Setting The Table: The Chefs of Best Fest

In this episode, we meet Djamil Djibril Bah-Traore, chef and founder of House of Bah. Born in Togo with roots in Mali, Djamil’s journey into food is deeply personal—shaped by family, loss, and a longing for home. His philosophy is simple but powerful: food should move people. Through his cooking, he invites others to experience culture not as something distant, but something felt one meal at a time.This is more than a conversation about cuisine. It’s about how a single dish can carry history, shift perspective, and connect us all at the table.

Today, Host Tay Westberry is sitting down with Chef Andrew Novak of All in Thyme. His story starts with a search for meaning, for craft, and for the kind of work that feels worth giving yourself to. What pulled him in wasn’t just cooking. It was the realization that food, when made with real care, can hold detail, integrity, and something deeply human. Here’s Chef Andrew Novak.