The Chef JKP Podcast

Send us a textSeason 11 closes with a conversation that defines what true creative commitment looks like at the highest level of gastronomy.In this season finale of the Chef JKP Podcast, Chef JKP is joined by Carmen Rueda Hernandez, Executive Pastry Chef of Bricks Dessert and one of the most quietly influential pastry chefs working today.From a small village in the mountains of Spain to the kitchens of El Bulli and The Fat Duck, Carmen’s journey is not driven by titles or shortcuts, but by curiosity, discipline, and an uncompromising respect for craft.This conversation traces her evolution from a young cook obsessed with meat and fish to a pastry chef who found her voice through chocolate, research, and storytelling. Carmen speaks candidly about unpaid stages, 14-hour days, creative pressure at the world’s most demanding kitchens, and the mental resilience required to grow without losing yourself along the way.She reflects on working during El Bulli’s final season, rebuilding The Fat Duck’s menu from scratch, leading experimental research kitchens, and why pastry is not about sweetness but about balance, texture, memory, and emotion.The episode also dives deep into her work in Dubai, where she built Bricks as the Middle East’s first dessert-only fine dining restaurant. Carmen explains how storytelling shapes every menu, why education is still the biggest challenge, and how trust, repetition, and patience are essential when introducing new ideas to diners.At its core, this is a conversation about mastery. About staying curious. About knowing when to push, when to listen, and why greatness is built slowly, choice by choice.A fitting end to a season focused on growth in all its forms.WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE• Growing up in rural Spain and developing curiosity through observation• Choosing culinary school over economics on instinct• Discovering pastry through chocolate and laboratory kitchens• The reality of unpaid stages and long working hours• Working at El Bulli during its final season• Discipline, structure, and calm at the world’s top kitchens• Rebuilding creativity at The Fat Duck through research and psychology• Leading experimental kitchens under extreme pressure• Competing at the World Chocolate Masters• Why dessert is about balance, not sweetness• Building Bricks as a dessert-only fine dining concept• Advice for young chefs on repetition, patience, and masteryCHAPTERS00:00 Season finale introduction04:10 Childhood food memories and curiosity09:30 Choosing culinary over economics15:20 Early kitchen realities and work ethic22:10 Discovering pastry through chocolate30:40 Moving to France and classical training42:00 Joining El Bulli55:20 Lessons from the world’s top kitchen68:10 The Fat Duck and experimental research86:40 Competition mindset and pressure104:30 Creating Bricks in Dubai136:20 Final reflections and advicePROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY POTATOES USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and champions chefs, home cooks, and food lovers across the world. From nutrition to creativity, they continue to show why the potato remains one of the most versatile and essential ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.com/FOLLOW THE GUESTCarmen Rueda HernandezInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/chefcarmenrueda6GUEST BUSINESSESSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 11 closes with the annual festive conversation that has become a tradition on the Chef JKP Podcast.In this Christmas special, Chef JKP welcomes back two of MENA region's most respected food writers, Courtney Brandt and Liam Collins, for an unfiltered year-end conversation on everything that shaped hospitality, dining, and food culture in 2025.From Michelin milestones and major restaurant openings to media responsibility, service standards, awards fatigue, and the reality behind hype, this episode captures the mood of the industry at a moment of reflection. It is personal, honest, occasionally controversial, and deeply rooted in lived experience.Courtney shares a landmark year that included working with the world’s first three Michelin starred Indian restaurant, stepping into beverage culture, and witnessing how global recognition reshapes local pride. Liam reflects on his second year as a father, writing with more intention, and how Dubai continues to evolve from an importer of talent into an exporter of culinary identity.Together, they unpack what truly matters right now. Community over noise. Consistency over spectacle. Thoughtful growth over rushed expansion. And why hospitality still begins and ends with people.This festive special moves effortlessly between industry insight and personal storytelling, touching on Michelin, 50 Best, Tatler, food halls, service culture, PR ethics, neighbourhood dining, underrepresented cuisines, and what 2026 might bring.A conversation that feels like being invited back to the table with family.WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE• The biggest hospitality moments of 2025• Michelin stars, losses, and what they still mean today• Media responsibility and the misuse of “Michelin” language• Why community-led dining is winning over hype• The rise of neighbourhood restaurants and food hubs• Service culture and what truly defines great hospitality• Underrepresented cuisines and where the real innovation lies• PR, influencers, and credibility in modern food media• Festive food memories, traditions, and industry realities• Predictions and hopes for hospitality in 2026CHAPTERS00:00 Festive welcome and setting the tone02:10 A year in review for Courtney and Liam05:30 Family, food memories, and life beyond work12:40 Michelin moments and historic milestones21:30 Awards, recognition, and industry maturity32:20 Openings, closures, and where the market is shifting45:10 PR, media ethics, and inflated expectations58:30 Service culture and what guests truly remember72:40 Community dining, food halls, and neighbourhood growth88:00 Underrepresented cuisines and future opportunities102:10 Predictions for 2026114:30 Festive reflections and gratitude for hospitality teams120:00 Closing thoughts and Christmas wishesPROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY POTATOES USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and champions chefs, home cooks, and food lovers across the world. From nutrition to creativity, they continue to show why the potato remains one of the most versatile and essential ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.com/FOLLOW THE GUESTSCourtney BrandtInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/_courtneybrandt_/Liam CollinsInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/itsliamcollens/FOLLOW CHEF JKPInstagramhttps:/Support the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 11 continues with conversations that explore the forces shaping hospitality beyond the kitchen.In this episode, Chef JKP sits down with Georgie Woollam Edwards, Founder of Katch International, a London and Dubai based PR and experiential agency that has helped shape some of the region’s most influential restaurant and hotel launches.Georgie’s journey moves from early years in theatre and media to studying culture, storytelling, and communication, before building a career across events, PR, and brand strategy. In 2010, she founded Katch in memory of her late sister, grounding the agency in values of honesty, craft, and emotional connection.Today, Katch operates across the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, working behind the scenes on hospitality brands, global restaurant groups, and landmark openings including Atlantis The Royal.This conversation explores what PR really means in modern hospitality. From storytelling and brand positioning to influencer culture, restaurant launches, reintroductions, and why food, consistency, and people matter more than hype.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Childhood memories and early creative influences• Theatre, media, and learning to work behind the scenes• Studying culture, storytelling, and communication• Founding Katch in memory of her sister• Lessons from events and wedding planning• What PR actually means in hospitality today• Influencers, critics, and brand credibility• Launching and reintroducing restaurants in the Middle East• Building loyal teams and strong company culture• Advice for hospitality brands and creativesChapters00:00 Introduction and welcome05:20 Childhood and creative foundations12:40 Theatre, media, and storytelling21:10 Founding Katch and personal purpose32:00 Events, weddings, and hospitality lessons45:30 What PR really means today58:40 Influencers, critics, and credibility72:20 Reintroducing restaurants to the market88:10 Team culture and leadership102:30 Closing reflections and adviceProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks, and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.comFollow Georgie Woollam EdwardsInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/georgiewoollams/Follow Katch InternationalInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/katch_int/Websitehttps://katchinternational.com/Follow Chef JKPInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/chefjkppodcastLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/james-knight-paccheco-447b1b17TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@jamesknightpacchecoSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 11 continues with a story built on discipline, precision and a chef who believes great food comes from craft, culture and the people you grow with.Alex Dilling grew up between London and California, splitting his childhood between home-cooked food, travel, music and skateboarding. Cooking was not the plan until it became the only thing that made sense.From culinary school in London to the demanding Michelin kitchens of New York, Alex built his career inside some of the most intense brigades in the world. He trained under Alain Ducasse teams, worked alongside Helene Darroze, developed his own creative identity at Caviar Russe, and later took the helm at The Greenhouse in London before opening his namesake restaurant at Hotel Cafe Royal.Today, Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal holds two Michelin stars awarded just six months after opening and has become one of London’s most precise, technique-driven and emotionally honest dining rooms.This conversation opens up the world behind fine dining, leadership, creativity, the realities of pressure, and the craft behind dishes that take years to understand and seconds to enjoy.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Growing up between the UK and California• Early food memories with his mother and grandfather• Punk bands, skateboarding and choosing cooking late• Culinary school, externships and finding French classics• Moving to New York with no job and entering Michelin culture• Training under Ducasse and running sections at 21• Creative freedom and earning a Michelin star at Caviar Russe• Becoming head chef for Helene Darroze at The Connaught at 28• Leadership, pressure and the realities of managing big teams• Rebuilding The Greenhouse and shaping his identity• Opening Alex Dilling at Cafe Royal• Achieving two Michelin stars in six months• Menu development, technique and perfectionism• Why collaboration fuels growth• His Bangkok project and global work• Advice for young chefs entering fine diningChapters00:00 Introduction and welcome to the episode04:00 Childhood across London and California08:00 Music, skateboarding and teenage years12:00 Family cooks and early food memories18:00 Culinary school and discovering French technique23:00 Moving to New York with no job lined up26:00 Entering Ducasse kitchens and learning intensity33:00 Creative freedom and a Michelin star at Caviar Russe40:00 Becoming head chef for Helene Darroze48:00 Leadership, pressure and managing a brigade55:00 The Greenhouse and redefining French cuisine67:00 Opening Alex Dilling at Cafe Royal78:00 Earning two Michelin stars in six months87:00 Collaborating with Albert Adria102:00 Bangkok project and a new chapter112:00 Advice for young chefs and closing reflectionsProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.comFollow Alex DillingInstagram (Personal)https://www.instagram.com/adills1/Restauranthttps://www.instagram.com/alexdillingcaferoyal/LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-dilling-b658b295/Follow Chef JKPInstagramhttps://www.instagraSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 11 continues with a story shaped by culture, trade, and a woman who believes food can create understanding in ways politics never can.Victoria Hassani grew up inside her family’s restaurant on the Jersey shore. Breakfast crowds, seafood dinners, a deli, an ice cream shop and a childhood built around menus, ingredients, cost control and hospitality. Her earliest memories were not hobbies or weekend activities. They were food memories.She later studied music, moved to France, learned language and culture, and discovered how food reflects a place long before she learned it professionally. What she did not expect was that this curiosity would eventually lead her across borders, governments and global industries.Victoria built her career in international trade and marketing, working between the US and Canada before moving to Dubai in 2007. What started as a temporary opportunity became the foundation of a company that now supports agriculture boards, global brands and regional retailers across the Middle East.Today she runs GMA Marketing Management between New Jersey and Dubai. Her work connects farmers to markets, governments to businesses, chefs to ingredients and consumers to better understanding what they are buying. She has helped shape how products like US potatoes are positioned in the region, why education matters and how food can be used as a bridge between cultures.Her story is honest, ambitious and full of the lessons that come from building something from scratch in a region that changes every year.This conversation opens up the world behind trade, marketing, agriculture and the people who make global food systems function.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Growing up in a family restaurant across breakfast, lunch and dinner• How Russian heritage and French influence shaped her palate• Moving to France at 18 and discovering food through culture• Entering trade, marketing and cross-border business development• How Canada and the US built strong food trade relationships• Why she moved to Dubai and started her own company• How GMA helps global brands enter the GCC market• The education gap around potatoes and why it matters• Understanding fresh, frozen and dehydrated potatoes• How US agriculture boards work behind the scenes• Why food and trade are powerful tools for peace• How she works with governments, retailers and chefs• Her mission to connect cultures through food• Advice for young marketers and women entering the industryChapters00:00 Introduction and welcome to the episode04:00 Childhood inside a family restaurant08:00 Lessons from chaos, hospitality and family business12:00 Russian heritage and early food memories18:00 Studying in France and discovering culture23:00 Returning to the US and shifting into international relations26:00 Entering global trade and marketing33:00 Moving to Dubai and starting a new professional chapter40:00 How the Potatoes USA partnership began48:00 Educating chefs and the region about potatoes55:00 Fresh, frozen and dehydrated potato insights67:00 Trade shows, government meetings and culinary training78:00 Why food diplomacy matters87:00 Trade, peace and building cultural understanding102:00 The future of GMA and Victoria’s advice to young talentProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, tSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE