In this episode of Fugitive Chefs, Furqan sits down with Max (Maximillian) Bogenmann—former Amass chef and co-founder of Endless Food Co., the team behind THIC, a chocolate made from large-scale brewery side streams. Max traces the leap from New York kitchens to Copenhagen’s Amass, where zero-waste creativity and fermentation shaped his view of food systems. We get into why cacao’s supply chain is cracking (climate volatility, deforestation, price shocks), how Endless aims to future-proof chocolate without compromising flavor, and what it takes to scale chef thinking from R&D pots to 1,000-kilo tanks. Max shares honest lessons on sales, rejection, Excel muscles (!), and building a network—plus how startup chaos compares to the adrenaline of service. If you’ve ever wondered what a chef can become beyond the pass, this one’s a map and a nudge.

🎧 Fugitive Chefs is your window into alternative culinary careers and bold food innovation. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow, rate us & subscribe for more stories from the culinary underground.

🎙️ Hosted by Furqan from the Fugitive Chefs Podcast

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Apple Podcasts : https://apple.co/43vBtbT

🔗 Connect with Max

Instagram : @maximillian.bogenmann

Website : https://endlesscph.com/

Chapters

00:00 Rethinking the Chef's Role Beyond the Kitchen

12:25 Journey into Culinary Arts

15:22 Experiences in New York's Restaurant Scene

19:39 Innovations at Amass

25:54 Transitioning from Restaurant to Business

34:02 Challenges of a Chef in a Startup

40:31 Skills for Culinary Entrepreneurs

45:18 Personal Reflections on Career Changes

50:16 The Identity of a Chef Today