Chris Rennoldson's journey to founding Pasta Evangelists was anything but linear:

from chemical engineering to the London Stock Exchange during its most dramatic takeover battles, to professional cookery school at Leiths. Each turn shaped how he thinks about leadership, teamwork and elevating the ordinary into something special.

Now leading 400 people across 50 restaurants, Chris shares what Clara Furse taught him about unwavering conviction during NASDAQ's hostile bid.

We explore his transition from left-brain analyst to creative chef, why being present matters more than anything else as a senior leader, and how he navigates cross-cultural relationships with Italian shareholders.

His chosen dish is Lancashire hot pot, a humble casserole that reflects his philosophy of taking the apparently ordinary and making efforts to elevate it through technique and care.

He also shares a secret quick pasta recipe that celebrates exactly that.

Bon Appétit!

“Take the apparently ordinary and really make efforts to elevate it.” – Chris Rennoldson

You’ll hear about:

• From chemical engineering to refusing the oil refinery
• Clara Furse's leadership during NASDAQ's hostile bid
• When food becomes your work and your passion
• Managing 400 employees and learning leadership presence
• Why Lancashire hot pot matters to Chris
• Elevating a humble dish by building flavour layers and focusing on presentation
• Chris’ quick pasta recipe with no tomato in sight
• What restaurant kitchens teach about leadership teamwork

Episode resources:

Sfoglia Rina (Valentine’s pasta tip) - https://www.sfogliarina.it/en/cooking/

Harold McGee's Book on Food Science - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0684800012

Leiths School of Food and Wine - https://www.leiths.com

Find out more about Chris:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/crennoldson/?originalSubdomain=uk

Pasta Evangelists - https://pastaevangelists.com/

Contact François & Valentine:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

Welcome to Season 2 of Leadership Recipes!

Ben Voyer’s story begins in Paris, where his grandfather’s fillet mignon with caramelised potatoes and onions became the defining dish of his childhood. It was simple, balanced and prepared with care. Qualities that stayed with him as he grew up, moved abroad and built a career studying how people think, lead and work together.

Now a professor of behavioural science, Ben divides his time between London and Wellington teaching the next generation of leaders. His chosen dish becomes a lens for exploring tradition, memory and the subtle balance that good leadership requires.

In our conversation, we look at how Gen Z differs from millennials, and how collective leadership emerges when people understand each other’s constraints. He also reflects on how he believes experienced leaders should adapt to new generations in the workforce.

In part two, Valentine and I break down the origins of the dish and show you how to make it with minimal stress and maximum flavour.

Bon Appétit!

“Creativity comes from constraints in cooking and leadership.” – Ben Voyer

Episode resources:

ESCP Business School – https://escp.eu Pierre Gagnaire Restaurants – https://pierre-gagnaire.com

Find out more about Ben:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvoyer/

Ben’s Website - https://www.benvoyer.com/

Listen to Ben’s Podcast We All Make Mistakes - https://open.spotify.com/show/2yu9pBb8rXqrOYL8WAwj8W

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier

For the final episode of Season 1 we have our first French leader: Thibault Laumonier.

Thibault manages the French division of cardboard packaging group DS Smith, a major actor in Europe’s circular economy. A former Paratrooper who studied finance in Paris, he worked his way up in industrial sales before taking up increasingly complex managing director roles for American, Australian and British businesses.

His leadership style can be summarised by his moto: a healthy mind in a healthy body. He shares with us what it means and how to get the best out of a diverse team.

Thibault loves food: both for itself and for its ability to build connections. This is why he chose a very convivial cooking instrument for today’s recipe: the plancha. He shares his recipe of portuguese clams, along with three tapas to cook while socialising.

In part 2 Valentine and I explore the origins of the plancha cooking style, the main and bonus recipes – with a little twist due to the availability of the ingredients.

Bon Appétit!

“It’s a time and moment when you bring people together” – Thibault Laumonier

You’ll hear about:

02:12 - From jumping out of aeroplanes to the circular economy

05:50 - What makes a good leader?

10:00 - How to deal with being the ‘jam in the sandwich’

12:00 - The role of food in Thibault's life

15:10 - Thibault's favourite recipe

23:52 - Quickfire questions

31:54 - Part 2 - Portuguese clams a la plancha: etymology, tips and banter

Episode resources:

Download Thibault’s recipe here

Find out more about Thibault:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibault-laumonier-4464806/

DS Smith - https://www.dssmith.com/company

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier