aaron bludorn

Today on our episode #369 of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer has a special "On the Road" episode from Roots 2023, which took place at The Chef's Garden and Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, OH, on September 11-12, 2023, hosted by Farmer Lee Jones and his family and team. Shari moderated a panel at the conference, entitled “Evolving in the Industry: What it takes to stay relevant”, with Maneet Chauhan, Morph Hospitality Group; Minh Phan, Porridge and Puffs; and Rich Rosendale, Rosendale Collective, and also signed copies of her new book, CHEFWISE – Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon, Spring 2023, #chefwisebook). 

Today's episode features four exclusive interviews with the following speakers: Reem Assil – Founder of Reem’s California in Oakland, CA, who is featured in "Food and Country" documentary (produced by Ruth Reichl); Aaron Bludorn – chef/owner of Bludorn and Navy Blue in Houston, TX; Brad Kilgore – Founder of Kilgore Culinary Group, and Chef/Partner of Mary Gold’s in Miami, FL; and Jamie Simpson – Executive Chef of The Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, OH. Many thanks and congratulations to #Roots2023 for hosting us, and everyone who joined us in conversation and was involved in the wonderful 2-day conference. We can't wait to return! Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to regenerate, speed rounds, and Solo Dining experience at Chef Vinnie Cimino's Cordelia in Cleveland, OH. 

Photo Courtesy of Shari Bayer.

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In 2019, Aaron Bludorn left a prime gig as chef of Cafe Boulud in New York City to move to Houston, Texas, and open his first restaurant as chef-proprietor, Bludorn. Aaron recently called in to talk to Andrew about his Seattle childhood, teenage years as member of a rock band with professional aspirations, his shift to the kitchen, years under the auspices of Daniel Boulud, and what it's been like to open a new restaurant in the midst of a pandemic. (Many listeners might also know Aaron as one of the more successful competitors on the Netflix series The Final Table, on which he made the final four.)

We'd also like to be among the first to welcome Gregory Christopher Bludorn into the world. Aaron and his wife Victoria welcomed Gregory just the other day and we are thrilled for them.

Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–pledge $10 or more per month and gain access to bonus, patron-only episodes, blog posts, polls, and more. 

Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information.

(photo of Andrew & Aaron copyright by Eric Vitale Photography)

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!

Aaron Bludorn and Tim Hollingsworth, two of the chef stars of Netflix's The Final Table, join us in studio to talk about the new global culinary competition show.

The series features 12 teams of two chefs from around the world cooking the national dishes of Mexico, Spain, England, Brazil, France, Japan, the U.S., India and Italy. Each episode focuses on a different country and its cuisine, with celebrity ambassadors, food critics and the country’s greatest chef eliminating teams until the finale.

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