No Pretension, Just Passion: Chef Andy Nassar of Keel Farms
The conversation today centers around the culinary journey of Chef Andy Nassar from Keel Farm, as he shares his insights on the art of cooking, mentorship, and the evolution of the restaurant industry. A particular highlight of our discussion is Chef Nassar's creative approach to traditional dishes, exemplified by his innovative take on bibimbap, which harmoniously blends Korean flavors with Southern barbecue influences. Additionally, we delve into the intricacies of another dish, moqueca, as he reflects on the cultural influences that shape his culinary style. Chef Nassar emphasizes the importance of passion and authenticity in cooking, advocating for a balance between creativity and the fundamental essence of food. Join us as we explore the passion that drives Chef Nassar and the future of dining at Keel Farm.
Takeaways:
- Chef Andy Nassar's culinary journey exemplifies the importance of passion and creativity in the kitchen.
- The integration of local ingredients and cultural influences is pivotal in Chef Andy's approach to menu development.
- Chef Andy emphasizes the significance of mentorship within the culinary industry to inspire the next generation of chefs.
- The podcast discusses how Chef Andy blends traditional dishes like bibimbap with local flavors to create unique culinary experiences.
- In the conversation, Chef Andy reflects on the balance of maintaining authenticity while pushing creative boundaries in cooking.
- The episode highlights the role of media and social platforms in shaping contemporary dining experiences and restaurant visibility.
Mentioned in this episode:
Aussie Select - Fully cooked, premium Australian lamb
Fully cooked, premium Australian lamb—ready to serve and packed with clean flavor.
RAK Porcelain USA -Tableware
We use RAK for all in-studio tableware—clean, durable, and designed for chefs.
Citrus America
Citrus America – Commercial-grade juicing systems built for speed and yield.
Transcript
You've just stepped inside the Walk and Talk podcast, number one in the nation for food lovers, chefs and storytellers.
Speaker A:I'm Carl Fiadini, your host, shining a light on the flavor, the hustle, and the heart of the industry.
Speaker A:We're the official podcast for the New York, California and Florida restaurant shows, the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, the US Culinary Open at Napham, and the North American media platform for the Burnt Chef project, recorded at Ibis Images Studios, where food photography comes alive and I get the first bite.
Speaker B:Find out more info@thewalkandtalk.com.
Speaker A:Today we're sitting down with Chef Andy Nassar of Keel and Curly.
Speaker A:Part chef, part builder, all heart, he's the kind of chef who plates a dish the same way.
Speaker A:He frames a photo.
Speaker A:All about angles, light and balance.
Speaker A:From a food truck kitchen to a full winery restaurant, Andy's turning a Florida farm into a place where food and wine sing together.
Speaker A:Walk and talk Media was on the floor at the California Restaurant show where we caught up with Kelsey Fagan from Terra Slate, a company that's redefining what restaurant menus can be.
Speaker A:Their menus are waterproof, tear proof, and sustainably made from a single polyester based material that never cracks, frays, or peels.
Speaker A:Each one is printed in a wind powered facility and built to last for years.
Speaker A:Innovation that keeps your menus looking as sharp as your service.
Speaker A:We'll share a clip from that conversation later in the episode.
Speaker A:Back here in Florida, Chef Andy's story is all about passion over pretension.
Speaker A:He's mentoring young cooks through a shifting industry, balancing high volume simplicity with real creativity and keeping the soul of cooking alive.
Speaker A:His philosophy is raw, reflective, and rooted.
Speaker B:In love for the craft.
Speaker A:Let's get into how we built it.
Speaker B:And what comes next.
Speaker B:Chef, welcome to the program.
Speaker C:Hey, thanks for having me.
Speaker B:Ah, let me tell you something.
Speaker B:I'm happy.
Speaker B:I'm super happy.
Speaker B:And that's because I got fed.
Speaker B:Well today.
Speaker B:You did phenomenal.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker B:Heard that.
Speaker B:How was it for you today?
Speaker C:No, it was fun.
Speaker C:I don't do a lot of this type stuff, so it was nice to get out of the kitchen and, and do some fun things and stuff that I wouldn't normally do every single day.
Speaker C:And then also just hanging out with you guys, talking about stuff that you, I guess, kind of relate to because you guys have been in the industry as well.
Speaker B:Isn't it interesting to be doing industry stuff but surrounded by lights, cameras, microphones, all the action?
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:Yeah, it was definitely different.
Speaker C:And it's fun because, you know, the Conversations that we're having earlier of like, hey, slow it down a little bit.
Speaker C:I'm like, well, we gotta, you gotta hurry up.
Speaker C:The ticket times are running late.
Speaker C:Like, you know, my mindset is not filming as, as much as you guys are, so I'm trying to adjust a little bit to that.
Speaker C:And then also, you know, play ball and make sure that I'm not ruining the shot because I'm just too worried about doing things too fast.
Speaker B:I'll give you props for your first time doing this.
Speaker B:You did terrific.
Speaker C:Well, thank you.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And the food was phenomenal.
Speaker B:Like, I was really.
Speaker B:So I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say my, my favorite dish was, was definitely the, the pork, but I didn't think it was gonna be because I was so happy with the shrimp dish.
Speaker C:Awesome.
Speaker C:Yeah, the, the, the pork dish you're talking about is we did a little bibimbap and I try to put a little bit of a plant city spin on it.
Speaker C:So, you know, some of the fermentation or the sauce work on it was gonna be a little bit more barbecue, you know, as leaning and then.
Speaker C:And I think it turned out pretty well.
Speaker C:And yeah, a little bit of blend from the Asian and the Southern all mixed into one.
Speaker B:For those that don't know what a bibimbap is, why don't you go ahead and.
Speaker C:Yeah, so it's, it's not just a funny word.
Speaker C:It's a Korean dish that typically gets served in like a little hot pot where the rice kind of gets crispy on the bottom and then you kind of build it on top.
Speaker C:So it's a lot of accoutrements of sesame vegetables, pickled vegetables, you know, fermented kimchi, you know, pork, beef, whatever kind of what kind of we want to deal with it.
Speaker C:And then obviously usually topped off with an egg and some sauce work.
Speaker B:I'm all about barbecue, and I want you to talk about the simple barbecue sauce you made and then get into that dish now too.
Speaker B:With the pork.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So the barbecue sauce that we put on the beemat today was going to be a gochugang.
Speaker C:Barbecue sauce is super simple.
Speaker C:I got some gochu Kang sauce, some rice wine vinegar, a little bit of extra heat, and then just a store bought.
Speaker C:I think we like, we use sweet baby rays around my house, so that's what I had.
Speaker C:And we kind of blended together.
Speaker C:You had a little bit of the sweet heat and you still get that Korean fermentation a little bit along with it.
Speaker B:The whole thing was amazing.
Speaker B:Dish two.
Speaker C:Dish two was going to be moqueca.
Speaker C:It was going to be a moqueca.
Speaker C:My buddy, who I've worked alongside for many years, is Brazilian.
Speaker C:So there's a lot of times in my life working side by side with him where I would come to work and either ask questions or, hey, what does your mom do?
Speaker C:What does your grandma do, back when you used to live in Brazil?
Speaker C:And then I would come into the work the next day and kind of execute that dish and kind of give him something fun to eat.
Speaker C:That reminds me of home, but also, like, challenges myself a little bit of, now I can do something different that I've never done before.
Speaker B:You've said you didn't grow up struggling.
Speaker B:So with that being said, what did fuel you?
Speaker B:What gave you that spark to get.
Speaker C:Into cooking in general?
Speaker C:Like, I just think having the spark is just something natural that comes to me.
Speaker C:My.
Speaker C:I think everybody in my family is very hardworking.
Speaker C:I think what I fought, my father kind of instilled that into all of us, where if we're going to do something, we got to do it right, we're going to do it well.
Speaker C:And you put all your effort into it, and you're just not mailing it in.
Speaker C:So I think that's a good quality to have when it comes to cooking.
Speaker C:And then I just feel like most of my life, I've always kind of, you know, providing a little bit for myself.
Speaker C:Whether my parents are at work or they're doing something else across the house.
Speaker C:I was always cooking for myself, lunch and dinner wise.
Speaker C:So I think it just kind of translated into, well, if I'm going to do it for myself, I might as well learn how to do it.
Speaker B:Well, you are not the norm.
Speaker B:Typically, people get into this business because that's the only thing available.
Speaker B:And then from that initial entry point, the passion kind of, kind of comes into play.
Speaker B:But with you, you have an obsession switch and you can't turn it off.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, absolutely.
Speaker C:I, I will go home and watch, you know, Netflix series on cooking, or I'll go on YouTube and spend hours just watching other people cook.
Speaker C:Whether it's, you know, a food podcaster, blogger, you know, with Matty Matheson, or binging with Babish like the famous guys.
Speaker C:Or it could just be like, you know, somebody's.
Speaker C:Somebody's aunt at home that's got 10 views on their.
Speaker C:On their video.
Speaker C:Like, I'm, I'm.
Speaker C:I'm looking at everything and trying to learn as much as I can, because to me, learning is Fun.
Speaker C:I never really found that interest in school when I was in high school or middle school, but it started sparking on me when I went to culinary school of, hey, there's a lot of stuff I don't know, and I would like to.
Speaker C:And I think that's kind of where, ever since then, my life has just translated me to learning more and trying to be better at what I'm doing.
Speaker B:Yeah, but what keeps that fire going for you?
Speaker C:Just natural competitiveness, I guess.
Speaker C:I've always played sports, and I like to be good at what I do.
Speaker C:If I'm going to do something, I want to be the best.
Speaker C:And then, you know, in terms of a career, I want to be successful in my career, so my family and my kids have a better opportunity.
Speaker B:But who are you competing with?
Speaker C:Myself, I'm not.
Speaker C:I'm not worried about anybody else.
Speaker B:So when I have 25 years in food service sales.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker B:I've always.
Speaker B:And I don't know if this was right or wrong or whatever, but I always had a secret person or company that I would secretly target, and it was my motivation.
Speaker B:I wouldn't tell a soul.
Speaker B:Nobody knew about that person, the company, whatever.
Speaker B:It was only for me.
Speaker B:And that.
Speaker B:That was my propulsion, part of my propulsion, because I love the industry, and I like working with chefs, and I love going to new establishments and all of that.
Speaker B:But in order to stay motivated in a sales capacity, I needed to find somebody to target.
Speaker B:You don't have that at all.
Speaker C:No, I understand what you're saying.
Speaker C:I definitely get that.
Speaker C:It's kind of like the rivalry aspect of you want to have somebody that's challenging and pushing you just so you can keep up with.
Speaker C:I've always kind of felt like I was, you know, whether it's because of the location that I've been at cooking, you know, that there's not really anyone specifically, that I feel like is a rival with me because it's kind of.
Speaker C:I've been on an island.
Speaker C:Well, you know, I've got some friends in the business that I always try to be as good, if not better than them, but I don't necessarily consider it a rivalry.
Speaker C:And more of, like, there's a lot of times where we'll bounce off ideas of each other, and it's like, hey, this would be really cool.
Speaker C:Or, you know, he's my buddy Randy, who owns a food truck, and he'll send me his menu before he executes it, and he's like, look at this cool thing.
Speaker C:It's not like, hey, I want to be better than him.
Speaker C:But it's like we have an appreciation for each other and we understand because we're in the same line of work.
Speaker C:But I don't, I feel like, I feel like I don't need another person.
Speaker C:I understand why that that would be a scenario in some people.
Speaker C:I just feel like I, you know, I've got enough personalities of myself to compete.
Speaker D:Great presentable menus bring in amazing five star reviews.
Speaker D:You know what's so amazing about our product is that unlike lamination, our product is made from one material.
Speaker D:So it's a polyester based paper, so it will never crack, fray, or peel.
Speaker D:Of course, it's waterproof, rip proof, all of those incredible things so that your menu will last a lifetime.
Speaker B:Time.
Speaker D:I feel that terraslate menus really enhance the experience for the diner.
Speaker D:It makes you feel like you're in an elevated space.
Speaker D:When the menu just looks amazing, it feels amazing.
Speaker D:We are 100% sustainably made.
Speaker D:So our factory is powered by wind.
Speaker D:Our product itself is a polyester base.
Speaker D:So it breaks down, it is recyclable.
Speaker D:Our product is 100% customizable.
Speaker D:We have multiple different weights and mills.
Speaker D:For you.
Speaker D:I see our design team do amazing work every single day.
Speaker D:And that is their favorite part of their jobs, is collaborating with the restaurants, with those chefs.
Speaker D:What is your vision?
Speaker D:We want to bring your menu's vision to life.
Speaker D:Our product is so durable.
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Speaker D:Put it to the test and it'll come back looking good as new.
Speaker B:You tell your cooks to chase fulfillment, even if it's not working for you.
Speaker B:At what moment did you realize that leadership meant just letting go?
Speaker C:I mean, I think that's a very, a very common saying is if, you know, if you love something, you have to be able to let it go as well.
Speaker C:I think that, you know, in the line of work that I'm in, whether someone is, you know, changing their, their career path or maybe this isn't their career and it's kind of just a stepping stone in their life, I need to be able to support them in whatever they choose to, whether, whether they want to go be a tattoo artist, which is, you know, it kind of hits home here, or, you know, some more artwork, or there's a lot of venues that these, these guys and girls that work for me want to explore.
Speaker C:And, and those aren't things that I necessarily can offer.
Speaker C:I don't, I don't have any ties to that, that line of work.
Speaker C:But I want them to be happy.
Speaker C:And I think ultimately, even if they want to stay in a kitchen, if they're not happy in the kitchen that we have, I don't want them to be there.
Speaker C:And it's not like a spiteful way of me saying, like, hey, if you're not happy, get out of here.
Speaker C:It's a, hey, I want you to feel happy to go to work every day.
Speaker C:Because, because ultimately, like, you don't, you know, you've been in the business long enough to know, like, if you're doing the same thing over and over again and you don't like it, it's only going to cause issues internally for yourself.
Speaker C:It's not going to, you're not going to produce the best work that you can do.
Speaker C:And then also, like, it's not something you want to take home with you as well.
Speaker C:Like, you need to be happy when you go to work.
Speaker C:You get the best work when you're happy.
Speaker B:You'd mentioned that one of the cooks actually wants to get into, you know, tattooing, or he's into it now and he wants to kind of, you know, continue with it.
Speaker B:If it's me, I'm setting up shop in the restaurant.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, you probably get like half of your business right through, right through the back door.
Speaker C:Yeah, I'm not sure the, the health department's super fond on, on, you know, blood, needles and food.
Speaker B:Do it right on the line, right on the pass right there.
Speaker B:We just, you know, we set it right up.
Speaker C:No, no, we, we bought, we, we've done some events where we try to get some tattooers out and there's a lot of red tape when it comes to that kind of stuff in the kitchens.
Speaker B:When we first started Walk and Talk media, we, this is before, like TikTok and reels and, you know, seven second memory swiping, you know, death scroll.
Speaker B:We actually had a show and it was about a 30 minute show, and one of the segments was called Kitchen Inc.
Speaker B:I saw an opportunity for chefs to tell their stories through what they, you know, what they have on their body.
Speaker B:I don't have any tattoos, but I respect the art of it.
Speaker B:And yeah, man, I think that's, I just think it's pretty cool either way.
Speaker C:No, I think, I think the tattoo industry, the music industry and then the service industry, I would say specifically kitchen, part of the service industry, are all very similar.
Speaker C:And the people that they attract, and you've got the outcast or the people who don't want to wake up early or it seems like they have the same group of people that hang out in those three professions, and they're very similar, whether there's some crossover or not or, you know, but it is kind of cool to see that night.
Speaker C:You know, I've got some tattoos, and I love tattoos.
Speaker C:We just hopefully can get some more with.
Speaker C:Coming up.
Speaker B:Imagine this lineup.
Speaker B:A barber, a chef, and.
Speaker B:And a tattoo artist.
Speaker B:You don't know who's who.
Speaker B:You wouldn't be able to do well.
Speaker B:That's the chef, that's the barber, and that's the tattoo.
Speaker C:Everybody looks the same, and they all.
Speaker C:And they all have aprons on and, you know, tattoos everywhere.
Speaker C:So there's no distinguishing.
Speaker B:You never know.
Speaker B:I don't know who's cooking my omelette tomorrow morning, but, you know, it's going.
Speaker C:To, you know, I'm going to have.
Speaker B:A sweet fade, too.
Speaker B:What can I tell you?
Speaker C:And there's probably some lineups that, you know, the barber is going to work in a kitchen.
Speaker C:At the end of the day, like, it's cross just crossing over.
Speaker B:So building a kitchen from a food truck.
Speaker B:From a truck.
Speaker B:What's something that you've learned working in these tight quarters that kind of shaped how you'll run your new kitchen at Keel?
Speaker C:Um, yeah.
Speaker C:So, you know, the kitchen that we have right now, it's.
Speaker C:It's very tight and it's, you know, small and hot, and we produce so much out of.
Speaker C:Out of what we have.
Speaker C:So, like, it's incredible.
Speaker C:And I try to remind the staff, like, this is not, you know, some of them that haven't worked in other kitchens, this is their first one.
Speaker C:I try to remind them, like, hey, what you guys are doing is amazing because, you know, Carrabba's will run, you know, it's.
Speaker C:It's local and it's pious, kind of.
Speaker C:So they run twice as many staff, and their kitchen is twice as big, and they're doing less numbers than us.
Speaker C:So it's like, hey, man, we're.
Speaker C:We're knocking stuff out with less.
Speaker C:You know, we're in the process of building the kitchen, and, you know, obviously there's some, you know, delays with the county and the state, you know, all the building and all that stuff, that's way above my pay grade.
Speaker C:But I think that the fact that we are able to do this out of the kitchen that we have now will only make the next kitchen better, because they already.
Speaker C:They already can handle it.
Speaker C:So now we're giving them more tools to execute different items and better items in My opinion.
Speaker C:And they're not going to feel the stress of it because they've got more things to help them with.
Speaker C:You know, we can only fit seven in our kitchen comfortably.
Speaker C:Know if I have a kitchen that can fit 10, that's way less work and way more time that people can actually spend on their dishes to make them really, really, really popping.
Speaker B:Were you at Keel when the small truck was there?
Speaker C:No, that was Kenny's truck.
Speaker C:Kenny.
Speaker C:Kenny still works there.
Speaker C:He's one of my older guys and he's a prep guy.
Speaker C:He's part time now, but he was a chef when the whole truck.
Speaker C:So I've heard some horror stories.
Speaker C:And, you know, he, I give, I give Kenny a lot of props of, you know, making things work when, when sometimes it was not easy.
Speaker B:So as you're expanding Keel into this new frontier of food, how do you create dishes that complement wine and still work for a team of 19 year olds?
Speaker B:It's a high volume.
Speaker B:You guys are doing a lot of volume.
Speaker B:You're busy.
Speaker B:You got kids in there.
Speaker B:Mean, that's the, that's the nature of the industry.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:How are you dealing with that?
Speaker C:Um, I think, I think just the, the mentorship of it where, you know, I can explain.
Speaker C:They can obviously eat the food that we're producing and they can, they can see, you know, what, what's going with what, you know, obviously they can't drink the wine because they're not 21.
Speaker C:Some of them aren't.
Speaker C:Some of them are.
Speaker C:But I think that having the, the literature available to them, which, you know, we've had excellent folks front of house employees, and Andrew, our president of operations up front is, is amazing with explaining things to, you know, to even me where I don't, you know, I don't drink a whole lot, so sometimes he might have to fill me in on some things.
Speaker C:And, and, and I think that's, that's how you make it a very successful kitchen by giving them the opportunity to learn these things and then implement it.
Speaker C:When it, when it comes down to it, I think the, the just having the knowledge and giving it to them, making sure that if they have questions, we have that answers.
Speaker B:Clay and Carmen have done what a job on that place.
Speaker B:I mean, it was always cool, but now it's like the place to be.
Speaker B:It's a completely different vibe and feel.
Speaker B:And I don't think that there's, I don't even think that the ceiling is even close to being scratched yet.
Speaker B:Like there's no.
Speaker B:The certain, like there's still so much more room to grow.
Speaker B:Keel.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, I completely agree.
Speaker C:Clay and Carmen do a great job, and they're, you know, they're.
Speaker C:They're always close by if we need them.
Speaker C:You know, Wendy is our CEO as well, and they do a great job of.
Speaker C:Of keeping me on my toes and keeping me busy whether.
Speaker C:Whether we have a private dinner or, you know, we have harvest days every single weekend in October where they're, you know, at one point when the Rays were in the playoffs, I was using this as an example of, hey, we had more people on our property than the Rays at their baseball game.
Speaker C:You know, then maybe.
Speaker C:I don't know if that's a very high bar to set.
Speaker C:You know, I love the race myself, but, you know, I think we had over 5,000, 6,000 people on one weekend.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker C:And that just says.
Speaker C:Says a lot about what we're doing, whether, you know, we're not just a restaurant, we're not just a winery.
Speaker C:We're a place to bring your family and enjoy yourself.
Speaker B:I mean, listen, you're hitting more home runs than they are.
Speaker B:That's all I'm saying.
Speaker C:Well, yeah, currently, where they're out, so, you know, there's always next year.
Speaker B:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:And by the way, Wendy is.
Speaker B:She's my.
Speaker B:That's my girl.
Speaker B:She is phenomenal.
Speaker B:And like, the workload and the things that she's like, she's accomplished a lot over there, too.
Speaker B:Hats off to Wendy.
Speaker B:She's.
Speaker B:She's terrific.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, I think I, you know, just.
Speaker C:I think everybody that we have is in the right position to where they need to be for us to all be successful.
Speaker C:I think I heard there was a Scorsese quote.
Speaker C:Not that I'm a huge Scorsese fan, but, you know, they're asking him, like, you know, questions about how he.
Speaker C:How he does his movies.
Speaker C:And it's, It's.
Speaker C:It, you know, I hire the right people for the right job.
Speaker C:He's like, I. I can do Lights, but I'm not the best person at Lights.
Speaker C:So I'm going to hire the best person at Lights, and I'm going to do my job the best of my abilities.
Speaker C:And I feel like that's a very similar thing in the restaurant industry where, like, you know, I. I'm not.
Speaker C:I'm.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:I love being in the front house.
Speaker C:Just, you know, I love me in the kitchen, but I love being the front house, too, you know, to talk to guys.
Speaker C:Am I the best?
Speaker C:No, we have the best in the Front and that's why I'm in the back, because I'm the best in the back.
Speaker C:And we have everybody in the position that they need to be to win.
Speaker C:Put your quarterback on defense because you need them throwing the ball.
Speaker B:You've talked about pretentiousness and trend inflation.
Speaker B:What's the line between pushing creativity and losing authenticity.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think that there's an overcorrection in terms of pretentiousness where people kind of stick their nose up at things.
Speaker C:You know, I was, we were talking earlier about like, I love Taco Bell.
Speaker C:Like, you know, if I, if I go to some of these, you know, big time chefs or you know, the ones that are serving nice Michelin star meals, like they're pro.
Speaker C:I would assume that they're not going to Taco Bell as often as I am.
Speaker C:But, you know, I don't know.
Speaker B:They are probably as bad or worse as what we, where we are in our levels.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Because the pressure.
Speaker B:So like I, I could, I could appreciate this and I can, I can totally add to this.
Speaker B:I was a high performing salesperson and sales management.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:In sales management.
Speaker B:And the more pressure and the more growth that you're looking for and the more people that you employ and the more bars and goals that are there, the more stress there is.
Speaker B:I'm a stress eater.
Speaker B:So for me, I'm driving around, it's easy for me to hit a drive through.
Speaker B:I'm going to eat it right there in the parking lot and I'm going to stuff myself.
Speaker B:And that's.
Speaker B:I've done it.
Speaker B:I've done this forever.
Speaker B:I think I have a hold of it now.
Speaker B:I think I've gotten control of that.
Speaker B:But, you know, I get it.
Speaker B:Like, I understand.
Speaker B:And there's nothing sweeter than hitting a drive through.
Speaker B:It just, it's so satisfying.
Speaker B:I know it's garbage food.
Speaker B:I know that there's chemicals.
Speaker B:I know all of that.
Speaker C:But why, but it kind of hits on my point.
Speaker C:Why is it, why is it garbage food?
Speaker C:Just in the sense of healthiness as.
Speaker B:You'Re referring to, or when business decided to put all efforts into having shelf life on product, that's when all of the chemicals started getting put into what we eat.
Speaker B:Obviously, when you're talking about scaling and you're talking about, let's say, you know, the golden arches.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:How many thousands of restaurants are there?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Their locations are everywhere, all over the world.
Speaker B:You have to have consistency and you need to be in.
Speaker B:It needs to be done in a way where it's so scalable that means they have to, they figured out ways to extend for the shelf life for these products and that goes into grocery stores and alike, all of it.
Speaker B:So for me, I get it.
Speaker B:I understand profitability, I understand scaling, I understand all of that.
Speaker B:Is it bad?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I've been eating this stuff since at least 15 on my own after I got my first job.
Speaker B:Before that I never ate, hardly ever had fast food.
Speaker B:It was always home cooked meals.
Speaker B:Know, I'm very, I was very blessed with, with my family and the cooking, but I transitioned into fast food at 15 years old and I never looked back.
Speaker B:So we'll see.
Speaker B:I'm, I'm 51.
Speaker B:If I can get to 80, then you know what, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.
Speaker C:I mean, I think, I think it's, it, it's not healthy for you.
Speaker C:But I, I, I never classify anything that I, that I eat or ingest as garbage food because like to me I really like it.
Speaker C:Like it's not garbage to me.
Speaker C:Like it's delicious.
Speaker C:And I think that's where, like maybe the, the terminology I think is different between the two of us.
Speaker C:Where, you know, I, maybe that's why I say pretentiousness.
Speaker C:Like if it's good.
Speaker C:I don't, it doesn't matter to me if it's, if it's cheap or if a kid made it or an adult, like it's across the line.
Speaker C:It's just, that's my standard, don't get me twisted.
Speaker B:I, I love eating the food because it tastes good.
Speaker B:And people who say that it doesn't, they don't know what they're talking about.
Speaker B:And that's the truth.
Speaker B:The problem is what's in it.
Speaker B:That's when I say garbage.
Speaker B:Not, not flavor profiles or if it's satisfying or whatever.
Speaker B:No, it's, it's just not healthy.
Speaker B:And I know that if I were to, you know, there was a time when I would eat three times, four times a week, you know, a lot each day.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I saw in real time, fast time, how much weight you can put on by doing that.
Speaker B:It's simply not healthy.
Speaker B:But that's not the point.
Speaker B:It's delicious.
Speaker B:And it used to be inexpensive.
Speaker B:Now I mean, you're spending 15 or $20 for a stupid little thing and you don't even get full on.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, I, that's where kind of, where does fully circle back to the original question is, you know, pretentiousness in, in the food or the profitability Like, I.
Speaker C:To me, it is whether it's expensive food or cheap food, if it's good and it makes me happy, that's kind of where I. I hold my bar and my standard, you know, if food.
Speaker C:Food makes me happy.
Speaker C:And too, what you said, that is stress eating.
Speaker C:Like, there's a reason why people do stress heat.
Speaker C:It's because that is a comfort.
Speaker C:You know, that's why the term comfort food is around.
Speaker C:And food is.
Speaker C:Is something that provides one, you know, nutrition or substance, but also, like, emotional, unfortunately, it's emotionally supportive sometimes where you can have, you know, food that reminds you of your childhood and that makes you feel better.
Speaker C:Or you, you know, if your mom passed away and you are eating black beans and rice or whatever, you know, that that reminds you of her, and that's going to give you nourishment not just for your body, but for, like, your soul.
Speaker B:That's a major truth bomb.
Speaker B:How do you catch yourself from getting too comfortable?
Speaker B:You've mentioned that complacency kills creativity.
Speaker C:I try not to.
Speaker C:I usually set standards and timelines on places that I want to be at.
Speaker C:Whether it's physically at or if I'm staying at one spot and doing the same thing over and over and over again, it's either got to get better or change.
Speaker C:Whether we're changing the menu or we're creating a whole different style or an idea, it's something.
Speaker C:It just has to change.
Speaker C:So we are not doing the same thing over and over again.
Speaker C:Once I feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over again, it's not bringing me joy, then I know I can't be bringing joy to other people through my food because I'm not experiencing that.
Speaker C:And I think ultimately, like, selfishly, everything is revolving around me when it comes to my cooking.
Speaker C:So if I don't have that, you know, quote, unquote, love in my dish, I don't really feel like the customer is going to get it.
Speaker C:And if I'm not providing love through the food, then, Then.
Speaker C:Then they might as well go to the Taco Bell's and the McDonald's.
Speaker C:Like, that's, you know, it's good food and there's no love in it.
Speaker C:It's just getting what you get.
Speaker C:Like, I need to provide something more than just, you know, meat and bread or, you know, whatever dish I'm doing has got to be inspired.
Speaker C:Otherwise, I don't want to be doing what I'm doing because I'm not happy.
Speaker C:And I feel like we haven't Gotten to that point where I'm not happy, but, like, I want to make sure that I still stay on par with just growing and learning and then doing cool stuff.
Speaker C:And that's the cool thing about my progression, is there's so much opportunity to keep learning and doing cool things that I don't see it ever running out anytime soon.
Speaker B:One of the biggest killers is when leadership loses their vision, loses their momentum, loses their drive, because that trickles down to the rest of the team, to its, you know, smallest denominator.
Speaker C:No, hey, that's a thousand percent.
Speaker C:You know, the.
Speaker C:The standard that I try to, you know, show my staff is, you know, I'm here, you know, on the busiest days of the week where we're getting our, you know, butt kicked in or, you know, our.
Speaker C:We have so many tickets on our screen.
Speaker C:Like, I am in the middle.
Speaker C:I am directing the team.
Speaker C:Like, I am here in the trenches with you because.
Speaker C:Because I have to set that example of, like, hey, I'm here with you guys, making sure that you're good, because I know if I have your back, you're going to have my back.
Speaker C:And I really, really feel that mentality has to be shared amongst every restaurant.
Speaker C:You know, I don't want to be a chef that's walking around my clipboard taking orders and, you know, barking orders and pointing and people doing stuff like, I'm chopping onions, I'm, you know, dropping the fryer or boiling it out.
Speaker C:Like, at no point in my career, whether I was just starting out to where I'm at right now, like, I was the lowest and I'm the highest right now.
Speaker C:Like, I'm still.
Speaker C:I'm still dropping fryers, and I'm still boiling them out or doing the flat top if I need to.
Speaker C:Like, there's no.
Speaker C:You can't be above anything because then once other people think you're above something, they're not going to respect you enough to where they're going to give you what they need to give you.
Speaker B:Puerto Rican and Lebanese roots.
Speaker B:Do you see these flavors sneaking into your menu subconsciously, or do you kind of keep them separate by design?
Speaker C:I don't think they sneak in, but I don't think I'm, like, purposely not doing it.
Speaker C:I just don't.
Speaker C:Those are things that I would like to explore.
Speaker C:I've done poor, like, Cuban food.
Speaker C:I. I worked at a Cuban sandwich shop, and we did a lot of Cuban inspired food.
Speaker C:And just being a chef in Florida in general, I. I have a decent background in that style of Food.
Speaker C:But I like.
Speaker C:I like to explore different things where I don't know.
Speaker C:You know, I'm really super, if you ask anybody, I'm super into Asian and Mexican cuisine.
Speaker C:And that's kind of like my wheelhouse.
Speaker C:Doesn't mean I don't like cooking some African food every now and then or.
Speaker C:Or figuring out, you know, why do, you know, the Europeans do things this way, the French cooking.
Speaker C:Like, I've.
Speaker C:I've got a lot of tools across the board.
Speaker C:I don't think.
Speaker C:I don't think I'm a master of any cuisine per se.
Speaker C:Like, I wouldn't say, like, Andy is a blah, blah chef, but I just want to be good at everything.
Speaker C:So I have versatility.
Speaker C:And I don't know enough about Lebanese cuisine.
Speaker C:You know, my.
Speaker C:My father never really cooked too many Lebanese dishes because he didn't know enough about it either.
Speaker C:So, like, it's not like I could say, hey, you know, my.
Speaker C:My heritage, I'm the expert at.
Speaker C:I like, there's a lot of things about my heritage I don't know, and that's fine.
Speaker C:But I'm also super quick to admit, like, I would love to learn more, and that eventually will happen.
Speaker B:I need to connect you with Rona Bashur.
Speaker B:She's a baker, and she's actually Lebanese, Puerto Rican as well.
Speaker C:It seems like that's a popular blend.
Speaker C:And I don't.
Speaker C:I don't know why.
Speaker C:Like, I know a lot of Lebanese people that are married to Puerto Rican people.
Speaker B:Strangely, I had never heard that before in my life until coming to Tampa.
Speaker C:Yeah, I don't.
Speaker C:That.
Speaker C:I'm not.
Speaker C:I'm not exactly sure, but I do see it a lot.
Speaker B:I feel like Ronan's awesome, sweetest woman on the planet, Rona's Cookies and More is her company.
Speaker B:And she's a baker.
Speaker B:She does a terrific job.
Speaker B:Kiehl isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Speaker B:It's a staple now in our area here.
Speaker B:In the spirit of mentorship and longevity, what do you want your cooks to take away from your kitchen besides technique?
Speaker B:I mean, there's life lessons and there's all sorts of things.
Speaker B:And when you're at a place like Keele that is having this larger appeal now that's getting outside of Plant City, that's getting outside of their territory.
Speaker B:What life lessons do you want these kids to leave with?
Speaker C:I think we kind of touched on it a little bit before is we want to make sure that our guys are happy and they're doing what they love, whether it's with us or not.
Speaker C:But I also want to explain to them, you know, the.
Speaker C:The importance of working hard and making the extra effort, because across the board, whether you're cooking or you're, you know, taking the trash out or there's so many professions that every profession is.
Speaker C:If you.
Speaker C:The harder you work, the better you're going to get, and the more.
Speaker C:The more willing you are to make yourself uncomfortable and do the things that.
Speaker C:That nobody else wants to do, that's going to give you a giant leg up on other people.
Speaker C:And I feel like that's how I've gotten.
Speaker C:Where I've gone is just, you know, I don't typically turn things down, and I just want to do everything I can to.
Speaker C:To get the job done.
Speaker C:And I think that sometimes people, you know, laziness can set in or, you know, complacency.
Speaker C:You know, you got to make sure that everybody at all times is always giving 110.
Speaker C:And it's kind of cliche, but it's just.
Speaker C:It is the truth.
Speaker C:The harder you work, the more it's going to benefit you.
Speaker B:When the new kitchen opens, what's the dish that's going to define the next chapter for you?
Speaker B:There's got to be one that says, hey, this is who we are now.
Speaker C:No, the terminology that I've been throwing around is elevated redneck.
Speaker C:I want to have these country roots of something that the local demographic of our Plant City and Dover and Sefner, you know, there's.
Speaker C:That demographic is going to be different than the St. Pete and Clearwater and even Orlando crew.
Speaker C:Like, there's different.
Speaker C:You know, it doesn't make them bad or it's just different.
Speaker C:You know, these guys love home cooking.
Speaker C:And, you know, one of the staples in Plant City is, like, Fred's like that.
Speaker C:It's very successful because they do what they do, and they do it well.
Speaker C:The barbecue and the Mac and cheeses and the collard greens and those things are great.
Speaker C:I eat them all the time.
Speaker C:But how do I turn those familiar ideas into something that excites me?
Speaker C:And like, we did a dish today, whether you did a country bibimbap, there's gonna be a heavier influence of barbecue and smoked meats moving forward.
Speaker B:Hopefully that, first of all, that dish should be on the menu.
Speaker B:Keel, Clay, Wendy, everybody.
Speaker B:If you're listening to this, put that dish on the menu.
Speaker B:Change the name, but put the dish on the menu.
Speaker B:I mean, you're talking about eggs, mushrooms.
Speaker B:You're talking about barbecue pork.
Speaker B:It's fantastic.
Speaker B:My God, it was fantastic.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:All right, chef, this was your first time doing media.
Speaker B:Did you think the vibe here was pretentious?
Speaker B:Do you think it was laid back?
Speaker B:Talk a little bit about your day today.
Speaker C:No, no, it was definitely not.
Speaker C:Neither of those things.
Speaker C:I don't, I don't think that you guys would be doing a good job if, if it was.
Speaker C:I think you, you make people feel comfortable, and I certainly felt comfortable as soon as I came in.
Speaker C:Obviously, you know, speaking and, and, you know, almost having somewhat of a speech at certain points, like, you know, I'm gonna fumble over my words or, you know, have anxiety and, and I think those are just, those are things that just come with, with practice and, and eventually, hopefully I'll get better at them.
Speaker C:But, you know, ultimately I think it was a super fun experience and we did, we did some fun things.
Speaker C:And obviously the pictures and the videos are, you know, from what I've seen, look amazing.
Speaker C:So I'm super excited about that.
Speaker C:Cause that's just cool stuff that I can post and share with my friends and family.
Speaker B:Isn't media needed now for, for the food industry?
Speaker C:Oh, it's absolutely.
Speaker C:If you don't, then, like, if you don't have an Instagram or a Facebook or, you know, even I don't have TikTok, I kind of, I kind of look down on TikTok myself, but, but I understand the value in it.
Speaker C:Those things are just, you know, you have to have them, you know, because, you know, I don't, I don't know how your kids are younger, but like, you know, if I say six, seven, like, you know, that's going to drive the kids crazy.
Speaker C:And I'm sure, like the restaurant, the restaurant industry has to lean into these, these fads and the trends because that's what's going to attract the people to come in.
Speaker B:But is this a fad or a trend?
Speaker B:I think cameras and video.
Speaker C:Well, no, no, no.
Speaker C:But using the fads and the trend through the media, you know, the media is.
Speaker C:The media's kind of always been there but not utilized as much as it should.
Speaker C:That's why, you know, when the last time you worked in a restaurant, like, was what did you have a salary?
Speaker C:Salary?
Speaker C:Social media, like manager?
Speaker B:Like, dude, the last time I worked in a restaurant, I mean, there were.
Speaker B:I don't even know what to.
Speaker C:Was there social media?
Speaker B:There was, There wasn't even MySpace.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Nothing existed.
Speaker B:There was no proo.
Speaker B:Anything.
Speaker B:Like, even, like, you're lucky if your restaurant had cameras outside.
Speaker B:Like, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like it didn't exist.
Speaker C:Yeah, your, your Google reviews were just on pieces of paper and turning them in and there was no Google.
Speaker C:Yeah, well, that's what I mean.
Speaker C:Like there's no way to get the feedback.
Speaker C:But I think that.
Speaker B:Wait a minute, just to put this in perspective, right?
Speaker B:And a lot of things don't change.
Speaker B:Like the technology changes and the trends might change a little bit, but the industry itself, the mechanics of it doesn't change.
Speaker B:We didn't have the Internet, it was hardly there.
Speaker B:Okay, so it was newspapers, it was TV and that's really what you had.
Speaker B:Radio, obviously, but that's it.
Speaker B:There was no like, oh, I'm gonna directions, a map or something like that.
Speaker B:No, it was like paper maps, man.
Speaker C:But to your point, that that was me.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That is media as well just did that.
Speaker B:But it's not.
Speaker B:But it isn't.
Speaker B:It isn't today's media.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Everything is predicated on.
Speaker B:If you don't have.
Speaker B:If I can't listen, I do this myself.
Speaker B:If I look up a company and there's no Instagram, I'm not interested anymore.
Speaker B:What are you hiding?
Speaker B:Or you're not there yet, or it's, you're not good, you're, you know, you're fake or whatever.
Speaker B:You have to have a presence.
Speaker B:I don't even care about your website anymore.
Speaker B:It doesn't even matter.
Speaker B:What are your socials?
Speaker B:Let me see.
Speaker B:I want to get into it.
Speaker B:I want to see what it is.
Speaker B:I want to get there quick.
Speaker B:Let me see.
Speaker B:Digest and make decisions.
Speaker B:That's what it is.
Speaker B:And then I'm go see if Amazon has it.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:That's just the way.
Speaker B:That's, that's the way it works, man.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Not food.
Speaker B:I'm just saying in general.
Speaker C:But no, no, 0.8.
Speaker C:I think that is a thousand percent true.
Speaker C:The operations are still.
Speaker C:You still have to have good service, you still have to have a good product.
Speaker C:You still have to have, you know, employees that the customers are going to want to come in and see.
Speaker C:You know, we've got some regulars that come in at certain days because they want to see that server or they want to have this certain thing on a Tuesday because they always do.
Speaker C:Like that's not going to change.
Speaker C:What's going to change is how do we get the new people, the younger crowd, the people that.
Speaker C:We're a winery, so alcohol is a big part of our business.
Speaker C:So how do we get the 19 year old in two years when they start drinking legally, we have our customer bases, the 40 to 60, they're never gonna stop coming.
Speaker C:I don't, I don't believe so at least.
Speaker C:But how do we get the people that are coming up and that's gonna be through the TikTok and the Instagram and all that crazy stuff.
Speaker B:There's one thing in today's food industry that I absolutely cannot, I don't know how it exists for the entire history of food and gratuity.
Speaker B:Well, the server would drop a check and walk away and leave.
Speaker B:And then you figure out what you're going to leave under no pressure or anything.
Speaker B:And you know, I mean, if you're not a cheapo, you leave a good tip, right?
Speaker B:Or if the server was at least decent, you leave a good, you know, good tip.
Speaker B:This whole thing with, they come over with the device and they stand over you, you know, when they, when they, when they drop the check and the device and they're waiting for you as you get to pick, you know, 15, 18, 20, whatever, it's like, get the hell out of here.
Speaker B:Don't stand over my shoulder.
Speaker B:Don't stand at this table.
Speaker B:Who taught you how to do this?
Speaker B:I don't know where that comes from, but when I was coming up, you were.
Speaker B:The rest of the restaurant would ostracize you if you did that.
Speaker B:Not to mention the customer, the guest would tell you to get the hell out of here.
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, I think that the QR menus and the, that we use toast, the tablets and.
Speaker C:Hey, let me turn this around.
Speaker C:It's going to ask you a couple questions.
Speaker C:I know what it's going to ask me, but how do we, as people in charge of the restaurant, that's a good challenge for myself and Andrew and anybody else that's talking to our staff is how do we implement these new devices and these new things that are inevitable they're going to happen, but how do we utilize them to the point where they don't feel like they're being pressured and they don't feel uncomfortable and, you know, you gotta, there's certain ways to do things the correct way and that will make, you know, so the older generation is not super feel uncomfortable where, you know, I didn't mean to call you the older generation, but, you know, the, you know, the tablet, like the tablet in your face, it's gonna happen.
Speaker C:So how do you, how do you make it work where the people don't feel uncomfortable about it?
Speaker B:Put it down and walk away.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, that's that's it.
Speaker C:Like, but that's all part of training.
Speaker B:My standard fare gratuity is 20.
Speaker B:Like, my baseline is 20%.
Speaker B:And then it'll go up from there because, you know, you're.
Speaker B:You're good or not, you know, whatever.
Speaker B:And I still don't even go lower than that typically, ever.
Speaker B:Even if the.
Speaker B:Even if the service wasn't up to standard, you know, I just.
Speaker B:Okay, you're good.
Speaker B:20%.
Speaker B:But when somebody stands in front of me and I don't do it, but I want to, because I'm not cheap.
Speaker B:I want to do the lowest or other and give them, like, just to just.
Speaker B:And I'm going to say, next time, walk away.
Speaker B:You get more.
Speaker B:I've never done that.
Speaker B:But to truth be told, that's in my heart.
Speaker C:But I think if you.
Speaker C:But if you.
Speaker C:I think you could do that if you're respectful enough about it.
Speaker C:Like, hey, like, but I'm not a douchebag.
Speaker C:Like, but I don't think that is.
Speaker B:I think it is.
Speaker B:I. I put myself in their shoes.
Speaker C:And, you know, and.
Speaker B:And unless you have a.
Speaker B:If you get a server multiple times and they're just not good, okay, it's a different story.
Speaker B:And that's.
Speaker C:And I.
Speaker B:Me, just because of who I am and where I've come from, I would.
Speaker B:I'd pull the jam aside.
Speaker B:I'd be like, hey, you know, look at this.
Speaker B:But any other time, I give people the benefit of the doubt, because you know what?
Speaker B:I have a. I have bad days all the time, and I don't want somebody to, you know, if.
Speaker B:If I do something dumb or.
Speaker B:Or have an attitude, and I don't mean to.
Speaker B:I want somebody to judge me forever on that little happenstance.
Speaker B:So I give everybody the benefit.
Speaker B:Benefit of the doubt.
Speaker B:But damn, put.
Speaker B:Put down the tablet and walk away.
Speaker B:If you're a server and you're listening to this, for all things holy, put it down and walk away.
Speaker B:I'll.
Speaker C:I'll have to relay.
Speaker C:Relay that conversation to my staff and.
Speaker B:Make sure that meeting.
Speaker B:Yeah, next.
Speaker B:Next staff meeting.
Speaker B:Drop that.
Speaker B:Drop it like a bomb.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, my thing is making.
Speaker C:Making sure that we're feeling comfortable and the guests are comfortable.
Speaker C:And I think at the end of the day, like, that's what's going to cause the most success, and that's what we're after.
Speaker B:Jeff, my man.
Speaker B:My main man, Andy.
Speaker B:Dude, you did great today, by the way.
Speaker B:I just wanted you to know that you did fantastic.
Speaker C:I appreciate it.
Speaker B:I actually can't wait to start doing the video on this.
Speaker B:It's gonna be.
Speaker B:It's gonna be dope.
Speaker B:How do we find you?
Speaker B:What's.
Speaker B:What's the social.
Speaker C:So you can look us up at Keel Farms FL on Instagram, Keel Farms on Facebook, and I'm Kill Farms, I believe is on Tick Tock as well.
Speaker C:We just.
Speaker C:We're all.
Speaker C:We're everywhere.
Speaker C:Check us out.
Speaker C:We're a great place.
Speaker C:We do much more than just wine and food.
Speaker C:We're.
Speaker C:We're.
Speaker C:We're an event place.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And by the way, we did.
Speaker B:We were picked up by the Central Florida Film Festival for our Gulf Trip Tiger documentary.
Speaker B:And part of that was shot at Keel, uh, for the Blueberry segment.
Speaker B:So hats off to all of us for that.
Speaker B:It's pretty dope, John, as always.
Speaker B:You're freaking.
Speaker B:You're kind of a dork, I know, but I love you, man.
Speaker B:I'm only kidding.
Speaker B:All right, we are out.
