The Restaurant Guys

Recorded at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott continue their conversations with three people who know how to make complicated subjects feel immediate: sommelier and wine communicator Amanda McCrossin, Master Sommelier and restaurateur Bobby Stuckey, and chef, author and television host Andrew Zimmern.
Why You Should Listen
Amanda McCrossin
Why wine should feel fun and accessible—not like knowledge you had to inherit.
The case for putting ice in wine, trusting your own taste and keeping “wine-tainment” accurate.
Bobby Stuckey
Why strong restaurant culture still depends on standards, systems and “constant, gentle pressure.”
How growing a restaurant group can create meaningful opportunities for the people who helped build it.
Andrew Zimmern
What convinced him to enter the competition-show world with Food Network’s Pitmasters.
How regional barbecue is evolving through Japanese, South Asian and other cultural influences.
Why great barbecue depends on balance, excellent meat and precise doneness—and why live-fire cooking is not automatically barbecue.

The Guests
Amanda McCrossin
Amanda McCrossin is a certified sommelier, wine personality and creator of SommVivant, where she makes wine approachable across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A former sommelier and wine director at PRESS Restaurant in Napa Valley, she now hosts the Wine Access Unfiltered Podcast, contributes to Wine Enthusiast and speaks at major food and wine events around the world. 
Amanda’s site
https://www.amandamccrossin.com/

Bobby Stuckey
Bobby Stuckey is a Master Sommelier and founder and partner of Frasca Hospitality Group. After working at The Little Nell and The French Laundry, he co-founded Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, inspired by the hospitality and cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The group also includes Tavernetta, Sunday Vinyl, Pizzeria Alberico, Osteria Alberico and Tavernetta Vail. Stuckey is also a winemaker, cookbook author and longtime advocate for independent restaurants and hospitality professionals.
Frasca Hospitality Group
https://www.frascahospitalitygroup.com/team-member/bobby-stuckey/

Andrew Zimmern

Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy- and James Beard Award-winning television host, chef, writer, teacher and producer best known for the Bizarre Foods franchise. He is also the host and head judge of Food Network’s Pitmasters, a competition in which teams manage fire, fatigue and continuous barbecue challenges over an extended cook. His other projects include Wild Game Kitchen, books, culinary travel experiences and media companies Food Works and Intuitive Content. 
Andrew’s site
https://andrewzimmern.com/

Timestamps
0:00 The small restaurant world—and the second round of conversations from Aspen
2:10 Amanda McCrossin: Making wine less intimidating and more fun
10:30 Ice in wine, personal taste and the controversy of la piscine
15:30 The ten-year road to becoming an “overnight” wine-media success
22:30 Bobby Stuckey: Building destination restaurants outside major dining capitals
29:30 Growth, restaurant culture and the systems behind great hospitality
37:00 Andrew Zimmern on Pitmasters, open-fire cooking and luxury ice fishing
44:30 Regional barbecue, global influences and what separates great from merely good
56:30 Andrew discovers the unofficial appetizer hiding at the end of the skewer
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
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Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Recorded live at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott sit down with four influential voices shaping American food and hospitality. Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis and chefs Claudette Zepeda, Cassidee Dabney, and Melissa Perello.
Why You Should Listen
Hunter Lewis
Why the Aspen Classic feels like “adult food and wine summer camp” and still makes even celebrated chefs bring their A game.
How live events and genuine human connection offer something algorithms and AI cannot replicate.
Claudette Zepeda
How growing up between Tijuana and San Diego shaped her expansive understanding of Mexican cuisine, migration, and cultural identity.
Why authenticity is personal and how Cooking the Borderlands preserves the recipes and stories that might otherwise disappear.
Cassidee Dabney
How Appalachian cooks transform seasonal necessity, preservation, and humble ingredients into deeply expressive cuisine.
Why the future of luxury dining may be less about spectacle and more about thoughtful food, analog experiences, and being genuinely cared for.
Melissa Perello
How Frances and Octavia became enduring San Francisco neighborhood restaurants by building committed teams and lasting community relationships.
Why restaurant longevity depends on consistency, evolution, and doing excellent work long after the opening-night attention has moved elsewhere.
The Guests

Hunter Lewis
Hunter Lewis has served as Editor in Chief of Food & Wine since 2017. A former professional cook, he previously held senior editorial roles at Cooking Light, Southern Living, Bon Appétit, and Saveur. Under his leadership, Food & Wine has received honors from the James Beard Foundation, the IACP, and the American Society of Magazine Editors.
Food & Wine https://www.foodandwine.com/

Claudette Zepeda
Claudette Zepeda is a San Diego–based chef, writer, television personality, and founder of Chispa Hospitality. Her cooking explores regional Mexican food and the cultural exchange found along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Her debut cookbook, Cooking the Borderlands: Spice and Smoke Between Mexico and the States, combines personal stories with more than 100 recipes reflecting the intertwined communities and culinary traditions of the borderlands. 

Cassidee Dabney
Cassidee Dabney is Executive Chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. She joined Blackberry Farm in 2010 and became executive chef of The Barn in 2015.
Her multicourse menus express Blackberry Farm’s seasonal Foothills Cuisine, drawing from Appalachian traditions, the property’s gardens, and regional farms. The Barn has received James Beard Awards for Outstanding Wine Program and Outstanding Service. 
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
https://www.blackberryfarm.com/ 

Melissa Perello
Melissa Perello is the chef-owner of Frances and Octavia in San Francisco. A Culinary Institute of America graduate and former Food & Wine Best New Chef, she is known for seasonal California cooking that combines fine-dining technique with the warmth and accessibility of a neighborhood restaurant.
Frances offers a rotating, ingredient-driven menu in a relaxed neighborhood setting, while sister restaurant Octavia presents Perello’s modern California sensibility on a larger scale. 
Frances Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
https://www.frances-sf.com/
Timestamps
1:00 Hunter Lewis: Why Aspen makes the food world bring its A game
4:00 Live events, human connection, and what AI cannot replicate
8:00 Claudette Zepeda: The multicultural food of Tijuana and the borderlands
16:00 Preserving family recipes, defining authenticity, and cooking under pressure
27:30 Cassidee Dabney: What defines Appalachian cuisine
35:30 The future of luxury hospitality and making home cooking luxurious
42:30 Melissa Perello: Building Frances and Octavia for the long haul
51:30 Restaurant community, staff longevity, and the next chapter in San Francisco
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/
Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

This is a Vintage episode from 2006.
Jay Weinstein, author of The Ethical Gourmet, explains how everyday food choices affect farmers, animals, workers, the environment—and what ultimately ends up on the plate.
Why This Episode Matters
Why inexpensive food may carry environmental and taxpayer-funded costs that are hidden from shoppers
How farm subsidies can favor industrial agriculture over smaller farms
Why ethical production and better flavor often meet at the same farm
Practical ways to buy more responsibly without attempting dietary sainthood
The enduring value of local farms, CSAs, seasonal produce, and preserving food at its peak
Banter
Mark and Francis begin with an important distinction: a cookout is not necessarily barbecue. From college pig roasts that finished around 2:00 a.m. to whole-hog dining in Manhattan, the conversation becomes a loving tribute to smoke, pork, poor planning, and the dangerous optimism of hungry men.
The Conversation
Jay Weinstein joins the show to discuss The Ethical Gourmet and the confusion surrounding terms such as organic, natural, local, humane, and sustainable. He argues that diners do not need to solve every problem in the food system; even switching to products such as organic dairy and eggs can support better farming practices. The discussion examines the hidden costs of inexpensive food, including agricultural subsidies, petroleum-based fertilizers, industrial production, and the pressure placed on smaller farms. Jay, Mark, and Francis also explore whether ethically raised food necessarily tastes better, agreeing that the difference becomes especially clear with well-raised chicken, meat, eggs, and ripe seasonal produce. The conversation closes with local farms, CSAs, preserving tomatoes and fruit, and one essential summer commandment: do not refrigerate a good tomato.
Timestamps
0:00 Cookouts, real barbecue, and the hazards of roasting a whole pig
7:25 Jay Weinstein and the idea behind The Ethical Gourmet
10:25 One simple ethical food choice anyone can make
16:35 Can ordinary families afford ethically produced food?
19:00 The hidden costs of cheap food and agricultural subsidies
24:00 Local farms, CSAs, seasonal produce, and preserving the harvest
31:00 Why good tomatoes should never be refrigerated
Bio
Jay Weinstein is a chef, journalist, and author of The Ethical Gourmet. His work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and Travel + Leisure, and he previously cooked at Le Bernardin.
Info
The Ethical Gourmet by Jay Weinstein
C-A-J-A-C-H-I-N-A, https://lacajachina.com/
Local Harvest
https://www.localharvest.org/locations/
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/
Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Recorded live before an audience at Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn.
Why This Episode Matters
 Gage & Tollner’s revival shows how a historic restaurant can be preserved without turning it into a museum. 
 Sunken Harbor Club demonstrates how tropical cocktail history can be reworked through modern technique, research, and strong storytelling. 
 St. John and Garret offer practical insight into crowdfunding, opening during COVID, and building a destination bar above a landmark restaurant. 
 The conversation connects serious non-alcoholic cocktails, classic steakhouse drinks, the Martini, and Charles H. Baker Jr. to the larger evolution of cocktail culture.
The Conversation
The live conversation opens with Mark admitting that it took him several meetings to realize writer St. John Frizell and bartender “Sinjin” Frizell were the same person. Francis recalls Garret recognizing The Restaurant Guys at Tales of the Cocktail, back when being recognized in public was still a notable event.
From there, St. John tells the improbable story of finding Gage & Tollner’s landmarked interior beneath the remains of a TGI Fridays, an Arby’s, and a makeshift mall. He explains how 450 crowdfunding investors helped revive the historic Brooklyn oyster and chophouse and how the restaurant was preparing to open when COVID closed New York.
Garret traces Sunken Harbor Club from a weekly pop-up to one of the country’s most distinctive cocktail bars. He explores forgotten tropical formats, historic steakhouse drinks, the challenge of creating serious non-alcoholic cocktails, and the timelessness of the Martini. 
The conversation also reaches Charles H. Baker Jr., his amazing life and the idea that a great drink can be built as much on story and context as on the recipe itself.

Timestamps
00:00 Live from Sunken Harbor Club
02:00 St. John, Sinjin and a James Bond pronunciation lesson
04:00 Garret’s first encounter with The Restaurant Guys
05:30 The opening cocktails and Sunken Harbor’s menu philosophy
08:30 Gage & Tollner prepares to open as COVID closes New York
11:00 How the Sunken Harbor Club began as a weekly pop-up
14:00 Finding Gage & Tollner behind false walls
17:00 Raising $450,000 from 450 crowdfunding investors
20:00 Reconstructing forgotten cocktails and the Cross Current
25:30 Historic steakhouse drinks meet tropical cocktails
30:30 Why serious non-alcoholic cocktails are so difficult
42:00 Martinis, Charles H. Baker and cocktails built around stories

Bios
St. John Frizell is a writer, restaurateur and co-owner of Gage & Tollner and Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in publications including Bon Appétit, Saveur and Punch, and he is also the founder of the acclaimed Red Hook restaurant and bar Fort Defiance and a noted authority on cocktail writer and adventurer Charles H. Baker Jr. 
Garret Richard is the Chief Cocktail Officer of Sunken Harbor Club and the co-author, with Ben Schaffer, of Tropical Standard. His career includes acclaimed cocktail programs at Existing Conditions, Slowly Shirley, ZZ’s Clam Bar and Exotica, and VinePair named him its 2024 Next Wave Bartender of the Year.
Info
Sunken Harbor Club
Brooklyn, New York
Gage & Tollner
Brooklyn, New York
Tropical Standard
By Garret Richard and Ben Schaffer

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
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Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

This is a Vintage episode from 2005.
The Restaurant Guys welcome Launny Steffens, co-founder of Vineyard 7 & 8 in Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain District, for a conversation about mountain fruit, terroir, and the pursuit of a more food-friendly California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Why This Episode Matters
Launny explains why he chose Spring Mountain for Vineyard 7 & 8 and why elevation, slope, fog, and sun exposure matter in Napa Cabernet.
The conversation explores terroir in practical terms: how land, weather, soil, and farming choices show up in the glass.
The Guys discuss the tension between powerful “cult Cabernet” styles and wines built with more restraint and food in mind.
Launny shares the reality behind the romance of owning a winery: expensive land, long timelines, and the old joke about making a small fortune by starting with a large one.
The episode captures Vineyard 7 & 8 early in its story, when it was still establishing its place among Napa’s ambitious mountain wineries.
Banter
Mark and Francis begin with cocktail calories and discover that a Long Island Iced Tea is practically a meal with a hangover attached. From piña coladas to watermelon martinis, they make the case for drinking better, drinking moderately, and avoiding anything that turns one cocktail into lunch.
The Conversation
The Restaurant Guys welcome Launny Steffens of Vineyard 7 & 8, a Spring Mountain winery focused on Cabernet Sauvignon. Launny explains how he came to wine after a corporate career and why he believed Napa’s mountain vineyards offered the best chance to produce something distinctive. He talks about choosing a 15-acre site with vines originally planted by David Abreu, studying the vineyard through extensive soil sampling, and improving the health of the vines over time.
The conversation turns to the difference between mountain-grown and valley-floor fruit, with Launny describing how elevation, slope, and longer sunlight exposure influence the grapes. Mark and Francis press him on the risk of making a more restrained, food-friendly Cabernet at a time when bigger, higher-alcohol wines often attracted major scores. Launny says the goal was to make a traditional Cabernet that still reflected California’s growing season, without letting power overwhelm flavor or the meal.
After the interview, Mark and Francis reflect on California agriculture, local produce, and the appeal — and limits — of the slower West Coast life. The show then broadens into a conversation about sustainability, salmon, overfishing, short-term thinking, and why preserving food systems requires looking beyond the next market price.
Timestamps
0:00 Cocktail calories, moderation, and the Long Island Iced Tea problem
8:30 Launny Steffens joins the show and introduces Vineyard 7 & 8
10:00 Why Spring Mountain and mountain-grown Cabernet matter
14:00 Soil, farming, elevation, and building a healthier vineyard
16:30 Restraint, food-friendly Cabernet, and pushing back against bigger-is-better wines
21:00 California agriculture, local produce, salmon, and sustainability
Bio
Launny Steffens is the co-founder of Vineyard 7 & 8, a Napa Valley winery located in the Spring Mountain District. After a career in corporate America and investment advising, he pursued the long-term project of building a winery focused on site-driven Cabernet Sauvignon from mountain fruit.
Info
Vineyard 7 & 8 https://www.vineyard7and8.com/
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/
Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com