Chef on a Mission Radio

How to Buffer The Price of Local Food

It's no secret that you get what you pay for. We all know that good food cost money. But sometimes it's just tough to pay more for something. For example, going to the store to buy organic baby spinach versus going to the farmers market for organic baby spinach. I would almost guarantee that the farmers market is more expensive. But I'm going to tell you something that's going to save you money in this episode. Something you may have never thought of. It's going to make you feel a lot better about spending more.

Speak Up

Many of us underestimate the power of one person speaking up. We underestimate the impact of our own voice and opinions. Many of us think we can't make a difference. In reality, making change is a progression of small steps. I urge you to speak up when it comes to your health. Let the places know where you buy food how important real food is. Whether it's the local independent market, the big grocery chain, or the restaurant you're eating at. Ultimately it helps them gauge the market. But the real power comes when you can influence another person to make a difference. This very thing happened to me as a young chef. I must've been 24 years old at the time. And one person had a conversation with me about sourcing a better ingredient. Little did this person know at the time that sustainability would become my career passion. That one person speaking up has directly impacted every guest that I've cooked for since 1999. Every single person has got a better quality meal because of the changes I've made from that one person speaking up. Don't be afraid of speaking up! One person can make a BIG difference!

Chicken Buying Guide 101

Buying chicken can be confusing. There are lots of options. And you would never know because the labels are confusing. Is the chicken meat soaked in a sodium solution to gain weight, is it soaked in chlorine? What does “natural” or “free roaming” really mean. Does organic chicken still have chlorine in it? I'll talk about all this and more...

The Easy Way To Eat Right

Want to know the easy way to eat healthily? In reality, everybody wants to know the easy way. It's the way the human brain is wired. However, it's not so easy to eat healthy with all Of the culprit foods in our face. Bad food is everywhere. It's in every restaurant we go into, Every grocery store, even the office snack bar, and of course in our houses. I'm going to talk about one thing that will transform your eating habits. Just one simple thing. Enjoy the episode.

Organic Wine

Wine is confusing to begin with. And “organic” wine is more confusing. It's actually not fair how confusing it is. And the wine professionals are confused too. Wine shops are confused. Well let's end the confusion. Chances are if you bought organic wine in the past it might not have been as organic as you think. If you want to drink organic wine then this show episode is for you.

Support Local Food All Winter

Most consumers think that farmers' markets in the north only exist in the summer. The arrival of winter makes most chefs give up the search for local. Well, that shouldn't be the case at all. Most areas of the US have vibrant winter crops and/or storage crops. And the offerings go way beyond vegetables. In this episode, I'll recap the local farm hub list of local goods!

Something you need to know about seafood sustainability certifications

One would assume you can trust a third-party certification organization. No matter what product they are endorsing. But really how legitimate are any of these organizations? Well when it comes to seafood let's take a look. And what exactly does a third-party sustainable certification mean.

What Most People Don‘t Know About Food Poisoning

All of us have experienced food poisoning to some extent. And many of us have experienced it several times. So all of us have formed our own opinions on the topic. With that being said there are a lot of misconceptions still about food poisoning. And I would say the majority of people, if not all, blame the wrong meal and/or food for making them sick. In this episode, I'll cover lots of things that you should know and do if you experience foodborne illness. Including how to handle the topic with a restaurant that may have gotten you sick.

The Fish That Causes Cancer

Don't listen to your doctor! If your doctor says eat more fish because it's helthy for you then you better ask more questions. All fish is not created equal, especially salmon. There is a massive difference in farmed vs wild salmon. Like so massive that you the farmed version may be causing cancer. Yes you read that right. So if your doctor says to eat salmon in general then be very careful. He or she really means eat the pure wild version, not the toxic farmed version.

What Everybody Thought They Knew About Pasture Raised Beef

What is the true definition of grass-fed beef? There are even a vast amount of chefs and restaurant owners that don't know the true definition of grass-fed beef. And this even includes many celebrity chefs. This is super important if you are eating grass-fed beef for the advanced nutritional benefits. For more information on grass and beef, I suggest reading the book why Grass Fed is Best by Jo Robinson.