Rags To Dishes

Longtime homie of the pod Dan Bryant returns for his 3rd episode to talk about his current role in the service industry. A more corporate setting restaurant has Dan doing larger quantities of food as well as feeling more taken care of in his employment. From Nu-Metal's resurgence, bears, shitty coworker stories, an acquired suit of armor, and the future of our favorite Narragansett restaurant the crew keeps the conversations silly and all over the place this week!

Coffee lord Casey Belisle joins the crew for episode 96. Casey another former Boltian talks to us about his starts at Whole Foods and the saddest firing we've ever heard of. Its not all sad however as Casey teaches us about Guitar Center and how he was taken in by the coffee titans that Bolt Coffee was led by. Eventually becoming a leader for the team themselves, Casey tells us about balancing lead positions and floating from different locations as well as navigating the Pandemic in the coffee world. From serving Patton Oswalt, to serving silver floods in Helms Deep, and now serving down in Warren, safe to say we have a bubbly time talking industry experience!

Kamila, a self proclaimed "De-Influencer" joins the crew for a truly deep episode 95. From working at multiple establishments across Providence, they gained vast experience working in the industry. (with a little help from Tony) From Los Andes, to Bolt Coffee to other not named restaurants and nonprofits Kam has taken it all in and radicalizes us about how important "Going out to eat" really is and the way it affects the society we live in. They question how "Bout it" a restaurant is that is all about the show that the food industry is now, and how restaurants treat activism as a fad rather than staying active with it. Traveling to their home country of Peru to learn about the lives of coffee farmers, the alchemy of love, and the fall of capitalism.. what else can be said this episode has it all <3

Kyle Gallup joins the crew for a rambunctious episode 94. Max drops some foreshadowed hockey takes and the boys debate Happy Gilmore vs. Billy Madison for the better Adam Sandler movie. Kyle takes us into his early childhood jobs at a breakfast nook into a young role at Crazy Burger during the "Golden Era" of the establishment. The crew talks cigarette etiquette as well as some Chris Schmitz mentions from time at the burger. From the Burger Kyle eventually ended up and the Anti-Establishment spite restaurant The Bike Stop. Max & Kyle worked together with an Allstar homie crew and talk about the "Method to the Madness" of the owner herself. Finished off smoothly with talk of Matunuck Pizza Co. and the Matunuck Village culture as well as some local southern RI spot shoutouts!

Hanna Awwad joins the squad for another episode to talk Caesar salads. From a hot take about lettuce to constructing her own rubric of the 3 C's to accurately rate Caesar salads, Hanna knows what she's talking about here and runs a review account to showcase it. The crew talks acceptable substitutions as well as some local favorites as well as not as favorable Caesars as well. We talk time served in making Avo toasts at Bolt Coffee's RISD museum as well as some not as great times working for Bayberry Garden in its opening days. Do you agree with the 3 C's?

In this weeks edition of R2D Spencer Bennett joins the crew to talk the talk.. well not all of it NYC will be another episode. Working for a handful of restaurants in Atlanta, Spencer learned from notorious TopChef winner Richard Blais. Spence grew in a "Kill & Advance" environment that conditioned him to rise to different heights in cooking.. so much so that Richard Blais totally named a restaurant after him. From slanging pizza in San Francisco to now Chef de Cuisine for Providence pizza titan's "Pizza Marvin" Spencer gets into the grimy and sometimes rewarding depths of the service industry as well as how T.I. likes his Waygu Beef cooked.

James Beard nominated chef friends, Nikhil Naiker & Luke Mersfelder join the squad for a seafood packed episode of laughs. Nikhil talks about the new experience of having his own business in the food world, where Luke is in a different space leaving from his reign as Chef of Bywater. Both products of the teachings of notorious Providence chefs Nikhil & Luke talk about what it was like working for the likes of James Mark (North) and Ben Sukle (Birch) and how their influence shaped their careers. ALOT of laughs about Squid, Onlyfans, Brainspikes, Food Nostalgia, among other some important some random topics that surround us in the service industry in the Northeast. Share to your service industry friends and fam <3

Nico Chace joins the crew this week to talk his industry experience. Get him from the greeks because Nico has beef with his first employers all the way back to Europe itself. Painting a picture of the pretty chill workplace with some weird norms at the famous Plant City and on to becoming Sous Chef of the now deceased Masa Taqueria. (RIP) Stream: Ratsnake & Dogwalker

Olivia Smith returns for a second appearance with friend and former colleague Megan Johnson to give the dish on what its like to work full-time in the Wedding corner of the service industry. From angry mothers to creepy conmen event workers, this episode will tell you everything you need to know about the behind the scenes of weddings and the way people are treated by usually the families of those getting married. Multiple crimes listed in this episode whether it be DJ Victor's SA or some crazy juice head groom's attempted murder? Tune in for a fun ride right before wedding SZN begins!

"Jon Cook" joins the crew as someone has finally stepped up to talk about working for a specific Artisanal Bagel place that used to call Providence, RI home. "Jon" also brings other experiences into play as comparison. From childhood food hustles to caramel processing plants and bartending Mr. Cook teaches us a bit about rock climbing as well as a debate about the lowest form of potato accompany this tale of the bagel spot!

In this weeks episode of R2D the crew is joined by a truly unique character in Guinevere Furtado, and of course she's a baker. Guin's been running the vegan baking scene in Providence for a minute now and shares some truly picturesque experiences to how tough being a service industry worker can be. The crew discuss' baking in detail and the personality of a baker and how it can be very different when placed on a team as opposed to baking alone. Guin also has some dirt.. Some tough goes of it at certain places forcing her to quit or leave and the experiences of dealing with those issues and finding a way to leave and say "Fuck it im not happy here so im not working here" Not all  dark and deep as Guin also brings a very joyous charm to the usual witty banter of the R2D podcast crew as Max learns what gatekeeping is as well as other goofs along the way

In this weeks edition of R2D.. TUBA! Tim Brennan returns for the first time in two years with another legend of The Establishment itself Maggie Kain. Maggie gives the crew a quick rundown of her early years in the game in Cincinnati serving Hot Browns as well as some other juicy stories. Maggie then with the help of her 3 former expos relives some of her most insane shifts ever worked over at the famous establishment and gave a deeper insight into how it was during COVID-19. From throwing soup at a wall to people eating food right out of the window this episode is jam packed with laughs and witty banter from the crew.

In this edition of R2D, the crew is joined by Trent Tetreault. A kitchen manager at Plant City, Trent reveals a long line of working in the service industry with an interesting job history that takes the podcast down a route that it hasn't been before. Working 3rd shift in a casino running Buffett is an angle that hasn't been touched on the podcast and from the nap rooms to being tipped with mystery pills, Trent paints a great picture. The Cheesecake Factory, coffee shops, and a more clear definition of what Emo Skramz music is the episode speaks for itself

In this weeks edition of R2D Julian Forgue.. Yes THE Julian Forge of Julians joins the crew for a unique conversation and history lesson about the industry and the city of Providence. A self proclaimed "Egg Marine" Julian opened one of the cities most popular and sought after restaurants in all of Rhode Island in 1994. Today Julian is somewhat banned from his own (no longer his) establishment. A controversial figure in the Providence food scene, Julian gives us his story. From origins of the restaraunt, to his favorite Jedi, and taking advice from Buddy Cianci himself Julian is truly a one of a kind human. 

On this weeks edition of R2D, Oliver Marcionetti joins the crew to talk industry.  Oliver talks his days dishwashing and prepping clamcakes at local seafood shack Monahans and how he was able to transition over to FOH once he was hired at the legendary Turtle Soup in Narragansett. Bouncing around during college in Vermont he also bartended, served, and worked catering for weddings during his tenure in the industry. The crew talks Ice cream limitations as well as how to get butts in seats in a downtown beach community.  From meeting Maggie Gyllenhaal working the airport bartending shift, to dealing with the difficulties of managing a restaurant, Oli has a handful of experience in the world of food and drinks

In this weeks edition the crew brings back Troop PVD's Food Director and culinary guru JT! R2D runs it back a little on JT's past episode 39 and the establishments that are still rocking and the ones that have closed doors.. The crew gets very off topic about consumption of human meat and cannibalism but eventually tie it back to this years PVDfest plans vs. how it has been done in the past. The juice on Mayor "Frownee" and the changes to expect to the treasured city festival as well as JT's experience watching it mature through the years in Providence. Will 2023 be the end of the festival or just a hiccup in its history? 

In this weeks episode of R2D the team is joined by the wonderful Olivia Smith who helped work the second popup for industry night at Figidini. The crew talks orcas as well as bistro vs burg comparisons before they get into the juice that was the popup. Gorg burgers, Ferraris, all the good stuff that you mightve missed if you embarassingly didnt show up yourself.  We're back?

In this weeks amplified episode of Rags To Dishes: John Kirk, Masa Taqueria founder and providence chef comes on the show to discuss a whole 2 hours worth of bullshit with our dearest hosts. The crew talks Ogies Trailer Park, and how the toxicity of late night service industry work can result in bad choices and mental heath in the somewhat beautifully disgusting culture of bars. Dcot and John nerd  out about Marijuana for a good sec as Masa's business kind of started out as an edible company in a loft  apartment in providence. Cottage law, as well as more arguing about tipping and how to topple capitalism and fix the industry ensues with other hot takes such as public lynching of billionaires and Dune Brothers having the best fries and hot dogs in the state. Tune in for a long one and a good one.... 

In this weeks edition of R2D, the crew is back at it again talking sports without a guest LOL. Mostly off topic however the hosts discuss Boston Chef Barbara Lynch's recent expose about abusing her employees and checking all the box's for being a bad restaurant owner as well as other bad things about the city of Boston. Dan talks about a recent adventure to Providence's own "Gracies" food and wine tasting off a 7 course menu. Arguing about T-Pain as well as other topics the guys almost have their shit together again.

In the return of The Rags To Dishes Podcast... our hosts maybe talk industry for 20min. Just a heads up its a rusty one. The Knicks playoff destiny, deep analysis of Lil Uzi Vert & Lil Yachty on Dcots end. Mixology with Max and why making Old Fashioneds sucks, as well as the somewhat conspiracy of whether Stevie Wonder has some form of vision. Some per usual hot takes, a few boneheaded brain farts and it seems like the boys are back in the saddle here we go...