The meez Podcast
Josh Sharkey (Entrepreneur, professional chef, and founder/CEO of meez, the culinaryOS for food professionals) interviews world class entrepreneurs in the food space that are shifting the paradigm of how we innovate and operate in our industry.
Episodes
145 episodes
Ming-Tai Huh on Square's 40% layoff, the restaurant tech stack, and the dream of one day quantifying the ROI of marketing.
#136Josh and Mike sit down with Ming-Tai Huh, restaurateur, MIT graduate, former Toast and Square executive, and co-founder of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. Ming shares the unlikely path that took him from management consult...
Why the Best Champagne Comes From Growers, Not the Big Houses. Plus Per Se's Yes vs Noma's No, and working with your spouse.
#135Josh sits down with chef and sommelier Sandia Chang for a conversation that spans 20 years of restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic. From her start on the fish station at Bouley in 2003, to four years at Per Se under Thoma...
Acclaimed actress, Tony award winner and Iron Chef judge Julie White chopping it up with Josh on all things food TV and the best food movies
#134Josh sits down with Tony Award-winning actress Julie White for a wildly entertaining deep dive into the evolution of food television, from the chaotic brilliance of Iron Chef Japan to Chef’s Table, Top Chef, and the modern re...
Greg Baxtrom on his first cookbook, sobriety, the reality of chef driven restaurants, and the babysitter math of dining out decisions
#133Josh sits down with chef Greg Baxtrom fora a conversation about his newly released book, Nothing Matters but Delicious: A Radically Honest Cookbook released this week. Greg dives into his thoughts on ambition, addiction,...
Is your restaurant you're favorite place to be? Plus authentic is a construct, working with your life partner, and wild stories of pigs in walk-ins
#132Josh and Mike sit down with Todd Duplechan, chef and co-owner behind Lenoir, Dovetail Pizza, and the newly opened Bonnie’s, for a wide-ranging conversation that blends wild kitchen stories with deeper reflections on what it ac...
How Chili's Got Hot Again and the K-Shaped Economy Debate
#131Josh sits down with Michael Jacober for a wide-ranging conversation about restaurant value, shifting diner behavior, and why legacy brands like Chili’s are suddenly feeling relevant again. They unpack the idea of a “K-shaped” ...
In the Ai weeds with Sterling Douglass. And "Build or Buy?" is now a decision every restaurant can make with their tech stack.
#130Josh sits down with Sterling Douglass, CEO and co-founder of Chowly, alongside Michael Jacober, for a deep dive into how AI is reshaping the restaurant and technology landscape in real time. What starts as a conversation about...
Tony Aiazzi on bootrapping, Over Easy Office, and bespoke chef knives. Plus Ai as the last mile and singing Chef David Burke's praise.
#129Josh sits down with Tony Aiazzi for a wide-ranging conversation about restaurant tech, bootstrapping, and the hidden operational work that keeps hospitality businesses running. Tony shares his path from the Culinary Institute ...
Free Money and explaining GPOs with Rich Kemp of Buyer's Edge, plus will Ai actually make things cheaper?
#128This episode starts with a practical look at one of the least understood parts of the restaurant business: group purchasing organizations. Josh, Matt, and Mike are joined by Rich Kemp, whose background in food distribution and...
QuickFire: Chef Vojtech Vegh
#127Josh sits down with Chef Vojtech Vegh for a quickfire episode packed with eye-opening zero waste cooking ideas, from turning avocado seeds into tea to transforming banana peels into something that tastes like pulled pork. Vojt...
Should Every Restaurant Have a $5 Beer? Plus the Industry Tipping Point, ADHD as a Superpower, Frequency always wins
#126Josh, Mike, and Matt sits down with Keith Benjamin, nightlife operator and co-founder behind Uptown Social, Share House, Bodega, By The Way, and The Waverly, for a conversation about betting big, building brands, and turning h...
Who really is “The Man”? Plus tallow replacing seed oils, and slinging premade pancakes.
#125Josh sits down with Matthew Conway and Michael Jacober for a spirited conversation about restaurant pricing, profitability, and what guests are actually paying for when they go out. What starts with a nearly $9 Modelo in New Y...
Is Counter Service the Future of Fine Dining? Plus Hospitality Included, the Labor Crisis, and Birdies' $79 Tasting Menu
#124Josh, Mike, and Matt sit down with Arjav Ezekiel, co-owner of Birdies and James Beard Award-winning beverage director, for a candid conversation about tipping, labor, and the future of restaurant models. Drawing from his time ...
Is Wonder the Future of Restaurants? Plus In & Out is great hospitality, the breakfast boom, and the franchise model
#123Josh sits down with Matthew Conway and Michael Jacober for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from franchise operations to solo dining trends to the realities of running independent restaurants in today’s economic climate....
Is Your Restaurant Tech Stack Making You Worse? Plus AI Forecasting, Combi Oven Confessions, and the Nokia Phone Problem with Brianne Harvey
#122Josh sits down with Brianne Harvey, founder of Break Bread Consulting and the newly launched Restaurant Resource, to unpack why so many restaurant teams underutilize the powerful tools they already pay for. Using the analogy o...
The Great Sommelier Debate, and the Definition of a Chef
#121Josh, Matt, and Mike are back for another trio episode, and things heat up right from the cold open as Mike unleashes a spicy critique of Danny Meyer's restaurant empire. Comparing Meyer's concepts to "safe, VH1-style" dining,...
From Steven Starr to El Camino: An Operator’s Quickfire with Dan Siegelman
#120Josh sits down for a quickfire episode with Dan Siegelman, a New Jersey native and JWU alum who cut his teeth working for industry heavyweights like Stephen Starr, Michael Mina, and the late Michael Chiarello. Currently leadin...
The Somification of Everything: Why soft skills are the future of AI-Driven hospitality
#119.Josh sits down with regulars Matthew and Michael Jacober, along with special guest Eli Feldman, a Boston-based restaurateur and AI advocate. The group dives into a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the prestige of 17...
From Per Se to Blue Apron and the Wonder acquisition: John Adler is back for a quick fire and catching up with Josh
#118.Josh sits down for a quickfire episode with John Adler, the Vice President of Culinary at Blue Apron, now part of the Wonder platform. They discuss John's massive transition from the high-precision world of fine dining at res...
Finding Your Zone of Genius, and Solving Health Benefits for Restaurants with Elizabeth Tilton
#117.Josh sits down with Elizabeth Tilton, founder and CEO of Oyster Sunday and OS Benefits. They discuss the critical need for independent restaurants to have the same purchasing power as large corporate groups. Elizabeth shares ...
Dan Jackson on Loss, Resilience, and the Unexpected Path to Osteria Georgi + Quickfire
#116.What began as a plan for a casual Quickfire catch-up evolved into one of the most poignant conversations on the show. Josh sits down with his friend and former colleague Dan Jackson, and while they touch on the mechanics of t...
Sharing food at a restaurant, knowledge is a commodity, gifting the kitchen crew, and lots more.
#115.In this episode, Josh, Matt, and Mike dive into a lively discussion about evolving trends in the restaurant industry. They kick things off by debating the rising popularity of mocktails and the economics behind charging premi...
Quick Fire: Chef Geoff Kornberg
#114.In this quickfire episode, Josh talks with Geoff Kornberg. They explore memorable dishes like spicy rice cakes from Momofuku Sambar, useful techniques such as garlic confit butter, and praise for underappreciated chefs in the...
Paradigm shift in dining expectations? And testing out some new conversation formats for Season 4
#113.In this episode, Josh sits down with Michael Jacober, founder of Blanket, and Matthew Conway, owner of The Tippling House, for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of modern hospitality. The trio examines how social media...