"Experience the flavor of Chef Eric's kitchen, where the heat is as 'Hot as F*ck' and the passion is real."

"I go into every day just wanting to be better. So much of what I see now is it's, like, too focused on the show. It's a marketing scheme compared to as opposed to the actual caring about the cooking. Sure, it can look good, but does it fucking taste good?" - Chef Eric

Chef Eric has been cooking since he was a child, when his mother taught him to make a meatloaf. When his son was born, Eric decided to switch to cooking as a career and has been doing so for 17 years. On the East Coast he has worked for various restaurants, including DBGB, but has seen many restaurants close due to COVID. He finds that many restaurants focus on the show rather than the taste of the food and is inspired to do better each day.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. The unique bond shared by line cooks, and chefs.

2. The challenges of running and surviving a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. The creative and entrepreneurial success story of a chef who created his own hot sauce.

Resources:

Eric Hasse on Instagram

Chef Eric's Links

Sweet Mama Hot Sauce on Instagram

Sweet Mama Hot Sauce: Order Here

Official Patriot Gear -10% OFF with code CHEFHASSE

Official Patriot Gear on Instagram

Chef Life Clothing

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Ariel Guivi, Part 1: What is a Chef?

Patrick Stark: The Untouchable Egos

Josh Morris: Balancing a chefs drive with family life

Connect with me: 

Instagram: @insidethepressurecooker

YouTube: @insidethepressurecooker

Twitter: @chadkelley

Patreon: @Insidethepressurecooker

Feedback: Email me!

Website: https://insidethepressurecooker.com

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts or Follow Us on Spotify or your favorite podcasting platform.

Transcipt:

[00:00:03 ]

Over the last 20 years working in restaurants, I met a lot of really interesting people. Bourdain called us pirates and misfits, and he couldn't be more right. We really were. I say were. We are a hodgepodge of cultures and backgrounds, and we get to play with food all day, and we get to make a living in that, and it's pretty damn awesome.

[00:00:27 ]

This is what inside the Pressure Cooker is all about. It's about making some new friends and sharing some stories with some old friends. And listen, we all know that life inside a kitchen is not for everyone. We've seen plenty of people come and go that thought they could hack it and they couldn't. It really does take a special someone not only to survive, but to really thrive in an environment of just what feels like complete fucking chaos.

[00:00:56 ]

But it's pretty damn controlled. And then just the constant pressure and the stupid hours you put in, not to mention it can be a very thankless job. Before you know it, it's all in your blood. And it's the only thing you know and you need more. It's an addiction.

[00:01:13 ]

This is the bond that all wine, cooks and chefs share. It's becoming the heartbeat of the kitchen, as cliche as that fucking sounds. But it's in our blood, which means it's fucking pulsing through our veins. And it's what we live for. A quick interruption before we jump on.

[00:01:31 ]

To the rest of this, two things. First, there's a link in the show notes that well, it's not really a link, it's my email. Please. I want to hear some feedback from you all. What do you love?

[00:01:45 ]

What do you not love? This is how I learn. And the second part I've set up a patreon account for this podcast. The link is also in the show notes below. Please, if you're able to we would love any contribution you're able to support us with.

[00:02:01 ]

We all have costs that we need. To try to cover with this show, and any sport would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

[00:02:10 ]

Chef Eric, 32nd elevator pitch. Who are you? I am Chef Ericos father. I'm a chef and I am a patriot. And that's pretty much it.

[00:02:25 ]

All right. How old are your kids? 1610 and two. You're covering the gamut there? Yeah.

[00:02:35 ]

Papa was a rolling stone.

[00:02:41 ]

So tell me then, how long have you been cooking? What got you into it? I've been doing this forever, man. We moved to Massachusetts when I was, like, eight, I think. And we took over my family's taxi company.

[00:02:57 ]

And mom was working and stepfather was working. And it was a phone call on, like, a phone on the wall that you had to, like, answer and be home for. And this is what you do. And you make a meatloaf, and I'd get the whole thing. She'd read me a recipe.

[00:03:14 ]

You're writing this down. You're writing this down. And I would do it and I enjoyed it. And the more that that went on, I kind of fell in love with it.

[00:03:28 ]

That's fine.

[00:03:33 ]

When did you realize it was going to be a career? Jesus.

[00:03:41 ]

I kind of switched permanently to it being a career. About 17 years ago, I was going to go to the army. We found out that my ex was pregnant with my oldest son, and things just kind of shifted gears. I always tried to stay out of the cooking business because I thought if I did it every day, it would ruin it for me.

[00:04:08 ]

I wouldn't get as much enjoyment out of it. There's truth there, you know? And like, I grew up in a house like, my father owned three delis. He worked himself to death. He was a shit bag, whatever.

[00:04:20 ]

He wasn't around. And it was what it was. And I thought if I worked in the industry, it would just make it all tainted. But it actually became quite the opposite.

[00:04:38 ]

I can understand that. It's almost one of those, like, he didn't want to follow in his footsteps. Yeah, 100%.

[00:04:47 ]

Okay, so right now you're cooking your soup and you're in Farmingdale, New York. You've been out in the East Coast the entire time. Yeah, new York. I work in the city for Danielle Bald.

[00:05:10 ]

A few restaurants here on the island. I was in Boston for a little bit, and then last November, I came back to Long Island. Okay. Dug in back here. Now.

[00:05:25 ]

Were you at barbalude? No. Is it DBG. Bees. Oh, nice.

[00:05:32 ]

I like that blue. Our commissary was you opened the front door to the commissary and it was the back of the iconic CBG. Bees. Like punk rock. Yeah.

[00:05:45 ]

A few trips I made to New York, actually there, I think, twice.

[00:05:52 ]

I like the feel to it. It's a different animal now, though. The city. It's become just disgusting. Oh, the city.

[00:06:01 ]

The city has just become disgusting. Yeah. This whole COVID thing just ruined so many restaurants. There like Michelin Star restaurants are shutting down. It just became abysmal.

[00:06:11 ]

That was like, the tough time in Boston. Like, I left there to come down here because at the end of COVID with all the restrictions and everything, nobody could offer the pay, nobody could offer the hours and everything. Rent moratoriums were up, and it was just got insane. Yeah. I don't know how restaurants I mean, it was impossible for so many places to survive and pay people because restaurants aren't exactly known to have, like, large vaults of cash just hanging around waiting for this stuff to happen.

[00:06:45 ]

Especially in New York or the East Coast, where just the rents are fucking ridiculous as it is. Even with the moratorium, at a certain point, it's like, hey, everybody's got to be able to pay something here. Yeah, I got a little obscene. What's the one restaurant you were sad to see go? I don't know.

[00:07:08 ]

There was a