Everyone who knows me would say that it’s obvious that I have a passion for travels and food. This love for food started when I was younger when I lived with my mom in France. When you listen to my podcast you can unmistakably tell from the accent that I am French. My parents were from the Northeast part of France, a region close to Germany called Lorraine. I always remember my mom cooking for family and friends. I have learned how to cook because of her, and my love for food grew.
I guess my passion for travels started around the same time. I was lucky that my parents always traveled during vacation times (my father was a high school teacher) and with family and friends spread out all around France, I discovered together the beauty and the food specialties that this country offers. As soon as I turned eleven years old I spent all my Easter vacations in Germany or in the U.K. I forgot all about my German though.
I have been working in the food industry for more than twenty years now, both in Europe and in the U.S and I feel very fortunate to be able to combine my education in science and business, my career in food marketing, together with my excitement for food and travels.
So, I launched a podcast…
With my work I cross paths with lots of Chefs, Pastry Chefs, and Mixologists. Back in 2018 , I launched podcast called “flavors unknown” with the mission of creating a platform for Chefs, to share their passion and help the audience discover their path to success and their creative process. Many Chefs and Cooks gave me positive feedback and mentioned that “it was the most insightful podcast for Chefs out there”.
“flavors unknown” is part of the educational podcast genre. I find it fascinating to look behind the scenes to understand the new ingredients and flavors that Chefs and Bartenders around the US are experimenting with. Podcasting involves a high level of engagement where there is always rich content. As a marketer, you are always looking for inspiring content that can be shared with an audience. That’s the reason why I like podcasting.
How I came up with the name…
The unknown part of the name “flavors unknown” comes first from my interest in discovering new flavors. What is interesting for me is to look at the behind the scene and understand what are those new ingredients and flavors that Chefs, Pastry Chefs, and Mixologists are experimenting with.
The other point of reference is, obvious to most, Anthony Bourdain, as it was critical for me to pay homage to him. Traveling and meeting new people inspire me. Once a year, I go somewhere I have never been to before. I love to explore regional cuisines, meeting new Chefs across the country and compare what they do from East Coast to West Coast. Many trends in the food industry start with them and I try my best to stay ahead of the curve.
Each show episode of the podcast “flavors unknown” is dedicated to a Chef and a US city.
Here’s an overview…
- Chef Chris Shepherd, has helped change the landscape of the Houston culinary scene. Chris was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2013 and was then awarded the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest region.
- Chef Kim Alter from San Francisco is famous for her ten courses tasting menu at Nightbird. Five courses that are proper courses and five that they call Reflections using the byproduct from the others.
- Chef Gabriel Kreuther is based in Manhattan, NYC, and with his 2 Michelin star restaurant, he has proven that the market for fine dining remains at a high level.
- Chef Andre Natera oversees all the food and beverage programs at the Fairmont hotel in Austin, the largest luxury hotel in Texas.
- Celebrity Chef Roy Yamaguchi is the father of the Hawaii Fusion cooking style. In 2018 he celebrated the 30 year Anniversary of Roy’s restaurants in Hawaii.
- Chef Alison Trent has two restaurants located in West Hollywood, Ysabel and Laurel Hardware. Seasonality, Sustainability, and Locally Grown are four important words for her.
- Celebrity Chef Jose Garces Philadelphia has a competitive mindset and his creative process is based on collaboration and inspired by travels.
- Chef Jamie Bissonnette is the James Beard Award—winning chef and partner of Boston favorites Coppa, an Italian enoteca, Toro, the Barcelona-style tapas bar, and Little Donkey, Cambridge’s eclectic neighborhood restaurant.
- Chef Alex Harrell who challenged the status quo in New Orleans by adapting the traditional cuisine from the South and leveraging seasonal local ingredients.
- Chef Bonnie Morales’ parents emigrated from the Soviet Union and she open one of the most popular Russian restaurant in Portland.
- Brian Ahern created a small neighborhood French-German brasserie in Chicago. Boeufhaus is a new style of a steakhouse.
- Chef Drew Adams oversees Bourbon Steak’s kitchen inside the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown in Washington DC. I have spent time with him foraging along the Potomac river and feasting with a 12 course tasting menu.
The podcast “flavors unknown” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other phone podcast apps. Follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @flavorsunknown
You can access the show notes for each episode on the website https://flavorsunknown.com
Emmanuel Laroche is Vice President of Marketing. His LinkedIn profile is www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuellaroche
