EP 98: A Journey Beyond the Plate Celebrating Five Years of The Voice4Chefs Podcast

Every restaurant has a sound. The rhythm of a knife against a cutting board, the hiss of butter hitting a hot pan, the nervous silence Before service begins, and then the door opens. People gather, stories unfold, memories are made. But five years ago, those sounds, they disappeared. Dining rooms were silent, chairs were stacked, kitchen lights turned off, and across the world, millions of people in hospitality suddenly found themselves wondering, "What happens now?" That silence is where Voice4Chefs began. This month marks five years of conversation, stories, and celebrating chefs, creators, dreamers, and the people behind hospitality. May 1st, we launched the Voice4Chefs podcast five years ago, and it has been an incredible journey. And honestly, I still can't believe we made it here. If you close your eyes, you can probably remember what those first months of the pandemic felt like. Empty streets, masks, uncertainty, the strange quietness of cities that had never stopped moving. And for restaurants, it was devastating. People had spent decades building careers in hospitality, suddenly had nowhere to go. And for me, it felt personal because long before technology, before podcasting, before Toastmasters, I spent 10 years in the restaurant world. I wanted to be a chef. I dreamed of it, not because of celebrity culture, not because of television, but because restaurants felt alive. There's something deeply human about feeding people. You work impossible hours, sometimes 60, 70 hours a week as a chef and a restaurant owner. Holidays, weekends, you burn yourself, you fail, you start over, and somehow at the end of the night, you still care whether someone will enjoy your food, your craft. That stayed with me even after I left the industry. I eventually transitioned into technology, but hospitality never left my heart and my soul. I brought it into technology. So during the pandemic, when the world slowed down, many of us worked from home, this question kept sitting in the back of my mind. How do we honor the people holding this hospitality industry together? And that question became Voice4Chefs. Except there was one problem. I didn't think anyone would listen. I thought I would be judged. I had this constant voice in my head saying, "You're not a real chef." And technically, the voice was right. I studied culinary arts. I dreamed of becoming a chef and a restaurant owner. I worked in many restaurants, helped open several of them. My friends called me a chef, but professionally, no. So every time I thought about launching the podcast, I'd freeze and question, who was I to interview chefs? Why would anyone trust me with their story? Why would anyone care? Still, I couldn't let this idea go, so I started awkwardly calling restaurants around Seattle. I'd call and say something like this: "Hi. I'm thinking about starting a podcast, and I was wondering if I could interview your chef or your owner." Usually there'd be a long silence Then somebody would ask, "What's your podcast called?" And I'd have to admit, "Well, it doesn't technically exist yet." That's the part people rarely see. For many of us as podcasters, the beginning is messy. Before there's momentum, before there's confidence, before there's an audience, there's just an idea and a lot of fear. Around that time, I attended a Toastmaster seminar Toastmasters is a worldwide nonprofit organization focused on public speaking and leadership. They're in countries all around the world, and including the US. So I attended this seminar. During the session, a mentor and friend named Kyle Hall asked if anyone was working on a major project in Toastmasters. I almost stayed quiet. Imposter syndrome seeped in, but something told me,"Say it out loud." So I did. I jumped in and said, "I wanna build a podcast that honors chefs and hospitality professionals in Seattle." And instead of dismissing the idea, Kyle saw something in this idea before I did. That moment mattered because something, all it takes is one person believing in your vision long enough for you to start believing in yourself. The conversation eventually evolved into a high-performance leadership project through Toastmasters. In this project, you gather a group of people, and for me, it was five, and by begging, one of the five was Kyle Hall, and you develop a mission, vision, values, and purpose. Suddenly, this wasn't just an idea floating around in my head anymore. It was becoming real because we met for five sessions, an hour each session, over a span of about two months, and we created something very special. And also, behind the scenes, my wife jumped in. She was the creative architect of this idea. She designed the logo, the website, the visual identity, and the feel of the show. But most importantly, she was my rock She would ask, " Why does it matter? What story are you trying to tell? And how do you make people feel something?" And looking back now, those questions shaped Voice for Chefs more than anything else. There's the moment every podcaster remembers, the moment the show suddenly feels real. For me, one of those moments was the music. During the pandemic, my wife and I were having dinner at the Cedar River Golf Course. The restaurant was nearly empty, maybe three customers. Everyone was wearing masks, and we did until the food came. There was a strange emotional distance. We all remember those days. And then in the corner of the I looked over And a man had just walked in. He sat down in a chair next to the fireplace and pulled out his guitar and began singing and playing '70s songs. It brought back so many memories before the pandemic when we would go out and listen to music. We saw him a couple times back then, and this was Steve Olson. He played at all the local restaurants in the area on the Seattle east side. He's one of those musicians who feels woven into the local restaurant scene. And while we were leaving, and as we were leaving, we walked by him. My wife nudged me and whispered, "Just ask him." And louder, "Just ask him." So I walked over, and he looked up at me and he said,"Ask me what?" And he smiled." I'm creating a podcast for chefs, Steve. Would you create the music for it? Would you write the music for it?" Most people would've downloaded audio music for their podcast and be done and move on. But this was special. I wanted it to mean something. I wanted it to reflect hospitality and restaurants. I wanted the show to sound lived in, authentic, and human. He handed me his card and smiled and said, "Call me." I called and left a few messages for a couple months as the podcast was developing, and then one day I got this call."Hey, Mike, this is Steve Olson, and I'm at the firehouse." He was a Seattle fireman."And I got this song for you, and it goes something like this." So I put my phone on speaker, and he had his phone on speaker, and I heard the original song for the podcast. This was the original recording, and eventually it was recorded and produced in a studio. Down and I'll show you where my dreams began Have a drink, have a taste while we put a smile on your face. So let's have a chat. Won't you come on in? This was the original recording, and eventually it was recorded and produced in a studio. Emotionally it was perfect because for the first time, the podcast had a heartbeat. And five years later, even now, every time I hear the song echoing in my head when I'm editing or listening, I'm transferred back to the beginning where the magic began. Then something unexpected happened As I was getting ready to launch the podcast, had a few episodes done, I discovered Clubhouse. Clubhouse is an audio-only app where you log into your phone. Nowadays, it can be iPhone or Android, but originally started as iPhone. And you log in, and you join this app, and the next thing you know, you have choices to connect to conversations all over the world. They can be about nature, news, current events, comedy, music. But for me, it was about chefs and food and the culinary arts. So because my passion was chefs, I joined a club called Food is Religion, and people from all over the world gathered and shared ideas, creativity, business, culture, and food. Many were chefs, but many were just passionate foodies. This was my tribe. These were my people. Inside were chefs, writers, entrepreneurs, food historians. For the first time, hospitality felt borderless. I met Chef Mimi Lan. She was the co-founder of this club called Food is Religion, a Michelin-trained chef, passionate for building community. Eventually, quickly actually, she invited me to be a co-host, and that's where I met Chef Steven, who is currently the co-host of the Voice4Chefs podcast. I wanted to give a shout-out to Chef Steven and thank him for becoming our co-host. We became friends, and we hosted rooms together where we would talk about different styles of cooking, and he had tremendous knowledge and experience, so I was learning from him. Eventually, within a month or two, Chef Mimi approached me and asked if I would co-host audio-only cooking classes. This is where things really started to get going. It sounds simple until you realize nobody could see the food. Nobody could see the cooking. It was audio only. People could only hear it. They had to use their senses. The crackle of garlic in the oil, the rhythm of chopping, the chef describing ingredients. It felt intimate, almost cinematic, and the experience completely transformed the way I thought about storytelling. Because food isn't only visual. Food is sound, food is memory, food is emotion, and food is identity. Slowly, Voice4Chefs grew from Seattle to the US to listeners around the world. The club originally started out as 5,000 members. I became an officer and a supporter and a huge fan And with the members and the officers, within a year and a half, we grew the club from 5,000 to 8,000 members around the world. And slowly my podcast grew. Interviews from chefs from India, Indonesia, Australia, London, South America, even Dubai, and around the US. Suddenly, I wasn't just interviewing chefs, I was creating and cultivating human stories. Many friends and supporters pitched in, and when people asked me what Voice4Chefs is really about, I used to cringe. But now I usually pause, because it's not actually about food. Food is just the doorway. The real subject has been resilience, reinvention, mental health, and especially human connection. Craig Valentine, who's the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, he once told me, and he told many people at a conference,"It's not about perfection, it's about connection." That is Voice4Chefs. Over five years, we've talked about Burnout, mental health, entrepreneurship, innovation, failure, and recovery. We've hit the high points and the low points in people's journeys to become a chef or restaurant owner. We've spoken with celebrity chefs, Michelin-trained chefs, independent restaurant owners, pastry artists and bakers, creators, dreamers, and presidents of culinary art schools. And what amazes me is how similar their stories often are. Just listen to the episodes. Every chef has scars. Every creator has wondered whether they should quit, including me with the podcast. But we keep going. That's what inspires me to continue. And maybe that's why the podcast resonated during the pandemic and beyond, because people weren't looking for perfection. They were looking for honesty, authenticity, and they still are. There are so many people I need to thank. I wanna give a few shout-outs. My wife, who built the creative soul behind the show. She challenged me to think deeper and believed in this long before there was evidence it would work. Kyle Hall, thank you for helping me transform a fragile idea into something truly tangible. Jen Haston, thank you for coaching, encouragement, your writing, and your friendship. To Kirk Bachman, the president and provost of the Escoffier Institute, thank you for your leadership, the culinary education, and your commitment to mentoring the next generation of chefs. Your passion for podcasting, hospitality, storytelling, and lifelong learning embodies the spirit of Voice4Chefs. And Chef Mimi Lan, the co-founder of Food is Religion community, thank you for helping me transform Voice4Chefs from an idea into a global conversation. Your leadership in Food is Religion and your passion for culinary storytelling helped me find my voice in podcasting. Craig Gazin, the host of the official Toastmaster International podcast, thank you for being my guest, my friend, and my mentor through this incredible podcasting journey. And I have to give a shout-out to Joanna James, the CEO and founder of MAP, a nonprofit for creating an incredible community dedicated to mentorship, leadership, and advocacy for women in hospitality. Thank you for your vision, your impact, and for inviting me to serve as an ambassador. I'm honored to support a mission that is helping shape the future of our hospitality industry for women. To the line cooks, the prep cooks, and the kitchen teams behind the scenes, Voice4Chefs sees you. The long hours, the burns, the pressure, the discipline. You are the heartbeat of hospitality. And finally, to every guest who has shared their story on Voice4Chefs, thank you for your honesty, vulnerability, and creativity. The podcast exists because of your willingness to open the kitchen doors and let the world in. You're honestly why I created the podcast. It's never been about It's always been about your journey, your craft, and the audience that's listening. Five years ago, Voice4Chefs began during one of the darkest and most uncertain moments. The hospitality industry had never experienced this, and somehow out of the silence, a community forum that still means everything to me. So where do we go from here? More stories, more conversations, more voices, more people that are making a difference in the culinary community, because hospitality matters. Not just because restaurants feed us, but because they remind us what it means to gather together to celebrate, to connect, and to be human. To everyone listening around the world, thank you. Thank you for five unforgettable years, and thank you for being part of this story. Please share these episodes, donate to the cause. Things have gotten very expensive to maintain a podcast, and your donations can really go a long way to keep these chef stories alive.