Chef Amanda Rockman joins Chef’s PSA to break down the real pastry chef life—high pressure, long hours, technical discipline, and the mental toll that comes with it. With 20 years in Chicago’s top kitchens and a new bakery and coffee shop in Austin, she shares the truth about pastry work, insomnia, ingredient quality, modern management, and the realities of building a bakery from nothing.

This episode is direct, unfiltered insight for pastry cooks, chefs, and anyone considering pastry as a career.

Links & Resources
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
Chef Works (Sponsor) → https://www.chefworks.com/ — Promo code chefspsa20
Follow Amanda Rockman → https://www.instagram.com/arockman/

Guest: Andrew Turner – Valley Wine Merchants (Newberg, Oregon)

André Natera sits down with Andrew Turner to discuss what it takes to thrive in the world of haute cuisine. From working with legendary chefs like Alain Ducasse, Laurent Gras, and Joachim Splichal to running his own wine shop, Turner shares his journey through Michelin-level kitchens and beyond.

Learn what separates good from great in the kitchen, how to handle career pivots, and why understanding ingredients is the foundation of every lasting culinary career.

Topics:
– Lessons from Ducasse and Gras
– The evolution of fine dining culture
– Building and managing a wine program
– Transitioning from chef to entrepreneur
– How mentorship shapes a chef’s career

Andrew Turner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valley_wine_merchants/

Links & Resources
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

Sponsors
Chef Works → https://www.chefworks.com/ — Use promo code CHEFSPSA20 for 20% off your order
Bragard USA → https://www.bragardus.com/ — Use promo code CHEFSPSA20 for 20% off your order

Chef Ron McKinlay joins André Natera to talk pop-up dinners, cooking techniques, and mental health in the culinary industry.

From mastering meat cookery to navigating post-restaurant life, Ron shares the lessons, struggles, and small victories that come with a life in food. This episode is both raw and inspiring — a reminder that great cooking and self-awareness go hand in hand.

Follow Ron on Instagram

Ron's Spotify Playlist

Chef's PSA Hip Hop Playlist on Spotify

Sponsored by Bragard USA — bragardus.com
Use code CHEFSPSA20 for 20% off.

Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

What’s it like working beside Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen?
In this week’s Chef’s PSA, I sit down with Chef James Avery, Ramsay’s sous chef on Hells Kitchen, mentor, chef, mental health and wellness advocate. We get to talk about leadership, wellness, and what it takes to thrive in one of the most high-pressure kitchens in the world.

James Avery on Instagram

Sponsored By Bragard USA

This episode is brought to you by Bragard USA — makers of the world’s best chef coats and uniforms.

Receive 20% off your next order with code CHEFSPSA20 → https://bragardus.com

Links & Resources
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

Join André Natera on Chef’s PSA as he sits down with Chef Adrienne Cheatham—James Beard Award semifinalist and former Top Chef contender. Together they cover her evolution from the elite kitchens of Le Bernardin to the pressures and freedom of private-chef life.
We dig into seasoning, knife work, kitchen presentation, brand building and the meaning of staying true to your voice in a changing culinary world.

Links & Resources
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/

Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

• BragardUSA → https://bragardus.com — Use promo code chefspsa20 for 20% off

  James Beard Foundation → https://www.jamesbeard.org

• Chef Adrienne Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chefadriennecheatham/

Ever wonder what it’s like to run a kitchen with your spouse?

Join André Natera on Chef’s PSA as he talks with chefs Eduardo and Elizabeth Espiritu, a husband-and-wife duo who know the highs and lows of kitchen life. From insane New Year’s Eve services to leadership lessons, funny disasters, and post-pandemic realities, this episode pulls back the curtain on what really goes down in the culinary world.

Follow the guests on Instagram
Eduardo Espiritu →

James Beard Foundation → jamesbeard.org

Bragard USA — use promo code chefspsa20 for 20% off at bragardus.com

Links & Resources
Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/

Follow Chef’s PSA for more unfiltered chef stories and lessons from the line.

Chef Thomas Bille: From Garden to James Beard Glory | Chef’s PSA Podcast

Chef André Natera sits down with Chef Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas — winner of the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Texas award and recipient of a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
They discuss his rise in the culinary world, the pressure of recognition, growing ingredients by hand, and the lessons of running — and closing — restaurants.

Thomas Bille Instagram

👕 Bragard USA: https://bragardus.com (Use code chefspsa20 for 20% off)

🏅 James Beard Foundation Nominations: https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards
Subscribe on Substack: https://chefspsa.substack.com/
Shop Chef’s PSA Merch: https://shop.chefspsa.com

Chef's PSA Books and More: https://chefspsa.com

Masterclass on Culinary Philosophy and Precision Cooking with Chef David Breeden

In this powerful episode of the Chef’s PSA Podcast, host André Natera sits down again with Chef David Breeden for a deep dive into culinary philosophy, ingredient-driven cooking, and precision techniques. From classical stocks and sauces to modern innovations like sous vide and gelling agents, Breeden shares the lessons and epiphanies that shaped his approach to cooking.

Whether you’re a young chef looking for guidance or an industry veteran seeking inspiration, this episode offers invaluable insight into the craft and mindset required to excel in the kitchen.

Follow Chef David Breeden on Instagram

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