EP83: Chef Ashley Brown: Chopped to Leading at Four by Brother Luck

WEBVTT

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Season four is kicking off today and in honor of Mother's Day.

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Today's episode of Voice4 Chefs is dedicated to a powerful voice in hospitality.

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Joanna James as the producer of the award-winning documentary, A Fine Line.

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Joanna launched more than just a film.

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She sparked a movement.

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Her work inspired the creation of map, a nonprofit committed to providing advocacy, mentorship, and leadership opportunities for women in hospitality.

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We celebrate her vision, her strength, and the countless women she uplifts.

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Through her mission.

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This one's for the mothers mentors and makers who lead with heart and purpose.

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Happy Mother's Day.

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From local kitchens to the national stage, chef Ashley Brown has carved her own path through the heart of Colorado's culinary scene.

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As a mother and chef de cuisine at four by celebrity chef, Brother Luck, she's redefining Southwest flavors with bold creativity and unstoppable drive.

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Today on Voice4Chefs, we sit down with Ashley to hear her journey from hometown roots to chop fame.

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Ashley, welcome to the show.

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From local kitchens to the national stage, chef Ashley Brown has carved her own path through the heart of Colorado's culinary scene as the Chef de cuisine at four by Brother Luck.

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She's redefining Southwest flavors with bold creativity and unstoppable drive.

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Today on Voice for Chefs, we sit down with Ashley to hear her journey from hometown roots to chop fame.

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Ashley, welcome to the show.

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Thanks for having me.

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I'm really excited.

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Me too.

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So why don't we start out a little bit about getting to know you and understanding your, your struggles, your journey to become a chef, and take us through where did you get started and how did you end up here?

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Yeah.

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I wanna be a, a chef at a very young age, seven years old.

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Kids

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Oh my gosh.

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Seven.

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Yeah, kids wanna be power rangers or firemen, things like that.

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and I, I found my niche just at the drop of a dime, and I never went back.

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I never did anything else.

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I have nothing under my belt except for food.

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So I obsessed over it my entire life and I'm still obsessing over it,

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That's awesome.

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What about like at seven?

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What kind of things were you thinking about?

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I know it's impossible to think of a seven being seven, but,

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Yeah, no, I had a thing.

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I remember my teacher, she gave the, the class, like a, a sheet of paper, oh, what do you wanna be when you grow up?

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And I remember at one point I wrote down, a lifeguard.

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Oh

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I dunno why, but a lifeguard, I thought it was cool.

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I loved the pool.

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I was always at the pool when I was a kid, but that was, that was the only thing.

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But outside of that, I cannot think of anything else that I ever wanted to do outside of, maybe a bounce back.

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let's say culinary didn't really work out.

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It would be photography.

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Well, that makes a lot of sense.

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Yeah, totally.

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form in some way, shape or form.

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art is really what I wanted to get into my family, like my, my mom, my uncles, my sister, amazing artists.

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Like they, their paintings, their drawing skills were absolutely phenomenal.

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And, art class was always their favorite and I loved to see what, what all the things that they did with their, with their paintings and drawings.

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It was always so beautiful.

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I guess I chose cooking.

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Wow.

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it's funny because I studied to be a chef.

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I never made it.

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I never made it because I left because of a drive-by shooting and the conditions and, and just long hours.

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And I was

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Oh, yes.

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I just don't really want to do this anymore.

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So it took a while for me to find myself, but that's part of the reason I left.

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But, for me, I love it.

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I miss it.

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And that's why a podcast, I mean, it's, it's just connecting to you and, and learning these stories and being able to share these stories and cultivate these stories for our listeners and, and people that might be listening that know you, and, and to be able to share your stories.

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It's amazing to me to be connected back to this community.

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'cause I really miss it.

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I absolutely miss it.

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Tell us a little bit about, at seven you wanted to be a chef, and then as you're growing up, how did it lead to that direction?

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I grew up in a really tiny town, and like when I, I was seven years old, so I lived in this town for nine years.

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And, after having this idea of wanting to become a chef, my family, my teachers, they all knew it.

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And that's all I ever talked about.

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Those are the people that believed in me.

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That's what kind of shaped me to kind of be a people pleaser.

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oh, you don't think I, I can do something.

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I'm gonna show you I can do it.

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And it was to show them and not myself.

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Yeah.

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So within the last three years, I was literally just talking to a friend.

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Earlier today, within the last three years, I just started to realize how much I wanna do for myself instead of others.

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Oh, I agree.

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I'm been cooking professionally for 13 years and, after a while you start to value your time and realize where you wanna put, all of your effort into,

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That's excellent.

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gonna go to work, how much it is gonna go to family, things like that.

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it's excellent advice.

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I mean, I went through that too.

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I've always been, I've been a people pleaser, my dad was an alcoholic and, I was balancing that in my family with, with my three siblings.

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I learned really strong people skills, but I also got beat up because of it, in the restaurant business that really puts a drain on your mental health until you figure it out.

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Right.

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And a lot of people figured it out.

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You figured it out, obviously.

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I mean, I can hear it from the conversation we had before this and now, as we're moving along, take us through kind of some of the places that you worked and were you always in Colorado?

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Did I get that right?

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Or did you move around the country?

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As far as working, yes, Colorado.

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so I went to high school here in Colorado Springs, at Mesa Ridge, and they had a program called AVP.

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And that program allowed me to get some college credit at the community college here in town.

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At the time, it was Pikes Peak Community College.

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They just recently changed to Pikes Peak State College.

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so my senior year I did classes at the culinary, community college.

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So I did that for my senior year, and I did a competition, for FCCLA and I won first place.

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It was the first thing I ever won.

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Wow.

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it was, it was the craziest thing.

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Like we, there was so many different, parts of it.

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There was garde manger, there was knife skills, there was baking, there was candy.

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what I did, what was it?

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the name of it was, gourmet.

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Gourmet one, gourmet Two and Gourmet three.

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Oh wow.

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one I did, but me and my chef at the time, we were practicing this one dish that him and I created for months.

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So I always had that one dish for, for lunch every single day.

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And I mean, you couldn't go wrong with it.

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It was a surfing turf.

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I've heard that in reading and research.

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You are known for surf and turf.

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Oh my gosh.

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Yeah, so it was a filet mignon with shrimp and this pan sauce that I created, that had some spiciness in there, some acidity, just a whole umami of flavor.

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And I

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Oh, I love it.

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Competition was in Denver at Johnson Wales.

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Everyone's doing all their stuff and I was the last one to, to compete.

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All the other subjects were already done.

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Everybody was hanging out.

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So it was in the way back part.

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And I remember everyone else who competed with all the other, competitions, with the knife skills and things like that.

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There are windows everyone could look into.

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But I was the last one way at the end of this hallway.

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And everyone, including my, chef was trying to look into the window, like, how is she doing?

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Oh, I love

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of the judges were like, get outta here, get outta here.

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You can't come and watch.

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Don't distract her.

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Yeah.

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So then finally we were done and I competed against one other guy.

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It was me and one other, guy that was in, that was competing against in this one.

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Finally, they hauled everyone into the auditorium and they're putting down all the, winners from, runner ups to gold, silver, and bronze.

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And then I'm just thinking to myself, my head's down this entire time.

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I was like, I don't got it.

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I didn't get it.

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And then finally they listed like who was the second place, and it was one of 'em from, gourmet.

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And then one of my students right next to me were just kind of like, Ashley, you won first place?

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And they called my name, first place of, gourmet Ashley Brown.

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I was like, oh my god!.

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Yeah.

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That's awesome.

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I ever want.

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It was insane.

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And I ended up, at the time it was, everyone's got a signature dish.

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I ended up kind of making that as my signature dish, I suppose.

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Even today I've read about it and I'm like, wow.

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I've, I've served it in many different ways at, Four and at the zoo where I worked at as well.

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that's kind of one thing that we'll do every now and again, is take old recipes and then find different ways to revamp it.

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It's really fun to do.

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Oh, that's really cool.

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So you like competition.

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I do, I really do.

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In a strange way.

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it's something that really just dawned on me just last week actually.

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Oh, wow.

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I don't compete to beat other chefs.

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Yeah, I get it.

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I compete to beat myself.

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I want to see what I'm capable of.

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I want to see.

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How I can push away all the fears that I have and all the doubt that I have, and I wanna beat those awful negative thoughts.

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And so that's why I compete,

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You're inspiring so many people that are gonna listen.

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I'm telling you right now.

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I mean, I think that's how you win.

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I mean, that, I really think once you can mature enough and say it's not, you're not comparing yourself, you're stepping it up and you're competing with yourself.

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You are your worst critic,

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Oh, yeah.

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The self-talk.

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yeah.

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And that's

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Mm-hmm.

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Mm-hmm.

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always be your worst critic and you're always gonna be in your head no matter what.

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So, and it is just like those, those at the top are collaborating and the ones at the bottom are competing against each other.

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And I that I've never had the competitive personality.

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I am.

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Competing against myself.

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Like you say, I wanna see what I'm capable of.

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I wanna push myself, and see what I can do.

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where, where's my mind gonna go with this crazy three step, three random ingredient thing, what can I do with it,

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So tell me about surfing turf.

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what was, what was the surf?

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I know what the turf was, but what was surf?

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The surf was shrimp.

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Oh, okay.

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Yeah.

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It was big old shrimp.

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The biggest

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I love big old shrimp.

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Yeah.

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It was, it was, there were U Tens.

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Oh, nice.

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Meaning just barely in culinary school and you only see a little tiny dried up ones that you'd see at the store.

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And we should explain that too.

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U 10 means 10 to a pound,

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Mm-hmm.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And that means they're pretty big.

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Big boys.

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Yeah.

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It's like a lobster tail almost.

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so tell us more about so you went and you competed, and then when did you go into the world of cooking?

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Like start in different restaurants and can you tell us a couple of them that you worked at?

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It was right after I graduated.

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Soon as I graduated high school, I went to Denver'cause I got accepted to the Art Institute in Denver.

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So while I was attending culinary school up there, I was trying to find work and I, I didn't take any break.

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I took a month from graduating to moving to Denver, starting culinary school.

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I only took just June.

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So I started working in July.

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So when I first went in there, just trying to find myself, never been on my own before.

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I'm in a big city and.

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I'm just doing what any young adult would coming into their adult life.

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So then I started to take responsibility.

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I was like, okay, let me start finding a job.

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Now that I know what my schedule's let's start coming up with a, with a system.

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And conveniently across the street from my dorms was this cute little Italian restaurant.

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I don't remember the name of it, but I ate it a couple times.

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'cause it was, it was right there.

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And so I was like, you know what?

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Why not are you guys hiring?

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So I put in for, an application and did the interview and they're like, oh, do you have any, experience?

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I was like, no, I'm just in culinary school, but this is my passion.

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I want to do this for the rest of my life.

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They're like, I don't know if you can handle that.

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maybe we start you off at the bar, or maybe a hostess.

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I'm like, anyone starts anywhere, so I guess let's try this.

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And so we we're done with the interview.

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And I, I have the job to be a hostess.

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And later on that night, mind you, I haven't even started yet.

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And later on that night, they called me and they're like, yeah, no, we're good.

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Okay.

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wait, like you don't, you don't need me.

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what do you mean?

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They're like, yeah, we, we don't need you.

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We're good.

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I was like, oh, well thanks.

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Okay.

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So then, a couple days passes and I'm just roaming around, downtown in Denver.

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I'm just kind of starting a little bit of my portfolio for photography.

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And my mom got me a camera for my graduation gift.

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And so I've just taken some cool pictures of all the skyscrapers, some of the parks that are downtown.

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And I come across, this little cafe called Rendezvous Cafe, and it's in, the History Colorado Center Museum right there downtown on Lincoln.

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And I go in there and I was like, I just wanna know if I, if you guys are hiring, if I can get an application.

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They're like, yeah, I think our culinary's hiring.

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And so the woman that was working front of house asked our gm, he comes out, gives me the application to fill out, I fill it out, bring it in the next day.

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yeah.

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And so he, we sit down and we do an interview with the GM and then the chef.

00:14:35.225 --> 00:14:41.855
And I don't know what they saw in me, knowing that I had no experience still.

00:14:42.215 --> 00:14:43.654
they hired me on the spot.

00:14:44.495 --> 00:14:46.384
I was like, I am so lucky.

00:14:46.384 --> 00:14:48.455
What did I do to, to get this?

00:14:48.455 --> 00:14:51.245
And I, and I told them, I was like, did I really get this?

00:14:51.245 --> 00:14:56.059
'cause I was just told this a couple days ago, You signed all the papers.

00:14:56.059 --> 00:14:59.570
your, your W2, your or your W four, things like that.

00:14:59.570 --> 00:15:00.080
I was like, yeah.

00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:05.860
I was like, well, I'm just making sure 'cause I didn't wanna get my hopes up, And they're like, yeah, no, you got the job, can you start this day?

00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:08.919
And then it's just started from there.

00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:10.480
And I was on the culinary team.

00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:18.820
So this company, they're now called SSA group, but at the time they were called KMSSA, KM stands for Kevin McNicholas.

00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:20.500
He was the founder of the company.

00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:23.139
And so it was KM Concessions.

00:15:23.350 --> 00:15:26.700
They partner with, museums, aquariums,

00:15:26.909 --> 00:15:27.450
Oh, cool.

00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:30.360
things like that, all throughout the entire nation.

00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:34.230
They have so many locations and the company was just fantastic.

00:15:34.230 --> 00:15:36.690
They, took really good care of, of the people

00:15:36.730 --> 00:15:37.019
good.

00:15:37.504 --> 00:15:39.725
That showed a lot of dedication for the most part.

00:15:40.174 --> 00:15:50.495
so while I was at that location, so just in Denver, they have Denver Zoo and they have National Western Stock Show.

00:15:51.004 --> 00:15:54.884
They used to, they now no longer have, the museum, the Colorado Museum.

00:15:54.884 --> 00:15:58.365
They're no longer partnered together, but they still have those two locations.

00:15:58.784 --> 00:16:03.684
And here in Colorado Springs, they have Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and, the Olympic Museum.

00:16:04.090 --> 00:16:04.360
Okay.

00:16:04.705 --> 00:16:07.855
So my sister, she got sick

00:16:08.634 --> 00:16:08.715
Hmm.

00:16:09.144 --> 00:16:09.565
again.

00:16:09.565 --> 00:16:11.034
She, she went through kidney failure.

00:16:11.034 --> 00:16:15.335
So my mom, she's taken care of her and I didn't wanna be away, an hour away.

00:16:15.514 --> 00:16:18.274
And I wanted to, to make sure that my mom's got support.

00:16:18.274 --> 00:16:19.355
My sister has support.

00:16:19.355 --> 00:16:20.945
So I came back to Colorado Springs.

00:16:21.424 --> 00:16:28.725
So I left Denver, came back here, and I transferred to Seye Mountain Zoo, which is with the same company, SSA I did work hard.

00:16:29.115 --> 00:16:30.735
I did work hard some ways.

00:16:30.735 --> 00:16:36.595
I do feel like I was lucky, but other times some people will say I was lucky, but no, I, I worked hard for that,

00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:38.950
Well, you wanted to be a chef at seven.

00:16:38.995 --> 00:16:39.445
yeah,

00:16:39.730 --> 00:16:42.669
there's a lot to that in the drive, right?

00:16:42.804 --> 00:16:56.965
you do all the research you possibly can, I transferred to Seye Mountain Zoo and I was with them for about eight years and moved up to, to be sous chef, handling all the caterings and all the, the food locations that they have over there.

00:16:57.014 --> 00:17:00.684
opened up the barbecue joint, the pizza joint, It was amazing.

00:17:00.684 --> 00:17:02.995
And the people that that were there were fantastic.

00:17:02.995 --> 00:17:06.234
And some of them ended up becoming like family and

00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:06.730
love it.

00:17:07.164 --> 00:17:10.224
Just doing all these other events and helping out all the other locations.

00:17:10.224 --> 00:17:11.065
I always loved it.

00:17:11.464 --> 00:17:13.744
sometimes you're never just in the same four walls.

00:17:13.805 --> 00:17:22.805
That's probably my favorite part was going to all the other locations that SSA had and helping and creating these relationships with all the other chefs that were in the company.

00:17:22.805 --> 00:17:26.954
And it was just so fun, And, it was an open kitchen concept too.

00:17:27.005 --> 00:17:31.444
The chefs, they took the guest orders, they cooked it, and they served it.

00:17:31.894 --> 00:17:44.565
So you get a lot of people skills and you created a lot of relationships with it so much that at one point, I ended up being nominated for an award with the company for, best guest service.

00:17:44.585 --> 00:17:45.305
Awesome.

00:17:45.785 --> 00:17:46.295
It was great.

00:17:46.295 --> 00:17:47.944
It was the last year that I was there.

00:17:47.944 --> 00:17:52.045
It was very bittersweet because, they acknowledged me for that.

00:17:52.464 --> 00:17:57.505
but you know, it wasn't too long after that that covid hit and then that's when I left.

00:17:57.565 --> 00:17:58.164
Oh, really?

00:17:58.164 --> 00:18:00.325
So we're talking just a couple years ago.

00:18:00.355 --> 00:18:00.684
Okay.

00:18:00.684 --> 00:18:01.194
Wow.

00:18:01.335 --> 00:18:01.934
Yeah.

00:18:02.025 --> 00:18:03.585
2020. Yeah.

00:18:03.615 --> 00:18:04.005
Yeah.

00:18:04.335 --> 00:18:07.815
and I got that award just at the end of 2019.

00:18:08.625 --> 00:18:09.944
I still have that plaque too.

00:18:09.974 --> 00:18:16.355
it's just, it's a little symbol of, who grew me, who, who built me from the dirt, and that, that company did.

00:18:17.015 --> 00:18:35.015
And, one of the questions I had too is what happened at Covid, because there's a lot of stories that people have, and I started the podcast to honor chefs during Covid because I just thought people work so hard in this industry and they need to be put on a pedestal in my mind, because it, it wasn't fair.

00:18:35.045 --> 00:18:36.424
Like I had a secure job.

00:18:36.424 --> 00:18:41.825
And then I thought about people that were friends of mine in the business and I'm going, oh my gosh, that is just not right.

00:18:42.035 --> 00:18:45.865
Shutting all restaurants down and our governor shut down all restaurants.

00:18:45.865 --> 00:18:49.065
I looked around the world and it's like everywhere is shutdown.

00:18:49.089 --> 00:18:50.589
It just a halt.

00:18:51.414 --> 00:18:53.065
And so how did you cope?

00:18:53.065 --> 00:18:53.964
What happened?

00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:57.069
I lost my shit.

00:18:57.565 --> 00:18:57.805
Yeah.

00:18:57.805 --> 00:18:58.555
I believe it.

00:18:58.690 --> 00:19:03.250
So we got notified.

00:19:03.250 --> 00:19:11.950
So I actually, so just kind of when the, the week that covid hit, a week prior, I did an event at Brother Lux.

00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:18.250
Mind you, I still, I'm still an employee with SSA at the Zoo, brother Luck.

00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:21.200
He does these, collaborations with other top chefs.

00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:22.700
This one was with Tanya Halden.

00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:29.319
He invited, my chef Bo Green to come and cook in his restaurant, give this amazing experience to the guests.

00:19:29.710 --> 00:19:33.700
So after it was just maybe a week.

00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:36.670
A couple days after we get notified.

00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:41.259
'cause I remember we brought Tanya Hall into the zoo so she can experience it.

00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:47.019
And it was freezing out, it was snowy, but I wanted to give her an experience, show her a little bit of Colorado Springs.

00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:52.450
And I remember just everyone's on the radio like, answer your phones, answer your phones.

00:19:52.450 --> 00:19:53.920
So we had carry radios at the zoo.

00:19:53.970 --> 00:19:54.779
it's a huge place.

00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:57.960
So you need some way to communicate, okay, answer your phones.

00:20:00.450 --> 00:20:01.559
Places are shutting down.

00:20:01.950 --> 00:20:02.519
And we're like, what?

00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:03.329
What are we gonna do?

00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:04.829
Okay, this is what we're gonna do.

00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:07.950
We're just trying to figure out, okay, what is going on?

00:20:08.009 --> 00:20:08.849
Yeah.

00:20:09.569 --> 00:20:10.829
What do you mean we're shutting down?

00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:16.980
And so the next day everything shut down, everybody go home.

00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:18.950
And be prepared.

00:20:19.190 --> 00:20:21.319
I don't know what's gonna happen, but be prepared.

00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:27.950
And then, so I just, I cried and I cried and I was like, I've given so much to this place, and what are we gonna do?

00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:29.809
what am what's gonna happen to my family?

00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:39.549
much like everybody else had the same questions and, it happens, everyone from SSA is, is laid off.

00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:43.069
I'm sorry, but we're trying to figure all this out together.

00:20:43.069 --> 00:20:46.970
And it, it was, it was just a whole switch.

00:20:46.970 --> 00:20:54.369
It was just so sudden, first it, COVID was just a whole joke and then all of a sudden it was just, oh, no job.

00:20:54.420 --> 00:20:56.519
I. So it was crazy.

00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:59.799
And then, so, everybody goes on unemployment like, oh yeah, you're okay.

00:20:59.950 --> 00:21:06.549
And then finally I get a call like, okay, well we wanna bring those who are detrimental to the zoo.

00:21:06.859 --> 00:21:11.539
and SSA, maybe it's not, you SSA can't hire you back, but maybe the zoo.

00:21:11.539 --> 00:21:13.220
We have a coffee spot over there.

00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:17.329
So it was, do you wanna come and make coffee for all the zookeepers?

00:21:17.549 --> 00:21:20.579
absolutely anything, I'll do anything to come back.

00:21:20.609 --> 00:21:25.380
And so, I became a barista for Covid, still at the zoo.

00:21:25.769 --> 00:21:28.829
And the, the coffee shop was called Cozy Goat.

00:21:29.220 --> 00:21:33.210
And so just any anyone that wanted to, to, there was a window.

00:21:33.210 --> 00:21:37.230
So any of the zookeepers that wanted to come, they can line up right out front of the window.

00:21:37.230 --> 00:21:39.240
'cause no one can be inside together.

00:21:39.599 --> 00:21:45.000
Or I could make 'em, and then I would run 'em to any of the departments around the zoo.

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.039
So I would just make coffee for a couple months.

00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:51.809
And I just remember sitting out there, so this zoo overlooks Colorado Springs.

00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:53.099
It's on a mountain.

00:21:53.730 --> 00:21:58.950
So I remember just sitting there, no one's making any calls, and I'm just looking at the city and I just become emotional.

00:21:59.730 --> 00:22:03.460
And I'm just kind of like, imagine this is the world that we live in now.

00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:04.630
everything's just a halt now.

00:22:04.630 --> 00:22:05.769
I'm a freaking barista.

00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:07.049
No, I get

00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:18.769
And it was just like I became emotional and I was telling my other friends doing the same thing, they hired some of the other employees back to, we would swap out days of being baristas with each other and like what are we doing?

00:22:19.430 --> 00:22:21.319
And so that's when, at that point.

00:22:22.109 --> 00:22:23.940
what, what can I do for my family?

00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:25.079
what's, what's the next steps?

00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:33.440
And finally they slowly started to bring back, all of the, the chefs and, more of the, the food and beverage employees.

00:22:33.829 --> 00:22:36.609
And my head chef, Bo Green, he was always there.

00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:38.890
Thank God they didn't lay him off at the time.

00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:44.619
So he's just trying to, he went through all the coolers and donated as much as he possibly

00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:45.880
That's what a lot of places

00:22:46.089 --> 00:22:46.450
Yeah.

00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:49.029
A lot of the, the soup kitchens and things like that.

00:22:49.029 --> 00:22:49.299
And,

00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:50.509
it to the employees.

00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:53.789
if you're laying people off and they're struggling, give them, give them the

00:22:54.029 --> 00:22:56.069
I had so much food in my pantry, he was insane.

00:22:56.069 --> 00:22:58.140
I'm like, what am I gonna do with 25 pounds of risotto?

00:22:58.500 --> 00:22:59.309
I know.

00:22:59.369 --> 00:22:59.519
I know.

00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:04.450
It was all a beautiful thing though, to see everyone still come together in some way.

00:23:04.450 --> 00:23:07.240
But, and I remember he would come in, he would.

00:23:07.734 --> 00:23:11.634
Make lunch for some of the staff members, the limited staff members that were there.

00:23:11.634 --> 00:23:16.884
And he would send me a picture like, oh, I got tacos here today if you wanna come over and eat some tacos.

00:23:16.884 --> 00:23:23.275
So, we would just talk through some things and then slowly we started to okay, this is what we're gonna do.

00:23:23.275 --> 00:23:32.184
We're gonna bring back all the cooks and all the food and beverage, at least most of'em, and then we're gonna make lunch for all the zookeepers, no longer just coffee.

00:23:32.184 --> 00:23:42.964
Let's do, grab and go, okay, we're gonna make all these sandwiches, all these sides, things like that, to where they can come in quick, grab and go stay out of the locations as much as possible.

00:23:42.964 --> 00:23:45.305
25 people at a time, the whole, the whole nine.

00:23:45.815 --> 00:23:49.055
So then after that, things started to slowly build back up.

00:23:49.055 --> 00:23:54.595
We opened our doors like everybody else, and it's kind of, a little bit of history from there.

00:23:54.595 --> 00:23:56.335
it was a pain in the ass wearing the masks

00:23:56.890 --> 00:24:00.309
Oh, I know when you wear glasses, my wife doesn't wear glasses.

00:24:00.309 --> 00:24:02.950
She doesn't understand when it fogs up.

00:24:02.950 --> 00:24:04.299
It is the most frustrating.

00:24:04.329 --> 00:24:06.579
You gotta do it, but it's so frustrating.

00:24:06.609 --> 00:24:08.200
Try driving like that.

00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:12.430
Or, working in the kitchen with a mask and it's, and the

00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:14.339
steamy, it's smoky, ugh.

00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:19.259
I, I just felt for the people and that's why I started the podcast four years ago.

00:24:19.309 --> 00:24:22.069
I just, I woke up one day and I'm like, chefs need a voice.

00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:23.930
It's just, that's it.

00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:24.920
It's that simple.

00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:28.789
And that's why I was wondering about your experience with the Pandemic.

00:24:28.789 --> 00:24:30.859
'cause it sounds very similar to other people

00:24:30.950 --> 00:24:31.730
of course.

00:24:31.755 --> 00:24:33.289
I, I think everybody had the same,

00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:34.460
Yeah.

00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.599
the same experience.

00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:37.609
this, the entire world stops and then

00:24:37.964 --> 00:24:38.384
Right.

00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:39.450
wait, what are you gonna do?

00:24:40.424 --> 00:24:40.964
Yeah.

00:24:41.204 --> 00:24:45.615
And, and, it just, it really changed everyone, right?

00:24:45.615 --> 00:24:50.805
And then the food cost went up and so then people start complaining about how expensive food is.

00:24:50.805 --> 00:24:51.555
But it's hey.

00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:53.730
Restaurant has to survive.

00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:56.190
They have to deal with all these things

00:24:56.220 --> 00:25:00.990
Yeah, now you're getting to go boxes and to go cups, and then now you're charging for deliveries

00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:04.289
Right, But like here, seafood has skyrocketed.

00:25:04.529 --> 00:25:11.009
I mean, king Crab, which I love and I'm addicted to, is about 70 a pound, I think.

00:25:11.009 --> 00:25:11.880
Something like that.

00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:14.789
And it's in Alaska, which is down the road, literally.

00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:20.579
Dungeons Crab locally can be 50 for crab meat.

00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:23.309
It's 50 a pound for regular Dungeons Crab.

00:25:23.309 --> 00:25:25.430
It can get up to 20 a pound with Shell.

00:25:25.609 --> 00:25:25.940
Right.

00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:27.109
And that's just crazy.

00:25:27.109 --> 00:25:28.849
Like I used to get it for 3 99

00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:30.380
yeah, I'm sure.

00:25:30.694 --> 00:25:30.914
And

00:25:31.700 --> 00:25:35.930
I mean, it's like almost lobster is almost cheaper and it's all the way across the country,

00:25:36.049 --> 00:25:36.319
I know.

00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:37.265
How bad do I want this?

00:25:37.670 --> 00:25:38.990
Right, right.

00:25:39.109 --> 00:25:39.680
you so much.

00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:40.099
Come back.

00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:42.380
I know, and I'm addicted to seafood.

00:25:42.380 --> 00:25:50.549
My friend chef Mimi that I was telling you about, she's the one that really helped me get this podcast out there, from Clubhouse that I talk about a lot.

00:25:50.549 --> 00:25:54.180
But she says, Mike, you're addicted to seafood.

00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:56.460
'cause I, all I ever do is talk about seafood,

00:25:56.625 --> 00:25:56.835
Hmm.

00:25:56.890 --> 00:25:57.890
Nothing wrong with that.

00:25:57.974 --> 00:26:02.615
It's expensive now, and it's really expensive and it's almost like a drug.

00:26:02.615 --> 00:26:04.924
It's really, really expensive.

00:26:05.615 --> 00:26:10.365
But I understand, there's reasons behind it, and I'm not upset with anyone about it.

00:26:10.365 --> 00:26:14.204
It's just, it's just a fact and you just have to accept it if you're going to eat it.

00:26:14.605 --> 00:26:18.355
As we move on, so you're at the zoo, which is amazing.

00:26:18.595 --> 00:26:21.144
I was a volunteer at Aquarium for a long time, actually.

00:26:21.474 --> 00:26:22.974
Absolutely loved the culture.

00:26:23.605 --> 00:26:24.924
But what'd you do from the zoo?

00:26:24.934 --> 00:26:26.345
Where did you move from there?

00:26:26.990 --> 00:26:33.049
So after that, I started to realize like how bored I was, nothing was going on and it's no one's fault.

00:26:33.365 --> 00:26:33.815
Right.

00:26:34.234 --> 00:26:35.615
We couldn't get any caterings.

00:26:35.644 --> 00:26:37.825
'cause still limited people in the buildings.

00:26:37.825 --> 00:26:40.894
And, so I asked my chef again, Bo Green.

00:26:40.894 --> 00:26:42.954
I was like, I am bored.

00:26:42.954 --> 00:26:49.255
And he goes, he sees these things in me that he goes, he knows something's wrong before I even tell him.

00:26:49.404 --> 00:26:51.625
He, he always called it, my gears are turning.

00:26:51.654 --> 00:26:53.994
He goes, I see your gears are turning, what's going on?

00:26:54.714 --> 00:26:57.305
And I told him, I was like, I'm bored, And I was like, what?

00:26:57.365 --> 00:26:58.325
What can we do?

00:26:58.384 --> 00:27:01.085
He goes, I can't give you anything right now, and I'm so sorry.

00:27:01.444 --> 00:27:07.115
Maybe I can ask around, see if anyone's willing to have you in their kitchen for a couple days.

00:27:07.234 --> 00:27:08.285
I'm like, yeah, sure.

00:27:08.285 --> 00:27:15.065
But there's not very many people that I want to work with, outside of you and, and brother, I've always wanted to work him,

00:27:15.309 --> 00:27:15.599
Yeah.

00:27:15.789 --> 00:27:20.099
I couldn't think of anywhere else I would feel comfortable in, And so.

00:27:21.089 --> 00:27:24.150
I was kinda like, okay, but whatever comes, whatever comes.

00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:29.069
And so he reached out to brother and I had no idea.

00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:35.069
Him and brother were talking, brother put an ad on his Facebook saying that he was looking for a sous chef.

00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:38.819
'cause his sous chef, she wanted to do exactly what I was doing.

00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:46.019
She wanted a little bit of a change, and she ended up opening a beautiful restaurant, helping open a beautiful restaurant here in town.

00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.079
so I was essentially gonna replace her.

00:27:49.410 --> 00:27:49.740
Mm-hmm.

00:27:50.069 --> 00:27:54.420
So I, I tell Bo and I was like, brother's looking for a sous chef?

00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:56.880
He goes, are you gonna do it?

00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:59.490
And I was like, I, I want to, but I don't know.

00:27:59.490 --> 00:28:03.210
I am not qualified to be sous chef for brother.

00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:03.930
Freaking luck.

00:28:04.529 --> 00:28:04.589
Yeah.

00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:05.519
This man.

00:28:06.869 --> 00:28:21.119
You have to explain who he is because I know a little bit about him, and I'm amazed because I'm connected to Jensen Cummings, who I think has the most amazing podcast in the entire world and has inspired me to keep going many, many times.

00:28:21.779 --> 00:28:26.309
And I saw him connect with Brother Luck, and I learned about him through him.

00:28:26.309 --> 00:28:29.009
So when we had that connection, I was like, oh my gosh, brother.

00:28:29.009 --> 00:28:38.049
wow, And, and it just, and Ashley, and it's like all this, this, these connections in Colorado just got me really excited when I saw all this.

00:28:38.049 --> 00:28:39.220
I was like, wow.

00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:44.019
And it just happened like a fricking ton, a tornado for me.

00:28:44.619 --> 00:28:49.059
But nobody that's listening, unless they're in Colorado, is gonna know who he is.

00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:56.289
Can you tell us about him and who, who he is and what he did with you, and just kind of talk a little bit about that.00:28:56.619 --> 00:29:02.200


So Brother Luck, he is a local celebrity here in Colorado Springs.00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:04.710


he's been on Beat Bobby Flay, which he beat.00:29:05.490 --> 00:29:06.269


Yes, we love it.00:29:06.750 --> 00:29:07.440


He beat him.00:29:07.529 --> 00:29:08.009


he beat00:29:08.250 --> 00:29:09.119


He, whoa.00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:09.900


That's incredible.00:29:09.900 --> 00:29:13.710


I've had people that have competed with him but not beat him.00:29:13.710 --> 00:29:14.640


That's awesome.00:29:14.654 --> 00:29:19.335


beat Bobby Flay and pulled pork in 45 minutes.00:29:19.470 --> 00:29:20.339


I love it.00:29:21.285 --> 00:29:21.375


Yeah.00:29:21.375 --> 00:29:25.595


So he beat Bobby Flay and he was on Top Chef twice and he was on chopped.00:29:26.309 --> 00:29:26.579


Okay.00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:27.450


Sure, sure.00:29:27.869 --> 00:29:28.200


Oh, that's00:29:28.255 --> 00:29:31.884


Outside of that, he's ran a couple of resorts here in town.00:29:31.884 --> 00:29:35.005


He's established his own, his own brand.00:29:35.065 --> 00:29:38.545


He's, he's an advocate for culinary students.00:29:38.545 --> 00:29:40.194


He's an advocate for mental health.00:29:40.450 --> 00:29:41.019


I love it.00:29:41.305 --> 00:29:42.535


a great mentor.00:29:42.535 --> 00:29:48.555


He is a fantastic mentor and the way that he thinks about things and all these philosophies that he has,00:29:48.660 --> 00:29:52.410


I can tell he is very philosophical 'cause I've heard some things and,00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:56.039


The way that his mind works is, is crazy.00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:56.420


But00:29:56.650 --> 00:29:57.069


That's incedible00:29:57.069 --> 00:30:02.400


his connection to Colorado Springs and what he does for Colorado Springs, it's not just for his brand.00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:08.430


It's, what, what's he doing for other, for other restaurants and schools and things like that.00:30:08.430 --> 00:30:09.000


like we get00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:09.750


Oh, I love it.00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:16.829


high school students, we'll get in, there's some culinary programs that we'll get in their students and we teach them.00:30:17.279 --> 00:30:19.799


Brothers always taught them, he does cooking classes.00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:24.420


Like this man is a jack of all trades and a master to damn near all of 'em,00:30:24.755 --> 00:30:25.255


Oh wow.00:30:26.009 --> 00:30:26.230


Wow.00:30:27.285 --> 00:30:30.644


it's, yeah, he's a great person to work for and he is00:30:31.005 --> 00:30:31.335


Cool.00:30:31.454 --> 00:30:34.994


got, he's given me so many opportunities just working with him.00:30:34.994 --> 00:30:41.595


So I first discovered Brother, the first year that I came back to Colorado Springs, working for Shy Mountain Zoo.00:30:41.595 --> 00:30:44.654


I. My chef and him used to work together.00:30:44.654 --> 00:30:47.174


He used to be his sous chef, Nate Berger.00:30:47.694 --> 00:30:49.555


he was my chef when I came to Colorado Springs.00:30:49.555 --> 00:30:50.365


So he goes, you know what?00:30:50.694 --> 00:30:51.944


I have, I got a chef.00:30:51.944 --> 00:30:54.184


He does these thing called, knife fights.00:30:54.605 --> 00:30:55.894


I was like, okay, well what's that?00:30:55.984 --> 00:30:59.045


So these knife fights brother would host at his restaurant.00:30:59.345 --> 00:31:02.914


saw you on that talking about it, so I was wondering about that.00:31:02.914 --> 00:31:06.164


So I really wanna know, I'd love to hear about this.00:31:06.224 --> 00:31:07.095


This is awesome.00:31:07.125 --> 00:31:11.984


knife fight and it was like my only, my second year of being like in the culinary world.00:31:12.164 --> 00:31:12.555


Wow.00:31:12.795 --> 00:31:16.634


And he goes, I'll partner you up with someone who was of your level,00:31:16.714 --> 00:31:17.884


Wow.00:31:17.974 --> 00:31:19.095


go to Brother Luck.00:31:19.575 --> 00:31:20.134


Awesome.00:31:20.164 --> 00:31:23.015


He told him like, Hey, I got these two candidates.00:31:23.345 --> 00:31:24.394


Let's schedule this.00:31:24.394 --> 00:31:33.335


And so went to his restaurant and it was almost like Chopped gives you a few, mystery ingredients and a certain time and.00:31:33.890 --> 00:31:37.869


You just fight, from there, what can you, what can you get out of this?00:31:37.930 --> 00:31:38.980


These three ingredients?00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:40.900


But I think it was two at the time.00:31:40.900 --> 00:31:41.740


It was all I00:31:41.785 --> 00:31:42.414


Oh my gosh.00:31:42.724 --> 00:31:43.990


Skinless duck breast.00:31:44.269 --> 00:31:45.829


I never let him live this down.00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:48.230


Skinless duck, breast and fennel.00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:50.569


Now duck, you need a lot of fat.00:31:51.109 --> 00:31:52.519


And it's skinless, right?00:31:53.059 --> 00:31:53.809


Oh my God.00:31:55.654 --> 00:31:59.765


The competition started the container of bacon fat went missing.00:32:00.105 --> 00:32:00.950


where did this thing go?00:32:01.285 --> 00:32:09.599


In part two, chef Ashley Brown shares her journey from local cooking competitions to working with renowned chef, celebrity chef, brother Luck.00:32:10.105 --> 00:32:17.934


She recounts her intense and emotional experience on the TV show chop where she faced rigorous challenges and unexpected setbacks.00:32:18.025 --> 00:32:27.115


She values the growth and connections made her story leads into a deeper exploration of her culinary adventures and involvement with the MAP organization.00:32:27.204 --> 00:32:28.849


Stay tuned for part two.