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 restaurants like Per Se and Franny's to managing supply chains for millions of meals at Blue Apron. John opens up about the operational complexities of the Wonder acquisition, negotiating contracts for three million pounds of chicken, and the future of robotic kitchens.

The conversation moves into the Quickfire round where John shares the best dish he ever ate at a tiny grotto in Italy and gives flowers to the underrated chef Juan Cuevas. He explains why truffle oil should be banned from every kitchen and challenges cooks to be more creative with food waste like herb stems and bread crusts. John recounts a harrowing kitchen disaster involving a plastic deli container melting onto a French cooktop at Per Se. Finally, he breaks down his exact, science-backed method for the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Links and resources 📌

Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com

Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez

Follow Josh on instagram: @joshlsharkey

Follow John: @johniadler and Linkedin Here

Check out: Blue Apron

Timestamps:

01:25 The Wonder acquisition of Blue Apron and cross-pollinating teams

03:24 Transitioning from fine dining to negotiating 3 million pounds of chicken

06:56 Wonder innovation, sous vide chicken, and robotic woks

08:24 Chad Labs and the mathematics of cooking at Per Se

12:08 The best dish John ever ate: Il Grotto di Corignan

18:20 Why Juan Cuevas is the most underrated chef

20:26 Banning truffle oil from the kitchen

21:28 The most wasted ingredients: stems and crusts

24:30 The full story of the melting deli container on the Per Se flattop

28:13 The specific technique for the perfect John Adler grilled cheese