Chef Michael Stadtländer of Eigensinn Farm in Singhampton, Canada, grew up on a family farm in Lubeck, Germany. As a young person, Chef Michael Stadtländer was immersed in food. From helping with collecting ingredients to prepping in the kitchen, his early life revolved around it.

After meeting Chef Jamie Kennedy - a Toronto native - in Switzerland during the 1980s, they went to Canada to run the newly opened Scaramouche restaurant.

In 1993, he bought a piece of land in nearby Singhampton, Ontario and opened Eigensinn Farm. And from that moment on, he has been at the forefront of farm-to-table movement and was ahead of the trend for a few decades.

He is also an artist and an activist. He created functional works of art on his property and commissioned multiple art projects. He also organized charity events such as Foodstock and Soupstock, which were instrumental in stopping the development of a limestone quarry in Ontario.

In this Back to the Archives episode, Chef Stadtländer shares funny stories from his youth, why charity is important to him, the difference between Vancouver and Toronto and more.

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Born and raised in Peru, Chef Jaime Pesaque started his culinary journey as a teenager, then studied at Le Cordon Bleu, Italian Culinary Institute (ICIF) as well as the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

Afterwards, worked at a number of legendary restaurants such as El Celler de Can Roca in Spain among others in Europe before going back to his home country.

Upon returning, he led Al Grano, an Italian restaurant. Eventually though, Chef Pesaque shifted his focus back to his native Peruvian food as he opened Mayta in 2008.

In 2019, Mayta entered the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, where it currently ranks 13th. In 2020, it made its debut on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, reaching 39th place. That same year, it was named Best Restaurant in the World by the World Culinary Awards. In addition, he has also been recognized by The Best Chef Awards.

As an entrepreneur, he expanded his business and opened concepts such as Sapiens, 500 Grados, and Mad Burger in Lima. Operating as "culinary embassies", he also opened Callao in The Hague, Netherlands and Mad Burger as well as NUNA in Miami, US.

In this Back to the Archives episode, Chef Pesaque shares his thoughts on the money aspect of a restaurant, the pressure chefs face, the reality of being creative and more.

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Though Chef Georgianna Hiliadaki first studied European Studies and Italian in the UK, she found her true passion and went to train as a chef at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

After her training, she co-founded Funky Gourmet in Athens and becoming the first Greek woman to earn two Michelin stars. She also helped open OPSO in London, and now works on restaurant projects in Greece and abroad.

In 2019, Funky Gourmet was slated to close temporarily but the pandemic caused a permanent shutdown. In 2024, she opened Iodio, a new restaurant in Athens to rave reviews. Recently, she started another new restaurant called Lianolia in Parga, a Greek resort town known for its natural environment.

In this Back to the archives episode, Chef Hiliadaki talks about food stereotypes, what real Greek food means to her, the wild Ancient Greek recipes she put to use and more.

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Born and brought up in London England, Chef Wong grew up in a restaurant family. His grandfather, who moved to London as a Chinese refugee, owned a restaurant in Chinatown. While his father was the first Chinese publican in the United Kingdom. In 1985, his parents opened Kym's a Cantonese restaurant in Pimlico.

He started to help in the kitchen by washing dishes since he was seven years old. Though he was accepted to law school, he only stayed for a cup of coffee and dropped out very soon after and changed his studies to anthropology instead.

When Chef Wong’s mother wanted to sell the family restaurant in 2012, he and his wife, Nathalie, took over and renamed it A. Wong. In 2017, A. Wong restaurant received its first Michelin star. And in 2021, A. Wong achieved a coveted second Michelin star.

Chef Wong, together with his longtime collaborator Dr. Mukta Das, a distinguished food anthropologist, also host a podcast called XO Soused. The program dives into a wide range of Chinese culinary topics, such as recipes, ingredients, cultural importance, and the fascinating evolution of Chinese cuisine throughout history.

In this Back to the archives episode, Chef Wong talks about the enormous variations and evolution of Chinese food, his take on Michelin stars, how Chinese cuisine compare to Western food and more.

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Chef and Co-owner Rasmus Kofoed of Geranium restaurant was born in Birkerød, Denmark. He grew up in the old ferry town of Vordingborg, located 100km south of Copenhagen. Thanks to a mother who often took him foraging in the forest or along the coastline, he became enamored with food and cooking at an early age.

Having trained in Denmark and Belgium, he ultimately returned to Copenhagen and opened Geranium in 2007 with his business partner Søren Ledet. They moved the location to the current one within Parken Stadium, where the Danish national football team calls home.

The restaurant has garnered one Michelin Star Awarded in 2012, two in 2013, three in 2016. In addition, it was named the 2022 best restaurant in the world by World's 50 Best Restaurant.

He is the only chef in history to have achieved bronze, silver, and gold at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or culinary competition. Furthermore, he has coached teams of different nationalities to compete at this event.

In this Back to the archives episode, Chef Kofoed talks about changing the menu by removing meat products, how chefs are not educated properly in how to take care of themselves, staying creative by being challenged and more.

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This podcast episode features James Beard award-winning author, entrepreneur, adventurer and tea-lover Henritta Lovell.

Growing up in London, England, she was used to the common British industrial tea products. A business trip to Hong Kong in 1999 changed her view forever - the incredible depth and taste of the liquor awakened something in her. She wanted to shared the amazing experience with people around the world in an honest way.

So in 2004, she left a career in corporate finance to found the Rare Tea Company, an ethical and sustainable tea business which trades teas and herbal infusions directly with farmers around the world.

She travels the world to source great products and sells to them top restaurants and hotels like Noma, 11 Madison Park, Gordon Ramsey and Claridges.

In 2016, she started Rare Charity, which donates a portion of Rare Tea Company's revenue back to its partner farms to support educational scholarships.

She published her memoir Infused, Adventures in Tea in 2019 and wrote lovingly about her personal love and adventures surrounding this great beverage.

In this episode, Ms. Lovell talked about and more.

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This Back to the Archives podcast episode features the legendary Chef Paul Liebrandt, who is now based in New York but was born in London, England.

Ever since he was a teenager, Chef Liebrandt was immersed in the art of cooking in various kitchens. From the Marco Pierre White, Raymond Blanc to Jean-Georges Vongerichten, he has worked alongside these great chefs early on his career in United Kingdom.

After moving to Paris, he met his most influential mentor in Pierre Gagnaire, whose work continues to inspire Chef Liebrandt.

In 1999, his life changed dramatically when he went on a three weeks vacation in New York. He loved it so much that he moved there and became a culinary superstar.

First started working briefly at the Bouley Bakery, he then opened Atlas restaurant at the young age of 24. A string of illustrious eateries followed - including Papillion, Gilt, Corton and The Elm. With each place bringing more accolades like youngest chef ever awarded New York Times' three stars, James Beard Foundation's Best New Restaurant in the United States, New York Magazine's four out of five stars, Time Out New York's six out of six stars, Esquire Magazine's best new restaurant in the USA and more.

A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt, the documentary that followed his career over the course of a decade, premiered on HBO on June 13, 2011. Directed by Sally Rowe, it was a cutting-edge project. One that influenced many in the hospitality industry and predicted the future of food-focused content-creation.

In 2015 he founded the Crumpet Management group which consults and manages on multiple projects globally.

In this episode, Chef Liebrandt talked about the history of great chefs, what he thinks of "molecular gastronomy," how he approaches cooking as he matures and more.

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A native of the province of Ontario, Canada, Chef Jeremy Austin started his culinary journey at the Culinary Arts Italian program at Toronto's George Brown College. He continued his career in various establishments within the province, further afield in Canada, as well as in Italy and China.

After globetrotting to hone his craft, he returned to Canada and opened The Pine with his wife Cassie in Collingwood, a smaller town little more than two hours north of Toronto. It opened in 2020 during the pandemic and offered a multi-course Canadian-driven tasting menu. They have since relocated to a larger space in nearby Creemore, while still offering creative Chinese-inspired cooking informed by local ingredients.

The Pine has been going from strength to strength in its existence. From climbing up the Canada's 100 Best Restaurants every year since 2022, to winning a Michelin one-star in 2024 - it has been steadily progressing in the culinary world.

In this episode, Chef Austin talked about how he thinks about using luxurious ingredients, what reminds him of growing up at his grandparents' farm while working in Italy, why anyone would start a restaurant during a global pandemic and more.

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