PRESTON NGUYEN | The Culinary Code (Ep. 997)

Let's be honest, most men drift. We wake up, we scroll, we work, and then we just rinse and repeat. And we know we're softer than we should be. That's why I built the 31-day resilience reset. This is not a devotional. It is a field manual for men ready to stop drifting and start fighting back. So, for 31 days, you'll train your spirit, mind, and body with scripture, prayer, and daily challenges that forge real resilience. Go to www.undaunted.life/31. life/31day to download this resource for free. That's undaunted.life/31day. Start your reset today. This is Undaunted Life, a man's podcast. I'm your host, Kyle Thompson. Let's get into it. Preston Win, you look amazing. Look at you. That's maybe the fanciest uh outfit I've seen at this table before. Thank you very much. >> Look at that. Okay. So, can you tell me exactly what that is? Cuz I know it means you like make people happy because you feed them. That's like part of your life, but is there like a name for exactly what you have cuz it's like a more fancy scrub of some kind? >> So, we wanted to go more of that like fine dining elegant look to it like something a little bit more sleek and modern. Um cuz the traditional chef coats, I mean, they're a lot more like they look heavy. Sometimes they're wrinkled if you don't press them a certain way. Um, and so me trying to be the younger generation, cutting edge, trying to go for that fine dining Michelin feel, wanted to try something a little bit more sleek. So that's why there's like very sharp lines on it, bright lines instead of the traditional buttons. It's a zipper that you can go more quickly with. And it's made out of a more almost like a Lululemon type material where it's more athletic, so you can actually reach up like whatever you need to grab instead of being just confined by something solid like that. >> Okay, sweet. Well, I kind of started forward. Let's go ahead and back up to the beginning because uh you're how old again? >> 23. >> You're 23 years old, but you've basically had a public profile in the culinary world since you were >> like 18. >> Yeah, 18. So I was going to say 17 or 18. And so you've been like a thing that people have kind of known and you're still in your early 20s. So you're kill still kind of in that whippers snapper stage of things. But I want to go all the way back to even your upbringing because the unique thing about you is you know people have seen you on Next Level Chef and they you know all that kind of stuff. It's your entire family. Like your entire family that everybody cooks, y'all think about food all the time. And so just like growing up in the win household. Let's just start there. >> Yeah. Um for starters, like you said, my whole family, I mean, ever since I could really walk, my family's been having me help out in their kitchen. Um whether it's washing dishes or helping with side dishes. Um and our family's always been a hosting family. So anytime holidays happen, we have all the family members come over. Um, and that really built that character of wanting to be hospitable towards everybody as that's what I grew up with. Um, so my first job, I was 10 years old, uh, bus boy at my parents' restaurant, you know, like they pay me with ice cream or whatever they do. Yeah. I mean, hey, I I did not complain about that ice cream. Best ice cream I've ever had. Um, and so I got to kind of grow up around the restaurant industry. Um, but I never really worked in it professionally until my last year in high school. thought I was going to be an architect or an engineer. Like I I had a full ride to UTA and like I was set for that. But then when I actually started my internship in my junior year, I freaking hated it. Like I couldn't sit still. I couldn't do a desk job. So I was like, "Okay, well family's always taught me how to cook. >> My family's been in the restaurant industry. The school I went to offered culinary programs and internships my senior year of high school. So I'm like, "Okay, you know what? Let me try this out. See if I like it." Co happened, so that sucked. But even through co I got to experience the magic of the hospitality industry from the kitchen side of things. Fell in love with it and that's what made me ultimately go to college for culinary was that falling in love moment at the first restaurant I had worked at. Um and if it wasn't for that first year in college, I never would have found out about World Food Championships or any of the things that kind of sparked my career. Um, and having that moment where I could try out the food competition scene, um, from a more professional level and just be exposed to that environment. I mean, it gave me that hunger for wanting to compete and be able to win with my family as well. Um, because not a lot of people are given that chance to compete with their family >> as sue chefs. And I mean, growing up in a Vietnamese Mexican household, telling my parents what to do, very scary experience, especially flying your way when I was 18 years old. I mean, that was terrifying. It's like, "Hey, mom, I need you to do something for me." That was terrifying for me. But we ended up winning, and that was something that God truly blessed us with because no 18-year-old with his parents are going to go in first time ever competing and win the whole thing first try. Um, and so there's moments where throughout my career, whether it's World Food Champions, Next Level Chef, or any of my pop-up events that I get to do, you can clearly see that um, there's my family and my faith are core components of it. >> Well, even going back because I want to get to the faith component. So, your dad's Vietnamese, your mom's Mexican, correct? Yes. >> And so, like to the untrained, right? So, I like eating. I don't know a whole lot. Like I've got I've got things I've got like five things that I make that I've just tried to be an expert at. So it's like smash burgers, chili, like jerky, baked beans, like stuff like that. It's all stuff that I like to eat, but I'm not a cook, if you will. But like going back to the that kitchen, like at what point is it just, oh yeah, mom's a good cook, dad's a good cook, uh the kids kind of cook. It's a family thing. But like at what point does it become like, no, no, no, this is what we do for a living. And like how do you fuse Vietnamese style with like Mexican, you know, food style? Or was there even like a fusion or did y'all just kind of make dishes to make dishes? >> Yeah, for sure. Um, going back to the part of realizing, I guess, where our level was in the competition scene. At first, we were like, "Oh, it's just a coincidence. Like, it's one time thing. This can't happen again." It wasn't until we actually started winning multiple titles that we were like, "Okay, maybe as a family unit, we are something that's different than the average family." Um, and especially with the first win happening so young for me, I had imposter syndrome my entire career. It's like I have people What age would that have been? >> Like I was like almost 19 at the time. Like I was I was like I'm competing against executive level chefs who've been running hotels longer than I've been alive. like the guy who came in second place, he quite literally said he's been an exec chef for 35 years. And my opening joke was I'm like, "Well, I've been alive for half of that." But um but it's one of those things where it's like you feel like you have imposttor syndrome until you start to do it more and more and then you realize, oh, this is actually something that I can flourish in and continue to grow in. Because still even I'm having people come up to me. I'm actually a team captain now for the Texas Food Championships that's coming up later this month. And people are asking me for advice. Hey, how should I compete because you've had repeated success? And even still as a 23-year-old, it's weird having people that technically have more credentials than me asking for these things. But because of my upbringing, because my parents have raised me to always seek out more opportunities and really push my career, I'm able to provide that experience I've learned, whether it's overseas in a Michelin star kitchen or running different restaurants and just competing overall. I can actually give that advice that I would give to everybody else. >> Well, I was going to ask you as well, like so in your house, like even growing up, did did dad just make Vietnamese food? Did your mom just make Mexican food? Did Did they even try the fusion thing? Because it's like, yeah, they I mean, you were around for 18 years before y'all started competing as a family, but at some point it's like, okay, these these recipes or whatever y'all were making in the household just were too good to just leave in one kitchen. You know what I mean? >> Yeah. I mean, growing up, it was almost like a mixed bag because on one hand, dad's Vietnamese, mom's Mexican, so it wasn't until a little bit later that we started to explore more of those fusions. Um, but at the same time, we're growing up in Texas, so it's almost like barbecue. Yeah. Barbecue, open fire, like a lot of that culture is infused to how I grew up and what I was eating. And so, normally when I say, "Yeah, I'm half Vietnamese, half Mexican," they assume, "Oh, just those two cuisines." But I'm like, "Yeah, I've spent my entire life here in Texas, so obviously that's going to have a big influence on my life as well." Um, and so growing up had honestly pretty standard stuff. like every now and then my dad would cook either Vietnamese or my mom would cook something uh Hispanic, but >> I mean we had a lot of Texas cuisine growing up. So, um but it's cool to say that hey, I am a product of these two cultures while also being raised in another place and I can combine all three of those into my cooking style. So, like for instance, one of our award-winning um components is a fur flavored mole. And so obviously fur is a very popular Vietnamese soup and mole is one of the most popular sauces in Mexican cuisine. And so combining those two, you would be surprised at how many com like ingredients cross over into each culture. Even though they're literally on the opposite side of the planet from another one another, they still share a lot of the same ingredients. And when you make minor tweaks here and there, they work beautifully with one another. >> All right. You're probably the worst person to ask cuz you grew up in Texas. But like, you know, people love to debate like the best barbecue overall, like the region. We just need to dispense with all the other regions. It's South Texas and and Kansas City for me. Like again, I know there's like Carolina and all that kind of stuff. Get out of here. Yeah. >> And so it's like [clears throat] >> if it's South Texas, you know, it's it's brisket, it's beef ribs. You know, Kansas City, you're going to get more pork ribs, burnt ends, like that kind of thing. And then they'll each kind of do the pulled pork and the sausages and whatever. But if you had to be honest, not just playing for the home team or whatever, and you could only have one or the other like for the rest of your life, like who does it better, South Texas or Casey? >> I I mean I got to stick to my roots. Like I know I know I know that's what you said, but like as a Texan, [clears throat] it's like >> you I mean I've been a Dallas Cowboys fan for as as long as I can remember. >> One since before you were born. >> Exactly. So, I mean that that Texas nostalgia is going to be blinding me already. But even even going back to the technique of it, I mean, I just like beef more. Pork is great. Like, it's very versatile. But even from a cooking standpoint, beef is a lot more accessible for a lot more of my clientele. Like, pork is a lot harder to sell to the masses. There's so many restrictions and there's the um like that >> feeling of, oh, pork is dirty. Even though if you have a good source from where your pork comes from, it can be very healthy for you. But there's already that predetermined notion that pork is a lot less healthy. So even from a marketing standpoint and when it comes to selling my like outofstate packages for when I do open fire events, nine times out of 10, they will always choose beef. So just from a convenience standpoint, from versatility, like I just always lean more that that beef. So if there's a singular barbecue like not dish but I guess like so pork ribs, beef ribs, brisket, pulled pork, like if you could only pick like one of those and why you why you think about it cuz I've thought about this way too much. I think about food way too often like versus how much I actually eat. But it's like I love pork ribs so much. My favorite ribs in the world are Kansas City pork ribs. I I love burnt ends. I love kind of the big dinosaur bone like beef rib, >> but I've had bad versions of all that stuff as well. And like you can kind of miss me with a pulled pork. It's like, okay, yeah, that's the easiest thing. Like pulled pork is pulled pork pork at the end of the day. >> But like if I'm going to have if I'm going to sit down and get a thing, it's probably going to be Kansas City pork ribs. Like as I'm sitting down like, okay, that's that's what I want. And funniest thing about it, my favorite ribs were at a place in St. Louis. I just forgot the name of it. There's a place just outside of St. Louis. Uh, I'll think of Oh, yeah. I'll think of it here in a second, but that's probably my favorite, but they were Kansas City style. Okay. >> So, if there were like a single and I'll even let you throw in a couple of side dishes for us, but like if you're making the quintessential barbecue meal, last meal you get on Earth, like what what are you making? >> Yeah. Um, so my godfather actually spoiled me with this smoked beef cheeks where you conf them beef cheeks. And I hate that they've been becoming more popularized because same thing with like short rib. like that used to be a throwaway cut of meat and now it's now it's a premium and beef cheek was one of those things it's like oh yeah you just toss it like there's way too much um like there's too many tendons there's too much fat in it you can't do much with it but it's one of those where you really put a labor of love into it you have to clean it really well um but it's one of those things where you smoke it for a little bit and then you let it marinade in beef tallow for a couple more hours and you just let it soak >> on the same animal or just any beef tallow >> you You can flavor it however you want. Um, if you have time, all that fat that you just trimmed off of it, you can render it down. >> So, if you're doing it pretty often, I mean, you can use the tallow from the last rounds of beef cheek that you did. >> Um, and just letting it really just steep in there, absorb all that flavor. It is one of the most tender cuts of meat. And because it's sitting in it, it's never dry. Um, but more importantly, it still has its its shape. Like, you won't poke it and it freaking explodes or anything. it still has that that nice bite to it while still being pull apart tender. So, it's one of those where it's like it's slept upon, it's starting to trend, which I really hate cuz that means the prices are about to go up. Um, but that would have to be my last barbecue meal because it's it's one of those things where it's like, you know, you put your time and effort. Brisket once you set it in, I mean, you you touch it every Yeah. 3 hours maybe, but this is one of those things where it's like you are fairly involved with it from start to finish. Um, and it's it's worth it. Like it's one of those that I will eat every single time. >> Okay, so main course is the beef cheeks, but what are our sides? Because there I mean there's a million different sides, but I mean everyone does, you know, corn and a okra and a bean or whatever. Like and depending on the place, it's like, okay, I love the cornbread from this place, but this place, the baked beans are perfect, but like >> if you had to like I don't know if you're making them or someone was making them, but if it was just the best version of those two things, what would you have with the beef cheeks? So, in the area that I'm living in right now, um, Mexican Texas barbecue has been on the rise right now. So, like you said, corn as a side, you turn it into elotees. You throw in some of your shredded brisket or your pulled pork. Um, it has to have spice. Spice and acid are the two things that I'm looking for in a side for barbecue main course. It's so heavy, >> like so much fat. Like, it's it's just heavy. It's barbecue. Yeah, >> you need something with acid or spice to really cut the fat and let you just keep going. >> How like how spicy would you go? Cuz some people like >> So I like spicy but if it's so hot I can't even concentrate if I can't have a good time if I immediately start like hiccuping uncontrollably because it's so spicy. Like so I guess what is your your view like as a chef on where the spice level should be? Some people just do hot for hot sake. >> Yeah. So that's one of the hardest things as a chef that you always have to take into account because it's never going to be the same answer every single time. So for instance, if I'm making, I don't know, an aua cha for instance, it's literally chilies blended with a lot of different vegetables to make a nice spicy broth. Well, for me, I'm going to put a lot more spice than, let's say, most of my clientele. And so as a chef, you need to do your background research as to who you're going to be cooking for and apply those flavors to said clientele. So if it's somebody like a group, let's say like a nice, >> I don't know, a champagne and caviar kind of party, I'm not going to blast them with spice cuz they're not expecting that. But if it's like wipe them out, >> if it's like my family members who I know they're they're expecting some spice, yeah, I'm going to throw a little extra chilis in there. Um, so there's not a set answer for it. It's you have to do your research. If you're not sure, play it safe. You can always add, you can't always take away. Yeah. >> So, just play it safe. Do your research. And it's something that you start to gain experience on from both failures and successes. And that's why I love this industry. I mean, >> there's always something to learn about. So, you're never going to get bored in this industry. >> Hey guys, real quick. 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Uh cuz I you feel like you when people answer this question I feel like they kind of give me a lot of information on who they are but never sat down with a chef on the show before. So, it's like, "All [clears throat] right, you're on death row. You did something real bad. Today's it, right? You're going to hang last meal." And you can have whatever you want. Like, cuz people get mega creative. Like, I want from appetizers all the way through till dessert and maybe a post dessert drinking cigar. But some people are like, "I want my my mom's, you know, chocolate cake. I want ribs from this restaurant. I want, you know, chips and queso from this spot." like we'll get it for you. No matter what it is, even if we have to go back in time, we're going to bring you your last meal. So, take me from beginning to end your last meal. >> So, my favorite thing to do, whether it's birthdays or just celebrations in general, is Korean barbecue hot pot combo. >> Okay. >> And they're they're like, "Well, you're a chef. Wouldn't you want to have something you've made or something like that?" I'm like, it's more so the nostalgia of that community that I feel whenever I go out to that because u if you're not familiar with it, Korean barbecue and hot pot, it's basically there's a grill in the middle and you're grilling for your whole table. Y >> and so a I get to do what I love. I get to cook while being with the people that I love. And it's one of those where you can just enjoy each other's company. You get to order and cook what you want. And I'm trying to gain some weight right now. So, it's like the best bulking >> hack ever. Um, and it's just one of those things where it's like not only are you going to leave very stuffed, but you get to spend time with people cuz a rule for Korean barbecue, which I was actually laughing at, is you can't go and eat it by yourself. Like, they will not let you sit down if you're by yourself. You have to have more than one person with you. At least the areas that I'm in. Um, and that was a really cool thing that it's like this is meant to be a shared experience with people. It's not supposed to be something that you do by yourself or selfishly. And that's a big component of what I stand for as a chef is having those people in your life to share a meal with you is arguably one of the most important parts of our industry. >> So, are you doing like bulgogi? Are you doing like what what are you putting on the grill in front of you? >> I can do whatever you want. >> Short ribs like I I spam it because my mindset is I need to get my money's worth every time I come here. Um a sleeper is pork gel, which is pork cheek. Love me some pork cheek. That one's pretty good. Bulgogi is awesome. Um just yeah, I like a good variety, but I hate seafood because it ruins your grill every single time. Every time I take somebody new, they're like, "Oh, I want to get the shrimp, the octopus, the squid." And I'm like, "Have you ever cooked this before?" And they're like, "No." >> I was like, "Okay, for the sake of this being your first time, I'll show you." But you place it on there, ruins the whole grill. All that hard work you did on that grill, it's just ruined. So >> So what why does it ruin it specifically? It's it's the shells, the water content, and the lack of fat. So, I usually start my Korean barbecue sessions with fatty meats. So, all that fat basically seasons your grill already. But, you don't want the grill to be too hot cuz then it burns it and then you got to change the grill out. >> So, it's like a cast iron top. >> If you treat it like a cast iron top, it'll last you the whole session and it'll just continue to stack flavor every time. So, I always start with something fatty. really builds that layer to protect whatever you're going to put on next. And as you're going, the more and more you cook, the more flavor there is, the more um caramelization there is. Like, it's one of those experiences that gets better the longer you do it. And that's another reason why I love Korean barbecue. >> I am starving. And we are just barely into this conversation because, man, you know, for pe people at home, you don't know what's happening. I'm going to get to eat some food that's prepared by you, your mom, and your dad tonight, right? The whole crew is here. >> Uh me and my mom tonight. you and your mom. Okay. I'm super psyched about it. But okay, so we got the Korean uh the Korean like hot pot thing. Any dessert? Are we having dessert? [clears throat] This is your last meal, right? >> So, growing up, I actually hated desserts because I did not have a sweet tooth. And it took my mom a little bit to realize that I didn't like my mom was a baker when I was growing up and I always would feel bad because she would spend all this time making beautiful, beautiful cakes and I would barely touch it. It wasn't until I think I was six years old, we took a family trip and we visited one of my family members and they owned a crepe bakery. >> Never had one of those before. And when I had it for the first time, I was like, I need this. Like, this is what I need in my life. Um, so crepes are always my go-to dessert items. Nothing too sweet, but >> see, I was going to say the probably the reason why I hate crepes is because like if I'm going to eat dessert, it's like it can't be too rich, it can't be too sweet. And so, you're kind of on the other end of the spectrum where it's like you don't want to be overwhelmed. >> Yeah. Nothing too crazy. Like it just feels like one of those things that you can customize it however you want. Um you can make it as sweet or as not sweet as you want. Um and I I don't know like just the concept of seeing the person make it in front of you in real time and then you like okay I want this and there's there's just thousands of combinations that you can do like it's just something that I fell in love with early on and most importantly it wasn't birthday cake so I freaking loved it. >> Okay. Well if your mom makes a cake tonight I'm going to be all over. I'm [laughter] just going to be straight up honest with you. Okay, one thing as well I feel like I kind of got lost a little bit. I don't really understand like my restaurant experience was being a bus boy at Outback Steakhouse when I was like 16 years old. And so like I went to take away for a minute and my buddy went to the kitchen. So I was never really in the kitchen other than can we please get get this out to the people, you know what I mean? Uh, so I don't know the difference between a chef, an executive chef, like someone that just kind of works in the kitchen, a Michelin chef, like I have no idea what the standards are. I don't know like cuz most of the guys that were in the Outback Steakhouse kitchen, I don't think a single one of them went to culinary school, including the guy that was managing the entire kitchen. So help kind of give me an idea of the hierarchy of that industry. >> Yeah. So the main difference, the hierarchy that a lot of people confuse is what is the difference between a cook and a chef? Those are the biggest two debates that happens and one of my mentors explained it to me best is you become a chef when you start to lead people. >> When you are put in a leadership position where you are having to make decisions, that is when you become a chef. When you have to start ordering, hiring, um, seeing how your inventory is, stuff that actually makes you think outside of the line, that's when you become a chef. Um, because for the longest time when I was a line cook, I would always see the chefs disappear for a little bit. And in my head, I was like, "Oh, they're just doing whatever. They're not being lazy." And then I didn't realize how easy I had it where all I had to do, my task was already decided. I have a prep list. It's all I had to do versus switching to the management side. I'm like, "Oh my goodness, I need to make sure my team is built of people that are going to keep the work culture that we built so hard to build." Need to make sure that if I'm not looking, they're not going to try to sneak something past me. um ordering, keeping costs down while also making sure the customer's experience isn't affected by it. That's a huge role. And I didn't realize how much more up here you have to use than just your hands. And so that's the biggest difference between a cook and a chef is leadership. >> Okay. And so how do you go from being like a chef to like an executive chef or a Michelin chef? So, you have to put in your time working your way up, really learning the kitchen because you can't just walk into a kitchen and be like, "Oh, I could run this place." No, you need to know the ins and outs of how everything operates. So, there's x amount of stations in your kitchen. Most of the time, you'll start off on the cold side. You can't burn anything over there. It's only speed and assembly. That's your first test is they want to see how fast are you, how accurate are you, and how can you manage your time versus they start to move you up stations, they start to give you more responsibilities. The top of the line cook food chain, there's your grill cook. He has to manage everybody around him. Because if you have a steak that's going to take, I don't know, 30 minutes, well, you have to tell your other guys, "Hey, I need 30 minutes. Drop your food in 15 minutes to start." You have to know every single station before that. And you're not going to know that if you just walked into the kitchen and never worked there. And then once you get that fundamentals of how the kitchen runs, how long things take, if you're running low on something, they slowly introduce you to the sous chef position. And that's where you get your toes wet of ordering, scheduling, managing your people, and you're basically the person running the kitchen from an operation standpoint. Where you go up a step higher, the executive chef, now you're in the creative position. Now you're deciding what new dishes are going to be, what are the specials. You start to get a lot more involved with front of house as well. So now you are the bridge between the front and the back of the house. And you're going to be a lot more involved with customers than the average person thinks. A good executive chef >> is going to know how both teams operate both from a front and back. Cuz bad kitchens, they will try to build factions between the two. They're like, "Oh, front of house is different than back of house." No, you are one team. Your goal is to give the best experience to the guests as possible and you're going to try not to kill each other by the end of the service. Um, but you get a lot more involved with that. So, you're creating new ideas. How can I improve the customer experience? And making sure your team across the entire restaurant is in harmony with one another. And where most restaurants start to fail is when they have weak leadership who think, "Oh, I'm the executive chef. I don't have to do anything. What I say goes." If you take the time to listen to your staff, because at the end of the day, your staff are the hands and feet actually doing it. Executive chef, you're not going to be on the line too much. You're going to either be on expo or you're just going to be observing most of the time for quality control because you know what your standard is. But the people that are actually doing it, you need to take the time to listen to their feedback and find out if there's better ways to do it because it's not just a oneman show, it's a team. And then Michelin because I've heard of oh that's a whatever star Michelin restaurant or something like that like is that beyond executive chef or is it just like a different track? >> So it's more so of a almost a lifestyle and a way that you run your kitchen. When people hear Michelin they expect more from you. It's not just oh like maybe this thing was a little bit more overcooked. Like it's it's close enough you can set it. No it's it needs to be perfect. So when you start to get into the Michelin realm, you need to have your systems in place, your checklists. You need to have a work culture where your line cooks are comfortable that if you are not next to them, they still are striving for excellence because a they don't want to let you down and b they know what this restaurant is trying to achieve and they're trying to build towards that goal. And this is where you start to find people who are a lot more passionate about this industry and not just here for the paycheck. There's people that are wanting to make something of themselves and see how far they can take food. Um, like I have friends who didn't even go to culinary school and me included where I realize school isn't really for me. I look up restaurants that I find inspirational. Like I want to go learn from them because they're the best of the best. And that's something that I feel like isn't talked about enough is you don't necessarily need to go to college and go through culinary school for x amount of years. If you're not the kind of person that can open a textbook and study like I am, like I can't I can't read a textbook and remember that. I have to go >> experience it. >> Yeah. I have to work with my hands and really grasp the concept. So literally instead of going to college, I flew across to London every single summer to go work in Michelin star kitchens because that's how I work. And I learned so much from it and I learned the difference between a regular kitchen and a Michelin star kitchen. Like people are putting their heart and souls into what they do and not just because it's their job, but because they want to be better. It's really inspiring to see that level of just quality and that standard that they hold themselves up to. Like there's just a different feeling when you walk into a kitchen, you're like, I can tell they actually care about what they're doing. >> And so in terms of your track, >> uh I think Zach was saying you wanted to you want to go the Michelin route. Is that correct? And so like [clears throat] >> potentially being the youngest Michelin chef in America. Is that even like like who tells you you're now a Michelin chef? Like who blesses you and says that? >> It's the Michelin Guide. So So basically, yeah. So it's the same company as the tires. Um and the background of that is Michelin wanted to sell more tires. And so the way they would do that is they would find restaurants that were worth taking a detour for and they would be, "Hey, you should go check out this restaurant. It's worth the detour." And then it turned into a very like high-end thing where it's like, okay, you are expecting this place to be special if they have a star. And so I became obsessed with it because I went overseas. I started working there. And back when I worked over there, Michelin was not in Texas. It it's not everywhere. Like Michelin selects where they're going to be. [clears throat] They can take it away. They can give it where whatever they please. It's however they feel. Um, and two years ago, Michelin announced that they were coming to Texas. And I remember I was like, "Oh my goodness, like my dream of opening a Michelin star restaurant could actually happen now." Cuz I I knew I'm never going to leave Texas. Like, this is my home. Like, I absolutely love it here. All my family's here. Um, and when they came here, I was like, "This is my chance." Like, I can actually work towards some something that's achievable. Now, I can't be the youngest anymore. I got beat by it by one year. Um they just they just announced um the youngest is a 22year-old that just got two stars um and he's killing it. >> Um but it's also inspirational to see that people my age are actually able to achieve that. Like most of the time like you see people getting their stars in their 30 like late 30s and they have bunch of restaurant experience. It's cool to see that people my age are actually able to go out there and strive to get those stars. >> And how many stars are there? So, you can get a total of three. Um, it's basically like a ranking system. Like one star, it's pretty good. Two stars, okay, now it's serious. Three stars is like top 50 restaurants in the world. So, three stars is obviously the most coveted. Um, but in order to get three stars, you're thinking of French Laundry, per se. Like, where Thomas Keller is running the tightest ship. Like, he has cameras in his kitchen watching every single step. Like, he vets his people. Like, it's it's so much more than just cooking a regular service. There's so many procedures and perfection that has to be in a three star. Like it's completely different experience. >> So is that your goal to do three star, one or two? Like where do you >> obviously I would love to go for three stars but again that just comes with how the restaurant turns out. Um I know a lot of people when they get their first star it becomes an obsession to the point where they sometimes lose vision of what they're striving for. And for me, at the end of the day, I'm doing this because I want to serve the people in my community and I want to be a place that I can truly be proud of the hospitality. And if that comes to a point where my cooking no longer feels like a place of love and it's just a machine, that's where I would step away and be I don't want to go for those accolades anymore. And I'm not saying if you have three stars, your food is soulless or anything. I'm saying for me personally, if I notice that's where it's starting to go, yeah, maybe I'll pull back a little bit cuz I want to make sure that if people walk into my doors, they can just forget about the stresses of the world. This is a place where they can relax, they feel welcomed, and they just have a experience that they can't have anywhere else. And at the end of the day, that would make me more happy than any awards. >> Okay. And so on the Michelin side, is it basically okay, you've already established a restaurant, you've gotten on the committee's radar, or do you apply for something at some point? Cuz like cuz do you y'all have a restaurant now? Like >> So we don't have a restaurant yet. So right now we are focusing on pop-ups and traveling. Um so me and my family, we've been doing popups all around the US that are live fire uh multicourse tasting menus like that. And we're in the works of doing our cookbook right now, our family cookbook. and it's going to really focus on that open fire family aspect of it. And so once that kind of gets the ball rolling, our goal is to build all of the marketing before we open the restaurant. So get us on their radars. Um it's not necessarily you apply for it, but there's things you can do to help your odds to get it. So get on any awards that you can find. Try to get to know like the different food reviewers. like just just do everything you can to get your name in the circulation of the community and odds are they're going to pick you up quicker than just opening your restaurant and just slugging it out for a few years until they actually start to notice you. >> Okay. So, take me through cuz my only experience with like food competitions are who can eat the most hot dogs or like you know you go to a barbecue uh convention or something like that or you go to a tailgate and like everyone's kind of making their best thing and you know the guy woke up at 2 a.m. to start smoking his baloney or whatever the thing is. And so like take me through what a food competition is like because I'm sure there's got to be a bunch of different categories, a bunch of different things, but like if y'all are going to enter into a competition like what is that like? Does everybody get the same ingredients? Do you bring your own thing? Is it just like, "Hey, we need you to make the best steak." I watched a video of y'all, you know, doing a competition steak the other day. Like, how does all that work? >> So, let's take World Food Championships for instance. Do your research is like the number one thing I would push for. Research every single thing you can. So, for World Food Championships, we would get the rule book. We would study it. We'd ask questions. We'd go to former champions and be like, "Hey, what worked for you?" And obviously they're going to change things here and there every single year, but the more you can prepare, the less stress it'll be during the competition. The next thing I highly recommend is how you prepare and organize yourself. Anytime people see me and my family compete, they notice every single item. And bless [laughter] you. >> If you didn't see that, guys, I banged my head on the table trying to like hide the sound of me sneezing. But no, we're not bleeding, but go ahead. Sorry for the interruption. >> No, no worries. No worries. Um, but when people see us compete, they notice every single item is labeled. Whether that be a spoon, a pot, a blender, everything is labeled because we practice and organize everything to where if something goes wrong in competition, we have our backup plans. And when you're competing on a team of multiple people, stuff gets missed. Like if, let's say, I'm using my knife and I'm cutting a jalapeno for instance, that knife is now contaminated with spice. Let's say my mom or my dad need a knife and they just grab mine. They don't know where that knife has been and now they just contaminate everything with spice. So by having that organization and that practice to go, okay, knife A, that's for Preston and knife B is for my mom. There's no misconception of what that tool is used for. And so how you organize, how you prepare is even more important because when that clock starts, all your rationale out the window. the adrenaline, the nerves, everything start talking. Does it depend on the dish? >> Hour is usually the the reference of how you make you you get an hour and you have to make 10 portions of your dish. And on one hand, it's great because that hour gives you enough time to where you can do some cool techniques, but at the same time, that hour goes by really freaking quick. You wouldn't expect it, but you look up and already 30 minutes goes by and you're like, man, I'm not where I need to be. And just learning how to manage your nerves is a very big part of it because when your hands are getting shaky, you're making mistakes. I've gotten injuries because my hand was so shaky I couldn't hold a knife and I've I've had injuries in the kitchen before. >> Um, but what helps compensate for that is doing practice runs. At my house right now, we have a big old clock at the top of the kitchen that's a competition stopwatch. And so when it's leading up to a competition, we will run practice runs. Sometimes we'll even have our like my brother or sister, we'll have them throw a wrench in our plan and be like, "Oh, your gas doesn't work anymore. What are you going to do?" And it makes you think of all the potential things that could go wrong. >> And are you bringing all that? Like you're bringing the grill, you're bringing all that or do they provide it? >> Most of the time they provide like your stoves and tables and basic stuff like that. But at the same time, >> we bring like our own pots and pans, knives, all that stuff because we've practiced with it. you don't know if their pan cooks differently than yours or their knife isn't the same sharpness as yours. We try to take as many variables out of it so we can just focus on executing the best we can do physically. So the more randomness you take out of it, the more you can succeed and push further into the competition space. >> And so in the competition space, what are some of the things that the people have in common that are like, okay, this person or this group of people, they win everything or they win half the stuff that they enter into. I don't know what a a good percentage is like. What are some of the things that they all do and keep in common? >> Uh I would say mindset number one thing is definitely the mindset. Um I've had some people even at the finals where they walk in and they're like, "Oh, we didn't practice. We didn't like I'm good enough to where I can just walk in and win the thing." It's like it's too casual. >> Yeah. It's absolutely not. >> You got to realize you're competing for $100,000 every single time. That's not something that you can just walk in. No matter how good you, you can be Gordon Ramsay and if you just walk in there, you may not be as sharp as you think you are when it comes to that adrenaline in that space. Competition cooking and working in a kitchen are very different things. They are not the same. Cuz in a kitchen, if you mess up, you just refire it. Yeah, there's stresses of service where you do get busy, but at the end of the day, that's service. Whereas this in competition, you are given one shot to do it perfect or else you're going home. And so that mindset of practicing every single time, get every single small detail down to the second to where you can write a timeline. That's where you need to be. So me and my family, we always run stopwatches, timers, um, and write down notes as we're doing our practice runs because we may not think of something in the moment. There's only so much preparation you can do just from a computer and typing up, oh, this is my recipe. It takes this long. Well, you got to multitask. You got to you got to focus on everything, not just one dish. And so, practicing and really getting that muscle memory and mindset of this is what it's going to be stress like. You'll be leagues better than the person that's just walking in there unprepared. >> So, you mentioned Gordon Ramsay and so obviously you were on Next Level Chef. You competed, I forget what what season exactly it was. And so you did that when you were 18, right? >> 19. >> You're 19. 19 at the time. >> Uh, so you turn 19. And so take us through that process. Like how do you do you get invited on the show? Do you have to put in like an application video? Like how does that look? And then, you know, then we'll get into your experience cuz I I guess one of your biggest influences as you were learning to cook and growing growing up was Gordon Ramsay. Not just like the crazy British guy screaming the people in the kitchen thing, but like actually his technique and how he cooks. So, how did all that get going? >> Yeah. So, two weeks after we had won World Food Championships, uh, Studio Ramsey had actually reached out to me and they were like, "Hey, would you like to apply for the show?" And again, I'm still on the high of world food championships. I looked at it. I'm like, "There's no way this is real." Like, I thought it was spam at first. >> And so, I was like, "Okay, I'll entertain it." >> Sure enough, it's legit. I'm like, "Oh, shoot." Like, "This is this is real." Um, so I go through the interview process for about 6 months. And then we end up flying out to the UK. >> Six months? Wait a minute. You just kind of like casually said that interview process is typically like once or twice. >> So, there was I want to say close to 3,000 people that were in the running for the show and it got cut down to 22 people. Like there's multiple rounds of interviews. They need to see your personality or credentials. What's your social media? Like there's there's so many factors that they take into. And so there's about 3,000 people that are in the casting running for each show, but it cuts it down to 22. They flew us all out to London to do basically an in-person interview. Everything's been online at this point. And that was arguably the scariest part of the process is saying, "Hey, I'm going to London for this show, but I may not get on it yet." >> And so, I had to take PTO off from my hotel job. I had to tell my family. Like, everybody knew I was leaving to go to that show. >> And that stress of me not 100% being on that show was arguably the most terrifying part. I was telling myself if I can just get on the show, okay, I can be sent home first and it'll be worth it. Um, but ended up getting on the show and it was a really tough time for me because on the second day of filming, my grandmother had actually passed away um from heart complications in the hospital and my family didn't want to tell me because they didn't want me being distracted. Um, and they were trying to protect me from that because she was a huge inspiration in my life. Um, you know, Abolita, she's like, "Okay, she's the one passing down family recipes and all that." And the day I found out was actually the day where we had a Mexico challenge as the theme. And so, uh, they actually cut this out. Um, which I mean, I'm I'm kind of glad they did cuz I looked like a crying puppy on set. But, but basically, I was just telling Chef Ramsey that I was like, "Yeah, she was a huge inspiration." I was I don't want to cry in front of Gordon Ramsey. So, I'm trying I'm trying to put on the tough face, but I mean, he can tell. And he he made sure to ask if I was doing all right. And that's that's something that everybody's misconception of Chef Ramsey is is on TV he's >> he's the I mean it's Gordon Ramsey yelling, cussing, all this. He's one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of working with and he made sure that we were always doing good. Um he understands camaraderie and how stressful the kitchen can be. So if he could tell somebody's stressing out, he he is able to comfort them. And he loves to teach. like I learned so much from him in the one month that I was on set. Um, and so it was an honor to be able to shake his hand. He's a lot bigger person like than you would think. Like first time I saw him I was like, "Oh my goodness." I was like like, "Wow." Okay. I could see why you wanted to be a football player. But um, but yeah, he's awesome. And so yeah, it it was tough for me because I was overseas by myself during CO too. So we couldn't leave our hotel rooms or anything because it was under quarantine. Um, but at the same time, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Like, not a lot of 19-year-olds can say, "Yeah, I got to be flown out, got to be my hero of of the food industry and compete on that show. Did I win?" No, I got top 10, which I was like, "Hey, that's pretty good. I was here to just get on the show, top 10, I will take that." Um, and me and the competitors, I mean, we still talk fairly often. like it that stress and excitement builds bonds like no other. Um, and our season was awesome because we actually got to go on Super Bowl commercials to promote the show cuz that was the year that Fox did the whole big promotion with them. So, being able to be, hey, look, I'm on a Super Bowl commercial and all this stuff. I mean, that was dream come true. And it's a lot to take in for a 19-year-old. I mean, I was still riding that wave from World Food Championship, but I'm like, now I'm on freaking international TV. Um, and I was at the gym one time and I look up and I see me on the TV. I was like, that's pretty freaking cool. Um, but it also reminds you that you need to stay humble because you can change your trajectory of your career in an instant from one bad decision. >> Yeah. And so making sure I stay grounded in my faith, stay humble and be grateful for who even gave me that opportunity in the first place. That's the most important thing because if I say, "Oh, I did this all on my own." Like, no, that's that's not true at all. I've had bunch of people help me get me to where I am today. God gives me these opportunities and these blessings. And that's the three core principles of my life is faith, food, family. If I take one of those things out, the rest of my life kind of falls apart because I'm getting too cocky or anything like that. >> Yeah. It's kind of the opposite precedent of the way people do stuff is they'll, you know, they get a cool opportunity, they win a competition or get they get to go on something like that or it could be even something even smaller than that and then they start like I'm like okay it's like you're getting high on your own farts. It's like man I really am awesome like I did this. I came up with the idea. I did the thing. I won the thing or whatever. And I I remember even recently like I was trying to help somebody cuz they were kind of getting into the space that I'm in and you know they were starting to deal with some of the okay I'm getting these crazy emails from people that are like pouring their hearts out. What do I do? People are running into me in public and and stopping me and you know hey what do I do? And I'm like if you're not the same person like hanging out with your friends as you are when you're meeting people in public like something's off. Yeah. >> Like you're you're either playing your friends or you're you're playing you know the public, right? you kind of need to be the same person like warts and all >> but also it's like if you get a cool opportunity and everyone gets to define what that means for them and their job and what they want to do in life when you get a cool opportunity it's like man look what God did >> exactly >> like I I remember distinctly and uh I think this will come out see I don't know where it comes out but I got to interview Chuck Swindoll recently down in Texas and this man's been married for 70 years been a minister for 60 years like just as as it's leading up to it. My wife was like, "You are really excited about this interview, aren't you?" I'm like, "Yeah." I'm like, "Is it obvious?" She's like, "You don't talk about anyone that you interview." She's like, "You've interviewed some huge people, but you've talked about this every day." And then I'm in his studio and we're doing this conversation and like his staff, it wasn't like his staff was trying to make me nervous, but like they just kept saying cuz he's, you know, he's 92 years old. It's like they're like, "Well, he doesn't really want to talk about this and he may not know this and think about that, think about this." And finally, I was like, "I'm just going to do my thing." Yeah. >> And if I make I step on some toes, no big deal. I'm not going to try to offend anybody. But it's like I'm going to get to talk to the man. >> And I remember the whole time I was there listening to him. I'm like, this is so dumb. Like how am I here me that I'm talking to Chuck Swindoll who's in the process of finishing his race really, really well. I remember floating out of that studio, Preston, and [clears throat] it was all like, "Bro, you didn't do this." And even during the interview, I believe uh he said he's like, "Do you know that God ordained this conversation between you and I, before time, like before primordial time, before time even existed, he pre-ordained in his sovereign control that you and I would sit at this table and have this conversation." >> Yeah. Absolutely. So if you have [clears throat] that mindset, it's really hard to be cocky and to be into yourself and like but and so [clears throat] hearing that from someone as young as you are, that's a breath of fresh air because you live in the selfie generation. Like y'all grew up with smartphones and social media. Everything's about the selfie camera, you know, the the lens that you're taking it with and all the filters you put it through. It's all about me me, you know, talked to kids from my parents generation. like they wanted to be soldiers and they wanted to be the president of the United States and now it's like I want to be an influencer. I want to be a YouTuber. And it's just like oh god we live in the dumbest time in human history. And so the the thing that does ground all of that family has part of it. Food certainly for you is part of it. But it's that faith component. And so >> absolutely >> for you growing up in a family where mom and dad are both believers, churchgoers, right? Take me to how that kind of informed to where you are now. Cuz some people, Preston, have that upbringing and they end up derelictked and terrible and they they just rebel against, you know, the moral values that they were given in their family. >> And then you have other people that didn't grow up like that and then find it on their own. And then seemingly like with you, there's a straight line of faith like from you and your mom to what you're doing today. And that should certainly continue from there. But like just take us back to the whole faith component growing up in your house. >> Yeah, for sure. It comes down to seeing how much God has given us and what it could have been. So my dad's side of the family, the Vietnamese side, they came as refugees during the Vietnam War. I mean, my grandpa was a soldier um on the American side. And because of that, if he stayed in Vietnam, they would have executed him. And he's been shot a bunch of times. Like he has scars everywhere. like he's this awesome war vet that I can see has been through like like life has kicked him pretty hard. And just to think that if God decided a bullet would go an inch to the right, I would not be here. My family wouldn't be here. None of this would have happened. Um same thing with my mom's side of the family. I mean, they grew up during the Great Depression. They didn't really have much growing up. And so being able to see what my background was and having a family that always pointed everything to God, whether it's the goods, the bads, life in general, they would always be God is in control. He is the one who's put us here. Um, and he's our savior. And so having that mindset of what it could have been and how it is now is awesome way to stay humble because something could happen overnight. car crash, hospital visit, like anything you may be too prideful in can be taken away in the snap of fingers because we're not the ones in control. And so, we need to be able to always stay humble no matter how high up we get in life. You need to stay humble. Um, and it also lets you have room to maneuver because if I always say, "Oh, I'm the best. I'm the best." And then I get beat, >> that's your whole identity, you know? >> Exactly. And now it's like your your identity now shatters. If you have your identity in something that cannot be moved and is consistent, you're good. Cuz even if I lose, if I win, at the end of the day, God is in control. And I can always give the the credit and the glory to him. And honestly, that's such a weight lifted off of me because if it was only on me, that's a lot of pressure to perform perfect every single time. But we are loved by a God who forgives and is merciful. And just having that wave of relief and that pressure off of my shoulders. I mean, it's not a feeling I can describe like it. >> And so for you, was there like a moment when you like gave your life to Christ? Cuz some people are like, you know, August 24th, 2005, like that they had like that moment or was it just a realization someday that, you know, no, like, you know, Christ died on a cross somehow that counted for me and I'm going to put my faith in that. What What was it like for you? So, I grew up in a Christian home and my mom said that I had accepted Christ when I was six. But it wasn't really until junior high that I actually started to understand what that was. Um, I was super shy, like didn't want to make friends, just wanted to go to church and leave. And my mom had basically volunttoled me to go try out for the worship band. And I I didn't know how to do anything. But because of that community and they really took me in, I was like, "Okay, maybe I'll actually start taking this thing a little bit more serious." And then I actually started looking into my faith. Like, why do I believe these things? Um, and it even led me going to try out different churches because I'm like, I want to make sure that the reason why I believe this is not because my parents told me or because my friends told me. I need to make sure this is my faith and it's something that I actually truly believe in. Um, and so I got to try out for the worship team. Ended up falling in love with it, getting to know the people around me and actually being in community. And that's something that made me realize I cannot do life alone. Going to have struggles and having that community there. Having God here, having all those people made me realize that there there's so much more out there than just me. And that's what changed my mindset of, okay, yeah, I'm a Christian. Like, I don't know what that means to Okay, I need to study the Bible. need to be in community and need to actually show not just by saying I'm a Christian but through my actions that I'm a follower of Christ >> when even you know I kind of I've been taking shots of your generation this whole time and I'm going to keep doing it but [clears throat] here you are. Yeah. But so you're in your early 20s but you're very very focused on your career. Um like you're very grounded in terms of what you've been able to do at this age but what you're striving to do. you have this ethic that's informed by the Bible, like you that's where you, you know, derive your morality and things like that. And so that's the trajectory of your life. Do you have any friends like that? I mean, cuz I I mean, I talk to guys that are maybe mid to late 20s and I'm trying to kind of help them because they want to be married and they want to do this, they want to do all these other different things. And then I have them describe their friends to me or some of the girls that they dated. I'm like, golly, what a disaster this is. And I mean, I've talked about your generation a lot on the show because there's never been a cohort, sociologically speaking, that's been studied in American history that is more liberal, more progressive, less religious than Gen Z girls and Gen Z women, I guess. And there's never been a cohort ever, you know, you know, described or um looked at coming up that's been more conservative and more religious than Gen Z boys. So there's kind of like this growing chasm between young men like yourself that are following Christ, not being a knucklehead, not just, you know, trying to nail everything that moves and, you know, ah, you know, I I'll deal with my career in my 30s right now. I'm going to like hit the bong and, you know, play video games. >> And so kind of tell me what that's like for you because it's like your hyperfocus is incredibly rare even with people like twice your age. >> Yeah. Um, I mean, you hit it right on the head. And I mean it at first it was extremely hard to find likeminded people that were my age. Um and so naturally over the last 5 years I would always make friends with people that are much older than me. Um and so at first yeah it was pretty lonely that I was like oh I don't have somebody my age that could be hey you want to hang out or hey you want to talk about this serious topic in my life. So it felt pretty lonely because all I did was work, go to church, gym and that's about it. Um, but then I really took a step back. I'm like, "Okay, iron sharpens iron. I need people my age that are like-minded, so I need to reach out to people and find those people." And over the last month and a half, I've really made that effort. And I actually have found a good group of people that are my age that have that mindset of there's so many secular things in the world that are trying to distract us. We need to focus on what actually matters. So, all of us, we're starting to build our own houses. We're starting to do Bible studies. Like me and two of my buddies, we just started to read the Bible cover to cover in a year plan. And we're keeping each other accountable for that. And it's such a breath of fresh air finally finding people like that. Even though they are very rare to find nowadays, it's such a nice breath of fresh air to be like, okay, I have somebody that if I'm not upholding my promises, they can be real with me. That that's another thing you have to find is people that can be real with you. People love to sugarcoat it, especially like the gym. It's like, "Oh, it's okay that you aren't hitting your weight goals or it's okay that No, it's like if you set this goal, I'm going to hold you to that standard, and I expect you to do the same with me." Same goes to your faith. If you're not reading, if you're not praying, >> if you have somebody that actually cares about you, they're going to call you out on it. Not as out of a like a self-righteous kind of thing, but it's like they care for you. They care about your relation with Christ. They care about how you're maturing as a man. And it's such a nice thing to finally have those guys in my life that can call me out on stuff. And life has it's felt different in the last month and a half now that I've have those guys in my life because it gives me the sense of like brotherhood. It's like hey we're going through life together. We all struggle with different things. We can help each other out and build towards one another. Like Proverbs 27:17 I believe iron sharpens iron. That's something that really weighs on my heart because it's like yeah we can't do this alone. You need to find those people in your life. >> Hey guys, real quick. I just wanted to remind you that we have an official Undaunted Life store. You can go to shop.unaunted.life or check it out in the show notes. Guys, we're always going to have hats and shirts and a bunch of other awesome stuff. Go there, support us, wear the mission. Again, it's shop.undaunted.life. Check out the link in the show notes. Shop.undaunted.life. man. And I've I've said it in a billion different ways, sometimes hilariously so, but it's like when you think of the concept of iron sharpening iron, that is not going to be a quiet process. There's going to be sparks flying. There's going to be it's going to be dangerous. Like, this is not a soft approach that that gets this done. But honestly, it's refreshing to hear that that was a focus for you and that you pulled it off because I will talk to guys in their 30s 40s 50s. >> They've never had a foxhole. They've never had a group of guys that will hold them accountable. And look, some people hold other people accountable because they're self-righteous, right? As you said, or they're narcissistic and so they they want to be like the HOA person walking around with a clipboard like a you shouldn't be doing that. But then there's other people that are holding you accountable because they love you. They love your wife. They love your children. They love the legacy that you're building, the life you're building, the business you're building. And if they see you kind of going astray, they're going to be like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. look over here and if they got to put hands on you, they'll do that too. >> Yeah. >> And so you have these guys that are just floating untethered. They have businesses, they've got wives, they've got kids, they've got responsibilities and all that, but there's not a single man that could speak into their life. And if you're famous, if you've got a weird job where a lot of people focus on you, like where you're the guy where you don't even have to be funny, everyone just laughs anyway because it's like, "Oh, you're the coolest person in the room." If you don't have people that just aren't that impressed by you in your life, like that's a problem because like I have a really weird job. This is not normal. Like none of this was planned, but it's also not normal. You've got a really weird job. Like do you know your profile even at such a young age? It's it's weird. You're weird, dude. But it's just like you need friends that Man, what a cool opportunity, Preston. That's so cool. Uh also, you've missed the last two uh sessions where we've all got together on our Bible reading thing and you were in town. >> There's an issue. What's going on? >> Yeah. And so it's like you want guys that are like, you know, the ring leaders of your cheerleading squad, but at the same time they're not so impressed by you or intimidated by you that they're not willing to interrupt you. >> Yeah, for sure. And I mean that that applies to all aspects of life. I mean, this last month I enrolled in Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. Never really done. I could I could see [laughter] I know you saw my ear the moment you walked in. >> Yeah. I was I was like this guy this guy knows a thing or two. Um, and so I I've started that and last night prepping for this catering I missed my we type practice and literally my buddy's blowing up my phone. He's like he's like, "Where are you?" He's like, "Are you being a wuss?" I'm like, "I'm sorry. I'll go twice as much next week. I I have a job." Um, and it's it's nice to have somebody that pushes you, but also knows it's like, "Okay, I'm not going to bust your balls because you missed one session." Yeah. >> For a good reason. Sure. >> But >> let's tighten up a little bit. Like >> Yeah. They're keeping you tethered. And dude, with [clears throat] jiu-jitsu, like I started at 30. So what you what'd you start? 21 22 >> like literally this month, like very very new, [laughter] >> right? And so I've been doing jiu-jitsu for like nine nine or so years. And like I started when I was 30 and the whole time, especially at white belt and blue belt, you're like, "Oh my gosh, what if I had started?" Like you're going to be like, "What if I started when I was 16?" >> Because there are some kids now, I say I call them kids. They're adults now. They're your age. They were in the kids class when I started at the age of 30 >> and now they're like in their late teens, early 20s. They're mauling adults, right? Because they've just grown up developing the skill set. And the thing that parents don't really understand that you're developing when you put your kid in something like jiu-jitsu or wrestling, >> they're becoming so mentally strong. Yeah. >> And they have no idea. Like it's fun. They get to roll. They get to compete like they get a new a new rash guard or they get, you know, new wrestling shoes or something like that. But I know companies in this area in Oklahoma City that they will give you preferential treatment during the hiring process if they know that you wrestled at least through high school. >> Wow, that's cool to know. >> Because they're like, one's a uh medical device sales or something like that because they're like nothing we could ask this person to do to sell is going to be nearly as hard as wrestling practice. >> Yeah. >> And here they are standing in front of me. Wrestling practice didn't kill them and they didn't quit. So it tells you something about that person. Like so when you run into somebody like cuz I don't I don't know. What academy did you join? >> Uh it's Arlington Martial Arts. They the Silva Academy. Um like I'm again I'm very new to it so I don't I don't know all the >> You doing ghee class or no ghee? >> So both. Um I did my first ghee session actually this week and Okay. >> Yeah. I got put in my first wrist lock and that was a >> Yeah. [laughter] Oh hey who screw that guy. You shouldn't be wrist lock and a white belt. >> He asked me he's like have you ever done this? He's like let me show you real quick. >> What a buster. But okay. Yeah that that'll hurt you big time. But um when you run into somebody that's a purple belt, a brown belt, a black belt, you may know nothing else about them, but you have a pretty good idea who that person is. Now, I know black belts in jiu-jitsu that are white belts at loving their wives, white belts at raising their children, like you don't want to be that person. >> But to stick with it for that long because when you're one of those upper belts, it's just like everyone went through the same process. You sucked so bad for so long and you got beat up so often >> that whenever you're sitting there with your tattered purple, brown or black belts, like okay, like this person's pretty unconquerable. Yeah. Like they've they've got some screws that are that are loose in the brain and they're going to leave them loose. And so I think that'll go well for you as you continue developing in your culinary career. Just tell them, hey, easy on the wrist locks, no single joint manipulation. We got to make sure that you can get in there with your knife. Oh, I I jot this down. Speaking of knife, okay, >> I've I've seen 15 different commercials uh for this is the one chef knife. This is the one this is the one knife that you can use for all dishes and on all preparation, all that kind of stuff. I've seen all the different things on knife sharpening and like the best method to do and like, oh, you don't need to spend all that time doing this, that, and the other thing. And I just got to tell you, I don't know what's what's marketing and what's real. I don't know what's BS and what's like legit. So, like in your experience, is there a kind of knife, a particular kind of steel? Does it have to come from a particular place? Like is there like this is the method to keep your knives sharp and all that? Cuz there's nothing more annoying than when you're trying to cut up a jalapeno or try to, you know, >> knife just slips straight off. >> Knife will slip. Or here you are with a knife that's not supposed to be in a sawing motion like that and you're just like like you're just trying to dig through something >> where you're trying to get a very fine cut. Like when I make my jerky, I let the the roast like kind of defrost and then I'm trying to slice it about as thin as I can get it so that when I super dehydrate it and put in the fridge, it's like a meat chip. You know what I mean? >> Yeah, exactly. >> So tell tell me everything I need to know about the exact chef knife I should be experiencing and using. >> So you got to think of knives like your tool belt. You're not going to use one like let's say I need to screw something in. Sure, a flathead does the job, but it's going to strip the screw if it's the wrong screw. And so you got to look at your knife set like your tool belt. There's certain knives to do certain tasks. Sure, your chef knife could probably butcher something like a fish or something, okay? But they make knives specially designed to bend and flex to get around those harder to reach spots. And so, yeah, it's great to have an awesome chef knife. I mean, I love mine uh I get mine imported from Japan cuz I I love J Japanese knives. I also know that because they're a little bit thinner, they can chip and break a little bit. So, if I'm trying to crush through something, I'm going to use a thicker knife for that. Um, so really just applying that to all your tools in the kitchen that yes, it can work, but you don't want to force it to work cuz then that's going to affect your products. I'm not going to use a bread knife on a fish, for instance, but then I'm also not going to use a fish knife on bread. It works both ways where these knives are designed for a purpose and if you use them in that purpose, take care of them. Sharpen them on a wet stone often. Like just maintain your knives, buy an awesome knife cover for them that doesn't dull the edge when you put it in. Small stuff like that of taking care of your knives is actually what we look for in the hiring process. One of the first things I ask when I'm trying to hire somebody, I'm like, "Show me your knife kit." and if their knives are dirty, if they're dull, if they don't have specific tools for the job that kind of shows me a little bit about their character of how seriously they take these things. So, is there anything in particular that you've been really impressed by whenever you've gone into a situation like that where like someone kind of blew you away with the amount of prep and care they put into their tools? Because you're exactly right. I mean, you can kind of tell by if the guy's coming up to work on something at your house or if you're building a home like the different tradesmen that show up. Some people like their trucks completely disheveled. They're literally like digging through the back seat to find, you know, the right ratchet or something like that. So, it does tell you something. But, have you ever had an experience where it was like, "Yeah, this is awesome." >> Yeah. I had somebody get a foam block and literally get a laser engraving tool and cut the exact shape of his knives to where he could set them perfectly in basically like a toolbox. And he polished his knives. Like, he really took care of it. And you could tell that that thing was spotless. like no fingerprints anywhere, no debris of food. It was the most gorgeous knife setup I've ever had. And you could tell it's like, yeah, he takes his job seriously. And he was one of the best people I've ever worked with. And so you take other side of the spectrum. Good way that you can technically keep your knives is just wrap them in a towel, throw them in a bag. Yeah, it'll protect it, but that also shows me that you're not investing buying the right covers, buying the right bag, because it's your tools. They're a direct reflection of you. And you don't have to break the bank on any of this. Like, you can buy cheap knife covers and bags just as long as you maintain them. Well, that shows me a lot more about the character of how you are both in the kitchen and outside of it. >> All right. Now, I want to get into mistakes that people make because obviously you probably made a ton of mistakes growing up in the kitchen and okay, you burn stuff or you cook something, but like if you had to say cuz this is 95% male audience, probably a lot of guys that smoke meat and you know, cook stuff from time to time and shout out to our 5enters. I'm sure they uh they prepare meals as well, but like what are some of the most common mistakes that you see when you watch other people cook? So, I'm not necessarily talking about other people you're competing against, but you know, if you've got something that's fine, >> but when you're at someone's house and they're preparing something, like the obvious one is like they're making a steak on the grill and they smash it with their uh spatula or whatever and like all that juice goes down onto the charcoal, it's like >> please God, don't do that. Please don't ever do that again in my presence. But, so that's like an obvious one. But are there things that it's like, okay, if you could avoid doing this, this, this, and this when you're making this, this, and this dish, like what would some of those things be? So, from a mindset standpoint, don't take anything personally when somebody is trying to teach you something new. Um, a lot of people that I've worked with, kitchen's changing all the time. One method is not always going to be perfect forever. They're going to find newer, better ways of doing things. And I've noticed that, especially with the generation that's much older than me, >> they have a hard time adapting to those new methods. And I'm not saying, oh, I'm going to change your whole family recipe that's been past generation. But >> if there's a better way of doing something, be open to at least hearing why it's better. If you choose to apply it, that's up to you. But if you at least listen and see why it's better, that can change your your cooking game tremendously. Um, and it's not even just about an ego thing. It's more of you willing to take take a step back and be like, okay, there is a better way to do it. Even if I don't like it, are you willing to at least listen to it? And that applies to so many different aspects. and just staying humble about it really can up your food game. And then from a technical standpoint, do research. Like there's so many free tools out there. Um there's even a cooking app dedicated to Michelin star chefs sharing their techniques and recipes of how they've been doing things for years. So we live in a day and age where you don't even have to go out and necessarily go to culinary school and pay for all these things. You can look it up online, be like, "Hey, I want to learn a new technique." Boom. Thousand different recipes online. So, when people say they don't know how to cook, I'm like, okay, like, let's guide you through it. Because sure, there are things that you do need to learn in person, but also it's like if you do your research about, okay, this is how I should probably cook a steak. You're going to learn so much online and it'll slowly build up those habits as to just trying to figure it out yourself. >> So, let's get into some specific dishes then. So, let's do because I've >> I've watched I've watched you uh make a steak. I've watched Gordon Ramsey yell at people for doing steak wrong. Scrambled eggs. Like, let's let's talk about some of the common things. So, like what is one of the common things on somebody either in a kitchen or at their own house like making a steak where they're like, "Nope, you messed it up from the jump because you did this." >> Yeah. Uh well, yeah, proteins. We'll start with that. Not trusting the equipment to do their job. So, let's say you throw the steak on the grill. If you're checking that thing every two seconds, not trusting it, it's probably not going to get the sear you want and then that's going to dry it out a little bit because a hard sear walks all those juices in. Fish especially, you need to trust that it is cooking. It's not burning. You just need to trust that it is doing its thing. There's methods you can make sure that it's not burning. Like if you have a skin on salmon, press it on a pan. You can literally feel the bubbles through the fish on your hand to see if the skin is still cooking or not. Once you stop feeling it, okay, maybe you should check it. But having that patience to not micromanage, just let it do its thing >> cuz if you keep moving it, it's probably not going to come out the way you want it. So, just patience and trusting that the heat is doing what it's meant to do. >> What's the best steak? What's the best cut? >> It's like asking to pick my favorite kid. >> You're welcome. You don't have kids yet, so you have to pick a favorite steak. >> Yeah, exactly. Ah, freak. I'm gonna get flack for this. I freaking love ribeye. I'm gonna get flack for >> Why would you get flack for it? >> Because everybody Everybody's like, "You're a chef. Like, you should pick some random obscure cut of meat." But I'm like, >> "No, give me a bone and ribeye, babe." >> Dude, [clears throat] ribeye. It's king. Like reverse seared ribeye. Like, you can't go wrong. >> Okay. All right. So, you've got a ribeye. You've got a thick cut 16 ounce ribeye. It's It's a daddy ribeye, maybe even like 20 ounces or something like that. So, it's an inch to 2 in thick, gray barbling, all of that. You've taken it out of the fridge. You've let it you've let it rest. So, it's it's at room temperature or whatever. You know, assuming someone's just in their normal house, so they've either got like an old school Weber grill or they've got some sort of like cast iron situation. Like, I have my cast I have a I'll show you my uh my smoker outside. It's got two different chambers. One's a big chamber, one's a small one. >> Awesome. >> The small chamber is just big enough to fit my cast iron skillet inside of. >> Okay. And I can get that chamber up to like 600° or something like that. And so I will do my steaks like that. I do a lot of steak bites. And so it's like I I just got to cook super fast. And so I just like I'll cut up some backstrap or something like that. Throw it in there with a bunch of butter, move it around, like let it sear. >> But if you're like trying to impress a girl, right? And you want to make her the best like ribeye of her entire life. Like take me through the process of making that perfect ribeye. >> So starts in the prep. Day before let it dry brine. So, all it needs little bit of salt, put it open, exposed in the fridge to where it really dries out the surface of it. That's going to give you the perfect crust every single time because it's taking that moisture out so it can >> So, you're using like coarse salt like what like what kind of salt? >> I wouldn't say anything like too too big, but you also don't want super fine because it almost dissolves in a way. So, you just want a nice medium coarse salt. Um, and salt, it's one of the most debated topics. Um, honestly, you just have to pick out your cooking style. The more large the granules you go, it can have challenges with sticking on it. They're more prone to get knocked off. If you're able to be careful with it and it sticks on, go for it. But >> finer salts are the most difficult because it's the easiest to overseason with because like you just casually do it, you may have just overs salted your steak. So, I always go for like a nice medium grain of salt. But salt is the most important ingredient in the kitchen and I will live by that. It's it makes or breaks a dish. Um, but dry brine that steak the night before and I love to smoke reverse sear my ribe eyes. So, I'll get smoke going in the smoker no higher than 225. I really want it to just go slow so the smoke can really penetrate it. Again, drying out that surface so that way when it's time to actually sear it, most perfect crust you'll ever see. And so I'll raise it up to temp. I like to go like 105 110 internal. >> My setup I have at home, um the BDUs go up to 90,000. Like it's a freaking jet burner. Um cast iron pan ripping hot. Sear it no more than a minute each side. >> Oil in the pan, butter, >> oil on the So first side, high smoke oil cuz my pan is getting up to >> that like an avocado oil or a >> works good. Grape seed. Um, avoid olive oil because that does tend to burn a little bit easier. Um, so grape seed or avocado is usually my my go-to. >> Sear it one side, let it do its thing. And the most mis or a common misconception with steaks is if you press it, it's going to be dry. If you press it correctly, it actually helps it get that flatten it out. >> Exactly. So you want to surface area. Exactly. Like more even coverage. So, you want to apply just enough pressure to where it's even contact across the whole steak. Cuz if you've pan seared a steak, you know, when you flip it, there's like a gray ring. It's like, "Oh, why didn't this sear evenly?" It's cuz as the meat is searing, it starts to curl up a bit. And that's all proteins. Like the the muscle fibers start to tighten and so it starts to curve. So, you want to apply just enough pressure to where it's even contact, but not so much to where it's squeezing the juices out. >> And so, how are you Well, first of all, like how long are you searing it on side one? And I've seen some people put like a weighted something on on top. So, what is the best way to push it down? >> That's up to you. And it's also up to the size of the meat. Um, when you start to do it, you can actually feel it. Sometimes I just use my tongs and press down on it. I can literally feel the bubbles from underneath the steak going through the tongs and into my hand. You can feel it and you can hear it a little bit. But if you invest in some meat weights to where it's like stackable to where you can apply more pressure, play around with it. If it's like a 2-in thick ribeye, yeah, that thing's going to need a little bit more weight on it versus something that's a little bit more delicate, maybe just the lightest of pressure. Um, it also just depends on playing around with it and actually gaining that experience to see what's too much, what's not enough. Um, going to the timing, literally no more than a minute. I mean, my pans rip in at almost 1,200. Like, it's >> violent. Like, it's a pretty violent um interaction, but it's so worth it because that crust, my goodness, it's it's one of the best best things in the world to flip that steak over and you just see the most even, beautiful crust. And when I flip it over, I actually cut the heat off, throw in a bunch of uh compound butter that I make that has like garlic, rosemary, thyme, a little bit of wine sometimes already in the butter. So that way when I throw it in and it melts, all that flavor just disperses. Baste it for another minute. Done. And most important step, let it rest. If you don't let it rest, all your hard work just went out the window. >> All right. So on the flip, so that's that's one thing I was curious of. So you flip it. You say you cut off the heat. Now, are you So like in my my for instance, I have that cast iron skillet that's on the the left side uh of my smoker. When I cut that heat off, that's not really affecting like the the temperature of my pan. Do I need to move that that skillet somewhere else? Do I need to move it to >> If if you have the ability to, yes. Um I I like to cook my ribe eyes outside because it smokes like crazy. Like that's one of those things where if you can avoid cooking it in the house, do it. Um so if you have the luxury, yeah, move it off of that burner. Um but there's so much residual heat in that cast iron, it's going to keep cooking it. It's just you don't want to introduce more heat into it. Um because when you throw that cold butter in there, it's going to cool it just enough to where it's not burning the butter anymore. >> And we're talking about a bunch of butter, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Some people such as a slice. >> No, I'm throwing in like couple tablespoons of compound butter basting it. Like if you don't see a golden like, choose my words there carefully, a golden like just bubbly foamy >> waterfall going on, throw throw a little bit more butter in there. >> All right. All right. And then some people will do I know they'll do like fresh garlic. They'll do cuz most people don't have like a compound butter. So they're using something like >> cuz butter does make a difference. And so if you do something with like KY Gold versus like you know Great Value butter. It's like you can just see in the color in the texture of the butter. It just doesn't happen the same. But I mean you have what you have in the kitchen. I mean use real butter not margarine or something like that. >> And then second side same thing. Maximum of a minute cuz we're looking for we're looking at finish medium >> rare literally. Yeah. Exactly. only only correct way unless if you're elderly, but medium rare is the way way to go. Um, and again, you're just wanting to get a sear on it because the meat is pretty much there. Um, that heat from getting such an intense sear is going to continue to carry over. And the reason why I smoke it at such a low temperature is because it's going to have that most even coverage. When you smoke it and sear it like this, you're not going to have any gray band at all when you slice into that. Like literally, it is edge to edge, >> medium rare, perfect every time. >> And when you take it out of the smoker, cuz I've seen it done a bunch of different ways. So, some people will take it out of the smoker and then they will let it sit there >> as they're getting their their pan or their skillet like fired up as hot as it can go. >> Yeah. >> Do those things need to be happening simultaneously? Should it go straight from the smoker at, you know, taking it off at 105, 110? If you are cooking it right then and there, I would go ahead take it out of the smoker, pat it dry, and already have your pan going. Very important you pat it dry because it is sweating a little. So, you want to get that moisture out of there. But a cool thing about reverse uh searing things is let's say, I don't know, dinner is in it like 4 hours from when I smoked it. Technically, you can store it, but then you have to reheat it again. And it it's a little bit messy because then you have to cook it a little bit longer. Things could go sideways. So I I more so recommend you do it right then and there because then the longer you wait, the more you have to bring that temperature back up and then you that's where the real experience starts to come in because there are ways to do it. Like working in hotels most of the time for banquetss that's all precooked. All you're doing is reheating it in the oven. Um, so there are certain ways of doing it, but like you said, this is I'm trying to impress a girl right then and there that is maximum freshness and the best crust you'll get. >> Now, I I remember investing in a pretty good meat thermometer years ago, and depending on the day and depending upon what I'm doing, I either love that thing or I hate it because, you know, when you're doing like a brisket or a smoked turkey or something like that, like you, you know, you don't know when it's going to stall. So, you can't just go based on time. And I know people will do like the little finger method. They're like feeling their finger like, "Oh, is that well done?" or whatever. I'm not I don't have sensitive enough fingers to know what in the world my my steak is. >> I'm so glad you brought that up. >> I understand it. I'm like, "It feels the sameish." >> Well, because I was like I was like, they first started teaching me that, oh yeah, like just go like this on your finger. And I'm like, well, back then I did rock climbing, so I'm like, >> my hands are like I'm like everything I do is well done. So I'm like, that doesn't [laughter] work. So to an extent, poking it does actually tell you, but not in the way you think. And so each cut of meat is going to have a different toughness. I could have a wagu ribeye and a choice ribeye. If I poke both of those, even when they're raw, they're going to feel completely different. So if you poke it before you cook it, and then when you start to, then technically you can use it as your base of reference. It's like, okay, it is starting to firm up a little bit. But meat thermometer is king. Like it's as long as you calibrate it, it's going to be perfect every time. It doesn't lie to you. And that's something that I actually see a lot of people in professional kitchens, their egos get in the way is not using a thermometer. There are methods that you can do like um there's something called a cake tester where it's like a thin wire and you can insert it into the meat and press it on the nerves of your wrist and it's a certain temperature. But that skill skill ceiling is so high and it's not always perfect either. It's it's something that I've looked at. I'm like, "Yeah, it's good in a pinch." But if you have access to a meat thermometer, I always recommend doing that. Whether it's for barbecue or for steaks, like if you're not certain, just give it a poke. Yeah. Like people are, "Oh, all your juices are coming out." If all the juices leave through that tiny hole, you probably did something wrong with your steak. So that hole is not going to make or break a steak. Just probe it. It won't lie to you. Just do it. >> Now, I have had a guy who uh worked in a kitchen uh here close by. He's a chef as well. Because I kept messing up ribe eyes. Like I I was doing literally everything that you said except I wasn't patting it dry before I would, you know, put it onto the skillet or whatever. Basically everything else I was doing exactly what you said. And then I would do the the butter method. And the thing is, if you pull it off at 135, he's like, "Hey, that butter method, it's going to keep cooking that." So, as it's resting, it's going to keep cooking. Cuz I was eating, you know, medium steaks and I was like, "That's fine." Cuz especially with the ribeye, the fat maybe renders a little bit more. That's fine. You're not ruining it. >> But I I started pulling stuff off more at like So, I'd probe it and it'd be like 125 and I would pull it off at technically rare and then it would finish where I wanted it. But then other people like no you pull it off at the temperature that you want. But does does the method that you're using change how it finishes? >> So it's very important that exactly what you said the method of how you are cooking the stuff definitely affects the carryover temperature. So if I'm throwing something into a grill and that grill is like500° it's going to keep carrying over almost 30°. Like I used to work in a kitchen where they would use charcoal grills inside. That thing hurt to stand in front of even with the door closed. you're pulling it out at almost 90° and you just set it on a plate. Literally, it just keeps cooking. And so that experience of knowing your equipment and knowing how it affects your proteins is very important as someone who is cooking a lot of protein. Are you going to get it completely accurate first try? Not always. I mean, there are ways to know it. Like if your flame is hotter versus a more slow cook, that is going to affect your affect your carryover. Butter, that thing is ripping hot. it's going to keep cooking the steak a little bit more. So that's why most people say reverse sear to 120 and then pull it out. I'm like, "No, by the time I blast that thing in my cast iron, it's going to overcook." >> Oh, for sure. >> And so that's why I always pull it out like 105, 110 so I have the capacity to get that really hard sear on it and not have to worry about it over cooking. >> What do you think about Pittsburgh steaks? I've only had one once and so Okay, so I had one. So, for anyone that doesn't know, cuz I was at a restaurant with the horn, so people that know the forge table know that. And he's like, I'm going to get mine in Pittsburgh style. I'm like, what's that? >> And so, I guess they put it in like something that cooks it at like 1,000°. And so, you like char black the outside, but the middle is like rare. And when I say rare, I mean cold, rare, very rare. >> And I I ate it. >> I did not enjoy it. I did not think it tasted very good. It's not the worst steak I've ever had. Like, I may tell that story, but it it was not enjoyable. I'm glad I tried it because I had never heard of it before and all that. But like for you as a chef, what is your opinion on Pittsburgh style? >> And this is just a broad characterization. There's certain methods that are only popular because of the name, not because it's good. It's one of those things where it's like you just burn the hell out of a steak and it's raw in the middle. That's not that's not >> kind of how it felt. >> And it's one of those things where again it's ego where it's like, oh, this is the method. And I'm like, if it doesn't taste good, it doesn't taste good. And that's something you have to learn in the restaurant industry is >> people are going to complain. And sometimes it's valid. Like it's not always sunshine and rainbows. And >> when it comes to things like that where it's like, oh, this is the way it's meant to be enjoyed. Well, it's like it's not enjoyable. I'm paying for it. >> I I want the process of not enjoying this. >> Exactly. And so it's like if I pay for something, I worked hard for that money. I want to enjoy what I'm spending it on. If I'm spending it on a burnt raw steak, I'm not going to walk away feeling happy. And so methods like that, and again, I probably will get hate for that online for saying that, but it it's true. Like, if a method is so popularized because it's just the method, and it's not actually broken down by how it tastes and how it feels, it's just hype. Like, it's not something that I actually enjoy eating or recommending to people. All right, I need you to put your detective hat on because I am going to describe the worst steak I've ever had. Right. And I've had Golden Corral sirloin, guys. And this is worse than that. So, I go to a very nice steakhouse in Oklahoma City. When most people say a steakhouse that they're going to for their birthday or anniversary or something, this is one of the top two or three places, but I will leave it nameless because I don't want to shame them. >> Does it have my state in the name of it? >> What's that? >> Does it have my state in the name of it? >> Uh, it does not. Okay. >> Uh, so it's it wasn't Texas Roadhouse. Okay. So, no, this was this was a nice spot. This is a nice steakhouse. You're going to spend several hundred for your tab or whatever. >> So, my wife and I are going. We were celebrating something. I can't remember what it was. And, you know, I'm the type of guy that if if I knew I was coming to uh y'all's neck of the woods in like two weeks and y'all at a restaurant, I would know my order a couple weeks in advance. Like I And then I just make I prepare my soul and pallet for what I'm going to experience whenever I get there. I don't get there and go, "Oh, I don't really know what I'm going to do." I do my research. So, I already knew what I wanted. I wanted the bone and ribeye. >> Yeah. >> Well, then the person comes by the table and then they describe their specials. >> And so, they had a dry-aged bone and ribeye. I think it was 20 something day dry-aged bone and ribeye. >> And my wife goes, you should get that. And I'm like, I've never had a dry-aged steak. Like, yeah, okay, I'll order it. So, it would have been the most expensive steak that I had ever paid for up to that point. I didn't know anything about dry-aged. You know, I know that I've seen videos and stuff how they kind of shave it off after it's dry age for however long. And then I get it and I'm so freaking pumped. Like I didn't care about the size or anything like that. It was me and that steak, right? >> Steak. >> First bite. Awful. It was really chewy, but not just like chewy like I got a big chunk of fat. Like sineui chewy. >> Mhm. >> Another bite. [clears throat] And another bite. And I'm about halfway through this steak and my wife goes, "What do you think?" I'm like, "This might be the worst steak that I've ever had in my entire life." And she's like, and she was mortified. She's like, "Oh, no. Are you serious?" >> And I grew up in a family where you did not send food back to the kitchen. It wasn't cuz we were afraid we were going to get it back with pubes on it. It was because it's just like it was rude. It's like you just don't do that. Like kids in Africa are starving to death. You're not going to complain about your chicken fingers. Just eat them. I don't care that they're cold. Right. >> Yeah. >> And so, uh, she's like, "You just just send it back." And I'm like, "I I just can't do that." And the manager came by and did the obligatory like, "Hey, how's everything going?" And I just sat there quietly and my wife goes, "Say something. Say." And I'm like, "Ma'am, I'm I'm eating this steak. It's really really tough. It was Oh, we got an Amber Alert going on >> or a tornado warning. >> Oh, yeah. We are in tornado. >> Let's see what we got. Uh, we're not going to read out loud in case this ends up being a terrible case. But, uh, yeah. That's never happened before. All right. Very good. >> We're not going to edit it out. We're going to keep it going." >> All right. >> Steak. >> And this steak, Preston. It was like it was well done on one half and [snorts] almost like Pittsburghy on the other other half. Like that's the best I could describe it. It was like super overly done and like almost not done on the other side. >> Yeah. >> And I explained it to her. She's like, "Let me just make you another steak." I'm like, "Ma'am, I know it's weird. I just can't I can't send this back with you. Like I I'll I'll finish the steak." >> And I did. And to their credit, they comped the steak without me asking for it. They didn't give me another, you know, order or whatever. But I mean, I burped up that steak for 2 days afterwards. like it was awful. And this is like one of the places you go to get a steak. So, what in the world happened? Like with all that information, what what do you think happened? >> So, it's a lot more common than you think. Um my parents were celebrating on Valentine's Day. So, obviously everybody's going to order steaks Valentine's Day. >> And exactly what you said is they upsell you. They're like, "Hey, try out our dry age or try out our Wagu." I've noticed almost every single time they manage to make those even worse than the regular ribeye. And it's like I don't know if it's just the hype around it or the price or whatever as humans it's like oh more expensive more value like it's going to be nicer but it's like I've noticed it's like when you do upgrade it for whatever reason just tends to be worse. Almost every single place I've I've gone to when they try to and this isn't me just being cheap. It's just my experience that it's like for whatever reason it's always tough like you said where it's not even like a fatty chew. It's like that just sue like it it just tastes terrible. >> Yeah. >> And [clears throat] I mean I grew up the same way. It's like you finish what's on your plate like don't send it back like y >> eat it. >> And I I would always feel terrible. It's like if I especially if I recommended it to somebody and they're like and I can see that they're not enjoy it. I I feel terrible. And obviously it's not my fault, but it's like if you as an establishment are wanting more money out of something, trying to give the guest a better experience, it better reflect that. And I think it's just either untrained cooks or not explaining the different ways of cooking higher marbled stakes could be another thing where lack of training and lack of accountability from their leadership ultimately results in an unpleasant experience for your guest. >> Yeah. I mean, all I can think of is how they left it on side one. >> Yeah. Way >> way too long. And then when they got to side two, but anyway, it was it was terrible. And it kind of got to the point I kind of got to this point, I don't know, five, six years ago where if we're going to a steakhouse, I'm going to get the pork chops just because I don't make pork chops. I never have. It's not because I It's not because I don't like them. I like them a lot, but I've just always cooked other things. Because if I'm going to get a steak, it's like if someone's going to mess it up, let me be the one that messes it up. So the whole time I'm eating it, it's like I'm eating my le, right? But I don't want to go to some steak house, spend 70, 80 bucks on a fancy steak at a nice steak restaurant and then be disappointed because it's like, can you cut into your steak to make sure it's cooked perfect? I'm not going to tell you anything. Yeah. If it's well done, if it's like a bicycle tire, okay, I'm probably sending that back. But at the same time, it's like if if I'm Yeah. I'm like plus or minus a degree or two. Like if it's rare, if it's me, okay, I won't say nothing. I'm the I'm the same way. But that that's one of the things especially as someone who likes to cook mainly like I like to cook for myself versus going out to eat. It's hard to be invited to stuff and that hey there's this awesome steakhouse. There's this awesome place. I'm like >> you're so judgy man. You're so judgy. >> I'm like well no it's like if somebody's inviting me or some especially if somebody cooks for me I will always appreciate it. Like that's something that always gets brought up is like oh we don't want to cook for you because we're so nervous to cook for you. I'm like, dude, I go out and eat McDonald's half the time because everything's closed and I don't want to cook after a 14 hour day. Like, I am not a picky person. >> Where I do start to get a little bit more tough on them is when, yeah, it's an $80 steak. I'm freaking paying for an $80 steak. I'm going to judge accordingly. If you can't cook it, don't charge $80 for it or at least train your staff better to do it. And going back to when you asked, "What's the difference between an executive chef and a Michelin?" Having that accountability, more importantly, the capacity to train your staff to where they can repeatedly execute even without you there. Huge game changer. And I've noticed this very popular, successful restaurants in the area I live in, my parents will go on a night that's not as busy to celebrate something and almost every single time they're like, "Yeah, the executive chef wasn't there. Food came out terrible." M >> and that's such a awful thing to hear because my parents like super hardworking and so I know when they go out to eat and to celebrate something >> and they ask me to cook a lot. It's like I know they're going for not just the food but the experience too. >> Yeah, your experience can be great but I mean like you said if you bite into a tough $90 steak your night is going to be ruined. And so >> that's why when I'm having big events, I hold my staff to such a high level of accountability is because I'm like, people are paying to be here, not only just for the experience, but we need to do our jobs to freaking cook the food. If you can't get that part right, everything else you do is going to thrown out the window. So >> yeah, I think that would be a bad pet peeve. Do you have any other like pet peeves like when you're at a restaurant? Because that's the difference cuz like when you go I'm trying to think of another job. But like if you cuz very rarely are you watching someone else do their job. But maybe if you're an accountant and you paid someone else to do your accounts this time. Maybe something in the Excel spreadsheet you did differently. That's kind of a pet peeve. Or if you're watching somebody else like do the job that you also could do. Like you can't fix this thing at your house. You know how to, but you have someone else doing like oh my god where are they using that tool and like this they're taking a hatchet to a problem that needs a scalpel. When you're at a restaurant or when you're watching people cook, are there things that just absolutely make your skin crawl? >> I would say front of house more than back of house is actually what I'm looking at more because I I mean I know how the back of house is running. I like nine times out of 10 I can guess who's back there based off of how the food's coming out. Like if that's somebody who cares or not. But front of house is the bridge between the customer and back of house. Let's say steak comes out terrible. if the front of house is actually giving their best effort to make it right, I give them so much more leniency than if it's a crappy front of house. Um because ultimately for Michelin, that's what they're looking for is what is the guest experience like? And if they're not doing what they can to make it right, it's going to be a bad experience for me. I've been to plenty of restaurants where it's like, "Okay, they absolutely butchered this like terrible meal, but I still felt welcomed because the front of house did such a great job recovering the situation." >> Yep. >> And like, not trying to be cocky, but it's like I can probably cook whatever they're cooking back there better for myself because I know my preferences. So, I'm not going to a restaurant just for the food. I want to have that experience. Like, if I want a good ribeye, okay, I'll just run to my store and buy myself a ribeye. I want to have that magical experience of going out feeling like I'm welcome there having that relaxation wash over me. And if that part of my experience is not being met, whole thing is ruined. >> I'll ask as well actually as I was thinking as you were talking about that I want to go back to the steak thing. One quick thing, one other question. Do you use pro leave-in probes or are you opening and probing with like >> So I used to be the leave-in probe just because I was trying to learn how long it takes. Um but then I started to be like okay this is a pain in the butt to set up every single time. >> It's a pain if your Bluetooth cuts off all a sudden I don't know what you know temperature my stakes at. >> Yeah. It started to happen where it's like and then re-calibrating it like you have to do all these things. I'm like, "Okay, when you're starting off, they are great because you get real-time feedback to see how long a steak takes to cook and all the different variables." After a few years of using them, I'm like, "Okay, in my head, I'm like, okay, if my ribeye is in the oven for 45 minutes, ready to go." And that just comes with experience to where now I no longer need that step to where I can just look at the color of the ribeye that's cooking at 225 and I know the internal temperature of it. Um, so starting off, they're amazing. Um, especially for barbecue overnight. Um, nowadays barbecue when you're cooking for yourself is all about practicality. So, people hate on pellet smokers. I love them because while you are in the rain or managing the fire, if I just want a nice, >> let's keep that temperature, baby. >> I'm like, I'm going to go to bed, have a nice restful night of sleep, and then it's like, okay, Bluetooth beeps and then it's ready to go. >> So, it's like again going back to ego. Yeah, you can get a better product out of an actual smoker. I'm not saying like if you were to go one in one. >> Yeah. >> Right. Normal smoker wins every time. But the practicality side of things is what most people are starting to buy because it's one of those things where it's like if I want to brisket, I don't want to stay up 18 hours managing the fire. I just want a brisket. Well, President, what would you say to a person uh I mean, maybe this person even dropped you off here at the studio today who starts their brisket that they're going to have for dinner around 11 in the morning or noon. They realize they're at 60° and it's 400 p.m. and they decide, I think I'm just going to jack the temperature all the way up to like 450 500 to go ahead and get this thing finished. What would you say to a human being that would do such a thing? >> Um, where are we going out to eat later today? >> Yeah, that's right. It's like nobody [laughter] wants to eat that. It's like I if I wanted to eat, you know, a part of a bicycle tire, I would have just done it on my own. But like, >> hey, you got to sacrifice if you're going to do something like that. One of my favorite things that I've seen is I've started to let my brisketss rest way longer. Oh, absolutely. >> Cuz, you know, first it was, okay, it's got to rest at least an hour, right? Then it was like, okay, 2 hours is fine. And then I saw this one guy, you know, pit boss guy, I think it was South Texas guy. He's like, if it takes me 12 hours to cook this brisket, I'm going to let it rest for 12 hours. like and he just said >> it's going to be fine and he's like he wraps it in a towel he puts it in a cooler but he leaves the to the cooler cracked because if you put it in one of those really good like Cabela's coolers or Yeti coolers or something like that >> it's going to keep cooking in there that thing turns into an oven especially if you put it in super hot but it's like open up the foil let that steam come out let all the steam that that can come out come out wrap it back up wrap it in a towel put it in a cooler but just kind of leave it cracked >> and so if you do it that way you can put the brisket on before you go to bed. Now, I've ruined a brisket on a non-reliable plet smoker. I wake up and the the smoker is at 27° and I'm like, "Well, that I just get to throw this out now." >> But if you have a reliable smoker or something like that, you know, putting it on, if you wake up in the middle of the night to go pee all the time, have your brisket ready to go, have your smoker ready to go. There's so many different ways to do it to where it's like if you're cooking for people, just sacrifice just a little bit of your convenience to get it on there at an appropriate time. >> Yeah. And I would say the biggest difference is having that due diligence of inviting those people over and actually putting in that effort. I'm not saying you're cooking for somebody and it's like, okay, it didn't come out exactly the way. It's like you put your best foot forward with your abilities, but like you said, if somebody's putting on a brisket at 11 and they know it's for dinner, that's just negligence at that point. That's not a that's not a lack of skill. That's just straight up negligence. And so there's a very big difference where when people are, oh, I'm scared to cook for you. It's like, no, I'm going to enjoy what you've prepared for me. I know you put your time and effort to it, >> and I know that you didn't neglect anything. Yeah, no matter how it tastes, I'm going to enjoy that experience. But if they're putting on a bicycle tire and they're they're not carrying, they're not brushing, it's like, okay, that's where I start to have the issues with it. But >> if you have to cover every square inch of the brisket with some sort of sauce, and I like sauce, like that's all great, but it's like if you have to do it or you can't stomach a bite, that's a problem. I'm realizing this entire time like I I got your website and I've seen it right there. What is the culinary code specifically? >> So, it's more so breaking the codes and the rules of food. Um, so I wanted to really lean in in the early days of my career into molecular gastronomy. So that's doing all the really cool sciency stuff like breaking down food to the molecular level and changing the way you eat it. Like I make a salad, completely transparent, tastes just like a salad, but it is a completely see-through dish. Like doing stuff like that, making pearls out of soy sauce, making foams that can hold up for 6 hours plus. making uh bubbles to where it's literally you can hold it in your hand, but there's an entire bite of soup just floating in your hand to where it won't move. Like doing stuff like that is what I really wanted to focus on in my early careers. And I've won competitions doing those things because I mean they're cool to look at. Um and so that's where culinary code really originated from is just breaking the rules and the code of food and trying to establish something new and cutting edge. >> Okay, cool. Are there any dishes or ingredients that you just loathe? Not dislike, not hate. And I'll go ahead and tell you, I have one. And the biggest problem with this particular ingredient is they put it on freaking everything. Okay? I don't like lettuce. I don't like tomato. I don't eat salad. Like all that's fine. >> Does it start with a T? >> No. It starts with an O. And I gotta tell you, if I could go back like to when God was thinking up everything and he was like asking my feedback, I would be like, "God, if you don't mind, can you please not invent onions?" >> Because they're going to put them in everything. That terrible crunch, that awful taste, they're going to put it in dishes that don't even need it. Because like, like I told you, I make a chili. I make baked beans. People love to load up their chili and baked beans with onions. And yet when they have my baked beans and my chili that has no onions, there onions aren't allowed to be within 10 miles of of my my whatever whenever I'm smoking the beans or whatever I'm doing. You got to be that far away. I don't feel like they add anything to the dish other than that awful terrible texture of biting into an onion. And I realize I'm in the minority here. There are people that just, man, they don't want a smashed burger unless it's got like earthworm onions like coming in and out of it. There are people that will get a chili dog and they just put a bunch of red onions on top. Okay, I understand I'm in the minority. That's the one for me to where it's like if I'm going anywhere, if there's onions on something, I'm not even going to eat it. I'm not even going to try it because it's like it doesn't matter how you prepare that particular ingredient, I'm going to taste it. I'm going to feel it. I don't like it. >> Yeah. >> Do you have anything like that? Whether it's a dish or even an individual ingredient where you're just like, I can't do this. >> All right. So, I'm going to give you two. One of them that I actually loathe and then one I think is overrated. Oh, okay. So, the lo one, um, my hatred of it started because I was my or I was the bus boy at my parents' restaurant is tripe. >> Anytime I've heard of that, >> it's int like cow intestine. Okay. >> Um, and the reason I hated it is because it was in Manulo and it's a very very heavy greasy soup. Well, I had a three compartment sink. If one dish came back that had man, ruined the entire sink. I'd have to drain the whole thing, redo it. Pain in the butt. So, even just from the thought of it, I hated it. And to this day, I'll still eat it, but it's like that memory is so ingrained in my head. And if you cook it wrong, it tastes like the bottom of a shoe. >> That's just one of the things where it's like if I can avoid it, I will avoid it at all costs. Uh it's still good, but again, it's it's just something that I don't. >> And then the thing that will drive me freaking crazy is when somebody casually uses truffles. It is one of the most overused items to where it's almost lost its specialty and it's started to become where they develop cheaper versions of it to where it takes away from it. So like when somebody says, "Oh, I made truffle fries." I'm like, "Okay, did you use truffle oil?" Cuz that's not really Yeah. That's not the good stuff. And then it's like it's it's a very lazy way most of the time. Not all the time, but most of the time it's a lazy way to jack up the prices on a dish. Now, there are very awesome ways. I've seen people use truffles, but it's when it's an afterthought that bothers me. And it's one of those ingredients that it's so rare and it's very soughta just to see it become way too mainstream and way too overused. It it kind of sucks to see cuz yeah, it's an awesome ingredient, but if you slap that on everything and you're making cheaper versions of it and it's losing that specialty and it's giving people quote unquote justification to jack up prices, it it annoys me because it's like you're taking something that used to be so sacred and just running it into the ground. >> Okay. Yeah. I will. I mean, I was really really hoping you were just going to flat out agree with me that onions are the worst. I had a feeling that you weren't going to agree with me, but it's just ever since I was a kid. I can remember when I first my first hatred of onions came from like McDonald's hamburgers cuz they would put onions on them and I was like, I just can't even eat these. And Taco Bell bean burritos. Like that's why I liked Bueno cuz they didn't put onions in their you know, bean sauce that whatever they put inside of the burrito. But I'm a little disappointed in that. Uh but that's okay. I think we can still be friends. But man, I got to be honest. We got to let you get going here so that you can uh get to preparing with your mom for the dinner that I'm uh thrilled to be a part of tonight. But man, it's it's really cool to see where you've come uh to this early in your in your life. And I don't just mean from the things you've been able to accomplish, but just your mindset. That mindset, if you can keep that strong, if you can keep faith central, if you can keep some dogs around you like your your friends that are, you know, keeping you on the straight and narrow, I think things are going to just absolutely keep going up and up from here. But >> that's all for me. Anything else you want to get off your chest? Um, I mean mainly just the message to everybody in this generation is bring back faith and family into everything you do. It's one of those things that they will either lean one or the other, but really you need both in your life. Whether that's eating meals at the dinner table or praying before you go to work every day. Really bringing back that family and faith aspect is honestly what I think a lot of this generation is missing. Whether that's church hurt or their family wasn't great growing up. if you're able to reinccorporate those things, I think that's what a lot of the problems these days are stemming from. And so that's what me and my family are trying to bring back into the mainstream with our brand is showing that it is possible to do both. Um, so we're making a family cookbook right now that we're in the works of doing to show, hey, because we stuck together, none of this would have been possible if we tried to do it by ourselves and without God. And so we're working on that cookbook. just launched our website uh the first familyofood.com to where it showcases, hey, this is what we've done together as that family and really bring back that family hospitality that's honestly missing in the world right now. Um so last thing, just bring back faith family into everything you do in life. >> That's awesome, man. Thanks again for coming in. Appreciate you. >> Thanks for having me. >> Thank you everyone for listening to this episode. Wherever you're listening to this, please subscribe, rate, and leave us a positive fivestar review. If you want me to come speak live at your event or on your podcast, just shoot me an email to info@undded.life. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook. And check out our website for everything else, including how to donate to keep more content like this coming. www.undaunted.life. The music on this podcast is the song Conqueror by the Christian metal band Void Awaken. Be sure to stream their music on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever else you get your music. I'm your host, Kyle Thompson. Remember, keep pushing back darkness. Keep forging spiritual, mental, and physical resilience. Keep seeking the Lion of Judah. [music] Heat. Heat.