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The best culinary stories aren’t always found in textbooks. They’re unfolding in real time, told by the people who’ve actually lived them.
If you haven’t tuned in yet, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts has its own podcast, The Ultimate Dish, hosted by our Boulder campus president and provost, Chef Kirk T. Bachmann. Each episode runs just under an hour and features Chef Kirk in conversation with chefs, entrepreneurs, and creators from across the industry. Guests share the experiences that shaped their careers, the lessons they’ve learned along the way, and, of course, their ultimate dish.
Listen on your commute, while you’re cooking dinner, or whenever you need a little boost. Here are the top five episodes of The Ultimate Dish Podcast in 2025.
1. Accidentally on Purpose: Chef-in-Residence Kristen Kish on Life, Mentorship & Meaning
Kristen returned to the podcast in 2025 after first sitting down with us in March 2024 and since becoming Escoffier’s Chef-in-Residence. Hear how she balances big ambition with staying true to herself, why she believes kindness matters just as much as skill, and what it’s really like to become a mentor to thousands of people she’s never met.
The Ultimate Dish Podcast Host, Chef Kirk T. Bachmann and Kristen Kish, host of Bravo’s Emmy Award-Winning Top Chef, chef, and partner of Arlo Grey in Austin, TX, as well as the founder of Kish Apéritif and Chef-in-Residence at Escoffier.
Born in South Korea and adopted into a Michigan family, Kristen Kish fell in love with cooking early. She worked her way through Boston kitchens before competing on Season 10 of Top Chef—and winning. In 2023, she became the Emmy-nominated host of Top Chef for its 21st season.
In this episode, Kristen talks about something she had to learn the hard way: you are not your job. After years of blurring the line between her identity and her profession, she learned that relinquishing control gave her more space to grow.
Kristen’s New York Times bestselling memoir, Accidentally on Purpose, came out in April 2025. Learn how she decided which stories made the cut and what she hopes people will walk away with. Kristen is the chef and partner of Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas, and the founder of Kish Aperitif.
Listen to or watch the full episode here.
2. Lessons in Hospitality: How Kevin Boehm Builds Award-Winning Restaurants
Hear what it really means to make a guest feel seen, why the host stand controls how much money a restaurant makes, and how a kid selling tomatoes from his driveway became one of the most respected names in American dining.
The Ultimate Dish Podcast Host, Chef Kirk T. Bachmann and Kevin Boehm, a James Beard Award-winning restaurateur
Kevin knew he wanted to open a restaurant from the time he was 10 years old. He dropped out of college and moved to Florida to chase his dream, temporarily lived in his Jeep, and worked at an amusement park before talking his way into a captain job at a fine dining restaurant. It wasn’t long before he knew he was on his way.
Hear why hospitality is about more than simple free birthday desserts; it’s about noticing the little things that make someone feel like you actually remember them. Learn about Kevin’s “Full Deck” system for training managers: 15 cards, each one representing a skill you need to develop, from running expo to understanding the P&L.
Kevin also gets honest about his tough childhood, the work ethic his mom (one of 14 kids raised on a farm) drilled into him, and how selling tomatoes at age 12 lit the first spark.
Today, Kevin and his partner Rob Katz run the acclaimed Boka Restaurant Group, including 23 concepts and over 3,000 employees. Boka has earned 13 straight Michelin stars. In 2019, Kevin and Rob won the James Beard Award for Best Restaurateur in America. Kevin’s first book, The Bottomless Cup, was released in fall 2025.
Listen to or watch the full episode here.
3. From Resume to Interview: Hospitality Hiring Experts Share Career-Boosting Tips
Discover the one question that reveals everything about a job candidate and how to close an interview in a way that gets you hired. Two top hospitality recruiters share insider tips to help you stand out in today’s competitive job market.
The Ultimate Dish Podcast Host, Chef Kirk T. Bachmann and Hospitality Hiring Experts Brian Blum and Evan Kaplan.
Brian Blum brings over 20 years of leadership experience in restaurant operations and professional staffing. From his time as a director at Applebee’s to his current role as a franchisee and recruiter for Gecko Hospitality, Brian understands what it takes to help talent thrive in the restaurant sector. Evan Kaplan is an award-winning hospitality recruiter and sommelier. He’s also a former food and beverage pro who specializes in placing executives at hotels, resorts, and private clubs.
Listen to find out what recruiters and employers really look for when reviewing resumes and food portfolios, and why being bilingual (especially in Spanish) can be a game-changer for leadership roles. Brian and Evan also explain when it makes sense to stay in a role to build credibility and when it’s smarter to move on. They offer practical tips on researching a company before an interview, the questions worth asking, and how to show employers you’re genuinely interested in the job.
Gecko Hospitality is an Escoffier partner that helps connect culinary students and grads with jobs at restaurants, hotels, resorts, and private clubs nationwide. Brian and Evan’s advice can help give students the tools and strategies they need to get hired.
Listen to or watch the full episode here.
4. Marc Vetri on Why the Best Chefs Don’t Just Cook — They Care
In this episode, discover what it takes to open a restaurant, even when everyone tells you you’re doing it wrong. You’ll also find out why showing up can matter more than talent and how one chef’s passion for pasta still burns as bright as it did on day one.
The Ultimate Dish Podcast Host, Chef Kirk T. Bachmann and award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author Marc Vetri.
A Philadelphia native, Marc Vetri opened Vetri Cucina in 1998 with his business partner, Jeff Benjamin. The restaurant took off fast, landing Marc a spot as one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs.” He later won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. His influence helped put Philadelphia back on the culinary map, leading to restaurants like Osteria, Pizzeria Vetri, and Fiorella—plus spots in Las Vegas and even Kyoto, Japan.
Marc shares how he fell in love with food at his Sicilian grandmother’s Sunday dinners in South Philly and discusses his early days working for Wolfgang Puck in Los Angeles. He also opens up about the challenges of opening Vetri Cucina in the late 90s, when customers walked out saying there was nothing on the menu for them, and critics told him he was opening on the wrong street with the wrong food.
Hear what he looks for in young cooks, how to be realistic about work-life balance, and why his best advice is simple: show up and work. He also shares a story about practicing Sardinian filindeu pasta late one night, prompting a new team member to laugh and say he looked like “an eight-year-old who’s got some ice cream.”
Marc also founded the Vetri Community Partnership, a nonprofit that teaches nutrition to kids, families, and even fourth-year medical students. His book, The Pasta Book, came out in fall 2025.
Listen to or watch the full episode here.
5. Against the Grain: Rethinking Sports Nutrition with Lentine Alexis
A $2 rice ball at a Japanese convenience store changed everything for Lentine Alexis. During a 100-mile bike ride in Okinawa, Lentine wound up buying rice balls from a convenience store after losing all her packaged sports nutrition. That experience, plus a fisherman who shared fresh fish on a shiso leaf, completely shifted how she thought about fueling. She realized her body didn’t always need what the rulebook said it did, which led her to culinary school and eventually into holistic nutrition.
The Ultimate Dish Podcast Host, Chef Kirk T. Bachmann and certified holistic nutritionist, Ayurvedic health counselor, pastry chef, yoga and breathwork instructor, and sports performance coach Lentine Alexis.
Lentine holds a Diplôme in Pâtisserie and Baking from Le Cordon Bleu, a B.A. in Social Ecology and Economics, and is a certified holistic nutritionist, Ayurvedic health counselor, yoga and breathwork instructor, and sports performance coach. Her journey into food and performance began nearly two decades ago while training as a professional endurance athlete on a subtropical island in Japan. This is where she began to reimagine nutrition through a more intuitive, flavorful, and joyful lens.
Lentine talks about how the discipline of mise en place became the foundation for everything she does. She speaks candidly about spending only a year and a half in professional kitchens before realizing the pace wasn’t sustainable for her health, an insight that pushed her to carve out her own path as a “chef for athletes” long before the role formally existed.
She also unpacks her philosophy on Ayurveda, the three sources of vitality (rest, joy, and dense nourishment) and why she believes our biology is ultimately wiser than any bio-hacking trend.
Lentine founded the Recipe Club in March 2020, which now features over 400 recipes and 800+ members. She also launched the Back to Forward platform to share deeper Ayurvedic philosophy in a modern, accessible way. Through her work, she guides athletes and everyday eaters to fuel not just performance, but purpose.
Listen to or watch the full episode here.
Want to Hear More From Elite Chefs?
Podcasts, books, and TV shows are a great place for any budding culinarian to start. But if you’re ready to take your pursuits to the next level, consider exploring the degree and diploma options at Escoffier.
Many of these can be completed online, so you can get your culinary credentials while working or taking care of a family. Courses are taught by chef instructors with decades of industry experience and tons of knowledge to impart.
Whether you’re interested in culinary arts, pastry, holistic nutrition and wellness, or food entrepreneurship, Escoffier offers programs designed to help you pursue your passion. If you’ve dreamed of having a professional chef as a mentor, culinary school is a great place to start. Contact us to take the next step toward your dream career.
FUEL YOUR CULINARY AMBITIONS WITH THESE RESOURCES:
- Can You Work While Going to Culinary School? Here’s How It Works at Escoffier
- What Can You Learn in Escoffier’s Hospitality Degree Program?
- 13 Great Careers in the Food Industry
This article was originally published on December 27, 2021, and has since been updated.
