What Really Makes Someone Influential? | Season 13 Begins

Season 13 of The Chef JKP Podcast is built around one idea: influence.

Across 15 episodes, chefs, founders, journalists, operators, and industry leaders share how they have shaped food, hospitality, business, and culture.

In this opening solo episode, Chef JKP introduces the season, reflects on the current state of hospitality, shares updates from behind the scenes, and answers listener questions on leadership, career risks, branding, resilience, creativity, and the future of the industry.

This is where Season 13 begins.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why influence is the central theme of Season 13
• What to expect from the 15 guests featured this season
• The current challenges facing hospitality in the region
• What separates a good chef from a great leader
• Why career risks can become defining decisions
• How chefs can stay relevant in a fast-changing industry
• The role of resilience, curiosity, and consistency in success
• Why human connection will remain essential in the future of hospitality

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Season 13
01:57 A first look at this season’s guests
06:49 Hospitality, industry updates, and life behind the scenes
11:17 Why influence became the theme of Season 13
13:32 Listener Q&A begins
18:14 What separates good chefs from great chefs
30:12 Hospitality, leadership, and the future of the industry
52:12 The message behind Season 13

Season Sponsor – Elle & Vire Professionnel

This season is proudly sponsored by Elle & Vire Professionnel, trusted by chefs around the world for exceptional French dairy products shaped by decades of expertise and craftsmanship.

https://www.elle-et-vire.com/int/en/pro/

Audio Partner – RØDE

The Chef JKP Podcast is recorded using RØDE microphones and audio equipment, delivering the sound quality behind every conversation.

https://rode.com/

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Food is memories.

Transcript

SPEAKER_15 0:00

That's right. The podcast is now on YouTube. So you can watch all of the interviews at your leisure. At the same time, your contribution to the show by hitting that subscribe button makes a monumental difference to the show. As we can keep inviting the guests you love and keep having the conversations that no one else is having. The only thing that I ask is that you share the show. A very warm welcome back to the Chef JKP podcast, and this time we are kicking off with season 13. Now, we've had hundreds of conversations and countless stories of resilience, determination, and passion, but in this season we are exploring something every single guest has in common, and that is influence. However, before we talk about who and what's coming up on the season, I would like to say a massive thank you to each and every single one of you who has messaged me just to say how much you really enjoy and love the show. And personally, I love it when you reshare the reels and um just thank you so so much. Your support is never ever taken for granted. The only thing we will ask is if you like the show, make sure to hit that all-important subscribe button or press follow wherever you get your podcasts. And a five-star review. Go ahead and do that now. Thank you. I'm very happy to announce that Eliver Professional is this season's headline sponsor. They have been working tirelessly across the GCC region and beyond for several years, educating students, professionals, and food distributors on all things dairy. So they do some incredible things and they have some amazing recipes to check out online for anyone who wants to learn about their beautiful products. For all of the details, I will place all of that huge information on the show notes. I have to say, we have a knockout stellar lineup of guests, all with inspirational insights. So, without further ado, this is what you can expect to hear from the guests during this season. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

And also I'd come from boisterous newsrooms, right? Where you've got people shouting at you, people ringing up death threats and all that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 2:41

Dubai is very uh fast-paced and to study uh whilst you started making money on the side, even as a like I started grassroots, like a as a promoter, uh where they forced us to stand with trays and give people sodas and stuff. Um and I realized like wow, these guys make a lot of money.

SPEAKER_14 2:58

But I'm so proud to live in a city and a country that um one has a um a platform to be able to do that, firstly, um, but more importantly, to really stand on their own two feet and say we can compete with the zoomers, we can compete with the sushi sambers, we can compete with whoever it may be.

SPEAKER_08 3:19

Faceability, nature, and transparency, uh meaning we want to know where our products are coming from, so we have to know our supplier, uh preferably. If we cannot source it here in terms of quality or because it doesn't exist here, then we will outsource it to Europe, to Australia. But again, there we want to know the people behind our product.

SPEAKER_13 3:44

I think you know, when you're putting a menu together, I wouldn't like, for example, for example, oh let's put pad thai. No, why why does it make sense? By the time you cook your pad thai and the saw, by the time it arrives to the villa, it's gonna, you know, you can throw it off the wall. You know, so I think I think I think you have to put items that, you know, you know, you're okay, you're gonna do Asian items, okay, then put a Nasi Gorin on the menu.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Dessert is almost mandatory because the kind of community we come from actually you begin and end your meal with dessert. Yeah, so if you go for a religious gathering, you would begin with dessert and then you would also end with dessert, which is frankly, I think, how most meals need to be.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

They used to give us a tremendous amount of um of responsibility. That was the most amazing part. I was 18 years old, I was doing night shifts. Um alone.

SPEAKER_12 4:36

I don't know what I want to do yet, but I want to just kind of get out there and and figure it out kind of thing. And to be fair to me, it says, Look, son, if you want to sweep the streets, just be the best at that. Whatever you want to do. So that really gave me, you know, that kind of arm around me where you you know you're you're kind of worried about having those kinds of conversations.

SPEAKER_11 4:55

I started writing about two and a half years ago. Um, got the team together myself. Um you know, my my husband's been hugely instrumental in this as well, in terms of the back end of my brand and my book. Um so we discussed it um at length. I started writing, and it was always like somewhere along the lines I'm gonna do it one day.

SPEAKER_06 5:20

I hate to do this because America already gets so much hate because we're just so big and we're very loud, right? Um everyone knows who our president is. You know what I'm saying? Maybe not everyone knows the president of every other country. Um, so I don't want to give us too much hate, but I was like your stereotypical American, right? Like I didn't just think I was going to help refugees, I thought I was going to like you know, this third world country called Europe.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

My strategy was first you meet them on site, then after you send them an email, it was fantastic to meet you, thank you for your time, la la la. This is our brochure, etc. Then after one week, just a quick uh catch up, like uh let me know when you want to pass by for uh lunch or dinner with your team, you know, like three, four people to come and enjoy the experience.

SPEAKER_07 6:10

It shaped and helped me in that sense because I went door to door and I have seen probably in that year um let's call it 250 days times ten people a day. That's two thousand five hundred sales calls I did in a year. Um they have not been out of the office. I was out of the officer before.

SPEAKER_16 6:29

I remember someone who is a one with me with like confidence, like it was really nice. And then someone who can grow in their business massively into personal development and to grow and to you know what we know now is words like brand and visibility and communication. You know, I just grow enough on learning how Instagram works. Today, Instagram sorry.

SPEAKER_05 7:01

When the best part of your day is when you're leaving the office, then you know it's time to go. You know what I mean? And that's it's gotten to I used to Yeah, I just wasn't there. I used to have, you know, I've had crazy jobs where I didn't sleep because I was following uh I mean this was one of my first assignments when I was an intern was following screws around the country, around the world.

SPEAKER_09 7:20

My my brother, my older brother was he was amazing in programming over shit. Um but because I didn't want to be like listen um I mean I want to be the same as my dad or my brother, so I tried to go to computer again, but I never liked it.

SPEAKER_15 7:41

So what have I been up to? It has been a busy time. So we spoke back in season 12, and by the way, if you're new to the show, a very warm welcome to the family. Take a seat around the table, as there's plenty to talk about. I always do a solo episode to give a little sneak peek into the upcoming season. Plus, I like to have a chat with you as we don't get to speak too often. It has been a difficult time in the region and very challenging for everyone. Uh, we're not a political show in any way, shape, or form, but I have to talk about the elephant in the room. The only thing I will say, first of all, is a massive thank you to the authorities, the government of the UAE for doing such a phenomenal job in keeping us all safe. I mean, anyone in the military or air force, we can't thank you enough. The leadership of this country is second to none. Once again, we are eternally grateful for keeping us all safe. My beloved hospitality industry, yes, it has been tough, but what a resilient bunch we are. There is no shortage of support being shown. Now, I'm not going to pretend it hasn't been tough, it has. And I know a lot of people have been placed on unpaid leave and some unfortunately have been let go. However, I would like to address our homegrown communities who have rallied behind us in order to sustain the businesses. At the same time, we have seen fine dining chefs pivot and showcase street food on another level. This is not an easy thing to do, but absolutely necessary to survive. We will get through this, we have always done so. Hang in there. We are in the business of making other people happy through the medium of food, and we will continue to do so. I feel that we will recover and become even greater. So thank you. Let me tell you what other events have been going on. Recently I actually reported from Saudi Arabia at the inaugural Go and MiloGuide Gala event, which was just released. They showcased a whopping 240 restaurants in the kingdom. The list itself showcases the very best in homegrown talent. I felt very lucky to be part of the awards ceremony as I was one of the very few media people to cover the actual event. You can read all about it in my substack, which will be in the show notes. Now, what else? Uh oh yeah, so I've appeared on a couple of other podcasts which some of you may have seen or may not. Last week we also did the family show, and then Mrs. Mrs. Knight Pacheco was interviewing me. Uh, not daunting at all. It was actually scary. Uh and then last time I also mentioned that I would be discussing my writing. So a few articles have popped up here and there, which is really cool. Uh, I'm still very much finding my feet, but slowly and surely getting there. And uh, yeah, as I said, don't want to bang on too much about the substack, but all everything is there, it's in the show notes, and uh yeah, I'm actually quite proud of the things that I've written. So it's about industry insiders' perspective, plus, of course, being a judge on Dubai Dining Diaries at KT Lux magazine. It was a really really fantastic to finally do this, and congratulations to all of the winners. In other news, big news, this is big news. Understandably, their Michelin guide has been postponed till you know who knows when, later on in the year. But chefs and restaurateurs, keep your head up, keep smashing it. We are all behind you. I know how hard you work. And of course, there are in the pipeline a few foodie press trips, and you'll see those on my socials, and hopefully, I will be able to do a few cheeky small podcast episodes whilst I'm there. Everything will be documented for you lovely people to take a look. But the big one is that also the podcast is now on Etihad Airways, which is a really big deal. I have featured some incredible people, especially from Abu Dhabi, to further highlight the gastronomic scene in the capital. Anyway, enough about me and on with the show. When it comes to this season, well, let's get into it. I wanted to explore something that every single guest we have featured has in common, and that is influence. Because whether you're a chef, entrepreneur, content creator, communicator, founder, or leader, influence shapes everything. It shapes what we eat, what we believe, where we spend our money, and who we trust. Ultimately, it's the decisions we make, and uh look, over the next 15 episodes you'll hear from some extraordinary people who have built influence in very different ways. Some through food, some through storytelling, of course, some through hospitality. But all of them have left their mark on the world, honestly. So, team, grab a coffee, settle in, and let's begin another incredible season together. But as it's season 13, episode number one, the viewers are always asking the questions, so I've decided we're gonna do it again this time. And uh we asked the chef JKP podcast community to place me under the hot seat once more. So, QA time, here we go. Disclaimer Some of the questions were too X-rated, too risque for the show. Nevertheless, thank you to those submitting the questions, specifically the chefs who keep things lively and cheeky. So, as you can expect, these questions were a bit uh bit crazy, should I say. Now, the questions I'm gonna read are from all over the world. I've not had a chance to look at them, so let's go straight to the questions. Alright, gang, let's get into the questions. Here we go. First question kicking off, isabella Morgan all the way from Melbourne. Good day, mate. Sorry. I mean that in the best possible way, Isabella, okay. And you know, Chef Troy, he's uh he's an Aussie, so I can get away with it. So what makes or what meal takes you straight back to your childhood every time you eat it? Easy one, Isabella, and that is Venezuelan Arepas. And you know, I love them, and they're incredible. So that's the meal that always takes me back to my childhood. Or the other one would be fried plantains with like a really salty white cheese. Amazing, unbelievable umami bomb. So that's what I love that. Next one, Fahad, exec chef. Alright, let's have a look. Uh, what has been the most difficult challenge you faced as a chef that people never saw behind the scenes? Ooh. Um that would be the sacrifice of not seeing my daughter, family during you know, working in uh high-end or Michelin-style kitchens when you'd have to work 18 to 20 hours a day. And I was away from them, and that was super challenging. Super challenging. Uh missing out, but it was part of the job, but still not easy. So that was not cool, and I still think about it a lot. It haunts me in my dreams, actually. But yeah, super challenging, and nobody sees that, and nobody cares, except for you, unfortunately. Well, next one. Sophie, culinary student from Paris. If you could spend one week working in any kitchen in the world, where would it be and why? Um I would say I would like to explore what the guys over at the Alchemist in Copenhagen are doing. Uh it looks incredible. And um I love the thought process behind what Chef is doing, so uh I would definitely go there. But uh a week, I don't think is enough. You'd probably just do a week picking herbs. Do you know what I mean? You need like a full on six months, I don't know, but incredible what those guys are doing over there. Next, Michael Chen, all the way from Vancouver. What is the one guest who completely changed your perspective during a podcast conversation? This is a good one. Um if you remember just recently on season 12, we had Ben who deals with champagne. He was such an incredible guest because he was in oil and gas. And then the way he told his story, changing career into champagne, and he pushed and pushed and pushed, and he's now one of the biggest distributors, and he is a knight of champagne. It's really incredible and just a phenomenal guy, uh, super funny, super funny. He had some amazing stories. So I would go back to that episode and have a listen because it's really engaging and super fun. He was brilliant, absolutely brilliant, and um he really sort of changed my perspective on a lot of things. Of course, oil and gas. I had no idea, so he goes deep into that, and of course, into all things champagne, so that was really cool. Next one, Rashid from Nairobi. I think this question comes all the time here. What separates a good chef and a great chef? Okay, good chef, as I as I told you, there's there's a lot of good chefs in the world, right? So a good head chef, I would say just does the job, comes to work, clocks in, clocks out, no real attention to detail, doesn't really care about the team, the produce, just wants to come in, come out, see you later, alligator. Bye. A great chef cares about everything. Above all, cares about the team. I've said it time and time again, the team is absolutely everything. So, from a culinary perspective, yes, you can go into the study of the ingredients and you know making sure that every dish packs a punch. That's your job. But at the same time, nurture the talent around you, nurture the people around you. You know what's really interesting? I always go on and on and on about Formula One kitchens, and I've recently again started watching Formula One Drive to Survive. The drivers are at the pinnacle, they are the very best 20 drivers in the world, there's no doubt about it. But there is a huge team behind every single one of those guys. Everything is about the team, it's not about the driver. Everything is about the team. It's the same as about being a chef. To be a great chef, you have to lead incredible teams. Next one from London Town, Olivia Bennett, marketing consultant. Okay, marketing. Here we go. Of course. How do you stay relevant in an industry that changes so fast and so quickly? I think you have to stay top of mind at all times. And also with social media, you'll spend looking at the best reels, you'll spend looking at what makes the biggest impact. So, again, you can do that as a chef. What what makes you relevant? Is it the dishes that you do? Is it one ingredient? Is it a thought piece? So whether you like it or not, and I'm talking specifically to chefs, marketing is a really, really big deal. And I'm really fortunate that I get to do this, and you see all the reels and all the work that goes behind it, but it's not easy, and you have to keep top of mind at all times. Uh and things do change fast, and you have to pivot extremely quickly. Extremely quickly. Otherwise, you're gonna be a dinosaur and get left behind. Nobody wants that. Or from Diego, who is a blogger in Mexico. What dish do you believe every aspiring chef should learn to master? I don't think it should be a dish per se. But I do think there is something amazing about bread. So it's not a dish, but if you can master the basics of bread, it teaches you science, it teaches you patience, it teaches you about time, weather, and in fact you could learn a lot about that. And I think funnily enough, I said to someone the other day, if I was ever to go back into a professional kitchen and start doing interviews, bread would be the trial thing that you'd have to make. It doesn't matter if you're meat, fish, sauce, starters, whatever, you should be able to make a basic loaf of bread. As well as other dishes, right? That should be what you should master. Because it's not easy. And everybody thinks that it's easy, but it's not. And so many things can go wrong. So yeah. Enjoy that one. Uh Aisha Hassan. Let's have a look. So this is a good one. Have you ever made a decision in your career that felt risky at the time, but turned out to be the right move? Um. Well, if I look back now, 2011, I was in London. I never knew much about the Middle East. And uh I was headhunted. As soon as I came to the Middle East, I loved it. Of course. Loved it. But there was a certain risk to it. Of course there was. But do I look back? Zero regrets. Zero. It was risky at the time. Best thing I ever did. Best thing I ever did. Okay, Lucas from Zurich. Biggest misconception people have about professional kitchens. Okay. When you're being told off by a supervisor or head chef, executive chef, please don't forget that when you walk into a workplace, and I'll take me, for example, you have James, who's outside of work, who some people would say is very quiet, very nice, very funny, very smiley, and then you get James in a kitchen. Very, very different person. So James then, when stepping into a kitchen, becomes culinary director, head chef, whatever you want to call it, just a senior leadership position. And when I'm telling somebody off or they've done something wrong, we are talking to the position, not the person. And that's why we always say don't take things personally, because it's not about the person, it's about the position. And I think it's taken a long time to people, you know, for people to figure that out. There's a lot more nurturing, I would say, in uh in kitchens, but still standards to be met, huge standards to be met. If you make a mistake, you have to be told and you have to be firm and fair, take it on the chin, learn from it, and move on. So I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions, I would say. Okay, so I've got a media producer from Singapore, Mae Lin. After so many podcast episodes, what still excites you about sitting down with a new guest? I just think it's about curiosity and learning from that person. I love it. It's just the podcast, as you know, it's not just a foodie podcast, it's business, it's life. It's about so many things. So that's what's really special about the show. Their food memories. I love to listen about their food memories. So uh and I never get bored of listening to people's food memories because the reason why we start with that segment every time on the show is because their face lights up. And you can see them going back and regressing into the past. It's such a magical moment for me because it really takes me into their world immediately. So I think it's a real gift to be able to share that, and for people to be vulnerable, you know, they it might be their first time sharing things like this, and that's what really excites me. Advice is advice, you know. But that first 15 minutes of the show is gold. I love that. Okay, Manchester. So we have James Walker, lecturer. Can leadership be taught or do great leaders naturally emerge over time? Okay, I will speak from experience. It has to be a hybrid model of you know being taught how to lead at the same time being in the role over time, I believe, teaches you to lead. But again, there are different ways of leading people because everybody's different, right? So some people might learn through sound, some people might learn through sight, some people learn by doing. So you have to understand your audience or the person that you're teaching. But yeah, it's a tricky one. And I say people still get it wrong because you know what is great leadership, and if you listen to business podcasts and shows, they tell you business leadership is this, this, this, this. When it comes to hospitality, again, your job is to bring the very best out of people. The very best by food, service, and hospitality. Next one. Thank you, thank you, Sarah, for this question. What advice would you give to your younger self on your very first day in a professional kitchen? I would say be a sponge, listen, you know, make sure you just listen and become patient. That's what I would say. And forget everything you ever learned in college. Forget it. Start again. Because uh college is amazing for giving you the base, giving you the education, but when it comes to the practical of working in these Formula One kitchens, nothing prepares you. So that's what I would say. Be patient and be a sponge. Oh, we have somebody all the way from Portugal in Lisbon, Ricardo. What is the one trend in the food industry you believe will have a lasting impact? I wouldn't call it a trend. What I will say, if you deliver incredible hospitality to both your prospective team in the way of them being able to listen to you in the way of you being able to coach people in the right way. And in the same vein, if you deliver beautiful hospitality to your guests, I don't think you can ever go wrong with that. I'm not talking about service, service is transactional. Sir, can I get you some water? Yes, of course. Thank you so much. That's basic service, but hospitality, I'm talking about connecting to your table, connecting to your guests, connecting to your team. I think that's always what it's about within the food industry itself, within within hospitality. And it doesn't matter whether it's a cafe, right? And not knocking cafes. Cafes are exceptional at what they do in any way, shape, or form if you're of service to people. I just think it's a beautiful thing. And and hospitality can can deliver that, you know, in so many ways. So yeah, uh that's what I think will give a lasting impact. Next one, Emily Ross, journalist from Toronto. How do you balance being a chef, a host, and a business person at the same time? Well, Emily, the secret is that I don't balance it. Uh I don't balance being a chef, I don't balance being a host or a business person at the same time. To be honest, uh it's tough. Let me put it this way. As we are recording this incredible show, some of you may have noticed a little cold on my throat, and things are locked up, so I'm not in the best of shapes at the moment in terms of my health. Because I've just I've got some sort of weird virus flu thing. I'm knocking down about I don't know, 16 vitamin C pills a day to just get through it, but uh we do it because we love it, right? But balance is also a huge thing that I I still am trying to learn. So um, but the reason being is because I love to push myself all the time. Push, push, push, push. Maybe that's my death that would be something that I will regret later on in life or to my detriment, but um I just think we're all we all should be pushing forward. Life's too short. Thank you, Emily, and of course I can tell you that you're a journo, a journalist. Uh Halid, hotel director in Doha. What does influence actually mean to you today? Compared to ten years ago. Wow. Uh the well, the sphere of influence was exceptionally different ten years ago to what it is today. I mean, uh if I go to Okay, let's go to I'm not gonna go podcasts, let's go to magazines, right? So if you imagine like 10 years ago, I remember I was always excited about getting an industry magazine and seeing who was on it and the latest books and stuff like that. That was really big for me back in the day, and I still love magazines and I still love to read, of course. Whereas now, influence is all online, all online, and of course on shows like podcasts. But what does it mean to me? It's uh I just think it's very, very different, and that's a very loaded question, Halid. So I'm not sure if I'm able to answer it correctly, but it's it's massively changed, I think, the the world of influence, and and you'll and you'll hear that with all of the guests in this season. And they are some of the most sort of influential guests uh of the season, really. Um and yeah, honestly it's uh amazing question. Come to think of it, also one of so not season 12. So season 12 we had Ariana Bundy who who was the headline guest, and she is phenomenal. But our one our headline guest, sorry, for season 13 is Mr. Taster. And oh my god, please make sure you listen to him because he's got some cool stuff to say, really. But again, the rest of the guests we have, I mean, next week's guest, oh my god, legend, total legend in the world and where he's come from, it's amazing. So, yeah, thank you for that, Haled. Next one, Hannah Cooper. Which episode of the podcast surprised you the most once it was released? Which episode? I don't think it wasn't well, so I'm just trying to think uh episode or guest. I'm just trying to think. Surprised me the most. Well, I don't think I'm surprised when I say this even. Um Pierre Kaufman. Just love the guy and Simon. Um and they featured in the same show. Those guys are just amazing. What they said in terms of business, what they said in terms of learning. And I remember once that show went out, it just blew up. And uh actually, that show is also on Etihad Airways, come to think of it. But it it's what surprised me about it was how how far it went. You know, it was uh beautiful. Really, so uh yeah, very proud of that. Okay, who's next? Takashi. Food consultant in Tokyo. What ingredient do you think is consistently underrated? What a beautiful question. What ingredient do you think is consistently underrated? I'm not gonna be flashy about this. I'm gonna give you two. The first one being a potato, because there are probably five, six hundred, seven hundred dishes you could do with a potato. And the other one, which it may surprise you, and a big shout out to the uh sponsors, is cream actually. Uh I mean imagine what you can do with cream, with infusions, with hot cookery, with sauces, with a basic dessert. There are so many things you can do. And everybody talks about you know, oh the caviar and blah blah blah blah blah. But actually, cream is is a super underrated ingredient in my in my uh in my book. Consistently underrated, absolutely. So yeah, use more of it. Uh shout out Eliver pro next uh Priyanka student from Mumbai. What habit has contributed most to your success in your career? Great question. Priyanka, I would say consistency and always looking forward. Push, push, push, always. Um, yeah, I think that has always contributed just being consistent, turning up when nobody wants to turn up when you don't want to turn up, um doing things when nobody's looking. The hard stuff when nobody looks, that's really key. Daniel Brooks, New York. So, if you could have dinner with three people, past or present, who would be at the table? There is no doubt in my mind that Anthony Bourdain would be the guest. Number one. Who else would it be? I would say, this is not going to be a chef or hospitality person, but I would say Guy Ritchie, the director. I just love the way his mind works. And he has uh you know done some of the most incredible films that I love. So finally, who wouldn't everybody always would it be Gordon? Would it be Marco? I'll have to squeeze those two boys there. Imagine that table. Lively, right? So yeah, not three, four. Thank you. Uh Mariam, so how do you recover from failure when a project doesn't go as planned? Oh my lord. Mariam, great question. Uh failure, yeah. That's happened a couple of times, I have to say. First of all, do not dwell on the failure. Do not sit on it. Do not constantly think why, why, why. It doesn't do anything, but the act is done. But what you can do is analyze in order for things not to go wrong again. I think that's what I would say. That's what I exactly what I would say. And things don't go into plan, things move at a certain rate. We know what's happened this year has been tough, and um projects are on hold and so on and so forth, but you have to pivot. The thing about the best leaders and the best business people in the world I've found is that as soon as something doesn't go to plan, they move on to the next one, move on to the next one, and that's what I've had to do very quick in life. And it sort of helped me in a way. So yeah. Sebastian Bogota. Oh, close up next to Venezuela. Okay, Sebastian, what quality do you admire in people who succeed within hospitality? Sorry, what quality do you admire the most in people who succeed in hospitality? I think it's about being tenacious and never giving up. Never giving up. I think the amount of times people get you know pushed down and pushed down and pushed down. And by the way, this is not just about hospitality team, this is any industry or any whenever people have or the dreams that you have in life. People are gonna tell you no, people are gonna say you can't do this, people are going to doubt you, people are gonna laugh at you, people are gonna say a million things to you. Listen to your internal voice and move forward. That's it. That's exactly what these people, successful chefs, restaurateurs, and entrepreneurs, have done throughout their life. They've just moved forward, they've not listened, they have drowned out the Noise and gone into laser focus. That's what I really admire. Okay, Natalie from Hong Kong. Do you think authenticity matters more today than expertise when building an audience? Uh to well, uh authenticity than expertise. Wow. I think both count in equal measures. Authentic 100%. But then you have to be an expert in your field and combine those two together, no? And that's exactly what we've done here. We've built the audience because I believe that I'm authentic and my guests are authentic, but also they're bringing a level of expertise, and that's why you're tuning in. Um especially if I go to seasons one to three. I will be forever grateful to those guests who just took a leap of faith on me and decided to come onto the show. A huge leap of faith. We had nobody watching, not too many people listening, and they were just happy to come onto the show. So it took a long time, you know, but we had authentic people, they really had something amazing to say, and they were and still are experts in their field, and that's what helped to build the audience. So I think those two are key, they go hand in hand. Thank you for that question, Natalie, in Hong Kong. Okay, Ahmed from KL Kuala Lumpa. What's been the toughest lesson the kitchen has ever taught you? I wouldn't say the toughest, but just the most factual is that time is your enemy. I always say to, I'm just trying to think of a few of the chefs and brigades I've worked with, I would always say manage your time. Manage your time. The amount of times I would say that because it just runs away from you. There's this old saying that time waits for no man. It's so true, it's so true. And that's what it teaches you. Organise, organise, organise, organise. Next, Victoria Hughes. Okay, so you're a business consultant in Edinburgh. What motivates you now that you've already achieved so much in your career? Victoria, thank you for that question. Um I don't think I've achieved so much. Um I'm still, I think I'm underachieved, if I'm honest, in my opinion. I think I will always be motivated. There is no way that I can retire. There's always something driving me. So thank you for saying that I've achieved so much. Nice, nice, thank you. Uh Omar Inchaja. Okay, so what is your all-time favourite comfort meal after a long day? This is a controversial one. Obviously, it's a big, dirty, disgusting pizza. It used to be that a lot. And then I changed my eating habits, but I still love like an amazing pizza. But now. I would say that actually. I would say I would say a pizza. But like a really good one. Yeah, love them. Uh okay, Camilla from again, Santiago. What role does curiosity play in becoming successful? I think you have to be curious at all times, in every stage, all the time for everything. And it plays a massive, massive role in success. Huge, in fact. So this is absolute key. Curiosity. Do not stop being curious. If you look at kids, they're curious about everything and they always ask questions. And I was that crazy annoying child. Why, why, why, why, why? And then that transpired in my career. And I still ask those questions. Why, why, why? Like all the time. And it just helped. A lot. Next, Ethan Parker. Oh, Chicago? Alright. Broadcaster, what skill from podcasting has unexpectedly oh, so I'll say that again. What skill from podcasting has unexpectedly helped you in business? Unexpectedly helped. I think it's about asking the right question at the right time. Uh equally listening carefully. Tuning in. Because everybody has different frequencies. But yeah, tuning in is absolute key. And that's helped a lot. And hopefully I'm not, you know, talking too much about that. Next one. Uh somebody all the way from Bahrain, Noor. Who has had the greatest influence in the way you think and the way you lead? Oh my word. Well, look, from a from a culinary perspective, undoubtedly, it has to be Chef Raymond Blonde. He teaches you to think and teaches you to question everything. And um I've been fortunate that there's been a lot of great leaders in my life. But also Gary Jones, who was his executive chef at the time. Second to none as a leader. He was highly influential and still is. Incredible, incredible people. Brilliant. Okay, next, Milan Lorenzo. So what do you believe the future chef of 2035 will need to succeed? 2035, okay. So that would be nine years from now. I don't want to say AI, but I have to say AI. For me, it will always be about connecting to humans through the produce. Always. Through taste, through experience. That's what we should all be doing, and I think, as I said, I think the hospitality industry is amazing, but it's on a decline. And I just want the industry to flourish. But it can only flourish if we carry on being innovators when it comes to taste and experience. I think that's what all chefs will need moving forward. In my opinion, I don't believe AI will ever be able to recreate emotions and feelings that we bring to the world. And more than ever before, we need human connection. So imagine we need that now, 2026. So imagine how much more we will need it in 2035. Big time. Oh, we've come to the last question. Okay. Grace. Long time listener from Cape Town. Oh, I love Cape Town. If season 13 could leave listeners with one message, what would you want it to be? Hmm. It would be that you all have influence. Whether it's with your friends, family, you all have influence. We all have a voice and it has to be heard. So that would be the message. Push your beautiful, incredible, positive vibes of influence to the people around you. Because it's super important. Super important. Gosh, what a round. That's wrapped up. That's been a lot of questions. A lot of food for thought. Well, what can I say? Well, legends, that wraps up our introductory episode for season 13. I'm excited to see your reaction. As always, don't be shy. Message me, let me know the feedback. Because it also helps me to keep the show alive. Well, you know, when it comes to supporting the show, we have the exclusive chef JKP Thermos Flasks. Grab yours and show your support. Sponsors, a huge, massive thank you to our headline sponsor, Elivare Professional, for making the show possible. Enjoy the upcoming season, and I hope you've all subscribed. If you haven't, you've been very naughty. So just make sure you do that, please. And uh all that's left for me to say is culinary brothers and sisters, keep spreading the word. How can you do that? If you enjoy the show, all we want is for you just to share it. Share it with somebody who needs to listen to it, somebody who might need inspiration, somebody who you think, do you know what? This show had so many incredible insights. So you know what to do. Lastly, a massive thank you to you for staying right till the very end of absolute legend. Make sure you tune in for next week's very special guest. Well, until next time, this is Jeff JKP starting up. Food is memories.