From Humble Beginnings to French Culinary Mastery in Chicago with Jason Chan

In this episode of Supper with Sylvia, I’m thrilled to welcome Jason Chan, one of Chicago’s most respected restaurateurs and a true pioneer of classic French dining in the city.

Jason has built an extraordinary career defined by perseverance, resilience, and a passion for hospitality that has made him a trusted leader among chefs and restaurant owners alike. Inspired by his parents’ tireless work ethic and dreams of a better life, Jason turned challenges into opportunities, carving out a path that has shaped Chicago’s vibrant food scene.

We’ll talk about his journey from humble beginnings to earning critical acclaim with his latest restaurant, Gavroche, an intimate Old Town bistro described as a “petite revolution.” Guests are lining up to experience dishes like Parisian Gnocchi, Fork and Knife Ratatouille, and Escargots à la Bourgogne—French classics reimagined with Jason’s modern touch.

If you love French cuisine, inspiring entrepreneurial stories, and discovering the heart behind Chicago’s most exciting restaurants, you won’t want to miss this conversation. 

About Jason Chan

• Celebrated Chicago restaurateur known for elevating classic French cuisine
• Founder and operator of Gavroche Chicago, an acclaimed French bistro in Old Town
• Recognized for mentoring rising chefs and consulting on some of Chicago’s top restaurant concepts

About Gavroche

• Located in the heart of Old Town Chicago
• Praised for its cozy atmosphere and innovative approach to French classics
• Signature dishes include:
  • Parisian Gnocchi
  • Fork and Knife Ratatouille
  • Escargots à la Bourgogne

Featured Links

• 🔗 Gavroche Chicago – Make a Reservation
• 🔗 Follow Jason Chan on Instagram
• 🔗 Supper with Sylvia Episodes & Upcoming Live Events

Show notes:

Gavroche 1529 North Wells St. Chicago 

gavrochechi.com

This episode is produced by Jane Stephens

Original music and audio engineering by Donnie Cutting

Social Media and Promotions by Magali Blasdell

📌Check out  SupperwithSylvia on Instagram.
📩Email us at SupperwithSylvia@gmail.com

This episode is brought to you by MARIANO'S. 

🛒 Proudly Sponsored by Mariano’s

Looking for local flavor you can bring home? Discover chef-crafted sauces, pastas, oils, and more from your favorite Chicago chefs — now available through Mariano’s We Love Local program. Support local artisans, savor authentic taste, and celebrate Chicago’s culinary spirit with every bite.

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Social Media Marketing: Magali Blasdell

Video and Audio Editor: Donnie Cutting

Marketing and Media Relations: Julie Lokun

Producer: Jennifer Waters

Transcript

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Supper with Sylvia (00:00.138)

one of my guests actually took a photo on his iPhone. That's kind of the photo that went viral was me on the phone with the police and I had him in an armbar and I my foot on his throat and that was the photo that kind of went viral. And so that's the iPhone thief story.

Supper with Sylvia (00:28.792)

Today's guest is a true Chicago restaurant legend. Jason Chan is back with an award winning new French restaurant, but his journey is anything but ordinary and his story goes far beyond food. He's a martial arts expert, a cancer survivor, and he once took down a would-be thief with his own two hands. This is a conversation about strength

reinvention and how one man's fight has shaped everything he does. So pull up a seat and get ready for a story that's as powerful as it is inspiring. This is Supper with Sylvia.

Supper with Sylvia (01:09.112)

Jason Chan, so nice to see you, my friend. How you doing? Good morning. I'm excellent. Living the dream. I'm so glad to hear this. And you actually are because how long has your new restaurant, Gavros, been open now? We opened October 5th, so just about four months almost. Four months. And can I tell everybody, it is an amazing restaurant. You know how I feel about this because

I have to say, one of my favorite pastimes is eating out in our wonderful city of Chicago. And I went to your place and it was definitely my number one favorite new restaurant of 2024. It's so good, Jason. Thank you. You have no idea how that makes me feel, especially coming from you. It's a huge compliment. Well, I really mean it. And you you've been in the restaurant business for a long time. Tell me how this latest concept came up.

Sure. It was really just kind of shedding everything away and looking at the core of who I am, where I started, and really what I wanted to do. Like you said at the beginning of this podcast, I live a really rewarded life. This year, 2024 has been a benchmark year for me. I have a family that I've always wanted. I got engaged. I'm getting married.

So was just a windfall of amazing things. And I was really in a personal place where I said, you know, I want to do what I want to do, not what I have to do. And after almost four decades of being in this business and coming up on my 59th birthday in a couple of months, I took inventory and said, you know, if I could open my dream restaurant, what would that look like? So I kind of made a little reality movie in my mind. And it was me going back to my roots.

right across the board. So my roots started in classic French food, but more importantly, Chicago French food. I worked at Les Gargoyles and Rue St. Clair and I waited tables at Jerome's and Montemar. It was, you know, it was all the rage back in the early 80s. So I took a look at my first neighborhood that I lived in, which was Old Town. I looked at the food that really captured

Supper with Sylvia (03:34.942)

my passion and my love at the beginning of this restaurant path that I decided to put myself on. So I thought what better than open a very small, petite jewel box restaurant. And I chose Old Town. I found a spot. I knew I was going to do French food, but then I really wanted to kind of formulate a concept that was innovative.

I like to consider myself maybe a little rebellious and, I, I thought, man, let's do something that's kind of pushing the norms and something that's innovative and disrupting what's out there. I thought, you know, there's a dozen and a half French restaurants in Chicago. A lot of them are iconic. I love them all. still, my, my day off is on Tuesdays and I still go see Oliver at Les Bouchon.

wow. Because it's an industry petri dish. Everybody goes there on Mondays. I can't go there on Mondays anymore. So I go on Tuesdays for lunch. And so long story short, I said, everybody's doing bistro. I love all the bistro restaurants. Let's do a modern take on classic French bistro, because that'll set us apart. Everybody's familiar with bistro food, French food. Let's really take it up a notch and

and kind of steer in a different direction. I use the analogy that if everybody's in the Navy right now, let's be pirates. Everybody's using the safe waters and going the safe route and let's go where the dragons are. Let's go where we're not supposed to go. Let's carve a path that's unique and, you know, our feet are rooted in practicality. But let's have this lofty concept of trusting, letting people trust us to take them in a new direction.

Well, you are doing that. It's just incredible. And you brought it up. Four decades in the restaurant world here in Chicago. Is it fair to say you're back with a vengeance? You know, they always, I'm a man of cliches and the cliches are really just raw truths about life. And we kind of become desensitized. And that's why they're so.

Supper with Sylvia (06:01.056)

You know, for me, there's nothing better than the comeback because it doesn't define your setback. And I've certainly had setbacks. I think what makes me a really successful person all around is that I've had many hurdles. I've had many failures personally and professionally. And I learned from them. And that's what put me into the place where I'm at today.

Tell me about how you got involved in restaurants. Was this part of your life? It's funny Sylvia, because it's kind of the coming of age story, but it's also very stereotypical of a Korean Asian household. My mother and father were immigrants. My stepfather came here from Hong Kong and he met my mother who was working in an Asian nightclub restaurant.

My path started out as one that was, you're absolutely forbidden and will never be in the restaurant business. My parents, my mom was a hostess and cocktail waitress at the House of Eng and my father was a bartender. And my mother came to this country pregnant with me to provide a better life for me. And what soon happened after that is she met my stepfather.

They dated, they formed a relationship and alliance, an entrepreneurial alliance. And I got beaten up every day, badly. And so they were on the South Side in Hyde Park and my parents decided to move out of that neighborhood and move all the way to the North Side and they bought an Irish pub. So long story short, the chronology is my parents bought an Irish pub, then a Jewish deli, then a Greek coffee shop.

Wow. They owned all these bars and restaurants. And the funniest thing was is that they absolutely forbid me to be in the restaurant business. I was supposed to be a dentist, a pharmacist or a doctor, like all other good Korean boys are supposed to be. And it was all about school and working for them after school. And as luck would have it, when you tell an eight year old kid that this is something you can't do.

Supper with Sylvia (08:23.566)

then it becomes taboo and you're fascinated with it. So I relived above our Irish pub and I was fascinated with the restaurant. I couldn't stop myself from sneaking down, cracking the door open and looking at the restaurant and seeing everything that was going on. I wasn't supposed to ever dare go downstairs during business hours. And so I became obsessed and fascinated with it. I'm sorry.

So long story short, it's a really funny story. I was in a play and I played an inebriated person in the play and I had done such a good job. People were laughing and applauding. And when I looked in the audience to see my parents, my mom was really disgusted and my dad's head was down and they were embarrassed. They were embarrassed because they're telling

their son not to be in the restaurant business, but I had seen all the drunk people. I could emote and parrot their behavior so well. My parents immediately got out of the restaurant business. went into importing, exporting, and retailing of Asian household goods, decor, and design.

And they said, well, how can we tell Jason not to be in the restaurant business when he sees us thriving so much? We own the building we live in. They bought another building by Evanston, and they had really nice living, upper middle income. And so they said, we've got to show them that we can be entrepreneurs and not be confined solely by the hospitality and food and beverage industry. But I had already been indoctrinated by fire.

and fell in love with it. And so I was always cleaning the bars and restaurants for my parents on weekends. And I fell in love with it. I was in the restaurant all by myself cleaning it. I, I felt like I pretended I was a manager. I pretended I was the bartender. I pretended I was a chef. And so this all boils down to me lying to my parents. I got a job at the Jewel Oscar on Montrose and Broadway.

Supper with Sylvia (10:45.26)

And as soon as I got my first paycheck, I showed it to my parents and said, this is where I'll be after high school and on weekends, I'll be working at Jewel. And I quit. I just got the job so could show them the paycheck. And I went to Lescargo and was apprenticing to be a chef at Lescargo where I worked for two years in my junior year and senior year of high school. And then there was no stopping me. got a

I got a job at Rue St. Clair cooking brunch and breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. I was waiting tables at Jerome's and Maudet Mere. And then I got a job at Scousy and then I got a job at Dixie. And I changed my path from the kitchen quickly into the front of the house when I started exponentially making four or five times more money waiting tables.

than making $3 an hour, which was minimum wage at the time cooking in the kitchen. Wow. You said something and I didn't realize you were being literal about this, that first neighborhoods used to get beat up all the time. mean, literally, you were talking, you literally would get beat up all the time, which brings me to this because anyone who knows Jason Chan knows that you are an avid martial arts.

person. Tell me how you got involved with that. Again, trial by fire. I was eight years old and I was getting severely beaten up every day. The culminating moment was when I was in Hyde Park. Some kids jumped out of a gangway. They beat me up and then they stole my pants. had little... In 1974, my mom had bought me pants with pockets on the sides, which were known as cargo pants.

And apparently these kids wanted my pants. They beat me up, stole my pants and then they sprayed me with a fire extinguisher. So I walked into the house and my mom was obviously devastated. It was covered in fire extinguisher foam. had no pants, had a bloody nose and a bloody lip. And they said, we got to move out of this neighborhood. And that's what compelled them. It's funny.

Supper with Sylvia (13:04.928)

Adversity was really a stimulus from my parents a lot of the time. And that adversity, seeing their child being beaten up every day, but now being beaten up to the extent where visually they were just, like I said, devastated. They borrowed money, they saved all their tips, and they purchased this bar and restaurant on the North Side. And the first day of school on the North Side, I was attacked by an older kid.

I was a new kid and he picked me up and threw me on the ground and knocked me out. And then when I came to, long story short, for the first time I fought back. And for me, it was again a self, this adversity. I thought to myself, this is the first day of school. I was so excited to be in a new neighborhood. And then the first day of life put me right in Poops Creek without a paddle. And I got...

knocked out and it ignited something in me. think I just snapped. And the funniest thing that happened was now is fighting every day, not to defend myself, but to, because everybody now at the new school wanted to challenge me because the first day I was the new kid from the South side who beat someone up.

So now everybody wanted to challenge me and I didn't know, I sincerely did not know how to fight. It was all natural instinct, but as life would have it and certainly my life, I was blessed. My cousins came from Korea and they taught me four or five things that they had learned in Korea. They studied martial arts and they were older than me. And I held on to those things, you know, when all you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail.

So they indoctrinated me and that was my first 40 into martial arts. My cousins teaching me. And then from there, I kind of didn't look back. I joined a Hokito school and a Kung Fu school and I got into boxing and I was on the wrestling team in high school and a gymnast and I was very, very physical. And for the last 35 years, I've been studying and teaching Shido-Kan, which is the original MMA.

Supper with Sylvia (15:28.046)

So that's the origin story behind my life with martial arts. it's a way of life and it's certainly definitely a very, very prominent part of my life. It is me. It's who I am. That story you tell as a parent just must have been so devastating. But so you discover martial arts, it becomes something you become obsessed with.

I love it too, because I love your Instagram handle is I fight dirty. I love that. But I remember, because as you know, Jason, I've been in the news business in this town for quite some time. And I remember in 2013, when there was this story going around in the newsroom that there's this guy in Chicago owns this restaurant who ended up

having to tackle somebody who was trying to rob from his restaurant. And that story is history. Everyone knows this story. But for those who don't, because I just think it's incredible. Let's go back to 2013. You own Juno Restaurant. What happened? It was a Saturday night, really crazy busy. I had a guest in there who was sitting at the bar with a friend. And a gentleman walked in and it's

strange. It was cold. He walked in and he didn't have a jacket or a sweater on. He actually had his sweater in his hand and it was a Freddy Krueger sweater. So it was striped, was gray and red stripes and it was very ornate and prominent. And I was hosting those waiting tables as I usually do. I'm very hands-on and I noticed him out of the corner of my alley. Walked up to the bar, chatted with the bartender and then was looking around and I

was reading the pantomimes and I said, he's not here to dine. Maybe he's just looking for directions or wants a glass of water or whatever. And then he walked away very quickly and darted out the front door. I went to the bartender and I said, what did that guest want? And he said, he wanted a pen. But when I turned around to get the pen, I turned back around to give him the pen and he left. And I looked on the bar and there was guests all at the bar and I

Supper with Sylvia (17:49.964)

looked to the gentleman that was sitting next to him when he walked in and said, did you guys have your wallet or your phone on the bar? And the guy said, we have our wallet. And then the one customer said, someone took my phone. So it was just an iPhone, but I normally probably wouldn't have gone after him, but I knew this guest, they were regular.

And more importantly, he had shown me 20 minutes earlier pictures of his daughters on his cell phone. And at that minute I thought, you know, our cell phones are our lives. He's probably got his credit card information in there. He's probably got his whole life in that phone. So I ran outside. didn't see the man. I thought, you know, this guy's working the whole street. It's Lincoln. We're by DePaul. There's 40 restaurant and bars.

So my car was parked in front. literally got my car, drove down to Fullerton. I turned around and then I drove north on Fullerton really slow and just looking for that Freddy Krueger sweater. And by the time I got back to my restaurant, I couldn't see him. I didn't see him walking on the street. I had stopped at a few bars that were popular and I didn't see him. I was just about to get out of my car and I was stopped at the light in front of my restaurant.

And I saw him with the sweater on walking into Little Maulatis across the street from my restaurant. So I went in and I approached him and I confronted him and I said, listen, you have my guest phone. I know you have it. Just give the phone back and there won't be any problem. He got in a defensive stance and I said, listen, if you try to hit me, I'm going to defend myself and I wouldn't recommend you do that. Just please just give me the phone back.

He tried to hit me and then ran and I moved out of his strike and then I was running behind him and Sylvia, I just meant to push him through the door. I pushed him, he hit the door, the door went off the hinges and he kind of surfed out onto Lincoln Avenue on the blast door. And then we got into a scuffle and then he tried to run away and

Supper with Sylvia (20:11.434)

I basically told them, like, look, you're not going anywhere. There was a group of people and people were running up to us saying, he stole my phone. He stole my phone. So this guy had obviously, you know, stolen a lot of phones from the rest of the street. without getting really too detailed, I made sure they didn't have a weapon on him. And then I used jujitsu techniques to hold them until the police got there. The police didn't come for 20 minutes.

Wow. And so the photo that's on the Huffington Post and Daily Mail and all the news, one of of the Samaritans took a photo and it was one of my guests actually took a photo on his iPhone. That's kind of the photo that went viral was me on the phone with the police and I had him in an armbar and I had my foot on his throat. And that was the photo that kind of went viral.

So that's the iPhone thief story. Yeah, that was 2013. The photo goes viral. I love hearing you describe what happened because it obviously had to happen very quickly, but you were in control in your mind and the way you detail what went on. What was your goal? Did the guy ever end up, like, did you hurt the guy? Did he end up passing out? What ended up happening?

He tried to flee a couple times and he also had a partner. He had a crew. One guy was in a car and one guy was on foot. The reason I basically neutralized him right away was because I knew there was probably one or two other of his friends and I identified them right away. I really accredit growing up in Chicago and all the various neighborhoods that I did.

would like to think that my street smarts are what really, you know, I call myself, I fight dirty because in the street you have to fight dirty. In the ring or in the dojo, it's a place of learning and knowledge and respect. But that's the antithesis out on the street. It's so dangerous. It's become even more dangerous. So you constantly have to be situationally aware of your environment and of other people. So.

Supper with Sylvia (22:38.636)

Right away, I knew to look for other people. When I saw his buddy on foot, I said, listen, the cops are on their way and I'm going to knock you out too if you get any closer. And then all the guests that had gathered around started to chase him and he ran off. And the guy that his partner that was in the car, he took off. So it was just him and I. And he tried to get away a few times and I had to neutralize him. That's the word I'm going to use.

And we'll be right back.

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Supper with Sylvia (24:37.324)

Okay, so I have to ask you, what does martial arts and the restaurant world have in common? Is there anything that you can relate from one to the other? It's identical, Sylvia. If you look at the brigade system of a fine dining kitchen or especially French kitchen, the chef is in a white uniform.

All of his students, line cooks, his crew, his brigade are all in white. There's a hierarchy. He's a chef. He's a sensei. The response is always, yes, chef. In a dojo, it's exactly the same. There's uniform. Everyone's in white. The answer is always, us, sensei. But more importantly, look at a kitchen in a restaurant and look at a dojo. Dojo literally means

place of learning, respect, knowledge, and a place where someone guides you. And that's all the kitchen is. More importantly, I think the skill set, the coping mechanisms, the patience, the graciousness, the courteousness, everything they've learned in martial arts, which is really just teaching you everything about yourself, self-discipline, self-control, self-confidence.

Self-defense. These are all things you apply not only to life, but especially the Petri dish that is a restaurant, because you have to be so gracious. You have to be, even though you could elicitate it to martial arts, even though you can defend yourself or fight someone, the fact that you've studied martial arts gives you the strength and the knowledge to know that you don't have to use it, which...

gives you lot of providence and other people that, okay, you're going to do the right thing. Just calm down. Let's not escalate this to where it becomes physical. It's the same thing in a restaurant. No matter how irate a guest is, no matter what goes wrong, no matter what catches on fire or what pipe breaks, you're armed with this ability and this confidence and this self-security that

Supper with Sylvia (26:56.93)

everything's going to be okay. I've learned enough coping mechanisms and the dojo of this restaurant that I can handle any obstacle. You train and hopefully guide your employees that there's no problem that can't be solved. We're in the problem solving business and that's to make people happy. once you, once you really kind of, you know, unify that narrative to your whole entire staff,

from the kitchen to the dishwasher to the host to the busboy to the server. We're here to solve one problem and that's to provide pleasure and an experience for people that's remarkable. love it because this also kind of segues into the next thing I wanted to talk to you about because you are a fighter and you seem to be very tough. You did have a life scare there though. You dealt with throat cancer, I understand.

And that's something that you have been, tell me about that experience. I'd love to. It's funny, I'm gonna get a little emotional. Because it is, it's something that happened. I'm thriving now, it doesn't define me, but it is a big part of my life. And to be honest with you, I do a lot of public speaking and try to do as much awareness and fundraising as I can for cancer.

because it's literally the best, worst thing that's ever happened to me. It's not oftentimes you get the opportunity to get a second shot at life. We go through life and we have passions, have enthusiasms, we have routines, we have things that we love to do. But it's funny for me and for most people I would imagine that nothing ever grows on a

comfortable path. constantly having been in the restaurant business for 40 years, nothing's ever been comfortable. So it's armed me and, and, and empowered me with coping mechanisms, soft skills, being able to read people. Being able to apologize for stuff that's not my fault, because you do a lot of that in hospitality. You're always, I'm so very sorry that

Supper with Sylvia (29:21.486)

We've sold out of the salmon. What can I do to make you happy? Even though you have to have the salmon, can I offer you turbo? Can I offer you something else? A free dessert. So it's really, really amazing to me that, for me personally, that this major adversity changed my life. It distilled me. I always use the analogy that when I got cancer,

I was mashed up and it's like being distilled. I was mashed up, was pulverized, I was put in a machine and I was forced through a condensing tube for months. And what dripped out drop by drop three months later was this condensed spirit. It was literally, I became this different thing. I started out as one material and I end up as another.

And literally like a spirit, I was condensed. I saw light and life in a different way. Colors were different. My life and my world became a tapestry. I realized that the people that were most affected, I mean, I was affected by the disease, but my parents, my best friends, my employees, my students, this industry rallied around me and funded

My GoFundMe and more importantly, my personal accounts. I could pay my mortgage and my rent and my insurance and my car payment and everything. I owe a lot to getting cancer. It changed my life for the better in a lot of ways. I have a deep appreciation and gratitude for everything. And now I'm a highly rewarded man. Every day.

I walk this earth, I realize how abundant my life is, how much I have to be grateful and thankful for. And I'm human, I make mistakes. I'm not perfect, but what I now try to do on a daily basis is try to be the most excellent version of myself I can be. Not a human, because that's so vague, but.

Supper with Sylvia (31:46.67)

For me, I'm just trying to be the best Jason Chan that I can be. For my mother and father, for my best friends, and for my soon to be wife and stepson. I live the most grateful, rewarded life because of cancer. That's beautiful. That is beautiful. You turned something around that could have been bad into something that you've really learned from. And let's go back to what you said at the top here.

I mean, wow, you already are having an amazing year. You're engaged. Congratulations. you. What would you say, or would you say this is probably one of the best moments of your life right now, what you're living? I almost feel guilty. I don't, but I started to because, you know, as a human being, and especially for me, I thought, well, what are the...

What a tremendous windfall the last two, three years have been between the restaurant and my engagement and my beautiful life partner that I've met. And I was on a reality show. My restaurant is thriving. People are loving it. And there's no better marketing than happy guests. And that's a real reason like we're speaking even today because like we're doing remarkable magical things there.

And for me, feel I'm a very spiritual person. I do a lot of manifesting and meditating, and I do a lot of things to really work on myself every day. And it's amazing to me that what's come to fruition for me is that changing my inside world has changed my outside world drastically. And so

What is the definition of success and happiness for me? It was having coffee with Heather this morning and taking my steps on the school. Everything else aside, surviving everything that I've survived, thriving in everything that I've thrived. The most important thing for me is the happiness I have with myself and who I'm sharing my life with right now.

Supper with Sylvia (34:11.106)

The best decision I ever made was my life partner. Wow. You're so inspirational. I love listening to you talk. I always love to ask my guests from Chicago and doing what you do. What is your favorite go-to restaurant in Chicago? I know you probably got a few, like you know, if you just want some comfort food and you know you're going to.

be treated well and it's gonna be consistent and it's just comfort, where would you go? I would have to say that, you know, to just say one place is too hard. But I'm also a creature of habit because whenever I ask that question all the time, like, what makes your favorite place your favorite place? And it's usually the way you're treated. And then as I've gotten older, the food's almost

I think it's like, if you and I went to a restaurant somewhere, Sylvia, it would be because I was going there with you and the conversation we had. So if there was bad service and bad food, really honestly wouldn't even care. would be about the moment that you and I are sharing. Because I think as you get older, it becomes about the life event more than the place. But, you know, we live in the food capital of North America now. So that being said, Ever is my favorite fine dining restaurant.

and it has nothing to do with my, my dear friendship with chef Curtis Duffy. It's literally the food first, the ingredients there. He's sourcing the best ingredients from the entire world. The service is immaculate there and I'm a big service guy. so for fine dining definitely Evers is my go-to. I would have to say for comfort food, it would

have to be Chicago Colby. I've been going there for 40 years and it's a Korean restaurant that also has some Japanese food and it's on West Lawrence Street and that's my favorite comfort food. that. Yeah, but I'm, the place I find myself going to on a regular basis is Piccolo Sonio because I love Chef Anthony Priolo. In the summertime, my fiance and I and my friends, I take everybody there weekly.

Supper with Sylvia (36:33.238)

because I don't think there's a more beautiful and transportative outdoor dining area than at the patio at Piccolo Sonio. Todi's amazing, isn't he? And I call it the enchanted forest back there. It's so beautiful, right? It's so beautiful. It's the enchanted forest and he's the wizard. His hospitality, like I've learned so much from him.

over the years, just he takes every, he answers the phone whenever I call, he takes my reservation himself. If I'm not there and I send people there, he goes out to the table. He treats everybody with, it comes from a genuine place. Like myself, I think, I know he genuinely loves hospitality. He loves cooking, he loves nurturing guests. And you can tell, there's nothing, you know, he's not phoning it in.

When you go there, you feel how much he loves his restaurant. Yeah, you certainly do. I love how heartfelt and how thoughtful you are in everything you say. So I wonder, how would you describe yourself to others? Or how would you like to be described by others, more importantly?

Generous, loving, caring, strong.

Well, I think you are definitely all those things. I'm excited to get back to your restaurant and enjoy that amazing food and can't wait to see the new ventures that are coming your way. such a pleasure, Jason, after all these years, we've known each other for such a long time. And I'm so happy you are in such an amazing place. Thank you for for doing this with me. I can't thank you enough. This podcast is produced by Jane Stephens, Audio Engineering and Original Music by Donnie Cutting.

Supper with Sylvia (38:32.432)

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