Sam Knoll: [00:00:00] Let's just kind of start at the beginning. I'd like to know your whole history, so I'm going to get you to divulge some of that. And let me know when you started cooking, Why, you know, how old were you all that good stuff? JT: [00:00:16] I was, I was 18. I mean, it's pretty much the same circle. You started with me. The whole, uh, Willie Moats, Chuck Sass. Uh, Oh, Rick Maggard. Oh, Sam Knoll: [00:00:32] I was going to say, did you work for Rick early on? JT: [00:00:35] I started with him at crawdads cross. If you remember that all the way down at the South end ..read more

 Lawrence: [00:00:00] I actually first met you when I was bouncing at Off Shore. The after hours club. Yep. Sam: Oh yes. The after hours club. Cape Henry. Right. That was, uh, that was an interesting time of life, you know, it was, uh, for me, certainly work-wise it was, it was very interesting because I was that time. I was waiting tables five nights a week and the same five nights a week, I would, you know, I'd get off work there at, you know, nine, 10 o'clock. And then at 1230, the after hours club would open. So I'd have like this little two-hour span during which I'd go around and st ..read more

jason_jell_ Sam Knoll: [00:00:00] Man, how are you doing? Jason Jell: [00:00:02] Uh, it busy, very busy. We've we're we've got a couple of big meetings coming up and been prepping for them and, uh, I'll be happy when we're on Christmas break. Let's put it that way. How about Sam Knoll: [00:00:14] yourself? Yeah, I'm, I'm kind of the same. I've just got so many balls in the air. It's kind of nuts right now. So, which is good. So Jason Jell: [00:00:22] yeah, nobody likes to be bored. Sam Knoll: [00:00:25] That's right. Not at all. So, well, this, I knew this would sound weird having me get you o ..read more

Interview with Chef Jason Godwin. Jason has over 30 years in the foodservice world and has help pretty much and cooking position one can imagine, in an efforts to live in and learn the best way to produce and serve food. Jason is a guy from the country who has figured out food. His cooking style is inviting and delicious. He also happens to be married to my little sister. I hope you enjoy learning some of Jason's life behind the kitchen walls: Jason Godwin: [00:00:00] How's it been going? Sam Knoll: [00:00:01] Good. Good, man. How are you doing? Are you working like crazy? Jason Godwin: [00:00 ..read more

Dan Serafini: [00:00:00] this is, this is like the opposite of what you're supposed to be doing during COVID. I guess we're all being next, next, next Monday, I guess where I'll be. Okay. And. I'll be in, Riviera Maya, Mexico. Yeah. Well, you know what I'm going to, I mean, I'm staying at a place called the one eco resort, which is top, top, top, top shelf, you know, something it, and th the, the, it is phase. It is, level three Mexico, but only for Mexico city, Guadalajara Acapulco, all the major cities. When you're on one of these resorts, they're only allowed to fill up the 25% occupancy. Y ..read more

Sam Knoll: [00:00:00] Cool. Well, let's see. I just wanted to get you on and go through a little of your story, a little of our history, you know, Kind of get the, uh, the Rick Marcel background here. Rick Mersel: [00:00:17] Yes. Sam, I'm telling you what happened. Okay. Sam Knoll: [00:00:22] You still there? Yeah. How many years have we known each other now? We're 35. So Sam, Rick Mersel: [00:00:27] when did, how long, when did you start off the Academy? Sam Knoll: [00:00:30] I started in eighth grade. So that was what? 80. Two 83, I think Rick Mersel: [00:00:39] 74. Sam Knoll: [00:00:42] No ..read more

This is a pair of stories from my restaurant days. I would like to say that this story is unique but unfortunately things like this came up on an almost weekly basis. The title of this will make much better sense as you listen to the story and I am sure you will understand why I chose the title "Japanese Fighting Sticks" for this episode. The second story I share is a little shorter and is simply the way many of my nights, or early mornings, worked out when I owned five restaurants. Relax, escape and have fun my friends! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podc ..read more

Welcome to the Restaurant Reality Show, the weekly podcast that promises to share the real stories that take place behind the scenes in the foodservice world. I’m your host, Sam Knoll, the founder and president of the website consultancy SamKnoll.com, the author of the soon to be released book Restaurant Reality, an over 20 year veteran of the restaurant industry and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. The bottom line is I know a ton of foodservice people who are going to share the reality of what happens behind the scenes from their restaurants all over the world. Now, thank ..read more

Sam Knoll: [00:00:00] Let's just kind of start at the beginning. I'd like to know your whole history, so I'm going to get you to divulge some of that. And let me know when you started cooking, Why, you know, how old were you all that good stuff? JT: [00:00:16] I was, I was 18. I mean, it's pretty much the same circle. You started with me. The whole, uh, Willie Moats, Chuck Sass. Uh, Oh, Rick Maggard. Oh, Sam Knoll: [00:00:32] I was going to say, did you work for Rick early on? JT: [00:00:35] I started with him at crawdads cross. If you remember that all the way down at the South end ..read more

 Lawrence: [00:00:00] I actually first met you when I was bouncing at Off Shore. The after hours club. Yep. Sam: Oh yes. The after hours club. Cape Henry. Right. That was, uh, that was an interesting time of life, you know, it was, uh, for me, certainly work-wise it was, it was very interesting because I was that time. I was waiting tables five nights a week and the same five nights a week, I would, you know, I'd get off work there at, you know, nine, 10 o'clock. And then at 1230, the after hours club would open. So I'd have like this little two-hour span during which I'd go around and st ..read more