Leadership

The Intentional Restaurant

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:14:11 GMT

How do you create a workplace you actually want to be in?

It's the question Erin Wade asked when she founded Homeroom, a mac and cheese restaurant in Oakland, California. Her answer is "collective success," where every decision is made with the team, customers, and community in mind.

At Homeroom, that means weekly meetings where everyone, from dishwashers to servers, digs into the financials and pitches ideas on how to improve. And the results speak for themselves: Homeroom has some of the highest revenue per square foot in the industry, retention rates 10x the national average, and a safety system now used by restaurants and bars worldwide.

Yvon Chouinard in Conversation with Lisa Abend

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 15:00:56 GMT

In conversation with Lisa Abend, Yvon Chouinard shares how starting as a blacksmith making climbing tools led to building a company guided by values over profit. He describes hitting $1 billion as the worst day of his life.

After 50 years in business, Chouinard champions purposeful growth over endless expansion. Patagonia is now steward-owned, and the earth is their only shareholder. They've donated over $100 million in excess profit to environmental causes.

Their conversation covers everything from corporate responsibility to table salt.

Leading with Generosity

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:21:09 GMT

Chef Josh Niland is rewriting the rules of whole-fish cooking at Sydney’s Saint Peter and Fish Butchery—turning every scale, bone, and organ into something extraordinary.

Before his MAD talk, he broke down a fish with the noma team—but his real lesson was about leadership: generosity, space for creativity, and knowing what sparks each person on your team.

Legacy in Action

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 13:42:59 GMT

The Loiseau sisters carry forward the legacy of their father Bernard Loiseau, the legendary French chef who transformed a crumbling restaurant in rural Burgundy into a three-Michelin-star powerhouse—then taking his own life at the height of his success in 2003.

Blanche and Bérangère’s mother kept the flame alive after tragedy. Now, they’ve now taken the helm of a hospitality group that spans 6 restaurants, 2 hotels, and 130 employees. Their approach differs from their father’s obsession with Michelin stars—they’re building a more sustainable vision still in his timeless values: excellence, authenticity, innovation.

Bernard Loiseau’s ‘cuisine des essences’—bringing lightness and freshness through produce—changed French gastronomy forever. Now his daughters are honoring his legacy while carving out space to breathe and grow.

Cooking in Community

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 11:27:43 GMT

Why would a talented young chef choose to open a restaurant in a part of Denmark so disdained by other Danes that they refer to it as the rotten banana?

For Emilie Qvist, opening a restaurant (or two!) in a place with more pigs than people meant cheaper rent and closer proximity to nature. But as she explained in her talk at MAD7, it also gave her the chance to make an impact. With first Medvind and now Lyspunktet, she found a way to support the local economy, showcase local fishing and farming, and create a place for local residents to celebrate the big and small moments of their lives. “You become someone there,” she said. “Someone who knows your farmers’ names, and what their struggles are, someone who knows your neighbors.”

In the rotten banana, in other words, she found community.

How to Take Over Your Parent's Restaurant in Five Easy Steps

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Following his father suffering a debilitating stroke in 2019, Justin Pichetrungsi made the daunting decision to take over his family’s 43-year old restaurant, Anajak Thai, in Los Angeles, California.

From working as an art director at Disney to deciphering his family’s recipe cards, he reflects on what it means to inherit something sacred. And how, apparently, it all starts by arguing with your parents.

Get On Your Knees (and Bring Gastronomy with You)

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

As chef Christian Puglisi’s restaurant community, Relæ, in Copenhagen expanded, he realized he should not be growing out, but growing deeper. So he started the Farm of Ideas to grow his own produce. At this MAD Monday, he recounts how his experience starting the farm led him to face the high cost of producing food and impacted how he values it.

It's up to restaurants, up to chefs, he believes, to get down on their knees and understand their produce because they have a unique responsibility to help people understand the true value of food and redefine what gastronomy is in the process.

Get Out of Your Own Way

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Propelled into her role as the first female Zen Buddhist and Insight Meditation teacher, Subhana Barzaghi didn’t have other women role models to help lead her way. She reflects on how she grew into the Zen Roshi role and her inner journey of facing her anxieties to find her authentic voice.

This talk is part of the Sydney MAD Monday event on Leadership, 4 November 2019. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD, and Kylie Kwong that brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on what leadership looks like in our changing world. MAD Mondays are open to the public and held throughout the year and around the globe.

How to Lead in a No-Ego Kitchen

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Chef Alanna Sapwell has journeyed through kitchens around the world, experiencing different leadership styles in each. Now as head chef, it’s her turn to set a new standard.

At ARC Dining, she and her team have established a series of tenets for running their restaurant that include: make thoughtful, delicious and confident food; provide an environment that creates a better-rounded chef; foster focused creativity; no ego; and, always make staff meal a highlight. In a no-ego kitchen, natural leaders emerge, creativity thrives, and no one is above washing the dishes.

Love and Resilience

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Reverend Graham Long, Pastor and CEO Emeritus of the Wayside Chapel in Sydney, is someone whose life is woven into the community fabric of Sydney. Reverend Long shares the story of his path to understanding resilience, from a personal tragedy to the enduring support he found in the vulnerable, homeless and lost people who come to the Wayside. He underlines that love is everywhere to be found and that resilience is not deposited in you but is for you if you want it.

This talk is part of the Sydney MAD Monday event on Resilience, July 16, 2018. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD and Kylie Kwong, and brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on the role today’s restaurants play in taking care of the environment.

Owning It

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The Mexican-American daughter of two immigrants, Rosio Sanchez has been instrumental in introducing Mexican cuisine to Denmark. After roles as the Head Pastry Chef and in the R&D kitchen at noma, she now runs the acclaimed restaurant SANCHEZ and taqueria Hija de Sanchez.

Rationalizing identity, heritage, flavor, and experience is a task no chef is trained for. At the sixth MAD Symposium, Rosio points out the gap which exists between seeking perfection and inspiration under the vision of others, and the contradictory desire to cook what matters to you as a person. Bridging that gap, as Rosio explains, is no easy task, requiring you to align what you do for a living, and what you care about in life.

What It Takes To Open Your Own Restaurant

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Chef and owner of the year-old restaurant, Core, Clare Smyth is one of the industry's most awarded chefs. As the head chef of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Smyth earned three Michelin stars and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to British cuisine.

Smyth confronts what it takes to bridge the gap between our vision and dreams, and what reality deems possible. Touching on leadership, criticism, and solitude, Smyth shares her discovery that the rewards are never guaranteed, but there is something magical about creating a place that is your own and watching people embrace it.

No More Cock-Rock

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

At his restaurant, Attica, New Zealand-born Ben Shewry showcases both: his interests (Australian culture, Indigenous ingredients, music, and art), and his core beliefs (not being a jerk, creative and financial independence, have a bloody good time without destroying anything.)

Lisa Abend is a journalist and author based in Copenhagen. She was previously TIME magazine’s correspondent in Spain, and her food writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Saveur, and The New York Times.

In a captivating dialogue led by Abend, Shewry delves deep into how the harrowing stories of his early career galvanized him as he and his team at Attica strived to create an equal, safe and fun work environment. Through his perspectives on work-life balance and leadership, Shewry further proves himself one of our industries most candid speakers, compelling us to stand behind our words and remain active in our mission to redefine the culture of the kitchen.

What On Earth Just Happened

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Lynda Obst is one of Hollywood’s most prolific producers. Obst has been credited with inventing the contemporary Romcom. Her films have garnered two Oscar wins and eleven nominations. She has written Hello He Lied: Other Truths from Hollywood and Sleepless in Hollywood.

At the Sixth MAD Symposium, Obst shared her eye-opening account of life in the center of the storm, providing us with an insight into a culture of abuse and sexualized narcissism. In closing, Obst urges us to acknowledge our shortcomings and to build stronger and safer work environments for the future.

Am I Good Enough?

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Kamilla Seidler, named the Best Female Chef in Latin America by the 50 Best Restaurants List, has led kitchens the world over, and has won widespread recognition for her work as head chef of Gustu, a built from scratch culinary academy and fine dining restaurant in La Paz, Bolivia. Despite the accolades, she, like a lot of us, constantly questions whether she is good enough.

Here she shares her journey from the active role as an instructor and leader in developing the Bolivian food movement to returning home to Denmark. Seidler’s journey is an example of how providing an opportunity to and nurturing passion within people is important no matter how you do it, and that the reward lies in watching those individuals develop and push themselves.

Why Is What You Do Important?

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Vincent Hendricks is a professor of Formal Philosophy at The University of Copenhagen and Director of the Center for Information and Bubble Studies (CIBS). He is a previous recipient of the Elite Research Prize from the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation and Roskilde Festival Elite Research Prize.

On stage at the sixth MAD Symposium, Hendricks argues that restaurants need to harness their power and take on responsibility beyond serving food. In a philosophical commentary that touches on the truth behind agendas, food tourism, and the links between attention and consumerism, Hendricks spurs us to realize that by knowing what we do, and why it is important, we can inform real change.

It's Time to Act

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Eric Archambeau is a venture capitalist and chairman of the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation.

Feeding the Restaurant Beast

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Kat Kinsman is a writer and editor based in New York City, currently Senior Food & Drinks Editor at Time Inc.’s Extra Crispy. Her debut book, Hi, Anxiety came out in November 2016. She is an advocate for mental health, especially in the restaurant industry, part of this work includes her online resource for chefs called 'Chefs With Issues.'

Managing Talent

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Sydney Finkelstein shares insight into his research on some of the worlds most powerful bosses to help us understand how to seek, develop and manage new talent. Finkelstein is the Author of Superbosses, as well as professor and faculty director of the Center for Leadership at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Angela Dimayuga is the executive chef of Mission Chinese Food in New York City.

Like many chefs who are working to change the industry for the better - including making sweeping changes in the kitchen culture that isn’t good for women OR men - Angela Dimayuga has already made a significant impact by voicing her opinion of what she calls “kamikaze kitchen culture.”

As she told GRUBSTREET: “We've been consciously planning to make our work-life balances more sustainable. I want it to be part of our dialogue for our mental health and happiness. It takes unlearning bad habits. It's also just that you can do better work when you've tried to sleep or eaten a proper dinner. We're not martyrs — that's not cool, and it's not sustainable. The way restaurants have been, historically, is that killing yourself is considered admirable. It's a kamikaze, basically — what are you doing?”

The Future of Food

Thu, 14 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Jim Yong Kim, M.D., Ph.D. is the President of the World Bank Group. Soon after he became president in July 2012, the organization established two goals: ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity for the bottom 40 percent of the population in developing countries. Kim’s career has been focused on health, education, and delivering services to the poor.

David Chang is the chef and founder of Momofuku, which includes restaurants in New York City, Sydney, and Toronto as well as a best-selling cookbook and print journal called Lucky Peach. Since opening Noodle Bar in 2004, David has been awarded Time 100 and Fortune’s “40 Under 40” and profiled in the New Yorker, Vogue, and on the cover of Forbes Life and New York Magazine. He has been called one of “the most influential people of the 21st century” by Esquire, and one of Fast Company’s “1000 most creative people in business.”

Empowerment Through Cooking

Wed, 22 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

David Hertz founded Gastromotiva in 2006, the first socio-gastronomic business in Brazil that uses the potential and responsibility of gastronomy to generate empowerment and social awakening. Through peer-to-peer education, it trains people who are underprivileged on becoming professional cooks and food mentors.

The Cycle of Love

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Ben Shewry is born and raised in humble and rural North Taranaki, New Zealand. He determined at age five that he would be a chef and worked in his first kitchen at age ten. He apprenticed at Wellington's Roxborough Bistro under Mark Limacher then Michael Lambie and Andrew McConnell in Melbourne and David Thompson at Nahm in London. This last experience also prompted a visit to Thailand, where he fell in love with the local cuisine, spending the next six years of his spare time developing his Thai cooking skills.

Returning to Melbourne, he opened Attica in Ripponlea. The restaurant has achieved terrific success. Ben was named ‘Best New Talent’ by Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine in 2008 and voted ‘Chef of the Year’ for the Age’s Good Food Guide 2010.

Today, Ben lives on the Bellarine Peninsula, by the sea, where he can forage himself ingredients every morning for that day’s menu.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Chris Cosentino ran San Francisco’s Incanto for over a decade, where he cooked in the nose-to-tail style and earned high praise from critics nationwide. He has appeared on several television programs, including Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America.

Benchmarks Not the BMW

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT

In his presentation from MAD4, California Cuisine pioneer Jeremiah Tower walks the audience through his career, which includes running the kitchen at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse and, of course, serving as the chef of the glitzy and influential Stars. Tower was among the first modern-day celebrity chefs.

Opening a Restaurant is Scary

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Tatiana Levha is a chef who trained under Pascal Barbot at l’Astrance and Alain Passard at l’Arpège before teaming up with her sister Katia earlier this year to open Le Servan, a restaurant in Paris’ 11th Arrondissement.

How the Flavors of the World Came Together in Brittany

Thu, 27 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Olivier Roellinger is a Breton chef who opened the restaurant Maisons de Bricourt in 1982. He became known for a style of cooking heavily influenced by the spice trade, drawing from cultures around the world. He earned three Michelin stars at the restaurant, which he gave back in 2008.

At MAD4, he told the story of his life and career and discussed the potential of today's chefs to make lasting change in cuisine, as well as society.

The Passion, the Probe, and the Problem

Thu, 19 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Margot Henderson, chef at London’s Rochelle Canteen, argues against current trends in fine dining in her MAD3 speech: “I think the male approach dominates and the female one is overlooked. Food in a lot of kitchens is treated as a problem to be solved, something to dominate, something that has to give up its secrets. Kitchens are turned into laboratories, filled with tools and weapons: vacuum packers, sous vides, probes, and all the other stuff. Sometimes the instinctive part gets lost. It almost makes me weep to be told that to confit a duck leg in plastic underwater is just as good as to confit in duck fat.”

Guts and Passion Shaped my Career

Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Barbara Lynch, who runs Boston's most acclaimed restaurant group. At 2013's MAD 3 Symposium, she discussed her career, and the role guts and passion have played in it.

A Conversation with Alain Ducasse

Mon, 21 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The legendary French chef Alain Ducasse sits down for a conversation with David Chang, Daniel Patterson, Chris Ying, and René Redzepi where he discusses his career, risk-taking, fear, and how to use his fame to positively influence diners.

Move Your Guts or Be Gutted

Tue, 15 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In this video from MAD3, chef Christian Puglisi shares the full story of opening the Michelin-starred Relae on a drug-infested street in Copenhagen and explains what it means to create a restaurant that cuts everything down to its essence.

Passion & Prison

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Rasmus Kofoed is a restaurateur, head chef and co-owner of Geranium (One Michelin Star Awarded in 2012, two in 2013, three in 2018) restaurant in Copenhagen. Rasmus won the gold medal in 2011, the silver medal in 2007 the bronze medal in 2005 at the biennial world chef championship Bocuse d’Or. He was the captain of the Danish culinary team for 7 years. Rasmus took part in many competitions and became Chef of the Year in 2003, he was the winner of the Nordic Championship in Stockholm in 2004. Winner of the Eurotoques 2004 prize, he won 1st prize in the Nordic Trophy for the Best Fish in 2005, and the Cordon Bleu in 2006, he again won the Eurotoques prize and the Desserts championship in 2006. Rasmus worked at Hotel D’Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv also at Kommandanten in Copenhagen and afterwards at the two-Michelin-star restaurant Scholteshof in Belgium. On his return to Copenhagen, he served as head chef at various top restaurants before opening his first restaurant. Rasmus is not only hungry for new challenges but also believes that thoughtfulness can be tasted. The experience that involves all our senses can be found in his restaurant.