The Blossom Before the Fruit

Chef Travis Swikard could have run one of the best kitchens in the world. Instead, he came home. Born and raised in San Diego, he left at 21 for culinary school in Vermont, then London, Paris, and New York, where he spent seven years with Daniel Boulud and rose to culinary director. But when the next step meant traveling as a corporate chef, he looked at his hometown and saw what everyone else missed: the best ingredients were already here. In this episode, Chef Claudia Sandoval sits down with the chef behind Callie and Fleurette to discuss his philosophy of serving local, hyperseasonal food. Along the way, they talk about the $110 chicken that takes twice as long to raise, why a plate of poached vegetables picked that morning is the best thing on his menu, and the importance of food pantries in San Diego, where 1 in 4 people don't know where their next meal is coming from. At its heart, this is a conversation about ingredients and the people behind them. For Travis, success was never about money in the bank. It's about knowing the story behind every dish and holding it to one question: would you feed this to your grandma? New episodes every Wednesday. You can find Chef Travis on Instagram @travisswikard and visit Callie and Fleurette in San Diego.  Follow along on Instagram ⁠@bitefullypod⁠ and ⁠@chefclaudiasandoval⁠ Host & Executive Producer: Claudia Sandoval | Producer: Shei Yu I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Mike Fennessy Bitefully is an Immigrantly Media Production. If you like what you hear, write a review at Bitefully and subscribe to Immigrantly Uninterrupted for ad-free episodes For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices