Episode 152: Jesse Cool (Flea Street Cafe; Menlo Park, CA); Post-Pandemic Jobs Market Round Table with Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions

For four decades Jesse Cool has owned and operated the beloved Menlo Park restaurant Flea Street Cafe, and been a devoted proponent of organic cooking and dining. She joins Andrew to discuss her road from Pennsylvania to California, the ups and downs of running a restaurant over such a long timespan, and her dislike of the word chef, among myriad other subjects. (Listen to Jesse's earlier appearance on the pod.)And a trio of experts from Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions, a Southern California-based recruiting firm, share their observations about the emerging post-pandemic hospitality jobs market, from traditional pursuits to new and evolving options.Please consider supporting Andrew Talks to Chefs via our Patreon page–we have just eliminated tiered contributor levels and invite one and all to support us at a minimum of just $2 per month. Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related information. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!