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Walk-In Talk Podcast
30 episodes
Chef Anthony Santos: What I Survived Didn't Define Me
Ep 212 · Aug 14, 2026 · 54 min
Content Advisory: This episode contains a candid conversation about childhood abuse, domestic violence, trauma, and a past suicide attempt. Some listeners may find portions of this discussion difficult. Listener discretion is advised. For the first time publicly, Chef Anthony Santos tells the story behind the man and chef he has become. Anthony grew up in a home marked by years of physical and emotional abuse. As a child, he stepped between his stepfather and his mother and younger siblings, oft…
Chef Felicia Lacalle: Addiction, Faith & Rebuilding Her Life
Ep 211 · Aug 7, 2026 · 45 min
Chef Felicia Lacalle's story is about much more than food. The Tampa chef and partner at Quiote Tequilaria sits down with Walk-In Talk Podcast for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, divorce, single motherhood, failed partnerships, financial hardship, faith, and the long road back to herself. Felicia began cooking at a young age, inspired by her mother, her Mexican and Cuban heritage, and even childhood afternoons watching Julia Child. She went on to graduate from Johnson & Wales, spend…
Cyclospora, Taylor Farms and the Produce Safety Crisis | Inside Food Safety EP.5
Ep 210 · Aug 5, 2026 · 41 min
One of the largest Cyclospora outbreaks in U.S. history has placed fresh produce safety under the national spotlight. In this episode of Inside Food Safety, presented by Testo North America, Carl Fiadini and co-host Eric Moore are joined by nationally recognized produce safety expert Kiley Harper-Larsen, M.S., Owner of The Ag Safety Lady and a food safety executive with more than two decades of experience spanning farms, processing facilities, audits, crisis management and regulatory compliance.…
Inside Food Safety Ep.4 | LIVE from New Orleans | Bocuse d'Or, LRA, IAFP & the Future of Hospitality
Ep 209 · Jul 30, 2026 · 27 min
Recorded live in New Orleans during an unprecedented week that brought together the Louisiana Restaurant Association Expo, Bocuse d'Or USA, and the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), this special edition of Inside Food Safety explores the unseen systems that protect some of the world's greatest restaurants. Host Carl Fiadini is joined by Chef Sean "Pooch" Rivera and Eric Moore of Testo North America for a conversation on why food safety has become one of the most critical ingr…
Chef Christian Gill: The Art of Reinvention
Ep 208 · Jul 26, 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Chef Christian Gill's story is about far more than restaurants, television, or beating Bobby Flay. It is a story of identity, loss, resilience, and learning how to rebuild when life changes without warning. Raised by a single mother in Lexington, Kentucky, Christian found his creative voice through theater before earning the title of chef through years of hard work in professional kitchens. He created ambitious culinary experiences at the Cincinnati Art Museum, helped build Boomtown Biscuits & W…
The Live Fire Report | Episode 1: German Engineering Meets Live Fire — The Grillrost Story
Ep 207 · Jul 24, 2026 · 20 min
The Live Fire Report with Frederic Casagrande Episode 1 What happens when engineering meets live-fire cooking? In the premiere episode of The Live Fire Report, BBQ champion and pitmaster Frederic Casagrande travels to Château Grillrost in France to sit down with the family behind Grillrost—one of Europe's most innovative live-fire cooking companies. Rather than competing with the biggest grill manufacturers, Grillrost has built its reputation by solving the problems pitmasters encounter every da…
Chef Peter Garces: Everything the Fire Couldn't Take
Ep 206 · Jul 17, 2026 · 57 min
Chef Peter Garces didn't open By The Chef Pizza because he needed another job. He built it from the remains of a life that had been completely disrupted. Peter grew up in Brooklyn, where his earliest connection to food came from watching his mother cook. That sense of childhood wonder eventually became a serious culinary pursuit, taking him through culinary school, restaurant kitchens, and some of New York's most respected pizza operations. At Roberta's, he was unexpectedly left alone in front o…
Chef Matt Lawson: When Every Detour Leads to Purpose | Ep. 205
Ep 205 · Jul 10, 2026 · 48 min
Chef Matt Lawson's life never followed a straight line. For years, he questioned why his path kept moving through entrepreneurship, restaurants, private-chef work, hotels, professional sports, banking, medical innovation, and some painfully difficult seasons. Only now are those pieces beginning to make sense. In Episode 205, Matt shares how a teenage swim-lesson business led him to Dave Ramsey—and how one unexpected answer changed his future: "I'd be a chef." He had never worked in a professiona…
Chef Ferrell Alvarez: Built from Survival, Driven by Belief | Ep. 204
Ep 204 · Jul 3, 2026 · 60 min
Chef Ferrell Alvarez has helped shape modern Tampa dining through Proper House Group, the team behind Rooster & the Till, Ash, Alter Ego, Gallito Taqueria, and Dang Dude. But Episode 204 is not just about restaurants. It is about the life that built the chef. Ferrell sits down with Carl Fiadini for one of the most personal conversations in Walk-In Talk history, tracing his path from a fifteen-year-old dishwasher to one of Florida's most respected chef-owners. The conversation moves through mento…
Inside Food Safety Ep. 3 | A $20,000 Alert: How One Notification Saved a Restaurant
Ep 203 · Jun 27, 2026 · 26 min
What happens when a single notification prevents thousands of dollars in product loss? In Episode 3 of Inside Food Safety, we're on location at The Tampa Club with Executive Chef Thomas Mandzik and Eric Moore from Testo North America to discuss a real incident that occurred just one week after a new automated temperature monitoring system was installed. While away from the restaurant, Chef Thomas received an alert that a walk-in cooler wasn't operating normally. What initially appeared to be a m…
Chef Sherief Shawky: From Egypt to Unox, A Journey Built on Opportunity
Ep 202 · Jun 19, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Chef Sherief Shawky's journey is anything but conventional. Raised between Virginia and Egypt, Sherief's path began in a family-owned pizzeria before taking him through some of the industry's most demanding kitchens, working alongside award-winning chefs, opening restaurants, leading culinary teams, and ultimately becoming Corporate Chef and Team Leader for North America at Unox. In this episode, Sherief shares the experiences that shaped him—from learning to leave his ego at the door, navigatin…
Chef Thomas Mandzik on our 200th Episode Celebration Party, Community, and His Next Chapter in Texas | Ep. 201
Ep 201 · Jun 12, 2026 · 50 min
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-6951710a-0184-832c-9d32-bda2c450a8ea-0" data-turn-id-container= "request-6951710a-0184-832c-9d32-bda2c450a8ea-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-1204" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn= "assistant"> Episode 201 picks up just days after Walk-In Talk Media…
One Year Later: Chef Elijah Rock on Leadership, Fatherhood, and Letting Go of Control | Walk-In Talk Podcast Ep. 200
Ep 200 · Jun 5, 2026 · 34 min
Almost exactly one year ago, Chef Elijah Rock joined Walk-In Talk Media to discuss the early stages of building Bricks and navigating life as a new restaurant owner. A lot can change in a year. In Episode 200, Elijah returns to reflect on what the last twelve months have taught him about leadership, delegation, fatherhood, burnout, trust, and the reality of restaurant ownership beyond what guests see from the dining room. The conversation explores the pressure that comes with building something…
Inside Food Safety Ep. 2: The Most Dangerous Words in Hospitality, "We've Always Done It This Way"
Ep 199 · May 29, 2026 · 29 min
In Episode 2 of Inside Food Safety, Eric Moore of Testo North America returns to discuss one of the biggest threats facing restaurants today, not a single catastrophic mistake, but the slow erosion of standards through complacency. From leadership and food safety culture to burnout, staffing challenges, and operational blind spots, Eric and Carl explore how small shortcuts can become dangerous habits when accountability begins to slip. The conversation also examines why the phrase "We've always…
Inside the NRA Show 2026: Chicago, Royal Cup Coffee, and the Energy Behind Hospitality with Ashley Peeples
Ep 198 · May 25, 2026 · 36 min
Episode 198 – NRA Show Chicago Recap The National Restaurant Association Show always brings the food industry together at the highest level, and this year in Chicago was no exception. From nonstop movement on the show floor, to conversations with operators, chefs, manufacturers, and hospitality leaders from across the country, Episode 198 captures the energy, relationships, and momentum that continue to shape the future of foodservice. A huge thank you to Royal Cup Coffee & Tea for partnering wi…
From New Orleans to Con Amor: Chef Taylor Dillon on Mexican Food, Identity, and Building with Purpose
Ep 197 · May 8, 2026 · 42 min
Chef Taylor Dillon's path into Mexican cuisine wasn't traditional, and that's exactly what makes this conversation interesting. Born and raised in New Orleans, trained in some of New York's most demanding kitchens including Daniel and Jean-Georges, Taylor eventually found himself completely immersed in the craft, history, and technique behind Mexican food. What started as curiosity turned into obsession, studying nixtamalization, grinding corn from scratch, and building a deeper understanding of…
Inside Food Safety Ep. 1: What Kitchens Get Wrong
Ep 196 · May 4, 2026 · 31 min
Inside Food Safety is a recurring monthly segment on the Walk-In Talk Podcast. This is the first one. The inaugural episode of our Inside Food Safety segment, and it starts with a conversation every kitchen needs to hear. Eric Moore joins us, food safety expert with Testo North America, bringing real-world insight into what food safety actually looks like in practice. Not theory, not checklists, but the daily decisions that protect your team, your product, and the people you serve. Because food…
Living with Endometriosis in Hospitality | Ciji Castro on Pain, Advocacy, and Showing Up
Ep 195 · May 1, 2026 · 44 min
What does it look like to keep showing up when your body is working against you? In Episode 195, Ciji Castro returns to the show for one of the most personal conversations we've had. Ciji is currently battling stage four endometriosis, a disease that affects millions of women, yet remains widely misunderstood, especially in high-pressure industries like hospitality. And still, she shows up. Still cooking. Still creating. Still pushing forward. This episode goes beyond the plate. We talk about wh…
Shooting Wasn't Enough | John Hernandez on Food Styling, RAK, and Owning the Plate
Ep 194 · Apr 24, 2026 · 29 min
What happens when the person behind the camera starts understanding the plate better than ever before? Episode 194 is a different kind of conversation. No guest rotation. No outside voice. Just Carl Fiadini and John Hernandez, the creative force behind the lens at Walk-In Talk Media. Over the last year, John's role has evolved in a way most people wouldn't expect. He's still behind the camera. But through Walk-In Talk Media's relationship with RAK Porcelain USA, the expectations changed. The opp…
Mike Lombardi & Chef Stephen Hicks on Seafood, Trust, and Building Real Vendor Relationships
Ep 193 · Apr 17, 2026 · 45 min
What does a real vendor relationship actually look like? In Episode 193, Mike Lombardi, third-generation seafood distributor behind a 65-year family business, joins Chef Stephen Hicks in studio for a conversation that goes far beyond product and price. This episode dives into what really drives long-term success in the restaurant industry, trust, accountability, and understanding the pressure on both sides of the line. From early mornings on the docks to high-pressure moments in the kitchen, Mik…
John Marino (RAK Porcelain USA) & Chef Thomas Mandzik — Leadership, Trust, and the Long Game in Hospitality
Ep 192 · Apr 10, 2026 · 49 min
Most people see the finished plate. Very few understand everything that had to go right before it got there. Episode 192 pulls that curtain back. John Marino, President of RAK Porcelain USA, joins the show for a conversation rooted in experience — from operations and manufacturing to leading a growing organization built on long-term thinking and real partnerships. This isn't theory. It's pressure-tested. From solving problems at the ground level to reshaping how a company scales, John breaks dow…
Cameras, Kitchens, and What Drives Attention in Restaurants: Chef Nelly Buleje & Leigh Wilson
Ep 191 · Apr 3, 2026 · 43 min
There's a shift happening in the restaurant industry. It's not just about what's on the plate anymore. That part is expected. The real question now is what actually gets seen, what connects, and what ultimately brings people through the door. In Episode 191, we bring two perspectives together to unpack that. Chef Nelly Buleje of Timpano joins us in the studio. With a career rooted in large-scale hotel operations and shaped by a wide range of culinary influences, he now leads inside a focused, hi…
Precision in the Kitchen: Chef Thomas Mandzik & Aaron Sharpe with Testo, and the Systems Behind Food Safety and Consistency
Ep 190 · Mar 27, 2026 · 55 min
Episode 190 — Description Precision isn't a luxury in the kitchen. It's the standard. Episode 190 brings that into focus with Chef Thomas Mandzik of The Tampa Club and Aaron Sharpe of Testo North America. This conversation moves beyond the plate and into the systems behind it. Temperature, consistency, accountability. The details that don't always get seen, but dictate everything. Chef Mandzik breaks down how structure and discipline shape execution in a professional kitchen, while Aaron Sharpe…
Food, Media, and the Modern Chef, Alexandria Ebron, Chef Jason F. Lynn
Ep 189 · Mar 20, 2026 · 53 min
Food doesn't just live on the plate anymore. It lives in media. Episode 189 brings together two sides of that reality, how food is created, and how it's seen. Featured guest Alexandria Ebron, Brand Manager for The Zest and Classical WSMR, part of the NPR ecosystem at WUSF and the University of South Florida, shares her path from blogging and Creative Loafing to helping shape food stories across the state. Her perspective lives in the day-to-day of content creation, covering restaurants, building…
Food Media vs. The Kitchen: NPR's Dalia Colon & Michelin Chef Michael Collantes
Ep 188 · Mar 6, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Who decides which food stories get told? In Episode 188 of the Walk-In Talk Podcast, Host, Carl welcomes Dalia Colon, Executive Producer and Host of The Zest, the NPR-affiliated food podcast produced by WUSF on the University of South Florida campus. With more than 300 episodes produced, Dalia has helped shape how Florida's food culture is documented through public media. Her work blends journalism, food history, and storytelling, highlighting the chefs, farmers, traditions, and communities that…
From Bayou Roots to Michelin Standards: Food Media, Creative Loafing & Chef Michael Collantes
Ep 187 · Feb 27, 2026 · 56 min
Food is not content. It's memory. It's identity. It's standards. Leigh Wilson, Marketing Director of Creative Loafing in Tampa Bay, grew up in a small Cajun bayou town in South Louisiana where everything happened in the kitchen. The family hunted. They grew their own food. Decisions were made at the table. When you grow up ten minutes from the water, you understand that food is not a trend. It's survival. It's culture. It's truth. Now she helps shape how an entire region talks about restaurants,…
How Restaurants Really Get Their Food: Distribution, Sourcing, and Trust with Tony Cuba & Chef Cody Tiner
Ep 186 · Feb 20, 2026 · 52 min
Most people think the restaurant industry starts in the kitchen. It doesn't. It starts with sourcing. With buying decisions. With what shows up at the back door. This week, Carl sits down with Tony Cuba, Buyer for Halpern's Steak and Seafood in Orlando, alongside Chef Cody Tiner, chef-owner of District South. Tony brings nearly 21 years of distribution experience to the table. From packing product on the warehouse floor to working in outside sales and eventually stepping into buying, he understa…
From Fine Dining to Disaster Relief, Chef Ryan Yost on Feeding People When It Matters Most
Ep 185 · Feb 13, 2026 · 55 min
This week on the Walk-In Talk Podcast, Chef Ryan Yost joins us in studio after traveling from Western North Carolina to Lakeland for a full production day. Ryan is a chef-manager with Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization providing disaster relief through food, clean water, medical care, and rebuilding efforts. His path has taken him from fine dining kitchens to feeding communities in crisis across the U.S., Jamaica, and Ukraine. In this episode, we explore what it means…
Chef Thomas Parker on Running a Floating Fine-Dining Restaurant in Tampa Bay
Ep 184 · Feb 6, 2026 · 31 min
This week on the Walk-In Talk Podcast, we step off solid ground and into one of the most demanding kitchens you can run. Chef Thomas Parker, Executive Chef with Manthey Hospitality, joins us on location aboard Craft, a fine-dining cocktail and food river cruise operating in Tampa Bay. Running a restaurant on a moving vessel changes everything. Space is limited. Storage is on land. Service is compressed into a two-hour window. Once the boat leaves the dock, there are no second chances. Chef Parke…
Showing Up When It's Hard, Leadership, Consistency, and the Chef Who Gets the Call: Kevin Rasberry
Ep 183 · Jan 30, 2026 · 34 min
This week on the Walk-In Talk Podcast, we sit down with Kevin Rasberry, a chef whose work often begins when things are already broken. Kevin is the Director of Culinary and Executive Chef at The Grove at Trelago, and in recent months he's been sent across Florida, Clearwater, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee, stepping into kitchens after chefs quit, teams fractured, or leadership gaps appeared. He's the chef who gets the call when stability and execution matter most. Joining the conversation in stu…
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