Chef Vivian Howard’s success didn’t happen overnight. Her journey has been composed of a lot of small changes that brought about big results.  During her career, Vivian opened four restaurants, wrote two cookbooks, hosted two television shows and in 2013, she became the first woman to win a Peabody Award since Julia Child. The latter is no small accomplishment, and there’s still so much more success in store for our guest.   In this episode, Vivian talks about how her experiences at her restaurants motivated her “small-change” philosophy, her unique approach to meal planning, and how condiments are the real heroes of any recipe.

Hard work, creativity, attention to detail, a vibrant personality and the ability to put clients at ease. These are all qualities of Richard Ingraham and all the qualities of a successful... hairstylist?   Becoming a chef may not have been Richard Ingraham's plan from the beginning, but that didn't stop him from rising to the challenge and becoming personal chef to power couple Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union-Wade, founding a  private chef network, and writing his own cookbook, "Eating Well to Win." Richard talks with Laurie about what his typical day is like (he gets up at 4am), how often he shops for his ingredients, and what Dwyane and Gabrielle's favorite cheat meals are (they're worth the listen!)

Tis' the season for episode 2.  Laurie March reconnects with Chef MacKenzie Smith and Chef Michael Mina, and they share what their plans are with their families for this most wonderful time of the year.   MacKenzie has a lot to be excited about, this is her first holiday season as a new mom, and while her daughter may not yet be old enough to appreciate the fun and merriment, that's not going to stop MacKenzie from bringing the joy. Laurie and MacKenzie talk about being okay with over-doing it this season, and the importance of making new traditions while celebrating the old ones, through re-discovering older generations' recipes or just demystifying their obsession with gelatin.    Then Chef Michael Mina returns to tell Laurie about the delicious dishes his family makes every Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A lot of Chef's family traditions were started by his mother-in-law Judy, and in addition to preparing Prime Rib and Crab Cioppino, she was one of his earliest and most ardent supporters, helping to keep a young Chef out of hot water!

In this episode, host Laurie March explores the physical and emotional connection between food and gratefulness. …  Laurie reconnects with old friend, Chef Michael Mina to talk about what it’s like to feed his restaurant employees like they’re family, and what the new normal could look like at the table for Thanksgiving for everyone.  Then it’s full speed ahead with Chef, blogger and cookbook author Mackenzie Smith, to talk about intuitive eating, what it means to “eat your feelings,” and how you can actually use this to your advantage. In this episode, we answer the age-old question, does cheese really make everything better? Spoiler: The answer is yes. Yes it does.