Chef Ryan Ratino on Michelin Stars, Muscle, and Leading with Grace

What does it actually take to run one of the most decorated restaurant groups in America and still have abs?Your girl Nycci Nellis is in sneakers today. No cocktail dress, no six-inch heels. We taped this one at Equinox Wisconsin Avenue at City Ridge, and honestly, it made perfect sense. Because this conversation with Michelin star chef Ryan Ratino started off about his new Georgetown restaurant Oxen Olive and ended up somewhere way more interesting: the discipline, the bloodwork, the cortisol spikes, the Bulgarian split squats he hates, and the moment he looked in the mirror at 30 years old and decided to treat his body like the high-performance machine it needs to be.This is a DC food podcast episode that goes somewhere most chef interview podcasts never go. It is not just about the food. It is about what it costs, physically and mentally, to lead over 200 people across multiple Michelin-starred restaurants and still show up every single day with clarity and intention. If you have ever wondered how the best in the hospitality industry actually sustain it, this one is for you.Ryan Ratino is the executive chef and owner of Hive Hospitality, home to one-Michelin-starred Bresca, two-Michelin-starred Jaunt, Michelin-starred Moss at the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale, Michelin-starred Omo by Jaunt in Winter Park, and his newest Georgetown concept Oxen Olive. He is the recipient of the Michelin Guide Young Chef Award and holds more Michelin stars than almost any chef in the country. Episode keyword: Ryan Ratino chef Washington DC Michelin star restaurant group.Key TakeawaysThe origin story is working classRyan grew up in a union household in Ohio, helping his mother get dinner on the table fast. His mom was the one who saw cooking as a career before he did. He went to Le Cordon Bleu in Florida at 17 to get as far from home as possible, and knew within two months it was exactly right.He built Bresca first on purposeRyan opened Bresca at 27 in the old Policy nightclub space on 14th Street, intentionally starting with upscale-but-approachable before launching two-Michelin-starred Jaunt upstairs. He wanted to earn the neighborhood's trust before asking them to celebrate there.The pandemic forced the health reckoningAt 30 years old, 5-foot-9, and 206 pounds with 30 percent body fat, Ryan started Googling what healthy actually meant. He cycled through doctors until he found a specialist in Indianapolis who ran 400 biomarkers, identified barely-functioning adrenal glands, and built a protocol that finally let him fall asleep at night.He eats like an athlete, not a chefDuring a surplus phase: 300 grams of protein and up to 500 grams of carbs daily, including over a kilo of Japanese short-grain rice. He tastes everything at the restaurant and spits it out. He always eats protein before carbs to keep blood sugar flat. Sweet potatoes are his deficit-phase staple because they keep him full without the crash.Physical health changed how he leadsRyan says the cleaner his body feels, the more grace he brings to leading his team. He greets every single person when he arrives and thanks every single person at the end of the night. He believes you can be a strong leader and still respect your team, and that the health journey made that more consistent for him.Ryan Ratino said, "I think proud, but not satisfied. Proud of where I am, but knowing that at 20 I was probably even more crazy and driven than I am now."Host Nycci Nellis said, "What you are doing with your health is a full-time job. The working out 90 minutes a day, the diet, managing it. That is people's actual job. Where is the time for your other job?"Timestamps00:00 Welcome and Equinox Wisconsin Avenue at City Ridge.00:51 Why Nycci is in sneakers and how this episode came together.01:17 Introducing Ryan Ratino and the Hive Hospitality empire.03:28 Growing up working class in Ohio, helping mom get dinner on the table.05:05 Were you hungry? The food origin story.05:30 Baseball, competitiveness, and why cooking school clicked within two months.07:05 Le Cordon Bleu in Florida, full circle back to Winter Park.08:11 Building a well-rounded career: hotels, stages at WD50 and Minibar, Crohn's disease and health insurance strategy.10:50 The switch: deciding to own his own business and learning what not to do as a leader.12:55 Opening Bresca at 27 in the old Policy space on 14th Street.14:02 Why Bresca came before Jaunt: earning trust before asking for celebration.16:14 Why Florida? Moss at the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale and Omo by Jaunt in Winter Park.17:42 Oxen Olive in Georgetown: two weeks open, 16 to 17 beef programs, not a steakhouse.20:36 The pandemic health reckoning: 206 pounds, 30 percent body fat, and a decision to change.25:49 Finding the right doctor: 400 biomarkers, adrenal glands, cortisol spikes, and phosphatidylserine.29:30 The bulk and cut cycle: going sub-10 percent body fat to find his frame, then building up.32:07 What he actually eats: 300 grams of protein, a kilo of rice, sweet potatoes, and spitting out tastings.35:27 Eating protein before carbs to flatten blood sugar. The glucose monitor experiment.40:34 How physical discipline connects directly to leadership with grace over 200 employees.42:40 Saying hello to every person, thanking every person, and why that matters.43:48 Workout demo: shoulder flies, barbell bench press, and the Bulgarian split squat he hates.50:02 Rapid fire: black coffee before and after, Asador Etxebarri, ideal day off, and what 20-year-old Ryan would think.51:45 Nycci's outro, thanks to Equinox and City Ridge, and a Wegmans lean protein run.Connect with Ryan RatinoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanratinoHive Hospitality: https://www.hivehospitality.comBresca DC: https://www.bresca.comJaunt DC: https://www.jauntdc.comOxen Olive Georgetown: https://www.oxenolive.com