Episode 5 - Bosscat Kitchen & Libations Main Squeezes Lesley and Peter chumb it up with FDnH12/17/2019
Our podcast team here at Fat Drunk And Happy dive in with Chef Peter Petro and owner/operator Leslie Nguyen from Bosscat Kitchen And Libations to talk shop and explore the gritty side of opening a restaurant and - most importantly - staying open. Regarded as “Bosscat Leslie”, she started out as a bartender in her early 20’s and soon bought her first shop with funds from her tips. There have been a lot of hard lessons learned as she has constucted the Bosscat empire along with a slew of other passions and projects. She chats about opening the new location in Old Town Orange at the venerated building where Rod’s Liquor currently calls home. There are challenges in the restaurant business but being a female in the ownership role certainly has many more. Assumptions, stereotypes and plain old judgement have been things that Leslie has had to look at and overcome. From eyelashes to donuts, she has proven her mettle under the most trying of circumstances. Bosscat nailed it in 2019 by being named Best Brunch in Orange County by the Golden Foodie Awards, a well-earned nod to their efforts. Amin Benny touches on Leslie’s background as a bartender and her own podcast and YouTube efforts. She has also accepted sobriety after more than a glancing blow with addiction, a topic that is all too topical in the restaurant industry with recent cultural passings like Anthony Bourdain and others that have had to face their demons. Chef Peter Petro came from the corporate side to instill his passion for food with his role in the Bosscat concept. He talks cuisine with our own Cody Storts about Tex-Mex, sliced jalapeños and the concept that people dine regionally. He also explains the idea behind the Bosscat burger and the reason they do things their way. There is comon understanding on this episode of Fat Drunk And Happy that we are all in this together, both Peter Petro and Bosscat Leslie would never ask anyone in their shop to do anything they wouldn’t. You’ll also find out how Cody Storts, Amin Benny, Leslie Nguyen and Peter Petro all feel about Del Taco and the Double Del Burger. What do the coming years have in store for the Bosscat team? The possibilities are limitless and for good reason.
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Flying under the banner of the great American Whiskey Rebellion of 1791, they believe that distillers should get the same rights as wineries and breweries. They broadcast their message of “from grain to glass” while producing unquestionably one of the most refined orange vodkas anywhere to be had. And their aquavit is equally amazing. This episode of the Fat Drunk N Happy podcast features Brian and Robin Christenson, two iconic roustabouts in the Orange County food and beverage scene. They are the heart and soul behind Blinking Owl Distillery, the OC’s first and only distillery. Located a few blocks from the historic ares of Downtown Santa Ana, the curated a unique and respected space in a rough and tumble industrial building adjacent to the legendary Logan Barrio - one of the most touching spots in the region. They chime in on the construction, architect and permitting hurdles they faced. Along with Head Distiller Ryan Friesen the explore the complexities and challenges of operating a one-off distillery with all it’s legal and financial ups and downs. It is and interesting spot to be in with a ton of regulatory vagueness and mixed signals from the city, county and state. In their case they have a very interesting permit, a type 74 license, which has a lot of gray area to it and recently got them on the wrong side of the powers that be, including the state board of Alcoholic Beverage Control. They have been shuttered for over 25 days due to heavy-handed steps from regulatory agencies and a few otherwise innocent misunderstandings about the nature of their tasting room located on property. With the the recent closing of The OC Weekly they are lamenting the loss of not only a cultural landmark but also a trusted ally. Tune in for this special serial podcast to take in the heart and soul of distilling, small business and what it takes to get the tough things done. Cheers!
Alex Gonzales owner/head mead maker at Honey Pot Meadery (@honeypotmeadery) in Anaheim jumps onboard with the Fat Drunk And Happy team for an epic food podcast explaining the realm of mead making and how that works in the small business realm. Launched 3 years ago Honey Pot Meadery broke new ground as the only commercial mead making operation in Orange County and certainly blazed a trail for the craft on Southern California. Our food podcast team talks shop and tastes mead ranging from savory to sweet all the while chatting about the things that make us do what we do in food and beverage. Alex also explores culinary thought in brewing and the correlations between fermentation, beverage and food. Landing a spot on Anaheim’s La Palma beer trail, a six mile stretch of road with nine craft breweries, is an appropriate salute to their groundbreaking efforts.
Also on this episode is Donald Lockhart, Chef De Cuisine for Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California. He is a friend a longtime collaborator with our own Amin Benny who worked with Chef Lockart for many years. We talk chef life, kitchen fails and flavor profiles all the while exploring in depth what it’s like to work in one of the Orange County scene’s most upscale resorts. Chef Donald and Alex Gonzalez have also collaborated for awhile with Chef helping him make mead at his location. They are also collaborating on a mead made with bacon fat. We also talk Chef Donald’s epic 49 layer lasagna and what Chef Lockhart called “the journey to the jacket”, a Chef’s road to becoming who they are in the kitchen. Here at Fat Drunk N Happy we always strive to bring you the best in the free podcast realm with our food podcast and podcast website dedicated to cooking, chefs story, mixology and what it’s like in the cut throat kitchen realm. Follow us here or via our apple podcast in iTunes to get the latest and greatest from our orange county ca podcast.
CDM Corona Del Mar@CDMRestaurant
ChefJohn Blackford @JBlack231 BartenderRavin Buzzell @Ravin1 2019 Golden Foodies Bartender of the Year Modern American Cuisine Under CDM Speakeasy Taking food vacations Finding inspiration and always creating new menu items Bartender vs Mixologist The days when the internet was on paper Ravin Buzzell Started in Orlando Dueling Piano Bar MGM Grand Las Vegas Education and sharing what you have Finding what people like and making something better Shaken or Stirred John Blackford Started in Pittsburgh Culinary Institute of America in New York New York vs California food scene Michelin Star Ratings How to be unique with classical parings of flavors Matching the menu to the vibe of the restaurant Finding cooks 5 ingredients to have in your kitchen at all times Restaurants make the best leftovers on the planet. Everything tastes better the next day. This week we settle in and hear how each player got in and out of the game. What got us into this mess and how did we get on to the next part of this mess. Life in around the hospitality biz and can we help it grow?!Fat Drunk N Happy is on all major Podcast appsJoin us next week as we get to chat with the CDM team and talk shop.. bar master Ravin and Chef John coming up...Cody Storts, David Mau and Amin Benny start the conversation about food and beverage business realityAudio also available on all major podcast apps
Welcome to the first of season 2 wit FDnH Podcast!! Pull up a chair and join the new crew in talking restaurant and real life. We are stoked to introduce two new co-hosts, David and Benny, to the conversation and mayhem. We would love to hear all feedback. Good, Bad and ugly we are in for it.. bring the noise my friends to this Podcast!!!
Please like and share on whatever podcast format you choose cause without you we are literally just talking to ourselves !!! cody |
FDnHFind out real chef and bar lifestyle as we dive into the reality of what it take to win and how we all have brutally have won and lost in this hospitality bukkake |