The Hotel Daddy Podcast
Hotel Daddy is a podcast featuring in-depth interviews with hospitality movers and shakers, offering candid conversations that reveal how the best in the business became the leaders they are today. Listen in for inspiration and behind-the-scenes stories from the best in the industry.
Hosted by T. Blake Danner, Executive Producer, Stephanie T. Bryant, Production and Engineering by David Jewell. Associate Producer, Nelson Luis Ortiz, with original theme music composed and produced by Evan Jewell.
The Hotel Daddy Podcast
How A Michelin Star Chef Builds A Life Around Food, Travel, And Wellness
The best restaurants don’t just serve plates; they build worlds. Chef David Myers joins us to unpack how a driveway farm stand, a passport full of stamps, and a Michelin star shaped his approach to food, leadership, and life. From Los Angeles to Tokyo, Dubai, and Miami, David shares how he balances French technique with California freshness and global flavors while keeping one rule sacred: keep it simple and make it craveable.
We talk about pressure—and why he treats it as a privilege. David opens up about the routines that keep him sharp: daily transcendental meditation, non-negotiable training sessions, and the mindset that turned a pandemic into a platform for transformation. He explains why today’s chef must be fluent in finance, HR, construction, and brand, and how AI can become a practical ally for menu modeling, staffing, and scenario planning without replacing the heart of hospitality.
If you’ve ever wondered how to localize a concept across cultures, this conversation is a masterclass. David rejects copy-and-paste expansion, showing how to adapt menus and leadership styles for Japan, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia while protecting brand soul. We also dive into his Miami project, Adrift Mare with AKA, and his next frontier: wellness-driven hospitality that blends performance cuisine, recovery, and design. Along the way, you’ll hear candid advice for chef-founders on mentorship, networking beyond your lane, and committing to a point of view you’d take to Mars.
Come for the travel stories and kitchen craft; stay for the blueprint on building teams, chasing authenticity, and creating experiences that linger long after the check is paid. If this episode sparks an idea or shifts your mindset, share it with a friend, hit follow, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us.
Thanks for listening! If you liked our episode today, please like, share, and comment!
Welcome to Hotel Daddy. I'm your host, Blake Danner. Today's guest is Michelin starred chef David Meyer. In today's episode, we're just going to dive right in and get to know David, exploring his unique journey and the stories that have shaped his career in food, beverage, and hospitality. Whether you're an industry insider or you just love a good story, you're in the right place. So hey kids, if you're listening while you're driving, keep those hands at 10 and 3, settle in, and enjoy the ride. As we open the doors to Hotel Daddy. Chef David Myers, a global citizen with an insatiable hunger for travel, is an internationally renowned Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur based across Asia, the United States, and the Middle East, recognized for his unique ways of marrying his two greatest passions, food and travel. David has opened 20 restaurants in eight cities across three continents. We're going to talk about that because I don't think he's done. David is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and global culinary nomad, known for blending modern sensibilities with a deep respect for local culture and ingredients. He's often referred to as the gypsy chef. David has traveled the world to draw inspiration, going from the streets of Tokyo to the markets of Marrakesh, crafting unique dining experiences that transcend borders. A James Beard award winner and founder of several acclaimed restaurants in the US, Asia, and the Middle East, including names like Adrift, Salt, Hinoki and the Bird, Myers is recognized for his innovative approach to cuisine and design forward concepts. His cooking style reflects a fusion of French technique, California freshness, and global flavors. With frequent appearances on television shows including Top Chef, Iron Chef America, features in Forbes, Esquire, and the New York Times. Chef Myers continues to push the boundaries of food, travel, and culture. Chef Myers, welcome to Hotel Daddy.
SPEAKER_01:Blake, thank you, man. What an intro. My God, I gotta get my family to listen to that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, here's the thing that is just about a third of your real bio, my friend. I mean, I didn't even talk about the chefs you've worked at, where you've worked, the restaurants you've worked at. So we're gonna get into all that. But we like to start every episode with something I like to call who's in the lobby. You ready? Let's do it. All right, I'm gonna fire some rapid fire questions at you, David. Your name, David Myers. Your zodiac sign. I'm an Aries. Favorite fashion designer. I would say Salon. All right. What's your go-to comfort food? Oh my god, pasta. Love it. One kitchen tool you can't live without. My Japanese chef knife.
SPEAKER_01:All right. Dream dinner guest. It can be alive or historical, but who do you gotta have? Oh man, there's so many. I'd say Oscar Wilde would be an amazing one. The guy is just so clever. Last movie you saw. F1. Awesome. Shoes or flip-flops? Blake, I'm in Bali. Flip-flops, man.
SPEAKER_00:Well, follow-up question. Favorite place to surf. I would say Bali. And final question favorite fitness activity. Surfing, hands down. Love it. I think I knew that one. David, you had an amazing career. You continue to do new things, challenge yourself. But what first drew you into the culinary world?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I got really blessed because I found what I loved at a young age when I had the energy and I didn't know any better. And you know, I could get in and make all the mistakes in the world and still have some time to figure it out. I went to school for international business. I dropped out to be a chef, and now I'm doing international business. So go figure.
SPEAKER_00:But I do know how to cook. So hold on, let's follow up on that for a second because I find it so interesting. So many creative chefs that they come to the passion of food. It's not always unnatural that they can transition into being successful entrepreneurs. You, my friend, have done that. What was your secret? And why do you think it works for you and doesn't for others?
SPEAKER_01:I don't know that I found my way with it yet. I'm still learning every day, believe me. I made a lot of mistakes and you know, been lucky a lot of times as well. I really enjoy creating something. I enjoy bringing something to life. I don't go into a new concept or new idea and think, oh my God, what if this or what if that or what, you know, if I knew all the challenges that I would have in opening a restaurant, not just in my hometown, but also abroad in different countries, I would never do it. Part of the real success has been I've had blinders on with these type of things. I have an idea, I want to do it, and I just go for it and I figure it out along the way. But the biggest thing I would say, looking at it from a different viewpoint, I think the biggest thing, Blake, has been I've surrounded myself with really amazing people. And I go to them humbly and I'm like, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing here. What do you think? How should I handle this? How should I do that? And then I am like a sponge to learn everything I can that they're saying. And I researched the heck out of it as well.
SPEAKER_00:How important is it as a leader to be able to admit what you don't know?
SPEAKER_01:I think it's really important. I mean, when I was younger, I was probably full of a lot of ego, thought I knew everything in the world, you know, just an idiot, an absolute idiot. But as you get a little more experience, especially once you've had some failures, some challenges, whatever, that stuff goes away pretty quickly. And you have to recognize right away hey, the only thing that matters is how can I succeed? How can I move forward? How can I make sure the team wins? And that is when you raise your hand, you're like, hey, I don't know how to do this. How should I do this? What do you think? Finding the right answers from the right people has been really key for me.
SPEAKER_00:We've talked about going from cooking and the creative arts to getting into a business and leadership role. How do you see the role of chef evolving over the next decade, not just for yourself, but in the industry?
SPEAKER_01:I have nothing but respect for chefs across the board because we are people that have to know it all. You know, we have to know accounting, we have to know business development, we have to know construction, we have to know financials, HR. It's like it's nuts. Nobody in the history of running companies has to know every little detail of these things, but we do because you know, we don't have massive teams typically when we're first starting out. It's nuts to me all that we have to uh absorb and find our way to lead with. AI is gonna make a massive impact on helping us. It's gonna give us a lot of options on bouncing ideas off of AI and figuring out certain things from a business perspective that maybe we're challenged with. But I do think that the core of what we do is always gonna be the same. And that core is to deliver a great experience for people and to make them feel happy and want to come back and figure out how to make money from that. I don't think that will ever change.
SPEAKER_00:So interesting. This is why we have these conversations. Because if you'd have told me that we were gonna have this conversation and a chef was gonna talk to me about AI, I would have said, nope, that's not a path we're going down. I get it. By the way, I love your recognition of it, and I think you're correct. I think it's gonna make a huge impact on all of our industries, whether it is in leadership, in management, even in creative arts. David, you earned a Michelin star very early in your career. Congratulations, by the way. Thank you. How did that change your trajectory?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think it opened up a lot of doors that we didn't even recognize at the time. I didn't set out to open a restaurant just to go for a Michelin star. I set out to be the best chef in the world. That was my mission. Michelin was just a part of it and all these other things. I was driven for creating the best experience for our guests, but you need the accolades to have the credibility and to get the guests coming into your restaurant. So I was pushing like crazy to get that. I had the pleasure of working and the luck to have worked for a lot of really great chefs before I launched my first place. And I was so grateful to have the opportunity that Michelin even came to LA and we were able to be a part of that. It was game-changing in so many ways, Blake, because it just opened up doors. It gave us access to new opportunities. But then there is a massive pressure component that comes with that. It's also equal to the pressure that we always put ourselves under every single day, anyway, trying to deliver great experience, trying to blow our guests away.
SPEAKER_00:You just said something I want to follow up on, which is the pressure we set up for ourselves. It's like a record artist, right? When they have a hit record and it's the pressure to do the next one. You've opened hit restaurants and it's the pressure to do the next one. How do you deal with that? What's your coping mechanism to every time you open something new to recognize that you've got all this history? There are expectations.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it is tough. And over the years, it hasn't lessened that pressure. It hasn't gotten easier. I mean, it's still the same. In fact, if anything, it's even harder now. It's even like the stakes are even higher. All I can do is I have to do a few things. First of all, I the way I set my life up in order to be who I am, in order to be able to create and develop and lead and grow a business. There's certain things I have to do to make that happen. Number one, I need to meditate. I meditate every single day, every morning. I try to do it twice a day, but usually it's once. I do what's called transcendental meditation. And some really successful people have been doing that. And that's how I learned about it. And so I'm like, well, if they're doing it and they're that successful, maybe I should look into this. And I'd say it's been game-changing for me. And if you don't do it, Blake, I'm getting you into it next time I see you. But that's one thing. I'm up for it. Awesome. The other is exercise. I am always running like hot and always have a lot of energy. And I need to burn off, you know, sometimes some negative energy or just my mind is, you know, going a thousand miles a minute thinking about stuff. So exercise has been kind of that holy grail for me to get myself centered, stay healthy, stay fit, which is incredibly important for us and our business. Those foundations, those two things have been kind of the bedrock for me to be able to go in, handle the pressure, and deal with what I need to deal with. And honestly, pressure is a privilege, man. It's a real privilege to have that pressure.
SPEAKER_00:We have to remember that. We have to remember that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I'm grateful for it. I'm so happy to even have the opportunity to be doing something where there's pressure like that. And when things get really hard, I'm like, bring it on. Let's go.
SPEAKER_00:I want to double down on your vision of fitness for a second because look, we're a few episodes in now to uh doing this series, and there's a real common thread amongst all of the successful leaders that I'm talking to. And physical fitness has been one of them and how each of them incorporates it into their life. I want to tell a quick little story, which is, you know, you and I met because we're doing a project together down in Miami. By the way, you want to, before we do that, you want to just tell the folks a little bit about the project that we do together in Miami, your take on it.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. I'd love to. Well, first of all, I'm really fortunate I get to work with you and with AKA and their incredible brand in Brickle in Miami. It's an incredible property. When Larry Corman, the CEO, had reached out about this opportunity and he knew of my restaurants in Los Angeles, I immediately jumped at it. I thought the brand was remarkable. There was an alignment with us. I also like how AKA Exadrift just works. It seems very cool and fitting. We launched a drift Mare, which is our take on Mediterranean experience in Miami. It's very fitting. I was just summing off a couple of concepts we developed, restaurants in Dubai. And to me, Miami is the sister city to Dubai. I mean, just to vibe and yes, I know there's a bit more of a Latin flair, obviously, in Miami, but there's an energy and the way that people present themselves in Miami. It's just, it's just like Dubai. There's just this buzz, a lot of hot restaurants. We wanted to come out of the gate with something that was very fitting. We're right on the water. We get these stunning views overlooking the water there. And it's just absolutely remarkable. And in my opinion, one of the most dynamic cities in America right now. So, you know, to be able to do this adrift Mare with aka and to be a part of the property is just incredible. And it's also, by the way, side note, awesome working with you as well, Blake.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, thank you. So listen, interesting. A lot of the hotel geeks that listen to this show know my career and know the chefs that I've worked with in the past. And I've been incredibly fortunate to work with a lot of top name chefs. And I'm so happy to add you to that roster. But you, my friend, are not only amongst the most talented, but you're just one of the most gracious people to work with. And I appreciate that. And people who are listening should know that. You're just a heck of a nice guy. And that's why I'm glad we're talking today. So let's go back to fitness for a second. I love telling this story because you mentioned Larry Corman, who is the founder and CEO of AKA. And you know, when I was what I like to call Courton, when I was Courton with Larry and thinking about joining the organization, he said, Blake, I really want you to meet David Myers. He's going to be the chef for Miami. I love his passion. I love his vision. His ethos aligns with our ethos. I can't wait till you meet him. And then he grins and he goes, And Blake, he's the only chef I know that has an eight pack. I didn't get it at first. I thought he meant like some product you and then he said, No, he's he like he's super fit. And then, of course, I meet you and I start following on Instagram. Dude, you travel internationally every month. You're in kitchens, you're around food. Your schedule is as crazy as mine. Talk to me about the commitment and how you protect time for including fitness in what is a clearly crazy schedule.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well, I gotta tell you, man, it's everything. It's that important. I make it a priority and it's non-negotiable. Like I have my time, I go to the gym. I don't care where I am in the world, I hit it. I just hit it. And if it has to be late after service, that's when I go. If it has to be really early, 4 a.m., that's when I go. Because the reward I get from it, it's remarkable. You know, it again, it enables me to be me. And I need that energy. It's all about creating this great energy, and I need that energy. And so working out has done that. You know, during COVID, I remember I was flying back from Singapore. And at that time, I was on a plane 50 weeks out of the year internationally. I literally lived on aircrafts and different time zones. I was perpetually jet lagged. And I still worked out, but not to the point like I do now. I finally figured it out. I hired the right guy. His name's Kirk Miller. He has a program called Built to Last. It's amazing. I landed back in Los Angeles, last flight out of Singapore. They shut the world down. And I'm like, I had to create three big goals for myself during that period. Otherwise, I was gonna go nuts, right? So one of them was to get in the best shape of my life. And I hired this guy, I did this whole program, I dropped a bunch of fat. I got really ripped and I felt amazing. I'd never done it before. It was a massive win for me. And it was that setting up a goal that was so difficult, achieving it. And then it just was like the next goal and the next goal and the next goal. So the fitness component was not just even about getting fit and getting healthy, but it was also about winning and having these big goals you put forward and achieving them. It's just kind of gone hand in hand with me. And also, you know, I've seen a lot of chefs that are not healthy. Some unfortunately have passed on early, which always hurts to see friends go. A lot of this stuff is preventable in some ways with lifestyle choices and how we take care of ourselves. The problem is when you're in the kitchen and you're working all the time, you have no energy for it. And that's why you have to create that energy through the training. Great point. And it's made all the difference in the world. And I'm going all in on this, Blake. Like I'm creating a brand, a new brand that I want to do that's entirely geared towards wellness and vitality. Still on a, you know, really high level. Well, it's just something, you know, on the Adrift side that is really passionate for me to find a way that we can create an experience that's focused on wellness and vitality. So in Bali, I live in Bali. This is a wellness-oriented island, you know, it's called Island of the Gods. I want to create with our Adrift brand a place, whether it's a small boutique hotel that has the whole FB component that's geared towards wellness and vitality, but something that is centered completely around fitness, the recovery component of that, the cuisine that we'll create. We're going to create something totally different that is still exceptional. Balance is really where it's at. It's not about going off the deep end and being like the full carnivore diet, keto, or this or that. It's about balance, right? And so I want to create a brand that's centered around, you know, all the skills that I've created for all of these years, but around wellness and vitality. That's how impassionate I am. We launched a matcha brand last year. And this matcha brand, you know, matcha is so healthy, right? It's got all these amazing properties. So this kind of kickstarted the idea of how do I bring in all my loves right now, what I do every day, how do I create businesses out of that? Because I'm spending all my time doing it. Let's find another avenue with this to bring it into our brand. So that's what we're working on.
SPEAKER_00:Do you love that intersection of your personal passion of fitness and what the trends are in health and wellness right now? Is that an intersection that you really want to spend time in?
SPEAKER_01:I do. It's, I mean, it's a core part of who I am. And just like travel has been a significant part of who I am, that will continue to play in my brands. I mean, all I'm trying to do is bring out the things that I'm passionate about and I'm enjoying. And that's how I want to build my business around because I find that A, I'm happier doing it. B, I think it resonates with people. They see that authenticity.
SPEAKER_00:Authenticity. Uh-huh. Right? A hundred percent. I see it in you. They feel it. One of the things that I love the most about you is you are your authentic self. And I think what you've just said is something I really want our listeners to double down on, which is the authentic self is what resonates, whether it's in your product, it's in your leadership. Authenticity is a word we need to continue to underpin in what we do.
SPEAKER_01:Now more than ever, Blake. That's something AI will never take away.
SPEAKER_00:Bingo. I love it. Let's go back to food for a second. Yes. What makes a dish truly unforgettable in your eyes?
SPEAKER_01:It comes down to being done as simply as possible, made with a lot of love and great ingredients. And again, as simple as possible. Some of the greatest dishes I've ever had are like one or two items. And, you know, I could say multiple things from Japan or from Italy or whatever, but I find the best food is really something that's been grown with love, unbelievable flavor, done as simply as possible. And I think I got really lucky early on in my life. My grandparents, I spent a lot of time with them. They essentially raised me. I was up in the garden working every summer, like all the time. And here's a cool story. You're gonna love this one. So they had a big garden, and I had to go up and I had to work in the garden and I hated it. I just wanted to be out with my friends, whatever. But we used to have at the end of the long driveway, we had um a little farmer's stand, right? Uh uh, it was a wheelbarrow, and it had like this wooden plank over it, and then all the vegetables that I picked that morning put it out there. And so they started this when I was born, and they basically collected all the money of that over the 18 years to put me through college. Oh, wow. Oh man, it's an unbelievable story. Like they saved up for that. What I got out of it was a couple of things. Number one, I got the value of money. Number two, I understood what a great tomato tastes like. I understood what great zucchini and great corn tasted like. I understood when it wasn't ready, when it was over. And so it really developed my palate. What a gift. Oh man, I'm telling you, priceless. So you ask me, what do I think makes a great dish? I think a great dish is unbelievable ingredients. You do the bare minimum to them. So yeah, you can be as creative as you want bringing this together, but something that's cravable at the end, you're like, I always craved my grandma's food, how she cooked it. I just craved it because it was so good and simple.
SPEAKER_00:You know, it's so interesting. No one has ever dated me for my culinary excellence. I will be honest. I am I am not talented in the kitchen, I will admit. But one of the things I always hear from people like yourself who are just culinary excellence is simplicity. Usually their message is simplicity is normally a gracious example of a good dish. I find that commonality interesting. How do you balance tradition with innovation in your cuisine? You do a lot of traditional stuff, but in a really innovative way. But what's that balance to you?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think for me, the innovation part is just bringing in my creativity, which I want to put my mark on something. I just enjoy it. I'm trying to think of a cool way to do it. But the traditional part is like my foundation. It's my framework of what I'm going to be focused on, how I'm going to work it out. But then I try to bring in, you know, my thoughts around it. So instead of just like a perfect roast chicken, all right, how can we do that with if you're lime leaf, galongol root, some fish sauce, some lime? Like that could be really an epic dish. Maybe you have some forbidden rice that's stuffed inside of the chicken as it roasts and it cooks like that. These are the ways that I think about it. So you take a classic, perfectly done dish and you find your own little tweak on it based on inspiration you've had. For me, my inspiration came from my travels. So being in Singapore, being in Cambodia, some of those ingredients that I just mentioned were from a trip in Cambodia. That's the style, that's where the magic comes in. And that is what makes me excited about cooking.
SPEAKER_00:You just set me up for a question I really wanted to ask you, which is you've worked across many, many cultures. You've put together all these different types of flavors. How do you adapt the flavor without losing the authenticity? And the reason I ask, because you know, I'm the business guy, there's commercial considerations, right? How do you adapt, but still make those what I know have got to be sometimes business decisions?
SPEAKER_01:When I first started, a lot of mentors told me, look, David, you create this, you pick it up, you drop it into Dubai, just as it is. You know, you don't need to change it and all of that stuff, right? I don't know. I don't agree at all. It doesn't work. There's just different eating styles. They don't like this, they don't like that. I approached it from a very different way, Blake. I approached it as we're gonna do what we do, but we want to be in these other countries, we want to be in these other cities and these other cultures. We got to figure out how we're gonna make it succeed in these places. Let's figure out what they like, what they don't like. Would this work? Would this not work? Let's go check out the other restaurants. What are they doing well? What are they not doing well? We do our research, you know. We're not just gonna come in blindly and drop our concept and say, hey, there you go. We're coming in and we're like really thoughtful about it. We know what we want. We're gonna deliver our experience, but our experience doesn't have to be this is the food, black and white, and that's how it is, you like it or you don't, because we won't be in business very long.
SPEAKER_00:What's the biggest challenge in running restaurants across so many different countries and cultures? Yeah, well, where to begin? We're gonna talk about that. We're gonna talk about how you maintain cohesive teams. If your leadership style has to change, so take off, my friend. I want to explore the challenges involved in being a multinational organization like yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Well, first of all, I'm grateful for the challenges and I'm happy to have the opportunity because that was my dream, always international, right? With that said, there's tons of challenges, time zones for one. You know, you've got a global team and you need to stay in touch with them, keep your finger on the pulse. It's like a 24-hour business. Sometimes I have meetings at two in the morning because that's the only time we can do it. And it's terrible for keeping a consistent setup of life, but it is what it is. So that's one. Two, cultures. You think you know about a culture, you don't know anything until you spend some time and you really observe. Experience is the only way you're gonna learn about it. And so sometimes you make some mistakes, sometimes it takes longer to learn or figure something out. So that's a massive challenge. The leadership style is very, very different from country to country. You go to one country and they're very sharp, they're very fast. Other countries, you have to be extremely gentle in every way that you urge them to follow you on how you want to do things. It could be vastly, vastly different.
SPEAKER_00:Give me an example of a time where you've been in a moment and you recognized in that moment, wow, this isn't translating for this particular culture or this particular group. Like, is there ever that moment where in the moment you said to yourself, oh, okay, this isn't going the way I wanted? I need to moderate my style.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Japan is a great one. The Japanese won't say no, even when they mean no. And so I'm creating these dishes and I'm thinking this style is going to work. They just say yes, yes, yes. They know for sure it's absolutely not that this is something that the Japanese don't particularly like. I remember we were, it was our first restaurant, and we also had my whole team coming in. We had our chefers coming from London, and it's a bit more of an intense environment that these guys were coming from. So we're in Japan and they're very, very polite, and they don't say no, but they have deference to you as a leader. And that's not how we want to operate. That's not how we operate. We want the team to buy into what we're doing. We're gonna tell them this is how we do it, but we want them to like be excited by it, right? And be ambassadors for it, not just because we tell them to. It took a lot of time to coach them and coax them to open up a little bit and say, hey, that's not gonna work here in Japan. This style is not going to work in Japan. You can't communicate like this, or you can't showcase the food like this. It's rude because my God, Blake, there are so many unwritten rules in Japan, you can't even really imagine. Yeah. How do you get your head around that? Just being in the culture, being involved? I mean, it's only experience. So it just takes time and it takes those mistakes, and someone kind of whispering in your ear, like, uh, no, no, no, that's that's not how you you do it.
SPEAKER_00:Back to authenticity. Do they respect when you go, okay, I get that doesn't work?
SPEAKER_01:No, because that's cultural.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It's culture, and the leader is the leader, and that's all there is to it. And so actually, no, it's very different than America. It's very, very different from that style. They expect you to have all the answers, and you lead, and that's the way it is. There's no other sort of discussion around it. Things have changed a bit. This is when we first went in. This is like 15 years ago, but things have changed quite a bit now. It's it's become a different place. But there's still a lot of unwritten rules that you don't know about that are cultural there. And also everywhere else, Middle East, different parts of Asia. I don't care where you go. Each country has a different sort of set of style of how they do things. But I love that.
SPEAKER_00:I love learning about that, and it's exciting. So let's be honest, restaurants are a tough business, right? Oh my gosh, brutal. I read a stat the other day. 75% of new restaurants fail within the first year.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. You have gone from being the culinary star in the kitchen to also being an industry-leading restaurateur. What advice do you give to folks, chefs, if you will, that want to transfer from the kitchen to being their own restaurateur? They want to own their own business. Talk to me about your advice to the businessman that wants to run a restaurant.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think you need to find a good advisor, a good mentor, somebody that really tells you how it is and learn as much as you can from them. That's number one. I think you should get on the phone or reach out to other successful restaurateurs that have done it. Ask them how they did, fly in and meet with them, you know, have a coffee, whatever it takes, you know, just spend some time with people that have been there and done that and, you know, have some questions prepared and figure out what it is that you really want to learn. The best way is to get in and do it. Like I said, if I knew all the difficulties, I don't know that I would have ever gone into this business. I don't think I would do this business now. If this, if I had to start over right now, I wouldn't want to do this business. Interesting. Really? Oh, I don't think so, man. I think it's um surprises me. Yeah. Well, look, I'm not saying that I would change anything about what I've done. I love everything that I've done, man. It's what I was meant to do. But I think it's too hard. I'm saying it's starting at 51 to start over and to build that up again. I don't know that I could be in the kitchen for 18 hours a day and that's what I mean.
SPEAKER_00:That I get 100%.
SPEAKER_01:I would still want to create concepts. I would still want to create restaurants. I'd still want to be global. Like, not none of that would change. It's just more about, I don't know that I could hang, you know. I think you got to get out there, get really clear about what you want to do more than ever. I we talked about this three times now. This is the third time this word's coming up, but I think you got to be as authentic as possible about what you're doing. You've got to have a point of view with what you're doing and your concept that is unlike anybody else. And you got to like believe in it to no end. Go, you're you're gonna go to Mars with this thing. You just have to believe in it so much. And then you will find a way. You will find a way. If it's really important for you, you will find a way and you will do it.
SPEAKER_00:What I'm loving about this series is you are about the third entrepreneur that I've spoken to in this series, where fitness bubbled up as a common theme and where networking bubbled up as a common theme. You know, in in another episode, we talk about uh young entrepreneurs that might want to start their own bed and breakfast or inn and how accessing capital is an issue. And, you know, the guest, David Bowd, really talked through man, you got to get out there and network with people in the finance business. And oh, by the way, if you're a hotel beer, that might not be the people you normally interact with. So this theme of network, find an advisor, talk to people, that's such a common theme, I think, and I hope a theme that our listeners are picking up on. Networking. Get out there, talk to people. Don't do it alone. Get advice. I love that advice from you. I really do.
SPEAKER_01:You've nailed it, Blake. And I think you're good at that, actually. I mean, you're you're so good at connecting and talking to people and finding if you don't know something, you're gonna find someone who does know it. Part of that goes to that curiosity and being fearless, just going for it, forget about you know how you look or worrying about mistakes on it. You just you go after it. And I I will always say this I my grandmother said this to me, and I really love that. She goes, if you really want it, you'll do it. If you don't, you won't. But if you really, really want it, you'll find a way. Because none of it's easy. No, man. And that's why you have to make sure that it's worth it, you know, and that you're doing what you love, and at least for me.
SPEAKER_00:Let's talk about our shared passion. Travel. Oh, yes. When did you realize that travel was your passion and everything that it gave you?
SPEAKER_01:My first trip internationally, I moved to France. That was my first trip. My first stamp in my passport, I literally moved to France. And I went there to go work. I was so excited to be in a different culture where I heard a different language, to be around, you know, I'm just observing the people. Oh my God. And that was it. I had the bug. That was, it was, it was done. Done. Then I would say it really ramped up and I had to really evaluate what I wanted to do in America and how I was going to get to become global. And that was after my first trip to Asia. You're going to love this story. You'll appreciate this. So I just started my first executive chef job in Los Angeles at a hotel at the time. It was a boutique hotel. It was one of the best called Lermatage Hotel. Of course. And knew it well. Super hot. Raffles bought that hotel. Raffles from Singapore, famed hotel. Bought that hotel the second day that I was there. So their acquisition team flew over. They met with the GM first and then they met with me, which I was like, why are you meeting with me? And they're like, Do you know about our brand? 60% of our revenue comes from FB. 40% comes from rooms. You're on a plane to Singapore tomorrow. I'm like, Singapore? Oh my God. That sounds amazing. And so they're like, we want you to create a new concept for us. We're going to send you to Cambodia, to Thailand, to Japan, all of these places. Come to Singapore and you're on a plane tomorrow. I want a plane the next day. I went and I fell in love with Asia and just, it's so different. It was so different than anything that I had ever experienced. And I'm like, I'm doing this. I don't care what it takes. I'm getting restaurants around this. And then it was just never, it was never ending. You know, I love the flights. I love the different airport lounges. I love the jet lag. I love um, you know, hearing the different languages.
SPEAKER_00:We do. We're a glutton for punishment.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, man. I'm telling you, you know how it is. I do.
SPEAKER_00:Interesting that Raffles identified you that quickly.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I mean, I it wasn't about me. I think it was just luck, but it took off. Interestingly, that restaurant, it was called Jean. It was the precursor to my very first restaurant, Sona. Interestingly, Jean opened to become one of the top restaurants in Singapore. And I hoped to launch that originally with the chef that they had. It wasn't my menu or anything, but I flew over and helped them. But Jean in LA was J-A-A-N was like the precursor to Sona. And it enabled me to going to Asia and being on that trip changed everything for me. I found my own style. I found the heartbeat to what I wanted to do. I knew this was the direction. I came back and I launched, and that's when I first started getting noticed. Food and wine, et cetera, launched my restaurant.
SPEAKER_00:So I say this all the time about my career. I think I'm a talented guy. I think I work hard. I think I'm kind of smart, but I've never downplayed the role luck had in my career. Sometimes I was just at the right place at the right time. And we can talk all day long about if you make your own luck, et cetera, et cetera. But I've always been so grateful that, you know, at some points in my career, it was just a symbiotic of talent and chutzpah and a little bit of luck, maybe, you know. Nothing wrong with that. Take advantage of it when it presents itself.
SPEAKER_01:100%. I mean, you could have said it any better. I'll take luck any day. I also think, you know, maybe this is a little more spiritual side because I'm in Bali and we've got incense burning and it's other gods. But man, I truly believe that the moment you put it out there, you know, you put it out there, whether it's in the universe in your own mind, whatever it is. I really believe this. Goethe talked about this, the great Austrian philosopher. The moment you put it out there, providence moves and everything comes to help you. And I really believe that. And I think that's luck. I think it's part of you're putting that energy out there and people are getting behind you with it. And man, that is what also motivates me. That is also what drives me. That gives me energy and excitement.
SPEAKER_00:David, as we wrap up today, I'm I'm looking at your bio and I'm looking at all the restaurants you've been associated with and all the many TV appearances you've done, top chef, master chef US, Hills Kitchen. I'm looking at your list of accolades, Michelin, James Beard. What gives you the most joy? I mean, you you're kicking on so many fronts right now. You're doing TV, you're in new restaurants, you're running business. What gives you the most joy?
SPEAKER_01:Wow, that's a really intense question that I actually haven't given a lot of thought to. There's a lot of things, but I would say creating something, seeing it come to life, and that magic that happens sometimes, not always, but sometimes where everything comes together just right, where the guests are loving it, the team is dialed in, you can see that spark cranking, and you know you're building to something bigger, not just in one place, but you're looking to grow this and you know it's got legs for that. Knowing that all that work, all that energy, all of that late night, waking up in the middle of the night, wondering if it's the right idea, wondering if you're on the right track is all coming together. That's where I say it brings me joy, brings me happiness. And the other part would be just working with insane talent. They make it come to life, you know, the team and makes me a better person. And I really love that. I'm not kidding you. I really, really love to be around talented, high-energy driven people that have skills that I don't have. And I'm always in awe. I'm like, oh my God, how did you do that? So those are some things that I think I'll take with me to the very end, and I'll be very grateful for having those moments.
SPEAKER_00:So you are a Michelin-starred chef, an industry highlight. I'm a first-time podcaster, but I am so inspired by you that it was all the Hutzpah I could muster to reach out to you and say, Would you do my little podcast? And you were so gracious to immediately say, Yes, Blake, I will do it. I want to sit down, let's have a chat. Which you didn't have to do, by the way. So thank you for your gracious acceptance. It means a lot to me. Here's what I admire the most about you. You're not only a creative force, but you are so authentic. You are who you are. You walk the talk. I follow you on Instagram. I see you in the gym. I see you traveling. I see you meeting with your teens. And I'm like, this is a guy I want to learn more about. And so thank you for sharing today. I really appreciate it. I have a final question for you. It's a biggie. Yes. What do you hope your legacy will be?
SPEAKER_01:I've given that some thought too. I would say that I hope I've shown that never giving up, trying to do the right thing, and being really, really focused on bringing some magic to life for not just creation, but also people, most importantly, and making an impact there. That for me is what I'm hoping I've achieved and creating some pretty cool stuff along the way.
SPEAKER_00:David Myers, Gypsy Chef, thank you for spending time with me today on Hotel Daddy. I appreciate you.
SPEAKER_01:Blake, it's such an honor, man. I'm so excited to be a part of this. And thank you so much for reaching out and even considering me to be on this. It's so special, and I'm excited, and I just know this is going to be massive for you. You were meant to do this. So thank you so much for letting me be on your show. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:And I'm going to see you over Art Basel in Miami. Talk to you later, my friend. Gaway. Thanks, Blake. Thanks for listening to Hotel Daddy with your host, Blake Danner. Be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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