Adrienne Cole is co-founder and owner of House of Marigold in Louisville, Kentucky, a full-service breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant she opened with her husband, Kris, in 2023. She started her restaurant journey operating a small corporate café in a busy downtown office building, eventually expanding into an elevated, Southern-inspired catering company with Kris as chef. Now the pair is growing the restaurant arm of the business, planning additional House of Marigold locations in Louisville and moving into dinner service.Listen as she describes Marigold's innovative Southern-inspired menu, how she built House of Marigold into a welcoming community hub — the kind of place she likes to hang out in — and her dream for growing the brand into a national presence.

Meet Tom Berry, Chief Culinary Officer of COJE Management Group! 🍽️Tom oversees 11 unique restaurants across Boston, spanning everything from Mexican and Chinese to Peruvian, Mediterranean, Cuban, French, and classic American steakhouse cuisine.A passionate traveler and chef, Tom draws inspiration from his adventures around the globe—and from the beautiful island of Nantucket, where he honed his skills working with fresh local seafood and produce. He's also a regular at the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival! 🌊After graduating from Johnson & Wales, Tom got his big break working alongside legendary chef Ming Tsai at the flagship restaurant Blue Ginger. From there, he's led kitchens and catering operations throughout Boston, eventually rising to his current role managing COJE's diverse restaurant portfolio.In this episode, Tom shares his culinary journey, how Ming Tsai's mentorship shaped his career, and what exciting projects are coming next for COJE Management Group.🎧 Tune in now!

Dimitri Zafeiropoulos has been global beverage director of Greek seafood concept Estiatorio Milos since 2022, having joined the company in early 2019. He worked his way up fromthe role of sommelier at Milos’s second New York City location, at Hudson Yards, to general manager of that location, to wine director for New York, and then to his current role. Now he coordinates supply of Greek and other wines to markets as wide ranging as Dubai, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.He arrived in New York City in 2012 to study photography, paying his bills, as many aspiring artists do, by working in restaurants.Zafeiropoulos soon developed an interest and began studying it, both by reading — starting, he thinks, with Wine for Dummies — as well as tasting, and eventually being certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers.He recently discussed his approach to offering wine and other beverages to Milos’s customers, as well as cocktails, with and without alcohol, and his plans for his beverage program this summer.

Bryan O'Kelly didn't start his culinary career in culinary school—he started washing dishes at a Charleston restaurant to pay for college. But once he got behind the stove, he never looked back. He dropped out of college to pursue his passion for cooking, and it led him to some of the most celebrated kitchens in the South.In This Episode:🔪 From McCrady's to Husk: How working under legendary chef Sean Brock and mentor Ben Norton shaped O'Kelly's culinary philosophy🍤 Modern Southern Cuisine: Reimagining classics like shrimp and grits, pimiento cheese, and cornbread with ingredient-driven twists🌱 Farm-to-Table Sourcing: How Husk Nashville's onsite garden supplies fresh produce for both the kitchen and cocktail program🌾 Carolina Gold Rice & Benne Seeds: Why these heritage ingredients are central to O'Kelly's cooking💰 Navigating Rising Food Costs: Strategies for keeping menus affordable without sacrificing quality👨‍🍳 Empowering Sous Chefs: How O'Kelly encourages his team to experiment and bring their wildest ideas to life🎯 Creating Memorable Experiences: O'Kelly's mission to make every guest want to return to Husk before they even leaveKey Topics Covered:✅ Chef career journey from dishwasher to executive chef✅ Working with Sean Brock and Ben Norton✅ Southern cuisine and farm-to-table cooking✅ Heritage ingredients: Carolina Gold rice and benne seeds✅ Managing food costs in a high-inflation environment✅ Restaurant leadership and team empowerment✅ Creating unforgettable dining experiences in Nashville

Eric Dale has spent more than 21 years shaping Denver’s pastry scene at Rioja, where he has built a reputation for creative desserts, sourdough baking, and innovative pastry techniques. In this podcast episode, Dale discusses his unconventional journey from studying fashion design to becoming one of Denver’s most respected pastry chefs.Before joining Rioja, Dale attended culinary school and later graduated from Johnson & Wales University’s Denver campus with a 4.0 GPA. He eventually became pastry chef at Rioja, one of the acclaimed restaurants founded by Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch. Known for his meticulous bread program and inventive desserts, Dale has helped define Rioja’s signature approach to hospitality and baking.Dale shares how his background in fashion design influences his pastry work, from sketching desserts before creating them to thinking deeply about texture, structure, and presentation. He also discusses his passion for sourdough baking, his “bao-nut” concept, and the lessons he learned during the pandemic from renowned baker Nancy Silverton.In this conversation, Eric Dale explores:The connection between fashion design and pastry artistrySourdough baking techniques and fermentationInnovation in modern pastry and dessert menusBuilding Rioja’s acclaimed bread programDenver’s evolving culinary sceneCreativity, hospitality, and restaurant cultureSubscribe for more conversations with chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, and hospitality leaders shaping the food and beverage industry.

Join Pat Cobe, Senior Menu Editor at Restaurant Business, for an exclusive conversation with Chris Simms, CEO of Lazy Dog Restaurants. Discover how this innovative casual dining chain is navigating 2026's challenging landscape while staying ahead of food trends.🍽️ What You'll Learn:How Lazy Dog balances affordability with premium dining experiencesThe strategy behind their $15 Fireside Favorites menuInnovative small plates and bar bites driving customer loyaltyMocktail trends and non-alcoholic beverage innovationMenu development secrets for 51 locations nationwideKey Topics Covered: ✅ Cravable Classics vs. Approachable Innovation ✅ Value-driven menu engineering in challenging times ✅ Small plates strategy (Korean fried chicken bao buns, tikka masala meatballs, garlic chili cucumbers) ✅ GLP-1 diet considerations and portion sizing ✅ Zero-proof cocktails and alcohol-free elixirs ✅ Technology's role in operational efficiency ✅ Upcoming fall menu innovations

Spike Gjerde has long been one of the most committed regionalists in American cooking — so committed that for a while his Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore didn’t serve lemon, black pepper, or vanilla because they don’t grow in the Chesapeake Bay region. Instead he used local vinegar, fish pepper, and other ingredients from Maryland and Virginia.He has modified his stance on that and expanded his business into what he calls the Ecco Project, a group of restaurants that reflect food trends but with a regional accent. Woodberry has been transformed from a large restaurant with a small private dining room to an event space with a small restaurant. La Jetée — French for “jetty” because of its location — reflects the cuisine of the French region of Provence, but with Gjerde’s own approach to local sourcing. Next up: Bar Dalí, a tapas concept with Baltimore flair. He’s also teaming up with Johns Hopkins Medicine and University, substantially expanding his buying power and ability to support even more local producers than he had been. This could possibly move the needle on regional food systems — not just one chef buying from local farms, but a major university and hospital doing it too.He recently discussed his approach to running restaurants and his plans for the future. Menu Talk is a podcast collaboration between Restaurant Business and Nation's Restaurant News, hosted by Pat Cobe (Senior Menu Editor, Restaurant Business) and Bret Thorn (Senior Food & Beverage Editor, Nation's Restaurant News).Subscribe for more chef interviews and restaurant industry insights:Restaurant BusinessNation's Restaurant News

The Michelin-starred Washington, D.C. restaurant is steeped in a rich culinary heritage shaped by the bounty of the region and the chef’s vision. When Chef Jeremiah Langhorne opened The Dabney in 2015, his goal was to make it a showcase for the bounty of the Mid-Atlantic region. Washington, D.C. was going through a restaurant renaissance 10 years ago, he said, and the timing was right to introduce something other than a steakhouse or French or Italian restaurant. He builds dishes around local seafood, like Cape May scallops and Chesapeake Bay oysters and crab, as well as produce, grains and meats sourced from tri-state farmers with long-standing relationships to the restaurant. The menu allows people to come in and experience the food in whatever way they like, whether it's sitting at the bar having a beer and a small plate, sharing family-style entrees, ordering a la carte off the whole menu or splurging on a prix fixe multi-course dinner. The Dabney is a Michelin-starred restaurant without pretensions. Chef Langhorne encourages conviviality—from the wood-fired hearth in the center of the action to the flexible menu and warm service style. Although he never attended culinary school, Langhorne was mentored by some of the most esteemed chefs and restaurateurs in the world. Listen as he shares his inspiring journey from pizza deliveryman to staging in top kitchens around the country, how he attributes much of his success to supportive industry mentors, and how he continues to evolve The Dabney while staying true to his original vision.To learn more about Del Montes new fruit sauces and try a sample, visit https://www.delmontefoodservice.com/products/fruit-sauces?utm_campaign=Fruit_Sauces&utm_source=MenuTalk&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=040726_Graphic&utm_id=pm#requestForm

Daru is a Hindi term for moonshine, and it’s also the name of a cocktail bar with a robust food menu that chef Suresh Sundas and beverage director Dante Datta opened in August of 2021 in the H Street neighborhood in Washington, D.C. It soon gained local and national acclaim thanks to its creative drinks, such as a Dirty Martini made with achar, a tangy type of Indian pickle, and food like paneer pesto tikka with honey and rhubarb and a blue cheese kebab with cashew and sour cherry.  They followed that success with the opening of Tapori, also on H Street, serving street food from across the Indian subcontinent.  Sundas is actually not from India, but Nepal, a country sandwiched between India and China, and he brings that heritage to bear with the use of timmur, a relative of Sichuan peppercorns that has a similar numbing effect and is popular in Nepalese cooking.  Since the restaurants are in D.C., and soft-shell crab season is upon us, Sundas is making use of the local delicacy on his current menus, and, in a recent conversation, he shared his approach to developing menu items, and he’s joined by Datta, who discusses his beverage program.  To learn more about Del Montes new fruit sauces and try a sample, visit https://www.delmontefoodservice.com/products/fruit-sauces?utm_campaign=Fruit_Sauces&utm_source=MenuTalk&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=040726_Graphic&utm_id=pm#requestForm

Gregg Horan knows steakhouses. As a longtime partner in Gibsons—one of Chicago's most iconic steak destinations—he's spent years mastering the art of high-end dining. But a little over a year ago, he took a bold step: opening The Greggory in South Barrington, Illinois, bringing fine dining to the suburbs.And it's working.Want more from Pat Cobe?https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/profile/patricia-cobeSubscribe to RB newsletters: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/newslettersSubscribe to NRN newsletters: https://www.nrn.com/subscription-portalTo learn more about Del Montes new fruit sauces and try a sample, visit ⁠https://www.delmontefoodservice.com/products/fruit-sauces?utm_campaign=Fruit_Sauces&utm_source=MenuTalk&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=040726_Graphic&utm_id=pm#requestForm⁠