WEBVTT 00:00:01.290 --> 00:00:03.460 You know... 00:00:03.460 --> 00:00:06.170 Sometimes, we're not prepared for adversity. 00:00:07.250 --> 00:00:09.380 When it happens, sometimes we're caught short. 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:14.430 We don't know exactly how to handle it when it comes up. 00:00:16.390 --> 00:00:17.970 Sometimes, we don't know... 00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:22.480 just what to do when adversity takes over... 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:26.520 and I have advice for all of us. 00:00:26.520 --> 00:00:27.560 It's called, 00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:30.730 "Mercy, 00:00:30.730 --> 00:00:32.110 Mercy." 00:00:41.950 --> 00:00:43.910 This is the end. 00:00:45.330 --> 00:00:48.750 This is the end of the restaurant universe as we know it. 00:00:53.050 --> 00:00:54.420 This is really surreal. 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:56.640 Like, I couldn't imagine something like this ever happening. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:58.390 I don't know think there's a chef out there right now 00:00:58.390 --> 00:01:00.510 who's not just scared shitless 00:01:00.510 --> 00:01:02.600 of, like, what's gonna happen in the next few weeks. 00:01:03.490 --> 00:01:06.070 ‐ There is an entire chain reaction, 00:01:06.070 --> 00:01:07.410 an entire system 00:01:07.610 --> 00:01:09.570 hanging in the balance right now. 00:01:10.820 --> 00:01:12.860 ‐ My mantra's always been "* fear," 00:01:12.860 --> 00:01:15.490 but I've never been more scared in my entire life. 00:01:16.240 --> 00:01:18.790 We are just hours away from a new set of restrictions 00:01:18.790 --> 00:01:20.960 that will make it harder for restaurants to do business. 00:01:20.960 --> 00:01:23.210 The pandemic has resulted in a loss 00:01:23.210 --> 00:01:26.590 of more than 2/3 of the workforce in the food service sector. 00:01:26.590 --> 00:01:28.920 An estimated one in three restaurants 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:31.470 will likely close by the end of the year. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:37.840 ‐ My group even with all of their amazing, hard, diligent work, 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:39.760 it's not gonna be enough maybe 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.010 to save every job and to 00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:45.270 prepare us for what might the future be. 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:47.140 This is the restaurant. 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:49.480 When we decided to close down, 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:52.440 our biggest concern were our staff, 00:01:52.440 --> 00:01:56.400 many of whom don't have the social benefits. 00:01:57.030 --> 00:01:58.740 Undocumented workers. 00:01:58.740 --> 00:02:02.200 There are dishwashers, there are busboys, there are porters, there are cleanup crew. 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:04.330 You know, they're gonna be left out in the cold. 00:02:05.240 --> 00:02:07.580 This economy is not sustainable, 00:02:07.580 --> 00:02:09.870 and it will implode. 00:02:09.870 --> 00:02:12.000 So, if we don't use this as a moment 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:13.750 to build our own institutions, 00:02:13.750 --> 00:02:16.760 to take care of our own people, we're gonna miss out. 00:02:18.010 --> 00:02:20.220 There are a lot of things that need to change. 00:02:20.220 --> 00:02:22.930 How people are paid in this industry, 00:02:22.930 --> 00:02:24.850 the working conditions, 00:02:24.850 --> 00:02:27.140 the expectations. 00:02:27.140 --> 00:02:29.310 The way things have been, 00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:32.100 the status quo, is not good enough. 00:02:32.100 --> 00:02:33.940 It's never been good enough. 00:02:33.940 --> 00:02:35.730 It's time to change. 00:02:36.150 --> 00:02:37.730 So, where does an industry that employs 00:02:37.730 --> 00:02:41.280 more than fifteen and a half million people go from here? 00:02:42.160 --> 00:02:44.660 The pandemic issues are another symptom 00:02:44.660 --> 00:02:47.620 of something that was gonna happen anyway, 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:49.540 and I believe over a 10 to 15 year period, 00:02:49.540 --> 00:02:52.790 all of these restaurants that are going to change and close and evolve, 00:02:52.790 --> 00:02:54.750 nobody would've noticed 00:02:54.750 --> 00:02:57.750 'cause it would've happened in a very natural evolution. 00:02:58.510 --> 00:03:00.220 But now, it happened overnight. 00:03:00.220 --> 00:03:02.260 How do we recalibrate this? 00:03:03.390 --> 00:03:04.510 The reality is 00:03:04.510 --> 00:03:07.600 we're in a situation where you have to fix a * moving car. 00:03:07.600 --> 00:03:09.810 There's no time to * stop. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:32.000 Hello, hello. I feel loud. 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:35.580 This is * weird. 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:37.960 I like it better on Zoom. 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:39.960 It's much better. 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:43.300 ‐ I mean, we've done a year of podcasting without 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:45.970 ever being in the same room. 00:03:45.970 --> 00:03:49.600 It was eye‐opening to talk to so many of your friends in that moment. 00:03:49.600 --> 00:03:52.600 ‐ February, March of last year, it's like nobody knew 00:03:52.600 --> 00:03:54.310 what was gonna happen. ‐ Yeah. 00:03:54.310 --> 00:03:57.770 People didn't even know could you eat food 00:03:57.770 --> 00:04:00.320 from the grocery store without washing it. 00:04:00.320 --> 00:04:02.110 Make sure your groceries and takeout food 00:04:02.110 --> 00:04:03.950 are clean before you eat them. 00:04:03.950 --> 00:04:07.570 Microwave your mail to kill the COVID‐19 virus. 00:04:07.570 --> 00:04:10.790 Now, there has been a spike in microwave fires across the country lately 00:04:10.790 --> 00:04:13.910 because people are placing their masks in the microwave. 00:04:13.910 --> 00:04:16.330 It was such a dark, dark place 00:04:16.330 --> 00:04:19.880 that it's funny that people have already forgotten how dark it was. 00:04:19.880 --> 00:04:22.090 ‐ What you've been saying is the pandemic isn't the thing 00:04:22.090 --> 00:04:24.340 that killed the system. 00:04:24.340 --> 00:04:26.430 These things have been mounting for a long, long time. 00:04:27.090 --> 00:04:29.550 It could take a long time to go into 00:04:29.550 --> 00:04:32.850 all the different holes that were dug 00:04:32.850 --> 00:04:35.940 over the past 20 years in the restaurant industry, 00:04:35.940 --> 00:04:38.860 but, for me, it's more important to take the macro position 00:04:38.860 --> 00:04:41.520 and to use this moment. 00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:44.530 If anything, this has caused... 00:04:45.450 --> 00:04:48.450 divergent paths to sort of recalibrate. 00:04:49.320 --> 00:04:53.040 And just the mere fact of me saying "divergent paths recalibrating..." it's like... 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:55.870 But‐‐ but it's‐‐ the reality is like 00:04:55.870 --> 00:04:58.330 this is the first time I'm totally flummoxed 00:04:58.330 --> 00:04:59.960 at what's around the corner. 00:04:59.960 --> 00:05:01.500 There's a lot of unknowns. 00:05:08.130 --> 00:05:11.720 When we talked about this a year‐plus ago, it was just darkness. 00:05:12.850 --> 00:05:16.180 I was so depressed. I think you were a lot more rosier about it than I was. 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:19.980 ‐ Of course, I have huge concerns about the future 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:22.730 of our business and my own businesses, 00:05:22.730 --> 00:05:25.740 but I'm also interested in the industry again in a way 00:05:25.740 --> 00:05:28.490 that I haven't really been in a few years. 00:05:28.490 --> 00:05:31.240 We all knew, especially in the last few years, 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:33.120 just how fragile this business was. 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:37.040 The years from 2010 to 2020, 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:39.790 we just had an excess of everything in our industry. 00:05:39.790 --> 00:05:42.380 Media, restaurants, chefs, everything. 00:05:42.380 --> 00:05:45.050 Hyped up to the Nth degree. 00:05:45.050 --> 00:05:46.800 You know, sometimes, the bubble has to burst 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:49.010 in order to be more healthy in the long run. 00:05:50.970 --> 00:05:54.060 The restaurant industry was a bubble. 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:57.060 There was this insatiable appetite for newness. 00:05:58.440 --> 00:06:02.110 And I think a big catalyst was the media hyping it up. 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:04.610 The glamor made it something like... 00:06:06.230 --> 00:06:07.240 we need more of it. 00:06:07.990 --> 00:06:11.990 Chefs were presented opportunities that they had never been presented before. 00:06:11.990 --> 00:06:14.490 More and more restaurants opened up, I certainly was part of that 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:17.330 because it felt like you couldn't stop. 00:06:17.330 --> 00:06:19.460 This is grow or die. 00:06:19.960 --> 00:06:23.130 I don't think anybody anticipated what was going to burst that bubble 00:06:23.130 --> 00:06:25.420 was a global pandemic, 00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:26.960 but something had to give. 00:06:32.400 --> 00:06:34.900 --- 00:06:37.400 --> 00:06:38.390 ‐ Well, 00:06:38.980 --> 00:06:40.480 I mean, there's so many factors. 00:06:41.270 --> 00:06:44.150 Rent, the amount of employees you need, 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.150 food costs, wine costs, the permits you have to pull. 00:06:48.490 --> 00:06:51.030 You try to keep your food margins at 20%. 00:06:51.030 --> 00:06:52.570 It ends up to be more like 35%. 00:06:53.450 --> 00:06:56.700 Your labor percentage is another 35%, 00:06:56.700 --> 00:06:59.540 and then you have rent and you have utilities and all that stuff. 00:06:59.540 --> 00:07:02.870 So, at the end of the day, I'm probably paying 00:07:02.870 --> 00:07:06.130 50 cents per diner for them to eat those chicken wings. 00:07:07.170 --> 00:07:08.800 When the pandemic hit, 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:12.470 within two weeks, we had so many people going, 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:14.760 "I have to close my doors for good." 00:07:14.760 --> 00:07:16.220 Like, after two weeks. 00:07:16.220 --> 00:07:18.970 It's like, how are we not prepared 00:07:18.970 --> 00:07:20.770 for a two week close down? 00:07:22.640 --> 00:07:25.270 Restaurants are one of the most decentralized 00:07:25.270 --> 00:07:27.730 sectors in business. 00:07:27.730 --> 00:07:30.070 Like, there's not the pope of restaurants who says, 00:07:30.070 --> 00:07:32.530 "Well, here's how we're gonna deal with egg prices 00:07:32.530 --> 00:07:35.820 "or the rise of the internet or the potential for a pandemic 00:07:35.820 --> 00:07:38.290 to ravage our entire sector." 00:07:38.290 --> 00:07:41.790 We talk about the restaurant industry like it's a cohesive thing, 00:07:41.790 --> 00:07:43.830 and it's really not. 00:07:43.830 --> 00:07:45.960 And that's part of why 00:07:45.960 --> 00:07:48.040 it's so easy for it to get *ed. 00:07:51.590 --> 00:07:53.970 If anything, the past year proved that 00:07:53.970 --> 00:07:57.220 Darwinian theory is a real thing. 00:07:57.220 --> 00:07:59.100 And it was not just survival of the fittest. 00:07:59.100 --> 00:08:01.310 It was survival of the most privileged. 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:03.640 Survival of who had the most access. 00:08:03.640 --> 00:08:06.100 Survival of all of these things 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:09.110 that not everyone can have, and it wasn't necessarily fair. 00:08:10.440 --> 00:08:13.400 I mean, there's countless restaurants that closed that should not have closed. 00:08:29.460 --> 00:08:31.250 ‐ I mean, we're... 00:08:31.250 --> 00:08:33.260 We shut some down, and... 00:08:36.260 --> 00:08:37.340 Ah man. 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:40.890 There was certainly a period where I was like, "Oh this is‐‐ this is all over." 00:08:42.970 --> 00:08:46.940 To be faced with that, it's like your professional mortality. 00:08:48.900 --> 00:08:51.270 I just felt so... 00:08:51.270 --> 00:08:53.070 stupid for a long time. 00:08:54.650 --> 00:08:58.030 You pour yourself into this restaurant. 00:08:58.030 --> 00:09:01.330 You make it a sustainable business where you're giving healthcare, 00:09:01.330 --> 00:09:03.790 you're making people happy, all these things. 00:09:03.790 --> 00:09:06.370 And the stress, it's just so much stress. 00:09:07.670 --> 00:09:08.790 You are taught... 00:09:10.090 --> 00:09:14.340 that perfection and pursuit of excellence is brainwash, 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:16.050 and I bought that hook, line, and sinker. 00:09:17.550 --> 00:09:20.550 And then, all of a sudden, it's taken away. 00:09:21.810 --> 00:09:23.060 And I think that... 00:09:23.810 --> 00:09:26.560 vulnerability, that powerlessness, 00:09:27.060 --> 00:09:29.350 I think shook a lot of us to our core. 00:09:36.490 --> 00:09:37.780 I'm talking to people that 00:09:37.780 --> 00:09:41.990 are asking themselves existential life questions. 00:09:42.910 --> 00:09:46.290 This job is really hard. It's physical work, 00:09:46.290 --> 00:09:47.870 there's a lot of hours. 00:09:47.870 --> 00:09:51.380 There's a lot of people in the restaurant industry 00:09:51.380 --> 00:09:53.590 that are asking themselves 00:09:53.590 --> 00:09:56.010 is there something else they could be doing, 00:09:56.010 --> 00:09:58.680 and I'm asking this question, too. It's like, "Is this what I wanna be doing?" 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:01.800 It's a reassessment of what's happening. 00:10:04.560 --> 00:10:06.680 I come here at least once a week. 00:10:06.680 --> 00:10:07.810 Oh man. 00:10:08.270 --> 00:10:11.270 ‐ This would be five or six rows, 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:14.610 like lines, queues, and people just lined up, ordering. 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:18.490 ‐ What is the order. What should I order? 00:10:18.490 --> 00:10:20.910 So, our famous sandwich is the beef French dip. 00:10:20.910 --> 00:10:22.700 And it's a double dip. 00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:24.330 The best way to have it. 00:10:24.330 --> 00:10:26.830 This has been around for generations. Mm‐hmm. 00:10:26.830 --> 00:10:28.620 This is as old school as you can get. 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:30.460 This place is amazing. 00:10:31.670 --> 00:10:33.960 People seem to feel like, 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:37.210 at least in our industry, that things are gonna go back to normal. 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:41.130 It's like, "oh, let's bring it back to March of 2020." 00:10:41.590 --> 00:10:43.850 None of it was working that well to begin with. 00:10:43.850 --> 00:10:45.430 ‐ No. This is just being honest, right? 00:10:45.430 --> 00:10:48.810 ‐ We have undervalued food for so long. 00:10:48.810 --> 00:10:52.440 We have undervalued people that wash our dishes for so long. 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:54.810 The culture of our coworkers. 00:10:54.810 --> 00:10:57.110 I feel like that is gonna really shift. 00:10:57.110 --> 00:10:59.650 Mm‐hmm. ‐ I mean right now, I know all of us 00:10:59.650 --> 00:11:03.240 are probably struggling to rehire people. Mm‐hmm. 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:06.870 ‐ For me, I've kind of been focused on a lot of different things 00:11:06.870 --> 00:11:09.160 other than the restaurant itself. 00:11:09.160 --> 00:11:11.460 ‐ I think alternative revenue avenues 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:13.420 are super important for any business owner. 00:11:13.420 --> 00:11:15.750 We're expanding into our products 00:11:15.750 --> 00:11:18.090 and online retail, direct to consumer. 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:19.710 We're doing a lot more other things... 00:11:19.710 --> 00:11:22.590 ‐ And before, we didn't prioritize it 'cause there was no time. 00:11:22.590 --> 00:11:24.930 I wanna hold this industry accountable 00:11:24.930 --> 00:11:28.270 because we should've been doing this over the past 10, 20 years. 00:11:28.270 --> 00:11:30.390 We're talking about an industry that still hasn't 00:11:30.390 --> 00:11:32.190 adopted the metric system for *'s sake. 00:11:32.190 --> 00:11:34.600 Know what I mean? 00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:36.610 There's these legacies of... 00:11:38.280 --> 00:11:39.820 being so stubborn to change. 00:11:41.820 --> 00:11:44.410 I think the greatest obstacle in front of us 00:11:44.410 --> 00:11:47.330 is that nobody wants to change. 00:11:47.330 --> 00:11:48.830 It's a very similar‐‐ 00:11:48.830 --> 00:11:51.660 It's gonna sound totally * crazy, 00:11:51.660 --> 00:11:54.960 but Malcolm Gladwell has this great piece about Rick Barry. 00:11:57.540 --> 00:11:59.380 He was the greatest free throw shooter of all time 00:11:59.380 --> 00:12:01.130 because he shot underhand. 00:12:01.130 --> 00:12:02.970 Here he is at the line again. 00:12:02.970 --> 00:12:04.760 And he's still hitting nothing but net. 00:12:04.760 --> 00:12:07.140 ‐ Nobody wanted to do that because it's not cool! 00:12:07.140 --> 00:12:08.310 You lose street cred. 00:12:09.310 --> 00:12:12.230 I think street cred and looking cool 00:12:12.230 --> 00:12:15.060 is why the restaurant industry 00:12:15.060 --> 00:12:16.860 missed the boat altogether. 00:12:17.770 --> 00:12:20.530 The question then is what in priority 00:12:20.530 --> 00:12:22.650 are the things that we sorta have to address? 00:12:30.330 --> 00:12:31.540 The restaurant business 00:12:31.540 --> 00:12:34.410 employees a shit‐ton of people, 00:12:34.410 --> 00:12:36.210 so, uh... 00:12:36.210 --> 00:12:38.420 That's the scientific term for it. ‐ Yeah. 00:12:38.420 --> 00:12:41.880 Most of the people who were working with us, 00:12:41.880 --> 00:12:45.970 they don't wanna deal with the amount of stress, 00:12:45.970 --> 00:12:49.350 or the amount of pressure, that comes with being in this business. 00:12:49.350 --> 00:12:52.770 ‐ In a business like hospitality, 00:12:52.770 --> 00:12:54.770 it's a tough, tough, tough game. 00:12:55.270 --> 00:12:59.190 So, you feel like you've gotta give more to get more, 00:12:59.190 --> 00:13:01.940 and I really don't know if that's the case going forward. 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:05.570 I left the traditional models because of how traditional they were, 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.240 and that was, you know, kitchen was the lowest of the totem pole for pay, 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.450 but the highest in my mind, 00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:14.450 and probably any back o' house person's mind, in workload. 00:13:14.450 --> 00:13:16.960 ‐ You work your * off from the bussers 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:19.580 to the line cooks to the head chef 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:21.130 to the owners. 00:13:21.130 --> 00:13:24.130 Restaurant culture is not for the faint of heart. 00:13:25.260 --> 00:13:27.800 As a chef, you're a leader, you're a therapist, you're a plumber, 00:13:27.800 --> 00:13:30.100 you know, you're the handyman, 00:13:30.100 --> 00:13:32.350 you are HR at times. 00:13:32.350 --> 00:13:34.220 If you can do that within those four walls, 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:36.270 imagine what you can do outside of that. 00:13:36.270 --> 00:13:39.060 Worst case scenario for the future of food 00:13:39.060 --> 00:13:41.110 is that there aren't any people 00:13:41.110 --> 00:13:43.110 pushing this industry forward. 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:44.780 You have the same people driving the force. 00:13:44.780 --> 00:13:46.650 You have the same people controlling the narrative. 00:13:46.650 --> 00:13:49.660 And if we remain the same, then we're in a bad position. 00:13:57.460 --> 00:13:59.290 Welcome to Cooking With Chang! 00:14:00.210 --> 00:14:02.210 Got my friend Kwame Onwuachi here. 00:14:03.170 --> 00:14:05.510 We're about to cultural appropriate the shit out of this food. 00:14:08.470 --> 00:14:11.600 He's been called a rock star redefining the industry. 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:14.560 He's a Top Chef alum and the founder of Kith and Kin 00:14:14.560 --> 00:14:15.810 right down here in DC at the wharf. 00:14:15.810 --> 00:14:18.350 ‐ And he has just written an incredible memoir. 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:21.060 Kwame's started a media company. 00:14:21.060 --> 00:14:22.980 He's writing, I don't know, 00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:24.650 two cookbooks simultaneously. 00:14:24.650 --> 00:14:27.860 Any way he can express himself that's not within a restaurant, 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:28.950 that's what he's doing. 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:32.280 We're doing octopus Veracruz. 00:14:32.280 --> 00:14:33.330 I'm just gonna marinate this 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:35.700 while we work on the other stuff. 00:14:37.790 --> 00:14:42.710 This dish I had for my next menu for Kith and Kin, 00:14:42.710 --> 00:14:43.790 but then I left the restaurant. 00:14:43.790 --> 00:14:45.840 So it never‐‐ never saw the light of day. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:48.670 I really love Veracruzan cuisine. 00:14:48.670 --> 00:14:50.800 It's one of the places 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:54.390 in Mexico that has an Afro‐Cuban influence. 00:14:54.800 --> 00:14:58.060 Alright, so this compote's got a lot going on. 00:14:58.060 --> 00:15:00.890 It's pretty much all your traditional things in a Veracruz sauce. 00:15:00.890 --> 00:15:03.980 ‐ This has all the elements of something that 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.230 I learned how to cook without ever having gone to Veracruz. 00:15:07.230 --> 00:15:09.990 I think, for me, I learned that when a dish tells a story, 00:15:09.990 --> 00:15:11.110 it has a soul. 00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:12.820 You're not just cooking for perfect seasoning. 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:15.660 You're cooking to share a story with someone, share some nostalgia. 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:27.340 ‐ That's awesome! ‐ It's good? 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:29.760 You are creating stories from you, 00:15:29.760 --> 00:15:33.220 and people, being in a Black chef in America, where those stories haven't 00:15:33.220 --> 00:15:36.140 even really been told in restaurant ends, let alone now, 00:15:36.140 --> 00:15:38.270 you're just creating content still in different mediums. 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:40.930 ‐ I think chefs have to realize that they have a platform, 00:15:40.930 --> 00:15:42.480 and they can do something with that platform, 00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:44.020 and it's not really relying 00:15:44.020 --> 00:15:46.690 on anybody else's definition of a chef. 00:15:46.690 --> 00:15:49.110 It's what's your definition of a chef and what do you wanna do. 00:15:49.110 --> 00:15:51.110 What do you wanna see this industry become? 00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:53.110 * the status quo. 00:15:53.110 --> 00:15:55.200 ‐ You said it. I agree. 00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:01.540 People that work in restaurants are just scrappy as *. 00:16:01.540 --> 00:16:04.580 Whether you're in front of the house or back of the house, 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:06.170 we're resilient. We're gritty, 00:16:06.170 --> 00:16:08.840 and everybody's pivoted to delivery, 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:12.720 to putting tables outside, whatever needs to happen to make ends meet. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:17.050 I think that things are gonna continue to pivot. 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.520 I mean, in 2020, 00:16:22.520 --> 00:16:28.110 Reem's was a traditional fine casual restaurant. 00:16:28.520 --> 00:16:30.690 And when the pandemic hit, 00:16:30.690 --> 00:16:33.110 I had this epiphany that 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:35.110 I didn't have to be alone, 00:16:35.110 --> 00:16:37.660 and that there's this whole community around me. 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:41.910 Our restaurant workers, 00:16:41.910 --> 00:16:44.250 most of those are people of color, 00:16:44.250 --> 00:16:46.250 low income communities, 00:16:46.250 --> 00:16:49.170 immigrants, undocumented folks. 00:16:49.170 --> 00:16:51.550 A lot of my team members, they wanna do something, 00:16:51.550 --> 00:16:54.300 they wanna be of service to community, 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:56.760 and I think food places are just that. 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:02.970 So we said, you know what? We are gonna turn into a commissary kitchen. 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:05.600 You know, at first, it was about keeping us afloat, but then, 00:17:05.600 --> 00:17:09.560 it was about sort of fulfilling this vision that Reem's had. 00:17:09.560 --> 00:17:11.780 Building resilient community through nourishing food, 00:17:11.780 --> 00:17:13.190 no matter what, you know? 00:17:13.190 --> 00:17:15.740 It doesn't have to be in this traditional sense. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.110 This has two more minutes to go. 00:17:18.990 --> 00:17:20.530 Looks good. I'm gonna take it out. 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:23.290 The biggest model change for us 00:17:23.290 --> 00:17:25.290 was internally, operationally, 00:17:25.290 --> 00:17:27.500 and now, we're in a worker‐owned model. 00:17:29.540 --> 00:17:31.750 Worker ownership really means that 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:35.220 the people who add value to your business, the workers, 00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:37.630 have ownership of the profits 00:17:37.630 --> 00:17:39.760 that they are yielding for the company, 00:17:39.760 --> 00:17:43.810 and they have a say in the decisions that the business makes 00:17:43.810 --> 00:17:46.810 that obviously impacts their lives. 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:49.940 It's really about creating a system in which 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:52.650 people are looking at the collective wellbeing 00:17:52.650 --> 00:17:55.690 rather than their own individual wellbeing. 00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:01.450 ‐ Food is populist, 00:18:01.450 --> 00:18:03.790 at the end of the day. ‐ Food is populist. 00:18:04.660 --> 00:18:06.160 Are restaurants populist? 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:10.250 ‐ I spent a lifetime thinking that I was feeding a lot of people. 00:18:11.170 --> 00:18:12.750 ‐ And I think this pandemic, 00:18:12.750 --> 00:18:14.840 and the aftermath of it, 00:18:14.840 --> 00:18:17.260 has shown me that we have really fed nobody. 00:18:17.260 --> 00:18:20.220 We do, but it's not a lot comparatively. 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:22.800 It's feeding a small subsect of your community. 00:18:25.810 --> 00:18:28.060 Feeding as many people as possible 00:18:28.060 --> 00:18:29.690 seems like it's easy, but it's not. 00:18:31.650 --> 00:18:33.730 And I think the transition from high‐end dining 00:18:34.860 --> 00:18:38.070 to fast service is, in some ways, 00:18:38.070 --> 00:18:41.070 the equivalent of pop art or something like that. It's... 00:18:42.870 --> 00:18:44.700 There's more to that 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:46.370 to make food accessible 00:18:46.370 --> 00:18:49.160 than just to have it appreciated by a select few people. 00:18:50.580 --> 00:18:52.630 Strange days. ‐ Very strange days. 00:18:52.630 --> 00:18:55.500 I... You know, I'm a hopeful guy. I think it's gonna get better. 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:57.460 ‐ I'm a very hopeful person. 00:19:00.510 --> 00:19:02.970 JJ, he was in fine dining. 00:19:02.970 --> 00:19:06.350 He was running the Cecil. He won a Beard Award for his cookbook. And then, 00:19:06.350 --> 00:19:08.350 he decided to change it up. 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:12.440 A lot of people, foodies, 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:14.270 would say, "what a waste of talent 00:19:14.270 --> 00:19:17.820 that this person wants to just open up something so mainstream." 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:20.320 I'm like, what's wrong with that? 00:19:20.320 --> 00:19:21.990 Fieldtrip... 00:19:22.610 --> 00:19:25.330 is about your exploration of rice, 00:19:25.330 --> 00:19:27.040 Yeah, yeah, yeah. ‐ ...your heritage, 00:19:27.040 --> 00:19:29.910 your culture. ‐ So, we all grown up on a rice culture. 00:19:29.910 --> 00:19:33.000 Either a rice dish or a rice grain, 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:35.920 and I look at rice as that connector that 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.170 hopefully connects everybody. 00:19:37.170 --> 00:19:40.130 ‐ You think you have a better quality of life cooking this way? 00:19:40.130 --> 00:19:42.050 ‐ I have a better quality of life cooking this way. 00:19:42.050 --> 00:19:44.760 It's still long days, but it's not like 00:19:44.760 --> 00:19:47.220 we're getting off at 2:00 in the morning, right? 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:50.020 ‐ Alright, man. Well, what are we gonna make then? 00:19:50.020 --> 00:19:51.100 ‐ So, one of my favorite dishes. 00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:54.900 Pineapple black fried rice, collard greens, 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:55.860 some steamed salmon, 00:19:55.860 --> 00:19:58.360 and then peri peri sauce from West Africa. 00:19:59.650 --> 00:20:02.450 This is the future. I mean, just you doing this. 00:20:04.030 --> 00:20:08.330 Black guy using a wok, at 30 Rock... 00:20:08.330 --> 00:20:10.080 I got... I see... 00:20:10.080 --> 00:20:13.540 flavors from all over the world! Flavors from all over the world. 00:20:14.420 --> 00:20:16.670 This makes me happy, man. 00:20:17.340 --> 00:20:21.170 I think change for JJ to fast food or quick service 00:20:21.170 --> 00:20:24.300 is an important one because, clearly, 00:20:24.300 --> 00:20:26.970 he's still making food in the high‐end fashion. 00:20:26.970 --> 00:20:30.560 It's just now done in a way where you don't have to spend 00:20:30.560 --> 00:20:34.020 70, 80, $100. You can get a $12 bowl. 00:20:34.020 --> 00:20:38.360 To me, I think that is one of the most exciting things you can do. 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:40.940 Beautiful. 00:20:49.030 --> 00:20:50.950 This is so... 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:53.290 delicious, man. This is... 00:20:54.210 --> 00:20:55.670 fine dining cooking. 00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:57.040 So much depth, so much flavor. 00:20:57.630 --> 00:21:00.210 ‐ If you can figure out how to cook that food from fine dining 00:21:00.210 --> 00:21:02.460 and make it accessible and delicious 00:21:02.460 --> 00:21:04.470 and price point is good, 00:21:04.470 --> 00:21:05.800 then I think it's a home run. 00:21:05.800 --> 00:21:07.390 It doesn't feel different. 00:21:07.390 --> 00:21:09.260 It just is in a different space. 00:21:09.260 --> 00:21:12.100 And I look at that as a great thing for the future. 00:21:24.280 --> 00:21:25.780 So excited. 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:29.570 This is a place that I used to come a lot. 00:21:33.580 --> 00:21:37.210 I don't even know how the hell I found this place because it wasn't easy to find. 00:21:37.210 --> 00:21:41.040 This is a place that I would come after I lived in Japan. 00:21:41.040 --> 00:21:44.460 I was like, wow, this is like I've been transported to Japan. 00:21:47.090 --> 00:21:48.760 Sakagura and restaurants like that 00:21:48.760 --> 00:21:50.800 are very common in Asia. 00:21:50.800 --> 00:21:53.100 And I think that, 00:21:53.100 --> 00:21:57.640 as America develops a richer food culture 00:21:57.640 --> 00:21:59.940 where it's not so based on real estate, 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:02.270 you're gonna see more places like Sakagura 00:22:02.270 --> 00:22:04.150 because you're literally walking through 00:22:04.150 --> 00:22:06.070 some building from college, 00:22:06.070 --> 00:22:07.200 and then you go downstairs, and you're like, 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:09.110 "whoa, check out this party." It's awesome. 00:22:09.780 --> 00:22:12.200 And it's cheaper. Everyone says "real estate, real estate, real estate." 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:14.450 Yeah, but it doesn't necessarily have to be 00:22:14.450 --> 00:22:16.370 the most prime A+ location. 00:22:18.040 --> 00:22:19.580 I grew up in northern Virginia, 00:22:19.580 --> 00:22:21.920 and you don't find restaurants in a basement. 00:22:22.790 --> 00:22:25.130 Right? Yeah. ‐ Of an office building yeah. Yeah. 00:22:25.130 --> 00:22:27.970 There's a term, "underground economy". 00:22:27.970 --> 00:22:31.890 The idea that you always have, you know, 00:22:31.890 --> 00:22:35.180 subnetworks that exist underneath... 00:22:36.100 --> 00:22:37.810 whatever's happening officially. 00:22:37.810 --> 00:22:40.940 You know, we're talking about basically experiences of leisure. 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:42.400 We're talking about 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.650 opportunities to kick back and relax. 00:22:44.650 --> 00:22:46.610 And I think for people of color, 00:22:46.610 --> 00:22:48.400 and especially for Black people in this country, 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:50.820 those experiences have always been politicized. 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:54.370 So, if you could have a space where you could be at ease, 00:22:54.780 --> 00:22:57.700 you could chill the * out, you know? 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:00.870 You could laugh, joke, 00:23:00.870 --> 00:23:04.000 be celebrated in some way, 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.800 I mean, who wouldn't wanna keep that underground? 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:11.220 I mean, the only thing that I grew up knowing that 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:13.720 where restaurants aren't supposed to be was when I found 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:16.810 Asian restaurants in places where they were in White places. 00:23:18.390 --> 00:23:19.940 I remember going to DC 00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:21.350 because my dad wanted to take us 00:23:21.350 --> 00:23:23.650 to a fancy Korean barbecue place. 00:23:23.650 --> 00:23:28.070 It was in a fancy part of Washington, DC. And that was like, "wow. 00:23:28.070 --> 00:23:30.990 That's not supposed to be here. We're su‐‐ You actually thought that? 00:23:30.990 --> 00:23:33.620 ‐ Yeah! I remember being like, "We're not supposed to be here. This is weird." 00:23:34.070 --> 00:23:38.450 I didn't really think about that till I started to travel, and I was like, wait. 00:23:38.450 --> 00:23:40.370 Outside of America... 00:23:40.370 --> 00:23:42.460 There's something very American that 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:45.420 we're sort of brought up to have the restaurants 00:23:45.420 --> 00:23:47.960 that you expect in certain locations. 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:51.340 ‐ Part of what compels me to want to 00:23:51.340 --> 00:23:53.890 deconstruct these belief systems 00:23:53.890 --> 00:23:57.060 that had you as a boy saying, 00:23:57.060 --> 00:24:00.640 "My people don't belong in this place." 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:02.810 Like, who the * told you that!? 00:24:03.560 --> 00:24:07.070 I grieve for that little Chang! 00:24:07.860 --> 00:24:10.820 Because there's so many other people experiencing that. 00:24:11.320 --> 00:24:15.240 As people are more knowledgeable about food and a lot of the old standing 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:18.910 stupid ways of how we thought about food disappear, 00:24:20.700 --> 00:24:22.870 maybe one of which is 00:24:22.870 --> 00:24:24.710 where and how you eat. 00:24:34.260 --> 00:24:37.350 I think the definition of a restaurant has been changing. 00:24:38.050 --> 00:24:40.350 I don't think that it has to be 00:24:40.350 --> 00:24:43.270 within a certain city 00:24:43.270 --> 00:24:47.610 or doesn't have to be within four walls. 00:24:47.610 --> 00:24:49.400 It can be in a house. 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:52.150 It can be in an Airstream. 00:24:52.150 --> 00:24:55.110 It can be in a cabin in the woods. 00:24:56.070 --> 00:24:58.870 I created a little bed and breakfast. 00:24:58.870 --> 00:25:01.200 It's a little bit of outfitting 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.160 and outdoors experience 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:07.080 and like a resort and a restaurant, all in one. 00:25:10.170 --> 00:25:12.960 ‐ A restaurant, to me, is a place where 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:15.340 you're inviting people in to be comfortable 00:25:16.180 --> 00:25:17.840 and to experience something beautiful. 00:25:19.300 --> 00:25:21.600 It used to be, "oh, they're in this part of town. 00:25:21.600 --> 00:25:23.390 They're next to this building." It's like, 00:25:23.390 --> 00:25:26.060 that used to matter, but I've also waited in line in, like, 00:25:26.060 --> 00:25:28.860 some of the worst parts of town you'd never really wanna go to 00:25:28.860 --> 00:25:29.560 for some good food. 00:25:29.830 --> 00:25:32.880 Doing things like pop‐ups and ghost kitchens 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:34.500 and street food, 00:25:34.500 --> 00:25:37.050 that's been really exciting to see how people 00:25:37.050 --> 00:25:39.760 shift the way we look at dining 00:25:39.760 --> 00:25:42.510 and what a dining experience is. 00:25:43.470 --> 00:25:45.220 I think street food is a restaurant. 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:47.730 I know a lot of people who are gonna kill me on that and say, 00:25:47.730 --> 00:25:49.940 "That's not a restaurant! You have to have hospitality, 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:52.190 service, create that experience." 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:54.270 It's a vibe when you're on the street, 00:25:54.270 --> 00:25:57.240 and you're waiting in line. It's a huge vibe. 00:25:57.240 --> 00:25:59.740 It has to be the right location for what you're doing. 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:01.910 ‐ I do have a lot of friends who have invested 00:26:01.910 --> 00:26:04.080 tons of money into opening a brick‐and‐mortar. 00:26:04.910 --> 00:26:08.160 It's just insane how much you have to put out there 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:10.210 before you're able to live that dream. 00:26:10.790 --> 00:26:12.420 Some of the best restaurants in the world 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:14.840 are places that are in 00:26:14.840 --> 00:26:18.130 the worst locations humanly possible. 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:21.510 For food to be more accessible 00:26:21.510 --> 00:26:27.020 and to give people that want to open up their own spot an opportunity, 00:26:27.020 --> 00:26:29.850 you gotta free up the flow of real estate. 00:26:38.190 --> 00:26:40.700 You've been here before? I have not been out here before. 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:43.490 I've been to his other pop‐up, but this is crazy. 00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:45.870 Sup, dude? How you doing? What's going on, man? 00:26:45.870 --> 00:26:47.370 Hey. 00:26:47.370 --> 00:26:49.700 How are you, my friend? ‐ Great to finally meet you, man. 00:26:51.080 --> 00:26:53.370 I just wasn't expecting this setup. It's amazing, 00:26:53.370 --> 00:26:54.540 and it's here. 00:26:54.540 --> 00:26:57.000 Like... 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:59.510 this can't happen in many places in America. 00:27:00.300 --> 00:27:01.760 No, you can't. I mean, 00:27:01.760 --> 00:27:04.510 we're right here, right across from the recycling plant. 00:27:04.510 --> 00:27:07.600 There's a lot of history, there's a lot of heritage, culture here. 00:27:07.600 --> 00:27:09.100 I mean, West Oakland, 00:27:09.100 --> 00:27:11.890 you think about it, it's the last stop of the great Black migration. 00:27:11.890 --> 00:27:13.900 ‐ This is so cool. I love... 00:27:14.310 --> 00:27:17.190 the recycling noise. 00:27:17.190 --> 00:27:19.360 Zero *s. It's amazing. It's so good. 00:27:19.360 --> 00:27:21.360 The future is... 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.360 restaurants need to be able to work within cities. 00:27:24.360 --> 00:27:26.990 You can't be like, not every restaurant can be perched on a cliff 00:27:26.990 --> 00:27:28.450 overlooking the ocean 00:27:28.450 --> 00:27:31.250 with a beautiful view of whatever, whatever, whatever. Right, right. 00:27:31.250 --> 00:27:32.750 ‐ You gotta serve food 00:27:32.750 --> 00:27:34.250 where the people are. 00:27:34.990 --> 00:27:36.620 Alright, talk to us, man. So, 00:27:37.370 --> 00:27:39.250 when I first got started in barbecue, 00:27:39.250 --> 00:27:43.120 my focus was try to put out the best proteins that I can. 00:27:43.120 --> 00:27:45.880 I wanted to pay tribute to those that come before me, 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:47.630 the shoulders of which I stand on. 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:51.760 I teach my guys to use their hands and feel and look at it. 00:27:52.380 --> 00:27:55.340 I know it's weird, I say this all the time, it's like 00:27:55.340 --> 00:27:57.680 you wanna become one with what you're doing. 00:27:57.680 --> 00:27:59.850 *, man. 00:27:59.850 --> 00:28:02.270 ‐ Dave hasn't said anything for seven minutes. 00:28:04.270 --> 00:28:05.400 ‐ This is when it's good, man. 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:08.020 Why talk when the food is this good, man? Thanks. 00:28:08.020 --> 00:28:10.530 Great barbecue is about how much you love it. 00:28:10.530 --> 00:28:12.490 That's it. It's how much you love it, 00:28:12.490 --> 00:28:14.410 and that's why I'm tasting this. It's like... 00:28:14.410 --> 00:28:17.160 you're tasting love, and I know that sounds cheesy, man, 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:20.120 but that's what makes this brisket so delicious. 00:28:20.490 --> 00:28:23.710 I mean, it's extremely important. It's more than just us being here, 00:28:23.710 --> 00:28:25.080 operating a restaurant here. 00:28:25.080 --> 00:28:27.330 It's like how are we impacting our community? 00:28:27.330 --> 00:28:29.630 Are we the great neighbor within our community? 00:28:29.630 --> 00:28:32.340 Are we actively taking the steps to be able to empower 00:28:32.340 --> 00:28:35.470 the people that create this community? 00:28:35.470 --> 00:28:37.470 It's a sense of responsibility. 00:28:38.140 --> 00:28:39.850 If you just don't even taste the food, 00:28:39.850 --> 00:28:43.270 and clearly it's outrageously good, it's amazing. 00:28:43.770 --> 00:28:46.560 But, if you just, sort of look at this operation, 00:28:46.560 --> 00:28:49.570 how do you not be inspired by the future? 00:28:56.360 --> 00:28:58.030 We need to 00:28:58.030 --> 00:29:01.660 really lock into what changes were made because of the pandemic 00:29:01.660 --> 00:29:04.750 and how it can better the industry. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:09.040 It's up to all of our individual responsibilities to take a second look 00:29:09.040 --> 00:29:11.550 at the way we do things and to make sure that... 00:29:12.340 --> 00:29:14.670 we're not doing it at the expense of someone else. 00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:17.260 I mean, I'm terrified 00:29:17.260 --> 00:29:19.180 of things going back to status quo. 00:29:19.180 --> 00:29:23.470 It's why I'm fighting so hard while we have the moment 00:29:23.470 --> 00:29:25.680 to shift people before people forget. 00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:30.520 ‐ We have to set aside this idea of toxic individualism 00:29:30.520 --> 00:29:34.360 and realize that the only way we can create space for people to try 00:29:34.360 --> 00:29:37.700 things that are exciting and humane 00:29:37.700 --> 00:29:40.910 and that move us forward, right, as people who create 00:29:40.910 --> 00:29:44.620 or as people who consume, is if we have room to fail. 00:29:46.080 --> 00:29:49.920 ‐ I think people are now accepting that change is inevitable 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:53.090 and nothing's gonna look like how it was once before, 00:29:53.090 --> 00:29:55.510 and that's okay, and it's actually quite exciting. 00:29:58.830 --> 00:30:00.880 I was not anticipating 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:03.460 to have hope and light 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:06.010 in filming this 00:30:06.010 --> 00:30:08.890 because while we may lose the middle tier 00:30:08.890 --> 00:30:10.720 in the traditional sense, 00:30:12.100 --> 00:30:13.680 that's gonna transform into something else. 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:20.560 I think the mid‐market restaurant 00:30:20.560 --> 00:30:22.980 will now be the domain of home. 00:30:25.530 --> 00:30:28.240 You get food delivered at home, you cook at home, 00:30:28.950 --> 00:30:31.620 but I think one of the things that hopefully will happen 00:30:31.620 --> 00:30:34.120 is you'll be able to serve food 00:30:34.120 --> 00:30:36.080 out of your home as a business. 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:43.920 I've been doing food service for about 25 years, 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:47.130 and when COVID hit last year, 00:30:47.130 --> 00:30:50.220 someone told me, "Hey, you should do your food. We miss it." 00:30:51.430 --> 00:30:54.140 This is a good way to serve the community 00:30:54.140 --> 00:30:56.520 and have sustainability for ourselves. 00:31:01.860 --> 00:31:03.770 We have quesabirrias. 00:31:04.780 --> 00:31:06.440 Here we have potato tacos. 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:08.450 Lucy, this looks extreme. 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:12.120 I mean, come on. This is amazing. 00:31:17.120 --> 00:31:18.330 Holy shit. 00:31:18.330 --> 00:31:20.210 This is stupid. 00:31:20.210 --> 00:31:21.710 I can't believe this food is being made here. 00:31:21.710 --> 00:31:23.500 I mean, I can, but... 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:25.300 this is awesome. 00:31:26.260 --> 00:31:27.710 This is extraordinary. 00:31:27.710 --> 00:31:29.170 ‐ Thank you. 00:31:29.170 --> 00:31:31.300 ‐ If I read about Barra de Pan, 00:31:31.300 --> 00:31:32.970 "How do I make a reservation?" 00:31:32.970 --> 00:31:34.640 Foodnome is an app 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:37.270 that allows you to order from 00:31:37.270 --> 00:31:38.890 permanent home‐based restaurants 00:31:38.890 --> 00:31:40.940 across southern California. 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:43.860 We have 100 restaurants on our platform right now. 00:31:43.860 --> 00:31:45.570 We just got the law approved in Berkeley 00:31:45.570 --> 00:31:47.690 and working on some legislation 00:31:47.690 --> 00:31:50.490 in Washington state and Utah and like a few other places. 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:54.530 There's a lot of implications for this in terms of food deserts. 00:31:54.530 --> 00:31:56.080 Here in Riverside, 00:31:56.080 --> 00:31:58.120 there's McDonald's and an Applebee's. 00:31:58.120 --> 00:31:59.830 On Foodnome, 00:31:59.830 --> 00:32:02.120 there's homemade Haitian food, northern Chinese food, 00:32:02.120 --> 00:32:04.080 and Guatemalan food. 00:32:04.080 --> 00:32:06.170 And so, all these people live in the community, 00:32:06.170 --> 00:32:08.920 and they can share their cultures and traditions. 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:11.930 ‐ It gives us new chefs a way to... 00:32:13.430 --> 00:32:17.060 sort of gauge ourselves, what we can do and what we're capable of. 00:32:17.390 --> 00:32:20.140 ‐ I'm so sick and tired of seeing 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:22.230 my friends and my peer group 00:32:22.230 --> 00:32:24.690 lose their shirt because... 00:32:24.690 --> 00:32:26.440 they've had to put everything up to get a loan. 00:32:27.110 --> 00:32:28.900 And the restaurant... 00:32:29.690 --> 00:32:32.070 disappeared because of a variety of things, 00:32:32.070 --> 00:32:34.280 and especially this year, so many restaurants closed, 00:32:34.280 --> 00:32:36.030 and they're left with nothing. ‐ Yeah. 00:32:36.030 --> 00:32:39.080 ‐ And this is an amazing way to mitigate a lot of that risk. 00:32:41.250 --> 00:32:44.170 Is that mole? ‐ That mole, it's mole poblano. 00:32:44.170 --> 00:32:47.460 So, that's my mom's recipe. ‐ That is bananas. 00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:49.840 So good. Holy cow. 00:32:49.840 --> 00:32:52.760 ‐ So, the mole poblano is my mom's recipe. I make it all the time. 00:32:52.760 --> 00:32:54.340 My daughters love it. 00:32:54.340 --> 00:32:56.720 ‐ I mean, this is one of the best pozoles 00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:58.680 I've ever had. Oh wow, I'm honored. 00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:00.680 I am really, truly honored. 00:33:01.230 --> 00:33:04.350 We've been on this crazy journey, all of us, 00:33:04.350 --> 00:33:08.520 during COVID, and the restaurant industry is very difficult. 00:33:08.520 --> 00:33:10.400 It was difficult before COVID, 00:33:11.280 --> 00:33:14.700 and things are more murky than ever before, 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:16.820 and I have been, oftentimes, 00:33:16.820 --> 00:33:18.990 in incredibly dark places, thinking about this. 00:33:19.450 --> 00:33:21.700 But, no‐‐ no BS, 00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:23.460 this is incredibly inspiring. 00:33:24.210 --> 00:33:25.420 I just... 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:27.580 I hope that this is the future. 00:33:31.630 --> 00:33:33.550 Pre‐pandemic, I saw a lot of broken dreams, 00:33:33.550 --> 00:33:36.220 a lot of broken bodies, a lot of... 00:33:37.050 --> 00:33:38.470 empty bank accounts. 00:33:39.260 --> 00:33:42.600 I think for myself, I'm never going to leave, 00:33:43.100 --> 00:33:45.810 but I'd like to have a little bit better balance 00:33:45.810 --> 00:33:49.020 in being home for bath time 00:33:49.020 --> 00:33:50.190 and put down my son. 00:33:50.190 --> 00:33:51.820 Those are moments I'm never gonna have again, 00:33:51.820 --> 00:33:55.740 and honestly, I never would've done any of this stuff 00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:57.280 if I was just working all the time. 00:33:58.120 --> 00:34:00.870 There's a lot of us that are like there's more to life. 00:34:01.370 --> 00:34:03.540 There's different ways to run a business, 00:34:03.540 --> 00:34:06.420 it doesn't have to be within the four walls of a restaurant. 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:09.170 And that's where I'm actually incredibly positive 00:34:09.170 --> 00:34:12.420 about what is possible. 00:34:12.420 --> 00:34:13.510 This is a great time. 00:34:13.510 --> 00:34:16.680 If I was younger and in my 20s, 00:34:18.010 --> 00:34:20.470 I'd be like, "this is * amazing." 00:34:20.470 --> 00:34:21.890 You're gonna see so much innovation. 00:34:21.890 --> 00:34:25.060 I really hope you're gonna see people take some big swings 00:34:25.060 --> 00:34:26.480 and try to do something new and different. 00:34:28.130 --> 00:34:31.590 but there's more ways of eating food than there have ever been. 00:34:31.590 --> 00:34:34.090 ‐ Are you hopeful? I'm shocked actually. 00:34:35.550 --> 00:34:39.350 ‐ It needed to blow up. It needed to implode, right? 00:34:39.350 --> 00:34:42.100 This year has been incredibly difficult, 00:34:43.560 --> 00:34:45.310 but I am genuinely optimistic 00:34:45.310 --> 00:34:47.230 for what's around the corner. 00:34:47.230 --> 00:34:50.610 Why I am optimistic about it is I have no * idea.