On this week’s Chefs Without Restaurants podcast I have chef Pailin Chongchitnant, host of the YouTube channel Pailin’s Kitchen, and author of the companion website Hot Thai Kitchen. She recently released her 2nd cookbook, Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week. This episode is for you if you’ve wanted to learn to cook Thai food.
On This Week’s Podcast
This episode is a primer on Thai food and cooking. She dispels some Thai food myths, and shares her top five items for stocking a Thai pantry at home. We discuss why she was compelled to write another cookbook, and she shares how she grew her YouTube channel to over 1.5 million subscribers and almost 170 million views.
As always, the episode link is below, and the podcast is available on all platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pandora)
Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Pailin Chongchitnant
On this week’s podcast, I discuss the dangers of free work for personal chefs. As a personal chef, my business is centered around providing my clients with a restaurant-style experience in the comfort of their own home. This includes personalized menus, table service, and even bringing my own cooking equipment and dishware. However, one mistake I made in the early days of my business was thinking that attending events and giving out free food was a good way to market myself and attract paying customers. In this post, I’ll share some of my experiences with this approach and why I believe it ultimately doesn’t work.
The Problems with Free Work
One of the main issues with doing free work is that it can be difficult to effectively showcase your skills and services when you’re limited to a small, sample-sized portion of food at an event. My business is based on providing an in-home dining experience with personalized menus and table service, which is not something that can be easily translated to a six-foot table in a mall on a Sunday afternoon. Additionally, the caliber of food I’m able to give away for free is not going to be on par with what I’m able to serve at a full-scale dinner event.
Another issue with free work is that it can be time-consuming and costly. For example, I once paid to have a table at an event and gave out hundreds of portions of free food, only to have people come by, grab a bite, and move on to the next table without taking a business card or showing any real interest in hiring me. Similarly, I was once convinced to do a dinner on a boat, which involved a lot of time and effort setting up and preparing food on a grill. While I had hoped to get some exposure to food media and potentially land some gigs as a result, the event ended up being a disaster and I didn’t end up getting any new business out of it.
The Better Alternative
Simply put…Don’t do it. After experiencing a number of failures with this approach, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not necessary (or even effective) to do free work in order to succeed in business. I’ve found that my skills and services are valuable enough that I don’t need to give them away for free in order to attract paying customers. Over the past five years, my side hustle has become my primary source of income, and I’ve been able to build a successful business without having to attend expos or work for free.
Final Take-away
Doing free work as a personal chef (or in any creative or service-based business) is not a successful marketing strategy. While it may seem like a good way to get in front of potential customers, it’s ultimately time-consuming, costly, and might not effectively showcase your skills and services. Instead, focus on the value you can provide to your clients and charge accordingly. This will not only help you build a successful business, but it will also help you attract the right kind of clients who are willing to pay for your services.
Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Chefs Without Restaurants
This week my podcast guest is Emmanuel Laroche. Emmanuel has more than 20 years in the food ingredient industry, and is currently in charge of marketing for a company that manufactures flavors for food and beverage companies like Unilever and Nestle.
In 2018 Emmanuel launched the Flavors Unknown podcast. Every other week he speaks to the chefs, pastry chefs, and bartenders who are creating tomorrow’s trends. Full disclosure… I was a guest this Spring, and you can hear me on episode 65.
On This Week’s Podcast
Emmanuel has a master’s degree in organic chemistry, and an internship for his MBA led him to this career in flavor manufacturing. On the show, you’ll hear his origin story. We also talk about his podcast, how and why he started it, and some takeaways from the guests he’s had on his show. Some of his guests include chefs Andrew McLeod, Levon Wallace, Philip Spear, Misti Norris, and today he’s releasing an episode with pastry chef François Payard.
This Week’s Sponsor
Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week’s sponsor is Savory Jobs, a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job postings for an entire year. Use discount code SAVORY10 to save 10%
Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Emmanuel Laroche and Flavors Unknown
If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have ever received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
This week my guest is chef Keith Sarasin. With his business, The Farmers Dinner, Keith and other guest chefs bring a multi-course dinner out to the farms of New England. Keith also has a deep love and respect for Indian cooking, which he expresses through his Indian-inspired pop-up experience Aatma. On his More Than Masala podcast, he and co-host Ragini of Third Culture Cooks, take a deep dive into a singular spice. And while we didn’t even get into it on the show, Keith has published a number of cookbooks.
On this episode, we discuss farm-to-table cooking, and being a responsible chef as it relates to your community and the environment. We talk about food waste, educating your customers, cultural appropriation, and mental health. And of course, we talk about Indian cooking, and his podcast.
This Week’s Sponsor
Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week’s sponsor is Savory Jobs, a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job postings for an entire year. Use discount code SAVORY10 to save 10%
Maine Lobster – Quark & Spring Garlic Stuffed Morels -Sumac Shoots – Brown Butter Milk Crumbs – Spring Carrot Purée- Tamarack Needles
Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Keith Sarasin
If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have ever received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
This week my guest is Jonathan Bardzik. He’s a storyteller, cook, and author. He’s a performer, speaking and cooking for private and corporate audiences, creating customized experiences that build connection. He’s appeared with more than 900 audiences, been on the TedX stage, written 4 books, and his new television series, Jonathan’s Kitchen: Seasons to Taste recently debuted on Revry. His work has been covered by USAToday, The Washington Post, and Food Network Magazine. Overcoming hurdles, including once setting the Christmas dinner table on fire, Jonathan celebrates 10 years in business this month.
On This Week’s Podcast
On the show, we talk about how he started his cooking and speaking career, and he shares his advice on how you can start too. We discuss why he wanted to write cookbooks, and some tips for those listeners who might want to do the same. We talk about his new TV show, and improvisation while speaking and cooking. Jonathan also explains what the joy premium is, and how it’s related to charging for your work. How much joy does a dinner bring you? If you’re excited about an event, maybe you’d be ok with charging less. If it seems like the client might be challenging, and this is just a transactional event, you’d better get that money. What are your thought’s? Feel free to comment on Facebook, Instagram or shoot me a DM or email.
And next week is episode 100. I think this is quite the milestone. The episode will still be about food, but my guest is an actor whose resume includes the TV show Cobra Kai. Intrigued? Come back next week.
Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Jonathan Bardzik
If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, , or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
