Episode 5 - Bosscat Kitchen & Libations Main Squeezes Lesley and Peter chumb it up with FDnH

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.

Listen to "@FatDrunkNHappy - Bosscat Kitchen and Libations" on Spreaker.