PODCAST · arts
Best Served
by Jensen Cummings
Acknowledging and celebrating our Unsung Hospitality Heroes. We value WHY and WHO before what and how in the industry. It's too easy to get caught up in the minutia of what we do and how we do it.Join Chef Jensen Cummings as he talks to industry leaders about the people that have been there through the trials and triumphs of their lives and careers. From childhood guides to ass kicking mentors to the team members in the trenches making it all happen. Help us celebrate these rockstars!
Episodes
-
BSP399: 3 Year Anniversary of Best Served Podcast with Elan Wenzel of Element Knife Company
3 year anniversary of Best Served Podcast, which launched on November 18, 2019 with Chef Jensen Cummings and special guest Elan Wenzel of Element Knife Company. Nearly 500 guests have graced us with their stories, wisdom, struggles, and hope for a better future for the restaurant industry…
more -
BSP398: Comida Saludable con Barbie y Jose de Sacred Society - Best Served en Español
En este episodio de Best Served en Español, Corina Hierro de Chamba habla con Barbie Beltran y Jose Guerrero de Sacred Society sobre la transformación que puede tener en su vida tomar decisiones saludables. Sacred Society
-
BSP397: Edwin Sandoval of Xatrucho on Bringing Honduran Cuisine To Grange Food Hall
Edwin Sandoval strives to bring his Honduras roots to his cooking at his concept Xatrucho. Born in Honduras and raised in Colorado, Edwin has spent twelve years in the culinary industry working at restaurants like Le Grand Bistro, Argyll Whisky Beer, and Telegraph Bistro. His concept Xatrucho has...
-
BSP396: Melissa Yanc of Quail & Condor on Women in Restaurant Leadership
Melissa Yanc is the owner operator of Quail & Condor. She started baking with her grandmother at seven years old. Her passion led her to Johnson & Wales Denver and then into the Denver restaurant scene before she headed to California. In Northern California, Melissa worked at SingleThread Farm...
-
BSP395: Levi Noe of Fuel & Iron Realty on Restaurant Buildout Costs
Levi Noe is the Vice President of Brokerage at Fuel and Iron Realty. A Denver native, Levi’s background in copywriting, marketing, education, entrepreneurship, and food service lend him a unique perspective into F&B real estate negotiations. 6 Questions with Levi Noe of Fuel & Iron Realty on...
-
BSP394: Kyle Inserra of Zelnik National on 3 Keys to Negotiating Your Restaurant Lease
Kyle Inserra is a commercial real estate professional and the host of two podcasts, The National Restaurant Owners Podcast and Commercial Real Estate School. A 15-year restaurant industry veteran, Kyle is a thought leader in the hospitality industry and commercial real estate space. 6 Questions...
-
BSP393: Aida and Fernando of Ferdi on Running A Family Restaurant in NYC
Fernando and Aida Scarpati are brother and sister co-owners of Ferdi, the new Italian restaurant in West Village, New York City. Their family legacy in the restaurant industry dates back to their grandfather, Ferdinando (nicknamed Ferdi), who came to America and opened up Ferdi’s, a restaurant in...
-
BSP392: Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty on Restaurant Employee Retention with Labor Management
Jim Taylor is the creator of Benchmark Sixty, a Canadian restaurant financial optimization agency that uses data, benchmarks, and metrics to increase profit margins and improve productivity. Before starting Benchmark Sixty, he worked for Cactus Club Cafe and helped them grow into the household…
more -
BSP391: Restaurant Family Legacy, Brazilian Food, Portuguese Cuisine with Carlos and Victor of Ipanema
Carlos and Victor Pedro grew up in their father’s restaurant, Ipanema. Ipanema has been in their family and in New York, in one location or another, for decades. Now Victor and Carlos have taken up the mantle as they open the newest location of Ipanema. Ipanema 6 Questions with Carlos and Victor…
more -
Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week Wrap-Up Show with Corey Nelson
Jensen and Corey talk about the key takeaways from Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week: restaurants lack of acknowledgement and interaction with social media posts, the importance of reaching out to promote your business, building up trust and confidence in influencers, understanding the new guest...
-
BSP390: Customer Generated Restaurant Reviews with Jillian of @Pao_Denver - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Jillian Brown discusses moving away from Yelp and Tripadvisor type reviews and using Instagram highlights to create a community of online customers. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions…
more -
BSP389: Finding Hidden Gems with Jes of @Jes_Foodie - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Jesvyn Terraza talks about immigrant founded food businesses and the accountability of food content creators in the restaurants they highlight. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of...
-
BSP388: Eating In Your Car with Nick of @MileHighFoodDude - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Nick Howard speaks about utensils, accessible packaging, and why he creates content about eating in his car. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of restaurant influencer marketing as…
more -
BSP387: Social Media Management with Alana of @5280Foodiez - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Alana Kaufman talks about social media engagement and creating content at food festivals. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of restaurant influencer marketing as well as tips & tricks...
-
BSP386: Clarity Between Restaurants and Influencers with Haley of @Mile.High.and.Hungry - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Haley Paez talks promoting your values and using social media as a billboard in restaurant social media marketing. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of restaurant influencer marketing…
more -
BSP385: Connecting Culinary & Cannabis with Kip & Chris of @StonedAppetit - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Kip and Chris talk about fusing the culinary and cannabis worlds. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of restaurant influencer marketing as well as tips & tricks for short-form video. 6...
-
BSP384: Do Restaurants or Influencers Pay with Daniela of @ColoradoFoodie - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Daniela Evans breaks down the costs of creating short vertical videos and the costs of being a restaurant content creator. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of restaurant influencer...
-
BSP383: Perspective Of A Restaurateur with Larry of @Ocn_Eats - Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week
Larry connects his years of experience in the kitchen with how to create the best restaurant content on social media. Denver Restaurant Tik Tok Week features eight food content creators in their own episodes to discuss topics like the power of food, misconceptions of restaurant influencer…
more -
BSP382: Reem Assil of Reem's California on Food Incubators, Representing Arab Food Culture, Systemic Change In Restaurant Industry
Reem Assil is the founder of Reem’s California, an Arab street corner bakery dedicated to community building, social justice, and sustainability. Best Served learned about Reem through Sicily Sierra and Nite Yun, all members of La Cocina, a womens’ food business incubator program. A true...
-
BSP381: What Is Mexican Food, Licensing & Permitting, Masked Wrestlers with Zuri Resendiz of Luchador Food Truck
Zuri Resendiz has been a friend of Best Served for a long time. He’s been on the show twice previously when he worked at Shanahan’s Steakhouse and at Cattivella. Now he’s broken away from his fine dining past and has opened Luchador food truck, serving street and traditional Mexican food made…
more -
BSP380: Restaurant Opening Order Of Operations - RO4
The six phases of New Restaurant Opening Order Of Operations (RO4) come from something we call the Countdown To Launch. Countdown To Launch is a checklist of over 800 things you need to do along your path to opening a new restaurant. Watch this episode to learn more about RO4. The NEW Restaurant...
-
BSP379: Simon Tran of Botellón Spanish Tapas on Reopening A Restaurant, Restaurant Real Estate Lessons, Challenges Of Being Chef-Owner
Simon Tran is reopening his Spanish inspired restaurant after a tough lease and landlord situation caused him to close. Botellón Spanish Tapas is meant to be a gathering place for people to explore new food, wines, and flavors. Simon is planning to open in late August or early September after...
-
BSP378: KC Gonzalez of Tenmomi on Opening A Noodle Shop, 1000 Bowls Of Ramen, Chef Life Tik Tok
KC Gonzalez always knew he was meant for restaurants. Growing up in the Philippines, he helped his grandmother at her store and cooked food for their multigenerational household. KC earned the moniker Chef Salty during his days as a sous chef, the name he currently uses as his Tik Tok handle....
-
BSP377: Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim on Korean Ancestors, Restaurant Pop-Ups, James Beard Nomination
Chef Ji Hye Kim opened Miss Kim, a Korean restaurant focused on food inspired by Korean ancestors made with Michigan ingredients, in 2016 in Ann Arbor. Opening a restaurant was never a part of the original plan for Ji Hye. She started in hospital administration before becoming a cheesemonger at...
-
BSP376: Paul Arihara of DaaFamBam on Restaurant Tik Tok
Paul Arihara has used bartending to travel around the United States. Now he’s on a new journey with his family on Restaurant Tik Tok. Paul, his wife Leina, and daughter Joli run the DaaFamBam, a love story where food is the supporting actor. Watch his episode to learn more about his journey. 6...
-
BSP375: Chef David Witt on Sobriety In The Kitchen, Restaurant - Life Balance, Motivational Content
When David Witt reached out to Jensen to show his appreciation for Best Served Podcast’s episodes, he could only float the possibility of being a guest on the show. As a fan of the podcasts though, he knew his story, a story of addiction and recovery, would resonate with our audience. He...
-
BSP374: Kelly Fischer on How We Reckon With Our Past and Leave Restaurants Better Than We Found Them
Jensen is serious when he says reach out to us. In his article “Where do Restaurants Go from Here?” he said, “I’m on the lookout for it, for you. What role will you play in where restaurants go from here?” Kelly Fischer answered the call when she DMed Jensen and their conversation led to this...
-
BSP373: Bobby Little and Chad Urban of Chez Nick on Opening Multiple Restaurants Through A Pandemic
A duo like Bob Little and Chad Urban sound like they should be in a country music folk band. Instead they’re a chef duo who’ve opened three concepts (two restaurants and a catering operation) during the pandemic. Their restaurant Chez Nick in the Upper East side of Manhattan opened three weeks...
-
BSP372: Barbie Beltran and Jose Guerrero of Sacred Society, the Whole Health Bodega
In the middle of a mental health crisis, at the end of a two year pandemic, Barbie Beltran is working to create a solution. Her dream? A Whole Health Bodega called Sacred Society focused on elevating peoples’ health in body, mind, spirit, and soul. It will be a one stop shop for convenience and...
-
BSP371: Scott Schaden of Terra Restaurant on Opening Delays, Menu Stories, Workplace Culture
Chef Scott Schaden’s journey to open Terra started way back when he got into the industry at fifteen. Scott says, “The things that got me into the restaurant industry are the things I hate about the restaurant industry now. When I was fifteen, you know what got me into this job: easy access to...
-
BSP370 : 18 Things You Better Consider When Opening A Restaurant
If you are considering opening a brick & mortar food concept, you need to watch this video! Jensen Cummings outlines 18 steps from his previous experience, successes and failures, starting restaurants and consulting on restaurants that he wished he would have known every time he created a new...
-
BSP369: Paolo Neville on Going Viral on Restaurant TikTok to Gain Audience and Investors
Chef Paolo didn’t want to waste time on another social media platform. But Jensen and others kept saying he had to get more content out there, so he started making TikToks, and had a lot of fun doing it. Now his silly hotdog videos have the potential to transform into a real restaurant, because…
more -
BSP368: 3 Reasons Restaurants Hate Social Media, and How To Overcome Them While Still Running Your Business
On this episode, Jensen speaks about his personal journey starting to use social media and the most common excuses restaurants make for why they don't use social media.
-
BSP367: Finding Your Food Culture, My Personal Journey
Jensen speaks about how his Japanese heritage impacted his culinary career and created his food culture.
-
BSP366: How Much Does Time Matter To A Chef
In this episode, Jensen talks about how the movie Yellow Submarine changed Jensen's perspective of time.
-
BSP365: Chef Mimi Lan of The Taste Curator on Clubhouse for Food Creators
Jensen speaks to Mimi Lan about her struggle with public speaking, her opportunity to interview Andrew Zimmern, and how to use Clubhouse to connect with people across the world. 6 Questions with Mimi Lan of Taste Curator Food Is Religion 8 Steps to Get Set Up on Clubhouse
-
BSP364: Poder de la Familia con Ruben Rodriguez de Nai Restaurant Group - Best Served en Español #9
En este episodio de Best Served en Español, Alejandra habla con Rubén Rodríguez de Nai Restaurant Group sobre su familia en Galicia, por qué Nai es tan importante y cómo comenzó su grupo de restaurantes.
-
BSP363: Every Restaurant Only Offers These 2 Things
In this episode, Jensen talks about his family legacy, the day he decided to stop overworking in the industry, and the two things that restaurants offer. Once you understand the two things any restaurant actual offers, you can start to develop a new type of business model that plays to the true...
-
BSP362: Nixtamalization y tortillas con Zack and Diana Wangeman de Sobre Masa - Best Served en Español #8
En este episodio de Best Served en Español, Alejandra habla con Diana y Zack Wangeman de Sobre Masa acerca de sus comienzos en “pop-ups” antes de emprender su negocio y de la preservación de recetas y la nixtamalizacion entre comunidades.
-
Bonus: Voices4Chefs Part II Best Served with Rebel Chef Jensen
In part two Chef Jensen takes us deeper and bring storytelling to life with his epic Storytelling Challenge, and in this episode, you will leave impacted and inspired and ready to tell your story. You'll learn about why restaurants should become podcasters and ambassadors for their community.…
more -
Bonus: Voices4Chefs Part I Best Served with Rebel Chef Jensen
In part I we follow along on Chef Jensen’s culinary journey from working for Debbie Golds a Top Chef Masters award winner to working for Troy Guard as he became the Executive Chef at Tag in Denver Co. Then well switch gears and learn how Jensen launched a massive storytelling hospitality movement...
-
BSP361: To Hell With Haters And Self Doubt. Start Telling Your Story Today. You Are One Piece Of Content Away
Jensen speaks to Andrew Parr, Corey Nelson, and Sophie Braker about the content they created which brought the team of Best Served Creative together. Gratitude and the Hospitality Industry Knead To Sleep Fire On The Mountain Big Time Babble Dominique Ansel Bakery Phil Rosenthal World Huckleberry...
-
BSP360: Best Served 2-Year Anniversary w/ Elan Wenzel of Element Knife Co
As we reach a historic milestone of two years from the very first Best Served Podcast on November 18, 2019, we want to bring back our very first guest, Elan Wenzel of Element Knife Company at Stanley Marketplace in Denver, CO.
-
Clubhouse #29: First Time Writers Clubhouse - 86 86 86 Challenge
In the 86 86 86 Challenge, Best Served paid hospitality industry professionals $86 for their stories. Hear from first-time writers on the struggle with impostor syndrome, how they found the story within them and how we are adding more voices to the culinary narrative. Moderators Chef Jensen...
-
BSP359: Meet The Team w/ Katie O'Hara - Tell Your Best Story Ep#18
In this episode of Tell Your Best Story, Jensen speaks to Katie O'Hara, an 86 86 86 Challenge Editor, about battling with her self confidence as a freelancer, how food is so important in our lives, and how she likes volatile situations: kids, restaurants, and writing.
-
BSP358: Meet The Team w/ Zoe Schacht - Tell Your Best Story Ep#17
In this episode of Tell Your Best Story, Jensen speaks to Zoe Schacht, an 86 86 86 Challenge Editor, about helping people through journalism, the relaxed editing of the 86 86 86 Challenge, and multimedia in telling stories.
-
BSP357: Meet The Team w/ Sarah Carpenter - Tell Your Best Story Ep#16
In this episode of Tell Your Best Story, Jensen speaks to Sarah Carpenter, an 86 86 86 Challenge editor, about Sarah's first industry job, the history of Denver's food scene, and how the hospitality industry has always been there for her.
-
Clubhouse #28 w/ James Beard Foundation: Indigenous Foodways & American Food Culture
To Celebrate Native American Heritage Month join JBF & Best Served to discuss what “American food” is, how its impacted our foodways and how indigenous agrifood systems can solve many global issues. Moderators Chef Jensen Cummings Chef Mimi Lan Christine Chung Heather Jane Andrea Murdoch Nephi...
-
BSP356: Meet The Team w/ Camille Shoemaker - Tell Your Best Story Ep#15
In this episode of Tell Your Best Story, Jensen speaks to Camille Shoemaker, a 86 86 86 Challenge Editor, about seeing all sides of the industry, getting her Masters in Food Studies at NYU, and how you don't need to be an amazing writers to tell your story.
-
BSP355: Writers of The 86 86 86 Challenge - Tell Your Best Story Ep#14
In this episode of Tell Your Best Story, Jensen speaks to Sicily Sierra, Zuri Resendiz, and Joshua Walbolt, all writers from the 86 86 86 Challenge, about the inspirations behind their articles and how they found the self-worth to tell their story.
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Acknowledging and celebrating our Unsung Hospitality Heroes. We value WHY and WHO before what and how in the industry. It's too easy to get caught up in the minutia of what we do and how we do it.Join Chef Jensen Cummings as he talks to industry leaders about the people that have been there through the trials and triumphs of their lives and careers. From childhood guides to ass kicking mentors to the team members in the trenches making it all happen. Help us celebrate these rockstars!
HOSTED BY
Jensen Cummings
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Best Served have?
Best Served currently has 265 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Best Served about?
Acknowledging and celebrating our Unsung Hospitality Heroes. We value WHY and WHO before what and how in the industry. It's too easy to get caught up in the minutia of what we do and how we do it.Join Chef Jensen Cummings as he talks to industry leaders about the people that have been there through...
How often does Best Served release new episodes?
Best Served publishes regularly with 265 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Best Served?
You can listen to Best Served on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Best Served?
Best Served is created and hosted by Jensen Cummings.
URL copied to clipboard!