Pastry Perfection and 4/20 Cuisine: Chefs Bobby Gonzalez and Stephen Hicks Stir the Culinary Pot

Prepare your palates for a culinary odyssey with the latest episode of the Walk-In Talk Podcast! As your host, Carl Fiadini, I'm bringing out an auditory feast from the vibrant Ibis Images Studios. We're serving up a conversation with Chef Bobby Gonzalez, the pastry wizard who brought his sweet finesse to the Food Network's Spring Baking Championship, and Chef Stephen Hicks at The Porch Meatery & Market, who's stirring the pot with a 420-themed collaboration event with the Walk-In Talk Podcast that's a feast for the senses. Plus, I'll share a laugh-out-loud mishap from today's food shoot that proves even seasoned pros can have their off moments.

Chef Stephen Hicks raises a toast to creativity in the kitchen, blending the rich notes of select wines with gastronomic delights for an upcoming event that promises to be an epicurean escapade. He pours his heart into each pairing, crafting an experience that's as intoxicating as it is

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:04

Hello, food Fam. This is the Walk Talk podcast where you will find the perfect blend of food fun and cooking knowledge. I'm your host, carl Fiodini. Welcome to the number one podcast in the country. We're podcasting on site at Ibis Images Studios, where food photography comes alive and I get to eat it.

Speaker 1: 1:23

First things first. Last week Jeff Pooch and I were in the MIA for the F&B at Sea show. It was a terrific event, super, super cool. Also, we had the chef, jennifer H Booker. She's on several James Beard committees, james Beard chef herself. She's a multi-cookbook author and also a culinary philanthropist at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. It's a mouthful Love it. Stay tuned for that, probably coming up sometime midweek.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Thank you, peninsula Food Service for supplying the proteins for today's production Chefs in the Central Florida area. Peninsula is the largest distributor for Creekstone Farms beef in the Southeast USA, complete with a fully staffed butcher shop to help you solve your kitchen inconsistencies. Baby, check out their dry age program too. It's awesome, all right. So our guest this week is pastry chef Bobby Gonzalez. He's a cookbook author and a contestant on the current season of the food networks spring baking championship. Ooh, it's going to be so sweet. Stay tuned, chef Bobby's on deck. Jeff, we've got. Before Bobby comes on, we have the. There's like a lot of chefs here today. There's chefs everywhere. We've got the chef, stephen Hicks, from the Porch Meadery and Market on the line. Jefferson, baby, pop the clutch and slam it to that pre-shift and let's talk about our next special event dinner this very weekend. It's 420. You know what that means. By the way, chef Steven, welcome to the program.

Speaker 2: 3:11

Thank you, gentlemen, good afternoon, and I'm excited to be here to talk about this great event that we're going to be holding on Saturday.

Speaker 1: 3:18

The badassery that's going to be surrounding this. This, this whole, this whole dinner is amazing. And you know, and, and really and this doesn't happen often, but I'm I'm going to kind of take the back seat here and I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna let the the chefs talk here. You know, you called the Guinness, you call Guinness. Call I get me a Guinness.

Speaker 3: 3:37

How about that no?

Speaker 1: 3:38

no, but no, for real. Um, look, it's going to be a great show. It's it's 420 themed. Um, there's, there's a great wine list, there's great food. I'm going to let you guys, you know, kind of dive into that and of course, we're going to record it professionally. We're going to do our walk and talk style media. Um magic to it and it's going to be great. Jeff go, yeah, but first, we have to do.

Speaker 3: 4:00

Talk about the uh one shot that we did today that we put on the bottom line. So by the excuse me, bts, so the um, you guys have to follow carl if you're not following him, are you gonna do this to me?

Speaker 3: 4:13

yeah, you did it to yourself, man, we, we did um the behind the scenes shoot. And he was like, oh my god, look at this, it's great. And he went for the port porterhouse for the lamb and basically what. And he was like, oh my god, look at this, it's great. And he went for the port porterhouse for the lamb and basically what it was was gram masala, roasted garlic, rubbed lamb, porterhouse with roasted garlic, infused hummus, uh, smoked olive oil and then cucumber mint, chimichurri. Carl thought it was avocado.

Speaker 1: 4:35

Well, wait a minute. So first of all, in full disclosure, normally I'm with everybody while everything is happening, right, and today I was actually editing some other. I was editing last week's podcast, right? So when I got up, I just got up, went straight in and I thought it looked like guacamole, you know.

Speaker 3: 4:53

No, it's fine, you can use that as your defense, but you had this how many months, or a month out, right, dude?

Speaker 1: 5:00

I don't look at this. Obviously a month out, right, I don't look at this. Obviously you don't.

Speaker 3: 5:03

I don't look at that, I'm too busy man, I'm busy guy no, the funniest part of the whole thing is when you said guacamole you hear me faintly in the background because you have a microphone on and you hear it's not guacamole, it's chimichurri and sean was like oh my god, that's hysterical. You got to put it out just like that so you can either follow my uh story on facebook it will be going on my instagram. I also have my version of it where you can clearly hear me as a day that it's there, but it's. It was a phenomenal shoot today. But what we're really about to talk about, um, chef steven, I'll bring you back on, but let's talk about this munchies menu that we have on wait. Hold, on hold on a minute. Wait, stop what.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Hold on. First of all, by the way I said it to you earlier, that was the best hummus I've ever had. Thank you, I've had some hummus that was terrific. So you know what Hats off to you, baby.

Speaker 3: 5:54

I appreciate that, thank you and Chef Stevenson is going to be like where's the hummus on the munchie menu? I didn't know you could do that, we could, but Carl's taking a court home.

Speaker 1: 6:09

I am, that's true. All right, I'm stepping out. Go baby.

Speaker 3: 6:12

All right. So, chef, why don't you head on and talk a little bit to the listeners about the actual shop, the butcher in the Porer butcher shop over there in winter Haven or winter park? Sorry?

Speaker 2: 6:24

Yeah, winter park. Yeah, it's, it's the porch meadery market. You know we've been under this ownership for about a year and right in winter winter park and serving a lot of really great meats from. Most of them come from peninsula Foods. We have grades from choice all the way up to Wagyu.

Speaker 2: 6:46

But what makes our shop very unique is that it's very much a one-stop shop type butcher shop. We have premium sides and salads and things to really accent your meals so you don't have to really go to any other shop in town. And you know we also have a sandwich shop that's open from 11 to 4 every day with gourmet deli meats and then composed dishes by our chef team here. And then we have a wonderful pokey station where you can build your own bowls or try one of our couple composed dishes that we have. But it's quite an experience. You know we have everything you need to throw a party or even just compose, you know, a weeknight meal, so very excited. One of the things that we're getting into now that we've been kind of hitting the accelerator on is our catering program. You know, anything from an intimate you know office party to we've done corporate events up to a thousand people, so really never too small or too big. We have the means to cater to your needs. And that's us in a nutshell.

Speaker 3: 7:56

Awesome, very awesome and what I love to choose, like when we were getting together to talk about this event, one of the things we both talked about is something that you're going to showcase, and the first thing that comes to mind is that cured clouds, which is the one thing you want to go ahead over that one and kind of match up what you're doing with the wine yeah sure, um.

Speaker 2: 8:15

So the cured clouds, um, and you folks will notice that these all have pun intended names for the theme of 420 in the munchies menu here. So what I did was be cured some Atlantic salmon here in house for a few days and then let it rest. I'm going to hit it with some cold smoke, make some house made bellinis here in house, hit it with some cream, fresh, some hacklebuck caviar, and then finish it off with a nice lemon and cucumber relish and the guests will be enjoying, paired with that, a Jean Charles Blassette Brut Blanc. And I want to mention too that Breakthrough Beverage, partnered with us on this, to, you know, really supply the wines and help us with their sommelier, which will be on site that night, um, to help, you know, explain the food, along with the chefs and the thought behind each course, with the wine tasting as well too.

Speaker 1: 9:15

So you don't get that a normal butcher shop, by the way. I don't man, that's so. I'm so excited for this thing yeah, and then I love the.

Speaker 3: 9:21

The next one I love the name, but it's my almost, it's my favorite cut of pork. It's the oink, oink. You want to go that one too yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:29

So we're going to do a play on a can can shop with this. Um, you know, made a terrific brine with char siu and goji jong. You know, smoked the pork belly for about eight to ten hours yesterday, pressed it. We're going to score it, and so when we go to fry it it's going to curl up like a can-can shop, which literally means mohawk when you translate that down. We've got a house-made Korean barbecue sauce and we're going to glaze that with while it's still hot. You know, sticking with the smoke theme, we're going to have a smoked pineapple and birdbeak chili relish. One of our sponsors, petal Honey, you know, gave us some wonderful honeycomb to showcase on this dish as well too. We're going to do some petite micro cilantro with this, and then the soon-to-be world famous pickled green strawberries from chef jeffrey I appreciate that.

Speaker 3: 10:35

So those, those micro greens, also from kahaba club, our buddy over at marvin over at kahaba club is doing that graciously with the wasabi green too. So that's going to be a really dope excuse upon let's go dope dish. So the next one the road, the resin. Um, that one is with creek stone farms. This is going to be a beef tenderloin. Uh, the popped capers I love that, by the way.

Speaker 3: 10:57

The horseradish foie gras aioli, the grilled focaccia crouton and assorted microgreens is another one from you as well. Um, the joint. This one is an achar smoked chicken. I'm going to wrap this in a spring roll wrap. It's got orange marmalade in there, sorry, uzu marmalade in there, and it has crunchy garlic bits in there as well. And then I did a pecan smoked burrata with some pesto to kind of make that ooey gooeyness. And the actual spring roll wraps are almost as thin as a crepe and it's more of the Thai style. It's on an egg roll, so really thin. So it's going to look really dope. The next one after that is going to be the puff puff pass. This is a panipuri. This is going to be tuna. That Chef is getting in from Fast Fish. I think it is right.

Speaker 2: 11:49

It's Lombardi Seafood right here in Winter Park.

Speaker 3: 11:52

All right, and then that's going to be topped with candied pecan powder that I had to make more because I forgot my pecans at the studio and somebody ate them, which is fine. I'm glad John enjoyed them.

Speaker 1: 12:05

Yeah, it wasn't me.

Speaker 3: 12:06

No, for the first time right, I never leave candied pecans at John's. And then you want to talk about the Scooby snacks, because I think that's a really cool story too you.

Speaker 2: 12:24

Yeah, this is something that we're becoming uh, pretty well known for carrying here at the shop is nightingale ice cream sandwiches. Um, really cool story. It's a husband and wife chef duo that decided they started wanted to make a nice ice cream sandwiches. So they started with the original. Um, we care, I believe, five flavors the the strawberry shortcake, key lime pie, chocolate cookie, monster, chocolate blackout. We're going to be, we're going to be slicing these up and serving these out with, you know, for the end of the night. These, all these cookies on this ice cream sandwich, are all handmade ice cream is all churned by this, this husband-wife duo, and pretty much hand assembled and then wrapped in a very unique wrapper. Um, and it's probably the best ice cream sandwich that I've ever seen in my life I um, you're not gonna eat for the next couple of days.

Speaker 1: 13:20

No, I'm on my way. I'm actually I'm headed over now. Um yeah, and thanks to Creekstone too. Man, we're going to, we're going to do some good stuff with. Uh, thanks to all the sponsors.

Speaker 3: 13:30

Yeah, filets.

Speaker 1: 13:31

Oh it's going to be good. I can't, I can't wait.

Speaker 2: 13:34

God, yeah, it's a powerhouse uh wine menu as well too. I think we kind of omitted that along the way there. But you know, breakthrough was nice enough to help us, like I said earlier, with pairing this up. And you know, we've got for second course Squealing Pigs, avignon Blanc, a very unique Orange Gourd Straminer from the Vice, tooth and Nails Red Blend, paso Robles, and then my favorite in this whole lineup here is the Orange Swift Abstract Blend from California, and then those tasty ice cream sandies are going to be going with a pretty stout chocolate block wine, swartland.

Speaker 3: 14:56

Wow, yes, please.

Speaker 1: 14:59

Yeah, so, just so everybody understands, you know the porch restaurant group in Orlando. The idea is to do these dinners together, you know, collaboration with Walk Talk Media, obviously, walk Talk Podcast and to really build up awareness, build up just a super coolness factor. Just a super coolness factor and, um, so you're going to be hearing, you know, going forward into the future, you're going to hear more about the porch and a walk and talk and we're going to be doing some really interesting and, dare I say, big things. Um, chef, steven dude, uh, we known each other a long time. You are a, uh, you are a good dude. And, um, and thank you, I appreciate you uh, doing, uh, doing all the you know.

Speaker 2: 15:43

Back to our connections to all this stuff, yeah, my pleasure, guys, and I look forward to, uh, to rolling up my sleeves and cooking and having a great event on saturday and I feel, uh, I I'm looking forward to not doing any of that and just enjoying myself.

Speaker 3: 15:57

So you know you're awesome and I'm gonna eat, but don't forget about the tasty camp, because chef steven has to go. He's gonna have to get in front of the tasty cam too I already got.

Speaker 1: 16:06

I already got with evan um, he's, he's ready to rock and roll tasty cam is gonna be, uh, you know, hot and heavy, yeah, good, so all right, uh, chef steven, thank you, uh, we'll catch you on the other side and, um, you know, we have, uh, we have, chef Bobby Gonzalez up next.

Speaker 3: 16:27

Yep, he's a Miami boy too. Is he from Miami? Yeah, you saw his post this morning, I did. But yeah, pan, was it. Cafe Compon.

Speaker 1: 16:36

Cafe Compon. Yeah yeah, I'm all about it. Oh my gosh, all right. Well, let's go Bring him on. Let's do it, bobby, you there, what's up guys? Oh yeah, seamless, it's, it's seamless technology works.

Speaker 3: 16:54

We're so advanced, not really here at the uh, well, we're advancing age, yeah, when I was young, it was a dial-up phone.

Speaker 1: 17:01

All right, um, hey, bobby, listen, thanks for being on the program. You have a lot of cool stuff, a lot of cool things going on surrounding you. Before we get into it, why don't you go ahead and give an airplane view of you?

Speaker 4: 17:20

Oh boy, that's like a continent at this point. Yeah, you're not wrong. Born and raised in miami um, you know, typical like latin. You know, upbringing loved cooking with grandma, kind of thing. I started cooking in miami, got my first pastry chef gig in miami, moved up with my husband to boston, worked in a few different spots around the city for several years and my background's always been fine dining, did some bakery work as well. Now competing on Food Network, did a cookbook a couple of years ago, been all over the place, been nonstop.

Speaker 1: 17:56

Are you so? First things first. You are a Miami Southern transplant up to, you know, wicked Boston. I mean, that's a culture shock, isn't?

Speaker 4: 18:10

it? It's a you know what? It was? A culture shock. You know what the biggest culture shock was Now I've been up here eight years was going back to Miami after eight years and being like how did? I do this? That was shock, I think.

Speaker 3: 18:24

That was last year, right when you went back to go do something with the Atma, right yeah, yeah, I was doing a pop-up dinner with Atma on Miami Beach.

Speaker 4: 18:33

I had been back in like seven or eight years. I was like, wow, this has changed. This is wild.

Speaker 1: 18:38

Yeah, you know, I saw. So, first of all, you're right. I mean, I've been out of Miami for eight years and I got to tell you like I don't want to go back. We went back, we were there last week yeah. But just to visit is awesome, like, just to like, you know touch it One day. Yeah, it's great, but like to to live there.

Speaker 2: 18:57

I don't want to do that again.

Speaker 1: 18:59

No way, man, no way. I mean, you know what?

Speaker 3: 19:10

It's, it's, definitely it's for and I think where they were staying too, because you guys were in Liberty City as well Overtown. Is that where you guys were staying when you came down there?

Speaker 1: 19:17

Yeah. Okay so it was right around the corner from where I was.

Speaker 4: 19:21

Yeah, that's fun, it's completely different than what it was in the 80s and 90s.

Speaker 1: 19:28

It's very different. When were you down there?

Speaker 4: 19:31

What years I was born in 90, and I was there until 2015,.

Speaker 3: 19:37

I want to say Okay, john's doing the math. He's like oh man, I was like 20.

Speaker 1: 19:42

I was 16. 1990, I got my driver's license. I'm just saying so what city were you? So you were from? Where'd you go to high school?

Speaker 4: 19:53

So I went to high school at Miami Coral Park in Doral, but I was born, our house was in Kendall.

Speaker 1: 20:01

Okay, I was living in Kendall. I lived in Kendall. Oh really, yeah, I was on Kendall and I was 88th and uh, yeah, I still have family down there and kendall pinecrest yeah, it was right down the street from the mall yeah, yep sunset mall well, sunset's further down right your falls. Yeah, we're at dayland or dayland?

Speaker 3: 20:22

I worked in the falls in my days yeah, 97, I opened up uh PF Chang's in the Falls, did you really?

Speaker 4: 20:28

Yeah, I drove 56 miles, no way. Yep, no way.

Speaker 3: 20:32

Yep, yep, yep, I opened that. It was the first PF Chang's in Florida. What Bobby's trying to say?

Speaker 1: 20:37

is. He's been there many times.

Speaker 3: 20:38

What he's trying to say is wow, you're old, no, I haven't.

Speaker 4: 20:42

He was only seven, I was your pigs, we gotta stop listen.

Speaker 1: 20:48

I keep telling you guys. Stop bringing up the age thing because, like I just can, I can feel the audience is like switching off immediately when you know, we got robert here, he's fine.

Speaker 3: 20:58

Yeah, you're right, he's, he's, he's going down. Yeah, yeah, level it back so is this your first?

Speaker 1: 21:05

is this your first experience on Food Network?

Speaker 4: 21:10

You were on Chopped right, I was on Chopped, yeah, 2018. This is way back pre-pandemic. It's a different experience doing what we did for this to that, because that was only a one-day experience. This one is a much longer shoot. It's a much bigger production.

Speaker 1: 21:27

Yeah, you still have an. You know you're partial, partial way through the uh, through the season and you know you're still kicking. You're still there and that's awesome. Um, I saw some of the yeah, man, I saw some of the dishes that, um, that you did and I don't know mean just scrolling through your Instagram.

Speaker 4: 21:47

Yeah, I mean it's a, it's a, it's a challenge. Like it's it's, you go in there. You can't really put yourself too much in a box. You go into there knowing that there's going to be wild stuff thrown at you and you gotta like you're not. You're not in your kitchen. So first of all you gotta learn like the equipment, kind of like the flow of everything. But then you have to be realistic. You're not at work 12, 13 hours where you can really put something crazy together. You know you're giving you 90 minutes, two hours, three hours. So you got to be realistic. You can't buy it off more than you can chew yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:18

Well, just for the record, I there was that, the one clip from the, from the show where you would, uh, you would, opened up. It was blue, it had something to do with prom or something like that, and you, you opened up the. Oh yeah, I I don't think. I thought that was awesome, the way it was versus having to, and I think somebody said something about you know, it should have gone all the way down or whatever. I I thought it was. It gave more depth. I thought it was pretty cool, as, as was just saying, just saying I got a call.

Speaker 3: 22:44

I got a call. Yes, I go sorry, I got a call. I got a call. Yes, I go sorry, I got a call on Monday and it was funny. My wife goes um, your, your buddy's, making carrot paper and I thought that was ridiculous. And you're sitting here telling us that you've got to keep it simple, and then you do that.

Speaker 4: 23:01

Well, that one, that one, I went a little far out. That one, that one was fun. I even just I got justy to try the carrot paper and everything, but it's one of those things that even me messed that up like. It came out well, but you have to like the moment you finish something, nobody's eating it instantly, so it's got to be able to hold whatever you're making, so like by the end of it. If the paper wasn't really a paper like absorb the moisture of the cheesecake and it just got all kind of soft, but it's like like little things like that that you have to. It's not going out to service immediately Like you were in a restaurant, so you have to approach it in a different way.

Speaker 1: 23:33

But when you? But when you executed it at the time it, it hit all your. It hit all your points, though, like if you were serving that, that would have been a winner.

Speaker 4: 23:41

Yep, yep, yep. Yeah, if I had like my silica packet, I had my container and it's like finishing touch taking the table immediately.

Speaker 1: 23:48

That's a different story what made you go pastry? Um, for I mean, I I'm assuming that you've probably had other experiences in in, uh, in the, in food service, right, I mean, what made you go, uh, pastry?

Speaker 4: 24:02

uh, this, the science of it, I think my nerdy side. I was a physics major when I left for college when I was 18, so I did that for two years and I came home and I was like I thought I loved it, but it was, it's just what it didn't. It didn't light me up, it wasn't my passion. I always told myself, if I didn't, I'm a physicist or an engineer, I would go to culinary school because I've always loved baking. I think the science of baking is the most intriguing part.

Speaker 1: 24:23

So so you wanted to trade the sulfuric acid for sugar? Really?

Speaker 4: 24:30

Absolutely, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 24:31

And I'm glad you did.

Speaker 4: 24:32

A different kind.

Speaker 1: 24:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm glad to.

Speaker 4: 24:34

Listen, I don't know where you've been all my life.

Speaker 1: 24:36

But let's get some food going here. Desserts. Well, yeah, desserts of course, you know bacon.

Speaker 4: 24:44

You know, and you get it Like when you're a chef you meet a lot of chefs that like, when it clicks, it clicks. And that was one of those moments in my life. When you're young, not a lot of things click because life is complicated. But when you're 20, 21, and all of a sudden you start doing something and you're like, oh my God, this makes sense. I could do this with my eyes closed and you just like you go down a rabbit hole you know it, you're just firing all cylinders.

Speaker 1: 25:11

Well, I think it's nice. What's refreshing is to see really anybody, um, when you come across somebody that that has a passion, regardless of what it's for, whether you know cooking or whatever, it's just it's refreshing. It's nice to see, um, especially if what you're doing you're, you're at the caliber or level that you are, you know, with the whole baking and pastry from that aspect. So, man, congratulations, you're doing some really, really cool stuff, thank you. When you're finished, when you're done with all this, you're up in Boston. Now You're in Mass. He might be in New Hampshire.

Speaker 3: 25:46

Yes, I'm in Mass, New Hampshire.

Speaker 1: 25:48

I'm in Mass, um, at some point. What we'll do is we'll have you um, we'll figure it out, we'll have you come down and, uh, we'll bring it to the studio and and you'll have to. He wants dessert yeah well, no, we're gonna shoot it too. Yeah, I mean we. We happen to have the premier, the best food photographer, most sought after food photographer in the food industry right now, john Hernandez, over at Ibis Images, putting out amazing, amazing work.

Speaker 3: 26:20

That would be sick. Yeah, that would be sick, especially when he's working with somebody savory all the time and then he switches.

Speaker 1: 26:25

Tobert does some incredible presentations for uh, whatever he's doing, really, dude I mean I, I was really I dove into his instagram. I was all over it. In fact, the stuff you're doing for christmas, uh, that slutty santa was stupid. Yeah, oh yeah. That looks yeah like I'm telling you like I I need that in my life. The book.

Speaker 3: 26:49

Is the book the same publisher as somebody we know? How did you get involved with that?

Speaker 4: 26:57

I didn't even know you did the book. So the book was through someone I met, jeff. It's through Keith Saracen. Him and I were best friends. He will tell you the story but he slidid into my DMs when I was working at cultivar in Boston. He's like who? He's like who is this guy? And you know there's a lot of things on Instagram that are they look pretty but it doesn't mean they taste good or they're real. And he came in for dinner and he was like blown away with my desserts and we talked for the longest time and we just stayed connected and he's always wanted to do events. We got really close. Uh, I do farmer's dinners with him. I do the Atma, which is Indian. Uh, his Indian pop-up series and we do, uh, private catering. That's when Jeff comes up. This is where we met and we do weddings all that together and he is five. I've been going on six cookbooks and he's the one who got me to gig. His publisher was looking for a pastry chef to write a book.

Speaker 3: 28:24

Oh, that's awesome, I think. By the way, I just purchased it yesterday, so it's going to be here tomorrow. So when I come up, when I come up in May, I expect a signature. Thank you.

Speaker 4: 28:34

Yeah, done, of course, let's go. Baby, baby, you're getting a hug too.

Speaker 3: 28:39

Definitely, definitely. And this is what it's about, like when you go up and then you meet somebody like Robert and then you get introduced as an outsider in the welcome that you get the camaraderie you get. That's the something about the chef family. You know even jackson, the other guys that work, nicole, that's moved on, and beach, that moved on. You, you just have this camaraderie where you can pick up the phone. Even the andrew, that well, he's not new, he's new for me, he's not new to keith and and robert's, they're just the camaraderie, he's just there there. And the last event we did was it's a brotherhood.

Speaker 4: 29:08

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 29:12

The last event, though, remember, in the farmhouse with Went outside up in the north, where the mountains were God. I can't remember that one.

Speaker 4: 29:17

Oh, we were in. Oh my God, what's the name of that Lake? Winnipesaukee.

Speaker 3: 29:23

Yeah, thank you, I would never remember that.

Speaker 4: 29:24

I forget the town, but that's the lake.

Speaker 1: 29:27

I wouldn't have not remembered that.

Speaker 3: 29:28

No, it's like remember TY Park. That's like TY Park in Hollywood, Tobiyagi-yagi-yagi.

Speaker 4: 29:36

A ton of Native American names appear Mountains, lakes, all that.

Speaker 1: 29:40

Yeah, so obviously you're doing the show right now. You've got the book. What's coming up? What's your next big thing?

Speaker 4: 29:54

Oh man, right now, kind of taking this step by step, I'm doing a lot of consulting work, working where I can. There's such a gap in the pastry world, I think, post-covid. A lot of people have left the industry and there's a lot of places that are opening as well. Um, my ultimate goal eventually open up and do my own place. Uh, but when the time is right. I've got so much going on right now that if I do something too quickly it might spread me too thin, and right now I'm just gonna just take care of me and that's the best thing and that's why it's a big reason why I did the show, the reason why I do all these private dinners and private events. It's just a way to exercise myself and grow in a certain way and in a different way and make it, you know, make it fit into my world and what I'm looking for.

Speaker 1: 30:41

On the, on the, on the show, the current show, um, what, um. So I think it was eight or what. Seven episodes in something like that. Uh, yeah, you would know better.

Speaker 4: 30:52

Yeah, I think it's seven, seven or eight, I forget the number. I think eight, just aired yeah.

Speaker 1: 31:02

Does it actually get more difficult as you, as you progress, or is it? Do you find that there's more stress or pressure in the very beginning?

Speaker 4: 31:07

Yeah, uh, for me I don't know about everybody else, but I know for me I felt like there was more pressure early on you one. You don't want to be the first person to go home, right, like you don't want to be that person. If it happens someone has to go the more the also the what's awkward, like the the pressure at the beginning is also just kind of understanding the equipment and where everything is and how everything moves around. You're like it's like flying up to do a stage in a new kitchen and you're trying to impress for a job, but you're not really comfortable. So I think at this point in the show I was much more comfortable with what was getting thrown my way because I kind of knew the flow, the system where everything was. So I think that's the best way to answer that.

Speaker 3: 31:48

Your counterpart. I know he's a competitor of yours. That's just in the same location in boston. You guys were on the news together. Talk about that one. He's phenomenal, by the way. Talk about yeah alex.

Speaker 4: 31:59

Yeah, alex is an absolute b. I've had so many people be like to be like, oh he's, oh, he's a french guy. He must be stuck up. He's a jerk I'm like. No, he's like. He's quickly turned into one of my best friends. The guy is a gem and any questions you have any sort of advice, he just, he just mentors you and tells you this is how you do it, and he's so, so experienced and we connected so well through the show.

Speaker 4: 32:25

It was funny because when I, when we started the show and I had met him for the first time, like this was right at the end of like COVID protocol kind of thing, so he like is getting his. I heard his voice before I met him and I was like you've got to be kidding me. There they have a French pastry chef on this show. Come on, like that's not even fair, so. And then I'm like, oh great, but we, we've got, we got so close. And you know, and I didn't even know him, I know a lot of people in Boston in the industry but I had never crossed paths with him. But on the few off days that him and I had, we went on a few adventures. We did the Warner Brothers tour together, him and I, and then we did Universal Studios another day, just him and I, on one of the off days. We had such a blast, we enjoyed each other's company and it was such a good friendship.

Speaker 1: 33:16

If his name was Claude or Jacques, then it would have been terrible.

Speaker 4: 33:20

You know what I mean Alex or Alexander is not so bad If it was Claude or Francois. You know it's over. It's over, it's serious.

Speaker 3: 33:30

But I will tell you I watch the show. My wife really likes all the baking competitions. I have to say that your uh group of chefs that are on this particular episode or season, that is some strong damn competition bro. I mean seriously it's, it's wild.

Speaker 4: 33:51

It's wild and I you see it more now as it's coming out, but when you're in it you don't have time and you don't really get a chance to look at what everyone's doing and you don't take you know what I'm saying like, you don't get a. So you like, I'm seeing so much of it for the first time and seeing what other people are doing, because once, once you're done, it's, it's they're moving on to the judging. So you're not sitting there like looking around touching, you know, looking at people's desserts and tasting stuff. So it's you get. You get to really appreciate the artistry and the work and the talent of those that you were surrounded with.

Speaker 1: 34:21

It's a different appreciation you know, I gotta tell you like right now, uh, john, our producer, uh, he's, he's, he's, yeah, he's stalk talking your Instagram right now. And, by the way, everybody, if you're listening, chef Bobby Robbie is the is the handle, but we were just looking at this, this, this rose. It was like a red rose that he moved in. Yeah, you do some pretty. So let me ask you this Are you? Obviously you bake as well. I mean, you know, where do you fall Like? Where's your, where's your true love? Which part of pastry is your like main hub?

Speaker 4: 34:58

Ooh, that's a good question. I don't mean to hurt your feelings with that either. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 35:03

I don't want to put you in a spot.

Speaker 4: 35:05

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no I it. This reminds me of like when, as a chef, when they ask you what's your favorite dish or what do you like to make the most, um, my strong suit is plated desserts. That is because I think it's like what my mentor taught me and that was my first exposure. So I know that's like my strong suit, like high-end plated desserts, like event desserts, stuff like that. Um, deep down, my like super secret pet, not super secret, if you know me but I really want to do is ice cream. I always wanted to open an ice cream shop, like have something that's seasonal, like out on the cape or how about down here in tampa?

Speaker 4: 35:44

come on, man, you're really gonna have to. You're gonna have to, like, convince me to come back to florida, brother man tampa tamp.

Speaker 1: 35:52

Tampa is nothing like South Florida. It's wicked cool here.

Speaker 4: 35:57

That is true. South Florida is its own continent, its own country.

Speaker 1: 36:02

Hold on, jeff. Right now we're in what we're in late April right, the mornings are still 55 and 60 degrees.

Speaker 3: 36:11

The high is 70 up there, just so you know.

Speaker 1: 36:13

I know that, but it's the highest 70 up there, right, right, but it's so. It's still kind of cold over here 55, 60 in the morning. It's beautiful, just saying.

Speaker 3: 36:24

All right, I have to, cause. I just got, um, his arms just went up and he mouthed me he's looking at one of your plates and he went I want to shoot that. This is John, by the way. Yeah, he doesn't talk much. He doesn't talk at all actually, so he's actually really digging some of your plating. He's shaking his head.

Speaker 4: 36:44

He's making all sorts of like he's got a smirk on. We've got to pick a few of those and we can recreate them for the photo shoot or something you let me know I'm down.

Speaker 1: 36:52

I've never seen this guy smile before.

Speaker 3: 36:54

Yeah Well, because you know why he's always doing savory, he's always doing it Well, he's just he's unhappy.

Speaker 4: 37:00

No, I'm kidding, I have that effect. I have that effect on men. What can I tell you?

Speaker 1: 37:06

It happens to the best of us man. Yeah, they're pretty delicious.

Speaker 3: 37:10

Tell me now that you went in and you did. I know you worked for Norman Van Aken back when you first got started and that was more of and I know he hates the word Floribian cuisine. He likes infusion or something like that. What was it like from going from a Florida-based knowledge going up to the Northeast and then meeting Keith and now getting into this whole nother realm of desserts with Indian cuisine?

Speaker 4: 37:37

Oh, it is, it's, it's, it's wild Like one, I, I, I love it because I like learning and growing, like I think, I think like that, like stagnation is death, like kind of thing. Like working with Norman and then I worked at the executive patient shop with Max. It was very like florida centric a lot of tropical fruits and I didn't understand seasonality. I'll give you that because we had access to so much all the time coming to new england I became so focused and was really introduced to that side of things, like the seasonality, the farm to table, sourcing from local farms. I didn't have that, that in Florida, because I'm so, it was so spoiled. I can get mango passion fruit berries whenever the hell I wanted. It didn't really matter.

Speaker 4: 38:19

But up here I had to kind of shift myself and my, the way I made desserts changed. Like not with seasonality, what was available, what was coming in from, like Maine, new Hampshire, vermont, connecticut, you pick it and now learning. So I'll tell you one cool thing about like the Indian cuisine. Like I don't do, cause Indian desserts aren't, like it's not something that you're really, they're really known for, but I take the flavors and Keith has taught me so much about the background and the idea and where it comes from, and I take those flavors and I infuse it into my style. So I kind of do an Indian fusion and he lets me run with it, cause that's the, that's the best way to do it, cause I'm not going to be, I'm not an auntie, I'm not trained in that way, but I'm going to take the flavors and he brings me things that are like, that are made hand, like handmade from scratch, that are just outstanding, and then I got to take. I take those flavors and those notes and those textures and I replicate in a different way.

Speaker 1: 39:19

I think pastry is one of those positions where you you don't put a lid, uh, on the personality you know. Obviously, if there's a, if there's a skillset, let that, let that individual do what they want to do.

Speaker 4: 39:27

I think hands down.

Speaker 3: 39:29

The pastry chef that goes onto the savory side of things is a weapon that should not be touched. It is a ninja, because no, and I'm being totally serious Sugar ninja. You're right, no, it's not even just a sugar ninja. You have to think about the science behind the food that you're talking about pastries right, there's a different mentality, there's a different mindset getting in there and going in there. When you're a cook or a chef and you're doing savory, if something's too salty, you know that the counteractant is either sweet or vinegar or an acid. When you have something too salty in pastry, you're done, you've got to throw it out and start all over again.

Speaker 3: 40:04

So their knowledge of that realm and much more, when you get into that savory side, they can do some layers on there, and I know a lot of chefs that you know go back and forth as far as pastry and savory. Fiona is one of them. They just kick butt man. I just they're like Indian chefs. They have such a knowledge of the herbs, the spices, the blends and the flavor profiles that they have. They can go so deep. It's ridiculous.

Speaker 1: 40:28

Well, especially when you bring that to the States, because it's something different. You know, um I I would like to get into some of that. I mean, we don't, we should touch a little bit more and what pastry? Yeah Well, I think we know a pastry chef that can introduce us to another pastry chef named Alex maybe, and then talk to some other people. Well, sure, hey, who? Um, bobby chef, who was, uh, you were saying talking about Max. Do you know what was? What's Max's last name?

Speaker 4: 40:56

Santiago. I know, max, that's what I thought.

Speaker 1: 40:58

Yes, I used to work with Max down and I was. I was at uh, no way, yeah, he's a cool dude man. He was when he was down in the South beach there. What the hell hotel was that? Yep?

Speaker 4: 41:14

Uh, the delano. No, he worked in, he worked. Um, there was one that I forget her name. I think he's been here. He's taking me back, but he, he left the restaurant and he worked at a hotel, because he worked at several hotels in miami beach. Oh my gosh, I couldn't remember it was.

Speaker 1: 41:26

It was a seafood. It was a seafood themed restaurant. Yeah, in a hotel.

Speaker 4: 41:29

What was her name?

Speaker 1: 41:31

bernstein, that was, that was the mandarin that was it no, it wasn't at, the mandarin was almost anyway that. So max is a what a great guy. Badass too, and he's doing his donut thing that's, that's yep yeah, and he's killing his passion, like the guy.

Speaker 4: 41:49

That's where I got my inspiration, because that was my introduction to the kitchen. He was such like a he was so tough on me and so militant but he was like, like in such like a good way that I didn't really like I thought he was such a jerk when I worked for him and then I realized, like him you know what I'm saying Like he was so hard and he was so like specific and precise. That that's what made me better and I took so much of his style and his artistry and I continue to it to this day that he, like it was drilled into me. But like someone like him who does the most gorgeous plated desserts and show pieces and his passion of donuts and even that he did he just he just took something as like fried dough and he blown it out of the water.

Speaker 4: 42:29

No, he's doing shows you like we were talking about passion.

Speaker 1: 42:33

Yeah, I, I, I, I, yeah, it's contagious. Did um, were you with him? Well, while he was at that, uh, at that, uh michelle bernstein yeah were you there with him?

Speaker 4: 42:42

no, I was, he was. I was with him when I was working with norman at tuyo. Okay, this was for two years.

Speaker 3: 42:48

Yeah, yeah yeah, norman, norman just opened a place in orlando. Yeah, and um dr phillips yeah area.

Speaker 1: 42:55

Yeah yeah, we're um, that might happen too.

Speaker 3: 42:59

That's, uh, that's something to look forward to yeah, I can't wait to show him the picture from 1997 and him and I he's gonna go who the hell are you? He's gonna say who the hell is that? I'm gonna be like it's you that's another story.

Speaker 1: 43:13

Yeah, the next time we talk to mac, uh, we, we've been threatening each other to have him on the on the program for a long time. It's just so hard. You know what he's doing, man, he's just he's.

Speaker 3: 43:24

He's wrapped up um 100, he's busy, he's busy so, robert, you know, now that you're at the level you're at, are there what chefs are out there that are doing things that you're like, wow, I want to do something like that. And then, on the flip side, what would you talk to? Like somebody came up to you and said, hey, I want to get into pastry. What would you tell them?

Speaker 4: 43:44

so it's a two part question oh man, that first one's a tough one. A lot of the pastry chefs I look up to are doing things that I like. It's weird, like I look up to, like most people, but you look up to chefs that do things that you don't think you can do or that you want to be doing. I couldn't name one like right off the bat, but I follow a lot of chefs in New York City because it's not too far. I just did a master class where I was like attending to learn from a pastry. He's a pastry chef over at Danielle's in New York city, the two Michelin, and we did. It was a three day course and we did all six desserts that he serves at the restaurant and it was just, it was just great to work next to him. He used to work in Boston and it was just great to meet him, work next to him and like learn techniques.

Speaker 4: 44:31

And even though I, you know, like to you guys I'm like man, you're really at your high point, and to me I'm like now there's so much more to go, cause I'm the type of person that I always feel like I'm going to be learning and forever growing, and it's stuff like that. It's like really tight plating, like let's really work on flavors and I think a big thing. I know you guys have talked about this in the past and when it comes to chefs, I'm really big into chefs that talk about what's going on in the industry, between mental health, between where the industry is, how we can do things better, Because I think a lot of that was lost and now it's really come to the forefront and we ran away with it. We ran away from it and nobody wanted to talk about it. So I love saying big, I love. I love saying that where people are very honest and open about struggles and successes.

Speaker 1: 45:17

I think that's one of the and if you're going to point that, um, some positive that came out of COVID, I think it's that, um, you know, because everybody was, you know, we've all been in the zone and and uh, uh in our flex for however many years, or decades even, and you know, when it all stopped you, you had to kind of like look around, you know, figure out, wait a minute, this is, this is crazy. And then to gear back up and to get back into the workforce as we're all coming out of it. I mean, it was a little different here in florida, you know, because there was only a small, a small break, but you know same concept anyhow yeah, yeah, no, we've lost even boston.

Speaker 4: 45:59

Boston. What has occurred is the city itself has struggled to bounce back. You know there's tourists and people coming through, but there's a lot of places that have closed because one rent. Rent and leases are so expensive. However, what has boomed have been all the burbs, so all the suburbs northwest and south of Boston. They're in little places that have just because it's just much cheaper, but then that's where all the good chefs are, all the great restaurants and the great bakeries, and no one's really doing much in the city per se.

Speaker 1: 46:25

Well, everybody left for the space.

Speaker 4: 46:28

Yeah, exactly, exactly. And also no one's commuting to the city. How are these places going to survive? They lost thousands of people a day that were walking through there.

Speaker 3: 46:36

Well, not only that, everybody's staying home because they realize they can get out of the office and not have that on their ROI.

Speaker 4: 46:45

And everybody can work at home or a smaller business.

Speaker 3: 46:46

So they lost commercial and real estate went to crap. Yeah, so Yep, exactly.

Speaker 1: 46:50

All right, so yeah, so yep, exactly all right. So uh did, I did. I hear him say he was gonna. He's, he's coming right over right after the show finishes, he's got there's a plane he's, I'm hopping on a flight yeah, nick won't let him go.

Speaker 3: 47:04

He doesn't want to be in south florida well, I can't well tampa man it's.

Speaker 1: 47:08

We're central florida it's different here it's bring your boots, bring a 10 gallon.

Speaker 4: 47:12

Hat man I do love what we at west coast, florida though, the water 10 out of 10. I I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm such a gulf guy. I never liked going to the atlantic or miami beach or anything like that. That was our trip was going to annabelle, longboat, key, everything like that yeah, well, clear water, hands down.

Speaker 1: 47:32

My opinion has the uh, yeah, it's a, it's the winner that w hotel when not always. That's just gorgeous, yeah, yeah all right, so we're gonna definitely do. That is instagram, your, uh, your main, your main hub. That's what your, your main social is yep all right, go ahead, go ahead and uh go ahead and say that again for everybody to uh to find you.

Speaker 4: 47:54

Go ahead and say that again for everybody to find you. Yeah, find me at ChefBobbyRobby on.

Speaker 1: 47:57

Instagram. All right, well, listen, bobby, my man. Look, this was an awesome, awesome time today. Appreciate you taking up time to be. You know your time to be on the program. Good luck, kick some ass out there, you know your time to be on the program.

Speaker 4: 48:15

Good luck kick some ass out there. You know When's the finale for for the event there's it's going to be. So Monday is the 22nd is the next episode and I believe it runs to the six. So I believe May 6th is the finale.

Speaker 1: 48:30

Well, good luck. We're following you and again appreciate you being on the program, my man. Good luck and God bless.

Speaker 4: 48:36

Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 48:39

Appreciate it, guys, all right, my man, Peninsula, peninsula peninsula Chefs out there, Central Florida, give them a call. Watch what's coming up with Metro. We got something with Metro. We're going to be dropping it soon. We are out. We'll see you next time.