

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Speaker 2: I'm Angela Yee, and this is very exciting because we

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Speaker 2: have the very famous, well known chef Mario Carbone here

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Speaker 2: with us today. We've all heard of Carbone, and we're

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Speaker 2: going to get a lot more inside information from you.

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Speaker 1: You don't mind sharing right into.

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Speaker 2: It, okay, because I love the fact that you as

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Speaker 2: an entrepreneur. Some people might think as a chef that

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Speaker 2: this is something that was like a restaurant that was

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Speaker 2: passed down from generation to generation, but this is something

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Speaker 2: that you really built from the ground up, from scratch.

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Speaker 2: And what I love about your story is from a

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Speaker 2: young kid not knowing what you were going to do

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Speaker 2: later on in life. It's not like you came from,

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Speaker 2: you know, a family that owned restaurants. You were kind

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Speaker 2: of letting this direction without knowing that one day this

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Speaker 2: is what you would do. So let's talk about that

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Speaker 2: for a second. When you were younger, and if you

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Speaker 2: had to envision your life, Like when I was young,

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Speaker 2: I thought I would be a writer. What did you

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Speaker 2: think young Mario Carbone would be doing.

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Speaker 3: I thought I was going to play for the New

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Speaker 3: York Okay, at around eight or nine, I realized that

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Speaker 3: was probably out of the cards.

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Speaker 2: That's how you know he's from Queens. By the way,

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Speaker 2: he said Mets, not Yankees.

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Speaker 3: That's not Mets. So I was I was convinced that

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Speaker 3: I was going to be on the Mets. And then

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Speaker 3: when position when that was catcher. Okay, So when that

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Speaker 3: news was broke to me by basically everybody that that

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Speaker 3: was not possible, we needed to work on what was next.

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Speaker 3: And I think the next thing I knew I had

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Speaker 3: love for was food. I didn't know what that meant yet,

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Speaker 3: but I knew I had love for it. My grandparents

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Speaker 3: were born in Italy, and food and the table and

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Speaker 3: family was always a really high priority for us. So

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Speaker 3: I took that and I started, you know, odd jobs

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Speaker 3: in the kitchen with my grandparents as a little baby,

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Speaker 3: like cleaning peas and doing things like that. And I

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Speaker 3: parlayed that into working like after high school, like after

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Speaker 3: school and high school local rushstaurants on weekends just to

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Speaker 3: make a little bit of money. And I found I

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Speaker 3: found love for like the professional commercial restaurant, even if

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Speaker 3: they weren't great. Like I loved the environment. I love

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Speaker 3: the pace of it, I love the you know, I

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Speaker 3: love the action of a of a of a professional kitchen,

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Speaker 3: and I got addicted to that. I was like, wow,

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Speaker 3: this is this is cool. This is something that like

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Speaker 3: I'm really I'm really interested in. And I didn't love school,

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Speaker 3: Like traditional school just wasn't like wasn't for me, Like

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Speaker 3: I didn't apply myself. There wasn't anything there that like

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Speaker 3: I found value in, okay, and so I was just

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Speaker 3: kind of like killing time in school. I wasn't really

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Speaker 3: heading in any particular direction. So like, as I was

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Speaker 3: heading towards graduation of high school, I decided, you know what,

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Speaker 3: I'd rather take a chance on this unknown thing that

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Speaker 3: I have a lot of passion for and I don't

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Speaker 3: know where it's going to take me, instead of like

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Speaker 3: traditional academics, because I've seen what that's given me so far,

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Speaker 3: like what and what I've given it.

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Speaker 1: And it's about that because you weren't really applying yourself.

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Speaker 3: I wasn't applying myself at all. Yeah, so it's like

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Speaker 3: at least I love this. I think I love this.

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Speaker 2: You know, were you when you talked about the odd

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Speaker 2: jobs that you had working in restaurants?

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Speaker 1: I know you worked at like a.

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Speaker 2: Crab shack, yeah, and seafood restaurants and things like that.

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Speaker 2: Were you at all ever, like cooking the food or

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Speaker 2: just prep prepping or sweeping up?

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Speaker 1: Like what were those odd jobs?

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Speaker 3: It took a while till they let me cook anything.

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Speaker 3: I was probably not fourteen fifteen sixteen when I started

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Speaker 3: working in kitchens in the neighborhood, and the first few

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Speaker 3: jobs are like, you know, yeah, it's like the introduction

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Speaker 3: to the salad station or I worked on a raw bar.

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Speaker 3: I had no idea how to do that, you know,

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Speaker 3: really small tasks, a lot of prep work, learning how

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Speaker 3: to use a knife, really, you know, for the first time.

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Speaker 1: So you were like a sous chef kind of.

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Speaker 3: No, No, sous chefs go all way away. Sous chef's

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Speaker 3: the right hand.

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Speaker 1: Man, like the sususu to the sous chef. I was.

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Speaker 3: I was the I didn't know the name of Okay.

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Speaker 2: But this is all a great education though without you

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Speaker 2: even realizing it, because I think when running a business,

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Speaker 2: even knowing how to do all the things that it

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Speaker 2: takes is important because some people invest in businesses or

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Speaker 2: open a business and they don't know all the ins

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Speaker 2: and outs of it. So how can you train staff

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Speaker 2: to do things that you don't know how to do.

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Speaker 3: How can you ask them want to do something that

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Speaker 3: you don't know how to do yourself?

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Speaker 1: Okay?

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Speaker 2: And so then you did, however, after school go to

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Speaker 2: culinary school?

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Speaker 1: Okay?

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Speaker 2: And what made you think that that was the next

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Speaker 2: move to do? Because you already didn't like traditional schooling

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Speaker 2: and you knew you wanted to be in the culinary business.

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Speaker 2: But some people, I think, I know chefs who have

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Speaker 2: never gone to traditional culinary school, and then some who have.

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Speaker 1: What made you say this is the next route?

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Speaker 3: I think it was really that there was, to be

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Speaker 3: honest with you, back then, I think it was really

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Speaker 3: that there was a degree involved, so that felt like

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Speaker 3: there was a level of legitimacy there. Okay, but I

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Speaker 3: agree with what you're saying, Particularly for my business, I

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Speaker 3: don't think that's necessary. I don't think my route needs

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Speaker 3: to be followed exactly. I think that you can go

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Speaker 3: to the University of choose your great restaurant, knock on

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Speaker 3: the back door, tell them I'll start at the bottom

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Speaker 3: and I'll work my way through in lieu of going

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Speaker 3: to a major school. There's nothing against it. I think

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Speaker 3: the great culinary schools of the country have a tremendous job.

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Speaker 3: They do a great job. They're influencing a lot of students.

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Speaker 3: I just don't think it's necessary. I think it's a

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Speaker 3: great thing. And there's networking there with other colleagues that

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Speaker 3: are going to go on and work in the industry,

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Speaker 3: and you're going to have a leg up in that way.

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Speaker 3: But if you want to just go to Danielle on

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Speaker 3: sixty fifth Street right here in Manhattan and knock on

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Speaker 3: the back door and ask Chef Danielle if you can

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Speaker 3: start by appealing potatoes, that's a pretty great university too, right.

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Speaker 2: You know that's interesting you say the networking part, because

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Speaker 2: I always feel like going to college for me, the

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Speaker 2: networking aspect of it was one of the most beneficial

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Speaker 2: things when you get out of school. Some of the

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Speaker 2: first opportunities I got were from people who I went

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Speaker 2: to school with. And I know you met your partner

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Speaker 2: in culinary school, Yeah, first day of school.

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Speaker 1: That's to me.

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Speaker 2: You look at that as fate like this was, you know,

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Speaker 2: enough reason for me to even be here. And so

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Speaker 2: partnerships is another thing that I want to make sure

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Speaker 2: that we discussed. But first I want to talk about

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Speaker 2: movies like I see all these culinary movies now like

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Speaker 2: the menu. Do you watch movies like Okay, is it

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Speaker 2: really like that? Because I see how strict it is

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Speaker 2: like with the food preparation, and they make it seem

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Speaker 2: like the restaurant owners are like the top head chefs

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Speaker 2: of everything are so rigid and like this whole you know,

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Speaker 2: have you come across that in your experience?

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Speaker 3: Yes, I mean, I would say in the fine dining

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Speaker 3: world of restaurants, traditionally kitchens and even the front of

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Speaker 3: the house staff, it's a very militant environments. Things have

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Speaker 3: to be really, really well respected. I think the consistency

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Speaker 3: of your day, the consistency of your products, the consistency

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Speaker 3: of your work. It has to be nearly identical every day.

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Speaker 3: So there's somebody above you who's got a very keen

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Speaker 3: eye on your work all day long. And you as

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Speaker 3: a student, you as an employee. There you've chosen that path.

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Speaker 3: I want to work in this restaurant of great excellence

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Speaker 3: because I want that on my resume. I want that

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Speaker 3: for my skill set. It's no different than you. I

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Speaker 3: want to go be a Green Beret. I want to

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Speaker 3: go work in the marine'd this, you've made this selection.

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Speaker 3: You want to be the best of the best, so

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Speaker 3: you go work at the best of the best. And

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Speaker 3: there's a reason why they've separated themselves from the pack

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Speaker 3: and and and it's that sort of it's treating their

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Speaker 3: work with that sort of discipline.

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Speaker 1: You like that?

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Speaker 2: Have you ever been like that in any way as

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Speaker 2: a Are there some level of Okay, I have to

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Speaker 2: be militant with my staff as I'm training when you

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Speaker 2: were first starting and training your staff.

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Speaker 3: Yes, I think that there's absolutely a level of precision

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Speaker 3: that we demand. I'd like to believe that we do

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Speaker 3: it in a very humane way. I think where the

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Speaker 3: students are there to learn excellence, that's why they've chosen

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Speaker 3: work for us. But you want to make sure that

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Speaker 3: you're doing it in a way that is the most

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Speaker 3: nurturing as well. Okay, So finding that balance, and I

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Speaker 3: think that my generation is doing a great job of that.

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Speaker 3: I think the old days, it was environments that were

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Speaker 3: much less desirable, and I've seen them, I've been through them,

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Speaker 3: and I've learned from them. And I think our generation

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Speaker 3: of chefs is doing a great job of still keeping

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Speaker 3: with the tradition of old school like it's got to

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Speaker 3: be exact while being really respectful people.

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Speaker 2: I also feel like for you, there's a lot of

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Speaker 2: things and details that you have when it comes to

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Speaker 2: your restaurants. You have forty restaurants, now, is that correct?

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Speaker 1: Forty Yeah, forty give.

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Speaker 2: Or take some, Okay, And so even when it comes

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Speaker 2: to the uniforms, when it comes to the dishes, like

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Speaker 2: all these little things that other people might not even notice,

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Speaker 2: how much Karen thought goes into it. That is very

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Speaker 2: detailed on your end. Can you talk about why that's

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Speaker 2: so important to you?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely? I think that we're in the entertainment business. So

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Speaker 3: you're coming to one of my restaurants for a night out.

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Speaker 3: You know, you didn't happen to walk by and you

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Speaker 3: were like, I'm hungry, let's go in right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Because you have to make a reservation months in it.

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Speaker 3: You've made this commitment the customer to like spend time

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Speaker 3: to wait thirty days to make the reservation. You're coming

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Speaker 3: for a night out. And what we do, what I

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Speaker 3: preach to my team and talk about as often as possible,

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Speaker 3: is what we do is most to me, most similar

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Speaker 3: to theater right Broadway we put on We build a stage,

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Speaker 3: We set uniforms, costumes, we have actors, employees. We put

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Speaker 3: on a show at the exact same time every night.

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Speaker 3: We do the exact same things every night for a

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Speaker 3: different group, for a different audience. Two hundred people come in.

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Speaker 3: It's a different group of people every night. We're the same,

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Speaker 3: the timing is exactly the same, the food's the same.

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Speaker 3: We put on the same outfits. So we're setting a stage.

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Speaker 3: So for Carbone, it's nineteen fifties, New York City, Italian American? Right, Okay,

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Speaker 3: so nineteen fifty So what would be the music? Then?

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Speaker 3: What would be the color of that uniform? Right? What

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Speaker 3: would be the floor tile? How big would that menu be?

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Speaker 3: How would we write that menu? And you start asking questions.

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Speaker 3: You know, you build this, you build this really tight narrative,

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Speaker 3: this story, and then you have to ask a question

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Speaker 3: about every detail you're choosing, does that make sense in

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Speaker 3: our story? So that hopefully at the end result is

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Speaker 3: you walk in the door, are at six thirty for

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Speaker 3: your reservation, and you feel like you're Raallyota walking in

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Speaker 3: the back of Copa cabana because we put all that

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Speaker 3: intent into.

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Speaker 1: It, right, because that's a real night out.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I know people who go to Carbone and

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Speaker 2: they literally are like, I'm coming into New York just

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Speaker 2: to go have dinner here. And now people can have

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Speaker 2: that experience in Miami. And you guys, you did that

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Speaker 2: during the pandemic.

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Speaker 3: We did right right in the heart of it.

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Speaker 1: Okay.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of people were trying to make sure

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Speaker 2: there are businesses because New York I think we were

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Speaker 2: so slow to open back up, but if you went

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Speaker 2: to other cities and other states, things were a little

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Speaker 2: bit more.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, we just wouldn't accept that we couldn't do business.

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Speaker 3: So we're just like, we're your shut down and we're like, okay,

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Speaker 3: well where can we keep the wheels moving. I was like,

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Speaker 3: all right, well, well Florida, Miami, that's that's those doors

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Speaker 3: are open. So we told everybody in the company that

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Speaker 3: was New York based, We're like, there's an opportunity right

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Speaker 3: now for anyone that wants to uproot and come to Miami.

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Speaker 3: We're gonna we're gonna go down there right now. We're

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Speaker 3: going to pivot immediately, and we're going to do business

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Speaker 3: down there, and there's jobs available, and we moved a

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Speaker 3: ton of people and we opened immediately.

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Speaker 2: And to have Carbone Beach. Yeah, now as well, because

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Speaker 2: that's about to happen. So let's talk about what Carbone

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Speaker 2: Beach is before we go back into I want to

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Speaker 2: discuss partnerships with you because of the partners that you

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Speaker 2: have and how you guys linked up. But first let's

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Speaker 2: talk about Carbone Beach. Since we're in Miami right now.

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Speaker 2: All right, how did you guys come up with this

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Speaker 2: Carbone Beach? I guess experience that's going to be happening

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Speaker 2: during Formula.

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Speaker 3: One, So it's in its third year now, so as

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Speaker 3: well as the actual race. So the first year when

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Speaker 3: the Formula One race was coming to Miami three years ago, now,

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Speaker 3: we sort of decided, well, this is going to be

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Speaker 3: the biggest week of the year in Miami. We need

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Speaker 3: to do more than what we're doing. It's not enough

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Speaker 3: to just operate the restaurants. This is the biggest week

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Speaker 3: of the year. What can we do? So we hatch

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Speaker 3: this plan to build this giant structure on the actual

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Speaker 3: sand of Miami Beach, and we wanted to do a

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Speaker 3: over the top sort of extravaganza, a throwback to like

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Speaker 3: the days of a supper club dinner in a show,

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Speaker 3: but dinner in a show turned way up right where

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Speaker 3: it's it's almost like a Roman feast where there's giant

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Speaker 3: ice sculptures full of like you know, seafood delights and

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Speaker 3: caviar stations, and there's musical performances happening everywhere. There's like

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Speaker 3: fifty chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

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Speaker 2: Looks beautiful the pictures right now, Okay, go ahead, it's crazy.

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Speaker 3: So it's just it's taking the idea of Carbone, the

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Speaker 3: idea of the restaurant, the idea of the theater we

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Speaker 3: just talked about, and amplifying it to the max for

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Speaker 3: this weekend that is the max of Miami. So I

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Speaker 3: just wanted to do something that met the standards that

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Speaker 3: I felt that needed, that weekend needed.

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Speaker 2: And everybody can't go you know, clearly, like you have

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Speaker 2: to make your resids in advance.

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Speaker 1: And I'm be honest with y'all. It's not cheap. Okay,

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Speaker 1: it's definitely.

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Speaker 3: An American Express cardholder. It makes it a little easier.

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Speaker 2: I'm an American Express car holder. But it is something

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Speaker 2: that you know, it is not just that like you said,

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Speaker 2: walk by, Oh, let me try to get into this.

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Speaker 2: This is something that has to be planned in advance

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Speaker 2: along with being able to go.

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Speaker 1: And you also never know who you might see.

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Speaker 2: And I know that you know lebron Ken, Griffin, I

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Speaker 2: mean some of the you know krem de la Creme

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Speaker 2: of society, but also in entertainment, those are the type

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Speaker 2: of people that show up, so you never know who

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Speaker 2: you'll be there with. I was reading and a lot

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Speaker 2: of people will say this when they fly. They're like,

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Speaker 2: I fly first class because you know, you put yourself

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Speaker 2: in a position you never know who you're going to

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Speaker 2: meet on the flight and who you'll be rubbing elbows with,

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Speaker 2: and how that can help you if you have a

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Speaker 2: business that you're starting. Were you ever early on in

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Speaker 2: your career, before carbone became what it became and major

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Speaker 2: food group became what it became, do you feel like

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Speaker 2: there were times that you were living beyond your means

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Speaker 2: to try to get to a point because you weren't

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Speaker 2: born with a silver spoon in your mouth. This was

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Speaker 2: something that you had to work to get to. So

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Speaker 2: where there's stressful times when you're like, man, my cards

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Speaker 2: are all maxed out. I'm trying to get into the

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Speaker 2: space that I don't even know if financially I should

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Speaker 2: be here. I know a lot of times we talk

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Speaker 2: about things like, you know, not feeling like we belong

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Speaker 2: where we're supposed to, where we're at right now.

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Speaker 1: Did you ever experience that.

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Speaker 3: I felt comfortable on the path that I was on

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Speaker 3: And it was a grind, But I think early on

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Speaker 3: I made peace with myself that it was going to

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Speaker 3: be that, and I tried not to get to down

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Speaker 3: on myself when I was in the middle of it.

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Speaker 3: You know, working as a cook in New York after graduating.

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Speaker 3: You know, you're getting paid, you know, just a few

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Speaker 3: hundred dollars a week, but you're living in New York,

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Speaker 3: You're commuting to work at all crazy hours, You're working

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Speaker 3: crazy hours. But it's a common of the passion is

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Speaker 3: going to pull you through it. And I made a

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Speaker 3: sort of I made peace with myself early on, and

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Speaker 3: I said, it's it's going to take years. You know,

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Speaker 3: it's the it's the ten thousand hours thing. It's going

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Speaker 3: to take a really long time for me to be

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Speaker 3: anywhere near where I think I I where I think

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Speaker 3: I need to be, or I want to be in

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Speaker 3: this city. It was really always about New York. It's

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Speaker 3: like I want to be known in New York. I

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Speaker 3: want to be a known chef in New York who

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Speaker 3: left a mark. And I knew how much work it

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Speaker 3: was going to take, so I tried and tarred when

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Speaker 3: when you're in some some tough moments, right, But I

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Speaker 3: tried not to get too down on myself when it

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Speaker 3: was that grind, and I was like, I'm I'm here for.

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Speaker 2: The grind, and that does build a lot of character.

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Speaker 2: I think sometimes things happen really quickly for people and

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Speaker 2: they may not be prepared for it too as well.

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Speaker 3: I told myself it was going to be a while,

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Speaker 3: like this is going to take time, This is not overnight.

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Speaker 3: And this is before a lot of the lot of

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Speaker 3: the social media sensations, right, I mean we're talking about

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Speaker 3: nineteen ninety nine, two thousand, so like the idea that

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Speaker 3: you could just like pop off and get like a

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Speaker 3: huge following out of nothing, or like a catchphrase or

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Speaker 3: something that wasn't an option. I was following the path

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Speaker 3: of the masters that sort of taught me and the

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Speaker 3: ones that I idolized, and all of those were really

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Speaker 3: long processes. It took them years and years working for

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Speaker 3: incredible chefs all over the world, and I was like, Okay,

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Speaker 3: that's what it takes, that's what I got to do.

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Speaker 3: So I wasn't looking for this for this quick answer,

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Speaker 3: because that wasn't that wasn't something that was that I

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Speaker 3: even knew about.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, because I mean, and for people to understand the timeline.

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Speaker 2: Carbone has been eleven years now since that opened, but

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Speaker 2: before that, you've had other.

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Speaker 3: Than I mean, my first job in New York, like

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Speaker 3: real job in a real restaurant was nineteen ninety eight.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, you're looking at all those years where there's

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Speaker 3: you know, there's no money in it. You know, you're

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Speaker 3: good with that, like it is what it is. There's

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Speaker 3: no money. There's a lot of hours you got to

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Speaker 3: put your head down, keep your mouth shutting your eyes open,

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Speaker 3: and and work for the best. It's a lot of.

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Speaker 1: Years, yeah, that is.

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Speaker 2: And fortunately for you you did have your first step

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Speaker 2: of a partner who you met on the first day

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Speaker 2: a culinary school rich and so what is that like

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Speaker 2: to have somebody that does what you do in the

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Speaker 2: field that you're in that's also trying to make it

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Speaker 2: and then you guys end up becoming partners because I

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Speaker 2: think that's helpful too.

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Speaker 1: When we're both grinding it out. We both ain't got

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Speaker 1: it like that.

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Speaker 2: We both haven't had this silver spoon in our mouths,

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Speaker 2: but we're you know, working towards the same goal and

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Speaker 2: encouraging each other.

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Speaker 3: I think there's zero percent chaince I'm sitting here talking

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Speaker 3: to you if I didn't meet Rich that day. To

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Speaker 3: have him there as everything, as your brother, your business partner,

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Speaker 3: your crutch, your sounding board. To have that there so

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Speaker 3: that you don't feel alone in that journey was the

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Speaker 3: luckiest day of my life.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that doesn't happen for a lot of people, you know.

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Speaker 2: And then you guys took on a third partner.

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Speaker 3: We did.

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Speaker 2: How hard is that to do? Because sometimes you have

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Speaker 2: this concept of what you're doing. Y'all have been working

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Speaker 2: together for quite some time. You had the sandwich shop together,

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Speaker 2: you know, prior to opening Carbone. But now we're letting

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Speaker 2: in another person, a different energy, somebody who brings something

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Speaker 2: different to the table, who comes from a different world. Right,

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Speaker 2: So Jeff was the third partner.

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Speaker 3: Jeff was the third partner. He came in. He was

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Speaker 3: like an early customer of ours. We had opened our

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Speaker 3: first restaurant, just Rich and I together. We didn't know

401
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Speaker 3: Jeff tiny restaurant the rest of the size of the studio, and.

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Speaker 1: Did you just call our studio tiny?

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Speaker 3: Well studio was a restaurant and we had six tables

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Speaker 3: and we was just me, Rich and like two or

405
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Speaker 3: three other employees total. And Jeff had heard about the restaurant.

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Speaker 3: We had some mutual friends. So he came in one

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Speaker 3: night and really liked what we were doing and asked

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Speaker 3: if he could like talk to us after dinner and

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Speaker 3: buy us a drink. And so Rich was like, go,

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Speaker 3: he's Rich. Set me. He was like, go check this

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Speaker 3: guy out, Go buy a drink, have a drink with

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Speaker 3: this guy. And we spent all night talking about our

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Speaker 3: hopes and our dreams. And I went back and told Rich,

414
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Speaker 3: I said, I mean, I think this guy, you know,

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Speaker 3: is kind of in line with what we're talking about.

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Speaker 3: And to your point, it's scary, you know, I've known

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Speaker 3: Rich my whole life and I just met this guy.

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Speaker 1: So we could have just been saying things sound.

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Speaker 3: Good and and and once again, like got got so

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Speaker 3: lucky with with the ideal third person, because if it

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00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,800
Speaker 3: wasn't if Jeff wasn't the third partner, I wouldn't be

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Speaker 3: sitting here talking.

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Speaker 2: To you, right, And so what did he bring that

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00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,240
Speaker 2: was different to the table, because I know, financially, you

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00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,159
Speaker 2: all were trying to figure out, like what what are

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Speaker 2: we doing?

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Speaker 3: He brought that I'm gonna go figure it out attitude

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Speaker 3: that Rich and I had about about the restaurant. He

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Speaker 3: applied that he had that very same i'm gonna go

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Speaker 3: I may not know the answer, but i'm gonna go

431
00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,159
Speaker 3: figure it out attitude about building this thing into an

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Speaker 3: actual business. And he's like, I'm young, I come here.

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Speaker 3: He had a banking a banking background Cornell grad. He's like,

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Speaker 3: but I don't I don't know all the answers, but

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna go figure him out, right. And while Rich

436
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Speaker 3: and I were grinding in the kitchen, you know, making

437
00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,240
Speaker 3: the best food humanly possible, he was out there trying

438
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,800
Speaker 3: to get all the other answers that we we didn't have,

439
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:03,399
Speaker 3: we didn't have time for, we didn't even know, we

440
00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:06,400
Speaker 3: didn't even know what the questions were forget about the answers.

441
00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,280
Speaker 3: So he helped us make this into a legitimate business.

442
00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, because that is scary, You're like, we like you said,

443
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,280
Speaker 2: y'all had know you and Rich knew each other for

444
00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,119
Speaker 2: so long, and I'm sure other people had approached to

445
00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:18,680
Speaker 2: you guys trying to work with you also.

446
00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:21,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, but you know, and it's heart said about it.

447
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,720
Speaker 3: It's like, I don't know this four of this guys,

448
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,520
Speaker 3: guy or girl, I don't know them. I'm not sure

449
00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,920
Speaker 3: what are their intentions. His intentions felt pure. It was like,

450
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,600
Speaker 3: we're going to do this together, side by side, you know.

451
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,840
Speaker 3: And I liked that. We liked that he was young.

452
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,800
Speaker 3: It wasn't like some some some restaurant tour coming to

453
00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:42,199
Speaker 3: like buy our business or like take our business. It

454
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,800
Speaker 3: felt it felt really honest and genuine, right, and you

455
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:46,480
Speaker 3: could look in his eyes and see like that he

456
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:47,440
Speaker 3: wants the same.

457
00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:51,119
Speaker 2: Things now when you guys first opened, right, clearly this

458
00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,200
Speaker 2: was going to be a huge undertaking, a big deal.

459
00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,200
Speaker 2: You want to make sure people are coming, you want

460
00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,199
Speaker 2: to make sure the reviews are good. You want to

461
00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,520
Speaker 2: make sure the right people are coming. You're also marketing

462
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,800
Speaker 2: it well, and you know there's a lot that goes

463
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,040
Speaker 2: into it. I would assume, I know you use the

464
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,400
Speaker 2: best ingredients because it all starts with that.

465
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:08,520
Speaker 1: Right for the food to be great.

466
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:12,000
Speaker 2: You can't skimp out on anything when it comes to

467
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,359
Speaker 2: your ingredients. So what were some of the biggest challenges

468
00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:17,000
Speaker 2: Because I feel like we learned a lot from things

469
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,880
Speaker 2: that didn't go right, probably sometimes more than when things

470
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,080
Speaker 2: do go right. So when you guys first open, what

471
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,600
Speaker 2: would you say were the biggest challenges that you faced.

472
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,000
Speaker 3: Well, we were going from this now six table restaurant

473
00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,000
Speaker 3: to Carbone, which at the time felt like a stadium.

474
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,280
Speaker 3: It felt giant. It was like eighty seats. Now we

475
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,040
Speaker 3: look back on it and it feels small again to us,

476
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:40,920
Speaker 3: but back then it was this huge thing. We weren't

477
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,240
Speaker 3: even we didn't even hand out menus back in the day,

478
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,119
Speaker 3: Like it was just we told you what we were making.

479
00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,600
Speaker 3: So we were like we had this big menu of

480
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:51,879
Speaker 3: all these options and all these seats and what felt

481
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,440
Speaker 3: like a huge staff. We weren't doubling. We were growing

482
00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:01,040
Speaker 3: way beyond the means of where we were, and we

483
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:06,200
Speaker 3: were growing into a price point very quickly, a luxury

484
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:10,920
Speaker 3: price point that immediately garnered a little bit of who

485
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:11,919
Speaker 3: do you guys think you are?

486
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,679
Speaker 2: Yeah, it gets a little hate, like, yeah, you're charging

487
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:15,600
Speaker 2: fifty dollars.

488
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,120
Speaker 3: For And I had guys in Touxedos and we were

489
00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,239
Speaker 3: like doing table side service and things were expensive, and like,

490
00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:23,480
Speaker 3: aren't you the same guys that were just doing like

491
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,360
Speaker 3: that sandwich shop, and like yeah, but like we can

492
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:28,959
Speaker 3: do this too, like because because rich and I trained

493
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,480
Speaker 3: for the best chefs in the world and we have Jeff, now,

494
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,359
Speaker 3: like we can do this. So there was definitely a

495
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:38,000
Speaker 3: little bit of initial pushback of like, you know, don't

496
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,240
Speaker 3: you know Ill Millino's right down the block, what are

497
00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:40,600
Speaker 3: you doing?

498
00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:46,080
Speaker 1: Likelina is still there? Yeah, okay, sorry, I haven't been there.

499
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,120
Speaker 3: So it was like, you guys, aren't you guys aren't

500
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,240
Speaker 3: part of that pedigree. You're you're too you know, you're too.

501
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,359
Speaker 2: Young for that, right, Yeah, And you guys definitely showed

502
00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:54,840
Speaker 2: everybody because that is true.

503
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:56,840
Speaker 1: And I've learned this too. In business.

504
00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,760
Speaker 2: You can't go from a lower price point in a

505
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,000
Speaker 2: run and then raise it. It's easier to go from

506
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,520
Speaker 2: like a higher price point and lower it, you know,

507
00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 2: than the other way around, So you can't. But the

508
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,320
Speaker 2: price of ingredients has gone up so much and things

509
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,960
Speaker 2: like that have happened. What happens when you have to

510
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,240
Speaker 2: change your menu and people are so used to coming

511
00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,040
Speaker 2: in and getting, you know, what they're accustomed to. How

512
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,639
Speaker 2: does that affect business? And some people will say the

513
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,720
Speaker 2: customer is always right? Is that true in the restaurant?

514
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 3: I believe that. I believe that we try to cater

515
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,760
Speaker 3: to everybody's requests as best we can. You know, I

516
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,240
Speaker 3: don't I don't like to say no to a guest

517
00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,439
Speaker 3: as a chef, and we train that. So if we

518
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:36,840
Speaker 3: have the ingredients and you want something and we can

519
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:38,679
Speaker 3: do it, love that I want to say yes to you.

520
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,680
Speaker 3: Changing the menu is tricky, you know, especially at Carbone

521
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,000
Speaker 3: now because you know, like you said, people wait thirty days,

522
00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:48,840
Speaker 3: they're probably looking at the menu online. They've already figured

523
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:49,720
Speaker 3: out what they're going to order.

524
00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:50,680
Speaker 1: They can't run out of stuff.

525
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,240
Speaker 3: I've seen the dishes on social media on Instagram, like

526
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,760
Speaker 3: I'm going to have that. So that's why we kind

527
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:58,720
Speaker 3: of created this new version of Carbone called Carbone Privado,

528
00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:01,639
Speaker 3: which is in Hudson Yard in our members club.

529
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:03,800
Speaker 2: I've been there at ZZ club and you can request

530
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,159
Speaker 2: certain things the day before and they'll make it for you.

531
00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:07,080
Speaker 1: I went for my birthday.

532
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,280
Speaker 3: Will make anything you want. And the Carbone there is

533
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,639
Speaker 3: almost all new dishes and we change them all the time.

534
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:17,640
Speaker 3: So that's sort of our that's our avenue for creation

535
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:23,720
Speaker 3: under the Carbone brand, knowing that the OG menu kind

536
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,040
Speaker 3: of needs to be the way it is.

537
00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've actually been to ZZ Club a few times.

538
00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:30,440
Speaker 2: I want to talk about these private members clubs too,

539
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,240
Speaker 2: because I would say every single time I've gone there,

540
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,440
Speaker 2: what I like about it is the vibe that everybody

541
00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,280
Speaker 2: feels like you can talk to whoever. Like if I'm

542
00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,520
Speaker 2: sitting at the table, Like I said, it was my birthday,

543
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:42,480
Speaker 2: so they brought like a little cake out for me

544
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,800
Speaker 2: and everything. But the people on both sides of me

545
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,639
Speaker 2: were so friendly and everybody's like talking to you. I

546
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,680
Speaker 2: mean the people on this side, they were like seventy

547
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,560
Speaker 2: years old and they live in the building and so

548
00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:55,800
Speaker 2: they were just having like a whole conversation. It's a

549
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,040
Speaker 2: nice family type of feeling to be in a space

550
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:01,240
Speaker 2: like that. And then on this side, one person like

551
00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:04,320
Speaker 2: owned a jewelry company, and the other guy, I think

552
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,239
Speaker 2: he worked in sports. It was something like that. But

553
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,639
Speaker 2: everybody is just kind of like kicking it and talking

554
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:10,200
Speaker 2: to each other. You don't have to worry that someone's

555
00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,680
Speaker 2: going to go and post you on social media, take

556
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,640
Speaker 2: a picture of you, or you tell your business. Because

557
00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,000
Speaker 2: everybody's there trying to do their own thing.

558
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 1: And it seems like in New.

559
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,000
Speaker 2: York, I was just reading an article about how these

560
00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,160
Speaker 2: private clubs are such a thing here right now.

561
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:27,960
Speaker 1: What made you decide to get into that space? Because

562
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:28,640
Speaker 1: there's a Zez.

563
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,920
Speaker 2: Club in Miami, and now we have one in Hudson

564
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,520
Speaker 2: Yards in New York, So what made you decide that's

565
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:34,720
Speaker 2: the next step.

566
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:38,639
Speaker 3: It felt like a natural evolution of hospitality. It felt

567
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 3: like building these clubs, you're doing more than just a restaurant.

568
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,719
Speaker 3: You're building like a little ecosystem. You feel it when

569
00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,119
Speaker 3: you're there. So in these ecosystems, it allows us to

570
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 3: do more. I'm programming it more. I have these different

571
00:26:54,640 --> 00:27:00,360
Speaker 3: little bars and lounges and private dining rooms. System like

572
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,720
Speaker 3: being able to working with the chefs directly, like the

573
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:07,720
Speaker 3: members are working with the chefs directly to curate food experiences.

574
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,400
Speaker 3: I'm changing the menus all the time. We're served. We're

575
00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,560
Speaker 3: open all day so that we can accommodate guests or

576
00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:16,359
Speaker 3: members that are coming in who just want to have

577
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,800
Speaker 3: a meeting and a coffee. So to be able to

578
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,320
Speaker 3: create this little ecosystem was really interesting to us and

579
00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:27,359
Speaker 3: to provide that as an amenity to our guests that

580
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,080
Speaker 3: have been so supportive to us for over ten years now. Right,

581
00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:33,479
Speaker 3: it's kind of like a gated community, right, Like, It's like,

582
00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 3: that's why you covet that when you're buying real estate.

583
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,919
Speaker 3: You're in this space that feels very comfortable and safe.

584
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:46,040
Speaker 3: And for us, we need to do the highest level

585
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,199
Speaker 3: of accommodations. We need to be able to provide you

586
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,600
Speaker 3: with the very, very very best food and beverage service possible.

587
00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:54,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great because I also feel like you work

588
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,240
Speaker 2: hard to be able to make money, to be able

589
00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 2: to enjoy like luxurious things, and so I think being

590
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,359
Speaker 2: able to to get a membership there, you know. I

591
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:05,160
Speaker 2: mean different people have it that way for different reasons,

592
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,200
Speaker 2: but when you're working really hard to get to where

593
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:08,879
Speaker 2: you get to to be able to be like, Okay,

594
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:10,880
Speaker 2: I'm going to be able to, you know, do this

595
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:12,720
Speaker 2: and come here and enjoy myself and always have a

596
00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,200
Speaker 2: nice time and always have a reservation and be treated

597
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,760
Speaker 2: like family and things like that. I do feel like

598
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,119
Speaker 2: it is important and the networking that can go on

599
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,520
Speaker 2: in a space like that, if you choose to network

600
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,119
Speaker 2: or if you choose not to, you know, that's definitely

601
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,800
Speaker 2: all up to you. Now, I also want to talk

602
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,480
Speaker 2: about Michelin Stars, because Carbone did get a Michelin Star,

603
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,720
Speaker 2: and so what are the rules when it comes to

604
00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:37,640
Speaker 2: getting a Michelin Star. I think it was in twenty thirteen.

605
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:43,600
Speaker 3: Twenty thirteen we got a Michelin Star. Two years ago

606
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:48,680
Speaker 3: they took it away. I could go down a rabbit

607
00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 3: hole with you on Michelin. That is the opinion of one.

608
00:28:54,560 --> 00:29:01,480
Speaker 3: But yeah, I have a very I wouldn't say contentious,

609
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:05,080
Speaker 3: but I have a very particular opinion on systems like

610
00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:10,200
Speaker 3: that and how they affect the industry. I honestly think

611
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:14,520
Speaker 3: that this day and age, the power of the food

612
00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:17,680
Speaker 3: critic is really in the hands of the person. It's

613
00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:20,280
Speaker 3: in the hands of the people through social media. Right,

614
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:25,160
Speaker 3: never before have food critics mattered less.

615
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:26,800
Speaker 1: Okay, I could see that.

616
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,160
Speaker 2: I like the a lot of food critics are going

617
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,640
Speaker 2: viral and they're not, like, you know, trained in a

618
00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,400
Speaker 2: certain way and being able to give out these like

619
00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:38,800
Speaker 2: stars and credits. And I know, even like with the

620
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,840
Speaker 2: James Beard Foundation that was created as a different way

621
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,800
Speaker 2: to acknowledge, you know, because I don't even understand, Like

622
00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:48,840
Speaker 2: I know that they'll say if it's not played it

623
00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:51,240
Speaker 2: a certain way, if certain things don't happen, if somebody

624
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,440
Speaker 2: I don't even understand how a Michelin star works, like

625
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,760
Speaker 2: it might not necessarily just be about the food, but

626
00:29:57,800 --> 00:29:59,480
Speaker 2: I've heard like different things about it.

627
00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think how Michelin used to judge restaurants back

628
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,120
Speaker 3: in the day and how it does it now is

629
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:08,320
Speaker 3: very different in my opinion.

630
00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:10,480
Speaker 1: Okay, but Ye're like, it doesn't matter. We're still booked

631
00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:11,160
Speaker 1: and busy, so.

632
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,520
Speaker 3: It doesn't matter. It doesn't. But to my point, the

633
00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:17,400
Speaker 3: powers and the people right right where we're back in

634
00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,719
Speaker 3: the back in the day, Like if you got an

635
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,080
Speaker 3: unbelievable New York Times review, you used to be able

636
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,760
Speaker 3: to take the physical newspaper or the bank and get

637
00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:26,719
Speaker 3: a loan out against it.

638
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:30,840
Speaker 1: Wow, which you did, I mean, yeah, you did get

639
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:31,480
Speaker 1: I mean you did get it.

640
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,880
Speaker 3: Amazing. We got The New York Times has blessed us,

641
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,240
Speaker 3: which was like always my holy grail is in New Yorker.

642
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:38,760
Speaker 3: All I want to do was be blessed by the

643
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:43,200
Speaker 3: New York Times. But I think It's a really good

644
00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 3: thing that the momentum of a restaurant, the judgment of

645
00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:50,440
Speaker 3: a restaurant, is in the hands of the people.

646
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,640
Speaker 1: That actually go to them and reviews online.

647
00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:55,000
Speaker 2: Because that's really what I do when I want to

648
00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,600
Speaker 2: go to eat someplace, like, I will definitely go and

649
00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,680
Speaker 2: look at the reviews and be like, you know, I

650
00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:01,440
Speaker 2: can see if a lot of people gave and I

651
00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,920
Speaker 2: like to look to look at how many reviews it has,

652
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:06,160
Speaker 2: so you know, if it has like thousands, hundreds of reviews,

653
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 2: you're like, Okay, a lot of people have gone here

654
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:12,160
Speaker 2: reviewed this restaurant versus you know, sometimes people might give

655
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,040
Speaker 2: you a bad review because they couldn't get a table,

656
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:17,160
Speaker 2: or they felt like, you know, somebody didn't treat them well,

657
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,240
Speaker 2: all different kinds of reasons. But when there's more reviews,

658
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:23,640
Speaker 2: I feel like it gives more of an even, you know,

659
00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:25,440
Speaker 2: balance of what's really happening.

660
00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:29,880
Speaker 3: And that's that's that's the actual customer. That's not one

661
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,280
Speaker 3: person sitting in an office saying this place is great

662
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:34,680
Speaker 3: and that one's not right it.

663
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,200
Speaker 1: There's a lot of power to one person.

664
00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,200
Speaker 3: Don't We just don't need that anymore, Okay, we all

665
00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:41,600
Speaker 3: have our own audiences. We all have our own followings.

666
00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,600
Speaker 3: Everyone can say I went to this restaurant tonight and

667
00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:45,520
Speaker 3: it was great, and for all the people that followed it,

668
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:46,360
Speaker 3: they just got a review.

669
00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,520
Speaker 2: Now, you're also in the real estate business now too.

670
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,000
Speaker 2: I remember I heard you a couple of years ago

671
00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,120
Speaker 2: saying that was the next move for you.

672
00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:55,600
Speaker 1: So how is that going?

673
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:59,080
Speaker 2: Where's how does the restaurant and real estate go hand

674
00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:00,200
Speaker 2: in hand for your business?

675
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,600
Speaker 3: They're both part of they both fall from me under

676
00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:06,040
Speaker 3: the umbrella of hospitality. So we're working on a branded

677
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,400
Speaker 3: resident right now residents right now in Miami in the

678
00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:14,240
Speaker 3: Edgewater neighborhood called Villa Della Miami, And it's a residential

679
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:16,680
Speaker 3: tower that's right on the water that faces South Beach.

680
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:19,800
Speaker 3: And you know, it's our job to make sure that

681
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,840
Speaker 3: it's programmed and thought of in the same way that

682
00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,000
Speaker 3: we would think of a restaurant. From the moment somebody

683
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:27,560
Speaker 3: wakes up to the moment they go to sleep. I

684
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,680
Speaker 3: need to make sure that from an hospitality, from a

685
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,040
Speaker 3: food and beverage perspective, that they're interacting with all the

686
00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 3: things that I would want if I was one of

687
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,480
Speaker 3: the tenants there, right So they have optionalities to work

688
00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,680
Speaker 3: with me and my team to fill their spice cabinets

689
00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:48,120
Speaker 3: the way I would I designed the kitchens in each condo.

690
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,120
Speaker 3: We have restaurants and clubs and amenities in the building

691
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:56,200
Speaker 3: that are all done by my company. So it's taking

692
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:00,480
Speaker 3: another look at what hospitality can mean. Know, it could

693
00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:02,560
Speaker 3: be a private club, it could be a restaurant, It

694
00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:04,760
Speaker 3: could be branded residents. It could be a country club,

695
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:06,760
Speaker 3: you know, it could be it could be so many

696
00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:11,280
Speaker 3: things that for me, are part of the DNA of

697
00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,960
Speaker 3: my company. We don't want to be necessarily pigeonhole to

698
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:16,640
Speaker 3: just a traditional restaurant.

699
00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,920
Speaker 2: Right Listen, you have definitely diversified because you also have

700
00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:23,160
Speaker 2: products in stores and now I can cook at home

701
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,560
Speaker 2: like a Mario carbone, but not quite because I'm going

702
00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:30,040
Speaker 2: to still use box noodles and stuff. But and this

703
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,520
Speaker 2: is great because you actually have these different sauces and

704
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:34,840
Speaker 2: I personally not put this on everything, have cooked with

705
00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,520
Speaker 2: this at home myself, and it's really amazing to be

706
00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:39,320
Speaker 2: able to bring that experience.

707
00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:39,800
Speaker 1: To my house.

708
00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:40,720
Speaker 3: Thank you appreciate that.

709
00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:42,520
Speaker 2: So what are some of the products that you guys

710
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:45,040
Speaker 2: have in stores and are you expanding that as well, so.

711
00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:49,520
Speaker 3: It jarred sauce line right now, and we're expanding the

712
00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:53,840
Speaker 3: flavors as we go, you know, myself and Rich we

713
00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,240
Speaker 3: go to the factories ourselves and we teach them exactly

714
00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,600
Speaker 3: how we want these things done. There's also a lot

715
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,760
Speaker 3: of learning for us too. We've never cooked on those

716
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,520
Speaker 3: on those scales that they're producing the sauces on, so

717
00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:07,400
Speaker 3: it's been a lot of training and we continue to

718
00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:09,960
Speaker 3: do that with them. I'm really happy with the way

719
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,520
Speaker 3: it came out, and it sort of gives it gives

720
00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,359
Speaker 3: us an opportunity, you know, to share a little bit

721
00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,600
Speaker 3: of our product, a little bit of our company, a

722
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:22,279
Speaker 3: little bit of this restaurant across the country for all

723
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:24,319
Speaker 3: those that that aren't going to make it to New York,

724
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:28,640
Speaker 3: you know. So it feels, you know, it's when I

725
00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:31,400
Speaker 3: walk into a store somewhere, you know, when I'm traveling

726
00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:33,479
Speaker 3: and I see the sauce, it's still puts a huge

727
00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,480
Speaker 3: smile on my face that that that's a that's a

728
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:36,680
Speaker 3: real thing that exists.

729
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, I go to the supermarket, I'm like, okay, and

730
00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:40,719
Speaker 2: I definitely purchase this now because I think of the

731
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,319
Speaker 2: sauces I used to buy. I didn't think that hard

732
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:45,239
Speaker 2: about it. It was just but now I'm like, all right,

733
00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:47,879
Speaker 2: we got to get the the I can't even say

734
00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:48,640
Speaker 2: a rabbiata?

735
00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:49,560
Speaker 1: Is that right?

736
00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:50,560
Speaker 3: Abata?

737
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,200
Speaker 1: Okay? I gotta get my accent down. Pat.

738
00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:57,680
Speaker 2: In addition to that, you have a clothing line, I do. Okay,

739
00:34:57,760 --> 00:34:59,520
Speaker 2: So can you talk about what made you decide? Because

740
00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:01,560
Speaker 2: you are definitely we always dress impeccably, and I know

741
00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:04,120
Speaker 2: you pay a lot of attention. We discussed this earlier

742
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:07,280
Speaker 2: to even the uniforms that are Warren inside of your restaurant.

743
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:08,439
Speaker 1: So talk about the cloning line.

744
00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:12,800
Speaker 3: So I think you know it started with me working

745
00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:17,919
Speaker 3: with designers to create uniforms for the restaurants. Okay, That's

746
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,520
Speaker 3: where it started. And then the thing that that really

747
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:25,680
Speaker 3: set me off is I struggle with the way men

748
00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:31,239
Speaker 3: dress in my restaurants, particularly younger meant my age and

749
00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:34,800
Speaker 3: a bit younger, okay. And what they think nice is

750
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,759
Speaker 3: to go out to dinner is just would not have

751
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:40,799
Speaker 3: been acceptable in my house walking out the door. If

752
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:42,319
Speaker 3: I told my father I was going to a nice

753
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,799
Speaker 3: restaurant and he'd ask me why I'm dressed that way?

754
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:45,320
Speaker 1: Okay.

755
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:49,600
Speaker 3: So if I can do anything to affect the way

756
00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:55,120
Speaker 3: this generation of guys dresses at my restaurants. I thought

757
00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:58,040
Speaker 3: maybe I should try and try my hand at doing

758
00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:01,000
Speaker 3: something about that. So we created a small you know,

759
00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:03,680
Speaker 3: it's a small men's wear brand right now called Our

760
00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:05,839
Speaker 3: Lady of Rocco. And it's the.

761
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,400
Speaker 1: Intent is why is it Our Lady of Rocco Because.

762
00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:13,400
Speaker 3: The original restaurant that Carbone in habits was an old

763
00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:15,600
Speaker 3: restaurant called Rocco. You can see it on the on

764
00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:18,080
Speaker 3: the on the side of the jar. Okay, so it

765
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,279
Speaker 3: was called Rocco Restaurant. It was from the twenties, and

766
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,359
Speaker 3: we wanted to keep this the old sign as an

767
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:26,520
Speaker 3: homage to the original place that it was there, and

768
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,000
Speaker 3: that that building has been so good to us that

769
00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:30,840
Speaker 3: I started to sort of treat it like a like

770
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:34,880
Speaker 3: a cathedral and treat it almost like a Catholic school.

771
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:38,280
Speaker 3: So there's our So we created Our Lady of Rocco

772
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:41,160
Speaker 3: and sort of to give thanks to this great building.

773
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,319
Speaker 3: And so the clothing is kind of the uniform of

774
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,280
Speaker 3: the school of the restaurant.

775
00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:49,759
Speaker 2: You're right, though, when people go out now, it's like, okay,

776
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:53,360
Speaker 2: let me put one, you know, a nice sweatshirt, some jeans,

777
00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:55,960
Speaker 2: some nice new sneakers, but it's not.

778
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:58,759
Speaker 3: Necessarily it's worse than Okay, I gave it to much

779
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:03,080
Speaker 3: like ladies try. Ladies try. They go out and they

780
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,680
Speaker 3: spend time, and they put the clothes together and their

781
00:37:05,719 --> 00:37:08,400
Speaker 3: makeup and their outfit. They think about it. Guy will

782
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,319
Speaker 3: put a hoodie and hat on and come to the

783
00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:11,560
Speaker 3: restaurant and it's just.

784
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,200
Speaker 1: That's But you know what I'm going to tell you this.

785
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,440
Speaker 2: I like the fact that you can tell a restaurant

786
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:18,920
Speaker 2: is great when you can come dressed. However, but I

787
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,560
Speaker 2: understand what you're saying as somebody who they're.

788
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:26,600
Speaker 3: Stressed however, and then there's like dressed however, Yeah.

789
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:27,640
Speaker 1: I can see what you mean.

790
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,360
Speaker 2: But you know, I think also sometimes we feel like

791
00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:33,720
Speaker 2: the people that have the most money are not always

792
00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:37,239
Speaker 2: the ones that are dressed well too, if that makes sense, Like.

793
00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:41,040
Speaker 3: And that's okay, yeah, because you know, you know, yeah,

794
00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:42,680
Speaker 3: there's plenty of households that don't have a ton of

795
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:43,919
Speaker 3: money that won't let you leave the house.

796
00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:45,640
Speaker 1: Know you're right, but you know what, I think it

797
00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:46,080
Speaker 1: is too.

798
00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,960
Speaker 2: And because I'm trying to figure like decipher this in

799
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:51,640
Speaker 2: my own head as we're having this conversation, right. I

800
00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:55,400
Speaker 2: think that for a lot of times, like they'll make

801
00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:57,439
Speaker 2: it seem like if you're not dressed a certain way,

802
00:37:57,520 --> 00:37:59,759
Speaker 2: like no, the worst place to me are the ones

803
00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,600
Speaker 2: like know this, know that you can't wear this, and.

804
00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:08,240
Speaker 1: It feels like I think even when we were coming.

805
00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,600
Speaker 2: Up, it was always like the people that were the

806
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:13,200
Speaker 2: most famous, like hip hop artists and stuff like that,

807
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:15,560
Speaker 2: they were able to go anywhere dressed however they wanted

808
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:17,560
Speaker 2: to go, and and they just look like a star

809
00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:19,840
Speaker 2: no matter what. And I think there's a way that

810
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:22,480
Speaker 2: you can wear things like even like a dope sweatsuit

811
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 2: and still definitely yeah, okay.

812
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:27,759
Speaker 3: There's a way to make it look right, like look

813
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:28,840
Speaker 3: crisp right.

814
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:29,680
Speaker 1: Right now, like you don't care.

815
00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:31,719
Speaker 2: But then I also feel like like Kanye West has

816
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:34,480
Speaker 2: gone to your restaurant and been photographed, you know, with

817
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,239
Speaker 2: his new girlfriend many times, and sometimes his clothing from

818
00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:40,920
Speaker 2: his like designer lines, looks like, you know, it just

819
00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:42,719
Speaker 2: came off from somebody sleeping on the.

820
00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:45,200
Speaker 3: Street, and that's not a huge amount of thought and

821
00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:48,640
Speaker 3: effort went into it. I appreciate that, right, But like

822
00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:50,799
Speaker 3: you go to Wimbledon, you dress a certain way, like

823
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:54,279
Speaker 3: you come to Carbone like you're living in Sinatra's lifestyle here,

824
00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:56,640
Speaker 3: Like he wouldn't have been happy about that. It's the

825
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,919
Speaker 3: theme you Yeah, you're not you're not appreciating my theme here.

826
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:05,279
Speaker 2: Let me ask you this, with your partners, what do

827
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,480
Speaker 2: you guys bump heads about the most? Because that's the

828
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,720
Speaker 2: point of partnership, right. It's a system where it's checks

829
00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:14,319
Speaker 2: and balances, and so it's not a dictatorship where some

830
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:16,839
Speaker 2: person gets they weigh like, what, what's something that you've

831
00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,600
Speaker 2: been really passionate about but got shot down they were like,

832
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:20,399
Speaker 2: that's not going to work.

833
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,759
Speaker 3: Well. Sometimes you get really passive if you're the if

834
00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,200
Speaker 3: you're the creator of something and you're bringing it to

835
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:28,680
Speaker 3: the group as an idea, you have extra passion into

836
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,800
Speaker 3: like you're you're, you're, you're personally connected to this idea,

837
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:35,560
Speaker 3: whether it's a dish or a or a uniform or

838
00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:37,800
Speaker 3: something like I made this. What do you guys think?

839
00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:42,000
Speaker 3: And if they don't like it, you take that way

840
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:47,480
Speaker 3: heavier than something else because it's you. Yeah, So it's

841
00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:50,040
Speaker 3: it's still really hard, even after all these years to

842
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,840
Speaker 3: make something and have it be like not well received

843
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:56,880
Speaker 3: or more kind of like wishy washy well received, but

844
00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:59,600
Speaker 3: we all kind of trust the process. In process, sometimes

845
00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:00,080
Speaker 3: you need that.

846
00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:02,360
Speaker 1: Could I have an idea that you think it's great.

847
00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:04,680
Speaker 3: Totally and then they're like they've shot down some really

848
00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:06,799
Speaker 3: not great ideas that I've come up with, and thank

849
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:07,560
Speaker 3: god they did.

850
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,279
Speaker 1: Well. Listen, I appreciate you so much for coming through.

851
00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 2: I know we could sit here and chat it out

852
00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,960
Speaker 2: because I love talking about business and partnerships and expanding,

853
00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:17,480
Speaker 2: and I love the.

854
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:18,480
Speaker 1: Way that you've been moving.

855
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:23,040
Speaker 2: Major Food Group is another company that you guys have together, right.

856
00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:24,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's the mothership.

857
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:25,560
Speaker 1: That's the mothership of everything.

858
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:28,880
Speaker 2: And you guys have been acquiring acquiring other companies, including

859
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:29,960
Speaker 2: some of your competitors.

860
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:31,600
Speaker 3: Well the colleagues.

861
00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:36,560
Speaker 2: Colleagues, Okay, you know there's nothing more of a competition though.

862
00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:39,160
Speaker 2: That is what it should be about, a healthy, nice

863
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:41,319
Speaker 2: competition where you can go check out their stuff and

864
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:43,960
Speaker 2: be like, Okay, you know, I give you props even.

865
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:45,720
Speaker 1: Though we may be in that lane.

866
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:50,000
Speaker 3: Talent comes with it. So if you can identify.

867
00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:51,520
Speaker 1: You're my competition, you're talented, and I.

868
00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:53,920
Speaker 3: Could use you and we could work together and I

869
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,960
Speaker 3: can I can maybe make you know, bigger and more

870
00:40:56,960 --> 00:40:59,839
Speaker 3: successful and more money under our flag than you could

871
00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,680
Speaker 3: have a loan, and I get your talent. So you know,

872
00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,439
Speaker 3: it only works if it's a win win A good deal.

873
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:07,160
Speaker 3: A good deal should be a good deal on both sides.

874
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:09,320
Speaker 1: Where do you see this evolving to next?

875
00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:12,520
Speaker 3: I think you know, we are going to continue to

876
00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:16,080
Speaker 3: ask the question of like what what can hospitality mean

877
00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:19,360
Speaker 3: to us? And and can we affect these these areas?

878
00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:22,680
Speaker 3: So I think you're going to see more, Yes, you're

879
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:24,680
Speaker 3: going to see more of an expansion of our of

880
00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:28,759
Speaker 3: our restaurant portfolio and in other major markets around the world.

881
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:33,960
Speaker 3: That's something that we're in process of. Hotels are absolutely

882
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:36,200
Speaker 3: something that we're working on right now. We love it

883
00:41:36,719 --> 00:41:41,759
Speaker 3: so our own branded hotels, branded residences internationally too. Absolutely

884
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:43,520
Speaker 3: absolutely all right.

885
00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:45,800
Speaker 2: I love that you guys have Primit what Berry Commons

886
00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:47,600
Speaker 2: now too. By the way, I used to go, well,

887
00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:49,480
Speaker 2: I still do. I love shopping at the outlets, but

888
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:52,000
Speaker 2: they never had good food options up there, so that's

889
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:52,960
Speaker 2: a relief today.

890
00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:54,720
Speaker 3: That's good right next to see.

891
00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:58,600
Speaker 2: All right, well, Mario Carbone, thank you so much, and

892
00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:01,880
Speaker 2: again for a carbon beach. Is it going to be

893
00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:04,200
Speaker 2: possible for people to still use their MX.

894
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:08,520
Speaker 3: It's absolutely possible. Okay, American Express is more than happy

895
00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:09,520
Speaker 3: to sell you some.

896
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,880
Speaker 1: Tickets like don't call me, don't ask.

897
00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:16,040
Speaker 3: Me, American text me no, but we would love to

898
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:20,360
Speaker 3: have you Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. It's going to be special.

899
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:24,160
Speaker 3: Were some great surprise guests coming out performing for us.

900
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,200
Speaker 2: Oh, I can't even imagine what that's like because I've

901
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:27,920
Speaker 2: seen the list of who's performed in the past, so

902
00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:30,640
Speaker 2: we already know it's going to be amazing. Well, thank

903
00:42:30,640 --> 00:42:32,360
Speaker 2: you so much for coming through. We're going to continue

904
00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,440
Speaker 2: to follow you. I'm sure I'll see you at the

905
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,239
Speaker 2: restaurants one day. And thank you for my sausage so

906
00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:40,200
Speaker 2: I can make it out. Mario Carbone, thank you so much.

907
00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:40,760
Speaker 3: My pleasure,