EPISODE · Apr 29, 2026 · 1H 10M
767: Chai Pani Is a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant. Molly Irani Says the Culture Did It.
from This Is TASTE · host Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard
Molly Irani cofounded Chai Pani with her husband Meherwan Irani in Asheville in 2009—at the peak of the recession, with no restaurant experience and serious doubts. Sixteen years later, Chai Pani is a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant winner, and Molly has written Service Ready, a memoir about what it really takes to build a culture people want to work in. We talk about building a restaurant with hope and a binder of family recipes, and what “mindblasting” service actually means in practice. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Rashad Frazier, author of the terrific new cookbook Cook Out. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Molly Irani cofounded Chai Pani with her husband Meherwan Irani in Asheville in 2009—at the peak of the recession, with no restaurant experience and serious doubts. Sixteen years later, Chai Pani is a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant winner, and Molly has written Service Ready, a memoir about what it really takes to build a culture people want to work in. We talk about building a restaurant with hope and a binder of family recipes, and what “mindblasting” service actually means in practice. Also on the show we have a great conversation with Rashad Frazier, author of the terrific new cookbook Cook Out. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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767: Chai Pani Is a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant. Molly Irani Says the Culture Did It.
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