Practically Ranching
Join Matt Perrier as he visits weekly with interesting, thoughtful, entertaining individuals within the beef community. Conversations will inspire curiosity and creativity while maintaining the independent spirit and practical nature for which ranchers are known.
Practically Ranching
#60 - Chef Tyler Florence, A Passion for Beef
Tyler Florence has hosted shows on Food Network, Discovery and several other networks for nearly three decades. He owns restaurants in California, Hawaii and cut his teeth in kitchens in South Carolina. He’s a chef, a businessman, a creative mind, an amazingly nice guy and he LOVES beef and the families who raise it.
Miller & Lux (millerandluxrestaurant.com)
Welcome back for this episode, 60 of Practically Ranching. You know, we used to call these separate seasons, but I gotta be honest. There are some times in the year that, uh, the real job doesn't allow me to record and edit these things, so we took our normal summer break from practically ranching to do some actual ranching. And that break just lasted a little longer than I'd planned, but we're back. And we are back in a big way with a guy that may not be a household name and the ranching culture. But he sure is in the food culture. Tyler Florence has hosted shows on food network discovery and several other TV networks for nearly three decades. He owns restaurants in California, Hawaii, and he cut his teeth in the kitchens in South Carolina, where he grew up. Tyler's a chef he's a businessman. He is a creative mind and amazingly nice guy and he loves beef and the families who raise it. Now. This is going to be a significant departure from our typical practically ranching guest. But if you haven't figured it out, I like these conversations... Whether they're live in person or a podcast episode, I love these conversations that are a bit out there. And so this one was right up my alley. And in fact, I loved every second of this conversation. We talked restaurants, consumers, but more than that, we talk business and entrepreneurship and reality television and people and life.. You know, as a chef in San Francisco, tyler has a much different perspective on the beef industry and probably a lot of other issues than I do. And I promise you, this is not one of those episodes where you're going to learn any cow management or marketing tips, but I bet you might pick up a business or marketing tip or employee management or even creative thoughts. Most of all, I hope that this episode will do what it did for me. And that is invigorating us about our passion for our product and renew our focus on this high end beef consumer that, uh, that we're all after. You know most. of you have likely heard the panel that Tyler put together at south by Southwest last spring, if you didn't, I go back and give a listen to episode 57. And you'll see just how passionate Tyler is about beef. When you hear someone like this talk about the cattle business, our livelihood, it's, it's pretty powerful. Tyler. And I recorded this episode several weeks ago. So a couple of our references may sound a bit dated, but the information and the discussions in here... they're timeless. The nuggets of wisdom that Tyler shares throughout their golden. And I think you'll see that, um, restaurant and ranching cultures have a lot more in common than any of us really realize. So welcome back. Thanks for listening to so many of our past episodes over the last few months. And enjoy this week's conversation with my friend. Tyler Florence.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:By the looks of your Instagram page you've been a little busy since I last saw you in Austin. Tell me, uh, tell me first what you've been up to and then we'll backtrack and go a little, a little further back.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, Matt, first of all, it's so great to see you again. My friend, you look, you look great. Um, I'm glad we're doing this and I appreciate your patience. I know we had to reschedule a couple of times, um, but, um, you know, we're always rolling. I always feel like if we're not. You know, flying at 180 miles an hour, like nobody loves us. Right. And I, cause we're just always busy. We got so much stuff in the pipeline. Um, I'm heading off to Hawaii, uh, on Friday, as a matter of fact, uh, you know, we opened up a steakhouse at the four seasons Hualalai on the big Island. So we're going to be there for 10 days. We've got a bunch of stuff in the pipeline. We got like, I think three, three new restaurants. We have deals closed on that will be opening between now and 2026, which is very exciting. And, uh, and I launched a brand new barbecue festival. We shot a pilot for that. The barbecue festival is called masters of fire. Uh, which is kind of cool. Um, it's like this live fire cooking festival. You can be part of, which is great. Anyway, we got so much stuff going on, but, um, I'm just so excited to talk to you. How's the family? How's Amy? How's everybody?
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:We're good. We're good. Got back from Austin in one piece and seems like that was light years ago. But no, kids are great. They're off school for the summer and already getting ready to start back here in late August
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Oh, it's, isn't the summer so short? The summer is so short.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Yep. Yep. And yours, yours is busy as well
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Yeah. Well, well, our daughter, uh, who's going to be Dorothy is going to be a 16 and. August, she got a job this summer, which I'm very excited about. So she's, uh, she's been dancing. I, I, I want to say professionally, I mean, she doesn't get paid for it, but she's been part of this like a competitive dance team since she was like six and it's like hip hop and theatrical and. And ballet and all kinds of fun stuff. So she's actually teaching dance the summer to younger kids. So, so she's, you know, and she's got such impeccable work ethics because she's working the summer, which is kind of fun. And then our, our middle son, um, Hayden is in Hawaii right now. He's at this writer's camp, teen writer's camp, uh, in Waimea, which is a cool little town on the big Island. So my, I'm actually picking him up on Saturdays. He's been there for four weeks, which is kind of fun. And then my oldest son, Miles is 28. He's a, uh, an engineer with Google, which is kind of wild. So he's, yeah, he's in, uh, in San Francisco living in, you know, Hayes Valley doing like the whole cool tech thing with a girlfriend and, and just loving life. And, and, uh, yeah, we're, we're just super happy. Everybody's good.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, you said your daughter has an amazing work ethic, uh, by the looks of your schedule and everything that you've done just since I've known you, uh, not to mention everything before that. Uh, I'm in the genetics business, so I understand exactly why she has such a strong worth that work ethic and, and what they can do. So you've been on Food Network for what? Nearly three decades, 20 some years.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:almost 30 years. Yeah, that's my 28th year on the network. Uh, in June as a matter of fact, so yeah, it's, it's been a while, you know, it's, you know, started in 1996, you know, it's been a crazy ride.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:You were just a kid.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:It's 25. Yeah, it sure was. I mean, I was, yeah, it was just, I was the executive chef of some restaurant and there's a really cool Italian restaurant called Chibo. Uh, it's on 42nd Street and 2nd in New York City. And, um, you know, the, the, uh, uh, executive producer name was Laurie Green. I'll never forget her. She walks into the restaurant one night and after service, um, I flipped, you know, the reason that chef's coats are double breasted because there's a dirty side and clean side. You flip it over, you rebutton up, you grab a handful of business cards, you go walk the room and say hi and introduce yourself. And, and, uh, and I met Laurie Green one night at the restaurant. She goes like, I thought that was really great. You know, New York City is talking about you. We'd love to have you. On, um, you know, this new network called Food Network and that's back in 1996. And, um, you know, that was my first guest appearance and I got my first show in 1999. And, and so, yeah, it's just been this really kind of wonderful long ride. So, The Great Food Truck Race Season 17 is out right now. Number one show on the network, it always is every summer. Uh, super fun season. Uh, we, we, uh, drove from Houston all the way to Miami around the Gulf of Mexico. Call it games on the gulf, which is kind of cool. Um, amazing season, crazy contestants, fun challenges, delicious food, you know, like all the wackiness and seriousness that kind of comes along with a great food truck, right? So if you're like an, an independent entrepreneur, you're going to get this and it's all, it's everything you learned in business school on day one, right? It's buy low, sell high location, location, location, you know, treat others as you'd want to be treated. And And, uh, and, and work harder than everybody else. Right. So there's all this like crazy work ethic and really good, basic one on one business rules that applies to everything. And I think a lot of people that watch it end up, um, kind of armchair quarterbacking the show. Like, what would you do? You know, if you had that limited amount of money and what would you do if, you know, your locations were limited and what would you sell? If you know, if you had those, uh, uh, items, uh, as an opportunity to make menu items out of, and it's just kind of a fun show. It's, it's a great family favorite. It's always somebody to cheer from. There's always somebody to cheer against, is kind of
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:noticed that.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:We always. Seem to have kind of a bad guy and, and, you know, it, and the show is so funny because, uh, uh, their casting tapes are not exactly who they are in, in real life because they're casting tapes are like, Hey, we're the bubble bot team. And we're super excited and we can't wait. And then around day two or day three, they totally forget that the cameras are there. And then they left their guard down and then they let it fly. And it is great. It's great television.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Awesome. Yeah, that is, that is fun. I mean, there is still a bit of reality left in reality TV and you see it, you see it come out even in the, in the season, don't you?
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Oh yeah. I mean, it's, it is reality. I mean, the show is programmed in a way. I mean, so it's not, cause like sometimes, sometimes reality, reality is a little boring to watch, but, um, so we, but there's like challenges and things that they got to jump into, but, but their reaction and their decisions are totally theirs. And we don't get in the way. There's actually very, very few rules on the great food truck race. And number one rule is just don't cheat. You know, and we've had a couple of people cheat over the years. We always catch them. Um, there's so many eyes and so many cameras locked in. There's, you know, people have, we had one season. Gosh, I can't remember exactly what it was. It was like we were in Memphis, Tennessee. I can't remember what season it was. It was like six or seven, something like that long time ago. But we had this one team, they would like take bathroom breaks. And then they would go, they go to the ATM machine and they pull out a couple hundred bucks each time and then they would
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Oh ho
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:stack their,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:ho ho ho ho ho
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:no receipts for it. Nice. Exactly. Exactly.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:You caught em.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:We caught him. Yeah. Yeah. Always do.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:So whether it's, it's the Great Food Truck Race, or your Masters of Fire Festivals, your American Grill book, or at your restaurants, um, you've got. Countless different ingredients you could be using. And yet, especially on your restaurant side of things, you've kind of staked your claim on the age old steakhouse concept. Have you not?
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Yeah, I just I love steak houses. I have ever since I was a little kid, there was a restaurant in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina called the Peddler. And it was like the fancy place that everybody went on prom and like the fancy place that you went on date night. And it was the first time that I had tasted a filet mignon wrapped in bacon. As, as like a young food enthusiast, 13, 14 years old, kind of really, really loved food, but didn't really know I wanted to be a chef yet. But like one of those magical moments that you never forget. And I love the ceremony because they would bring the whole ribeye out and you can kind of pick your cut, the king's cut and the queen cut, and they'd cut it right in front of you and then grill the steak and bring it back out. And they have like fantastic, like baked potatoes and salad bar and all that kind of super traditional stuff. But I just love the ceremony, and I honestly don't think there's an ingredient that I enjoy more than beef, and I think it's absolutely delicious. And I think our steakhouse and we just got named best steakhouse in the San Francisco Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine for the second year in a row. I think our 45 day dry age program is second to none. Um, I think our beef procurement, uh, program, uh, working with our ranch partner in South Dakota called Demkota. Um, I, I think it's, um, it is a super curated program. You can't get our steaks anywhere else on planet earth other than Miller and Lux in San Francisco with the Chase Center. And also Miller Lux of the Four Seasons Hawaii on the Big Island, our steakhouse in Hawaii. And that's it. And then I say, I think our steaks are just the hands down the best steaks I have every year. And, and I, I think the proof is in the pudding. Um, I just love it. And I think it's, uh, it's one of those classic things now on a business side of it, right? Like if you're, if you're an entrepreneur and you're, you're putting together concepts, you want to make sure the concepts are simple. Right? Steak, sushi, Italian, right? Because like you, you can't come up when you say like, I'm California farm to table. I don't even really know what that means.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Especially today.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, yeah, I mean like, like I can, I can kind of figure it out, but I need a subtitle. I need a paragraph to explain it. You know, California farm and table, I kind of understand, but it's not like when you say steak, steakhouse, like, Oh, boom, I got it. I got it right away. And you need to really make that connection with people for people to understand what you're talking about. And so we just, you know, I, I gave them, um, the keynote address at a travel and tourism conference in Greenville, South Carolina, my hometown, when I was on book tour, um, um, a couple of weeks ago. And, um, uh, and I spoke about the analogy of the comet versus the comet tail. So when you see a comet light up the sky, do you see the comet or do you see the comet tail? What do you say?
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:usually you see the tail or that's what makes it different than everything else.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, it's the comet tail that lights up the sky because the comet was the decision you made a long time ago. So I think everything that we're working on right now. All the, um, all the new wave of success and sunshine and, you know, ink and, uh, coverage and everything that we're getting right now is the comet tail of us making a really good decision back in 2019 to do a steakhouse in San Francisco at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. And we put our flag in the ground and said, okay, we're doing beef. We're a steak restaurant. We're gonna, we're gonna, uh, celebrate, uh, American. Uh, cattle ranchers across the country. We're going to really kind of get involved in this program and and everything that we're doing now, American grill, uh, our cookbook, which was the number one, uh, bestseller in the grilling and barbecue section on Amazon, number one, new release. Um, new barbecue festival, new television show on the barbecue festival. Um, lots of interest in hotels across the country. We're looking at property in Philadelphia right now. We're looking at property in Los Angeles right now, which is really exciting for Miller Lutz restaurant. So all this stuff right now was the comet tail of us deciding that we want to do a steakhouse restaurant in 2019. That was the comet. And so, you know, putting our flag in the ground, uh, uh, going, we're, I'm distinctively an American chef. There's no doubt about it, right? I don't stand behind the Italian. I don't stand behind the Italian flag. I don't stand behind the Japanese flag. And although I love those cuisines, I really, really do. I think Americana and American food is fabulous, and I think there's lots of tradition and lots of really great ceremonies there that feel distinctive. Because I've traveled all over the world. I've been to Japan, I've been to Spain, you know, I've been all over France, all over Italy and England, and And, uh, and I just love the cuisine of those particular countries specifically when it's something that I can't get anywhere else. And then when you get into this like heartland of Americana and you go, okay, Texas barbecue, calm on. You can't tell me that it's not like a world class technique of world class cuisine. And then you kind of get into steak and all the things around that. Like I, it just, it's my jam. I love it. I put my flag on the ground. I, I, I'm a restaurateur and a chef, but we have steakhouses Miller and Lux, which is such an interesting, uh, real brand. This is a book called the cattle King written in 1936, um, about, uh, Henry Miller and Charles Lux known as the cattle Kings of California, that we consider them our founders as a real people. And so we just try to be as authentic as we possibly can. And then, and then just, you know, celebrate. The steakhouse genre as if you've never had it before.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:And do it in San Francisco, California. One of, probably, arguably, the most liberal, progressive cities in the United States. And, and a place where there's a lot of questions and curiosity about how beef is produced, and whether they should be eating beef because of, you know, what they've heard about its effects on climate change. You name it. That, that's the part that fascinates me or impresses me the most. You didn't, you didn't just decide to have a steakhouse. You decided to have a steakhouse in an area that, uh, Probably is not state country.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, listen, every, everywhere, steak, everywhere,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:That's a good answer, chef. I like it. I like
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:everywhere, steak country, everybody likes steak. Everybody loves steak, right? And, and, and yes, we were a liberal bastion out here on the West coast and we have very progressive values. And I see eye to eye on a lot of those situations, but also when it kind of comes to our, Food sources and our food culture kind of, you know, and it's not like people are against it. People are just against the, the, the unnecessary cruelty of the, of the animal itself. And I think that the industry has really, really come a long way.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Yeah, I was gonna say as are we as producers.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:exactly. And that's what you and I and Dr. Temple Grandin and, and, uh, and folks from, uh, Allen brothers got a chance to talk about on our, uh, um, our panel, better beef at South by Southwest last March. And it was, it was so enlightening because I, I said to myself, this is going to be a good one. Let's get some really smart people around the table and talk about the industry and kind of where it was 50 years ago and 20 years ago and where it is today. And, uh, and I learned so much in that whole process. And I learned even a deeper level of respect, Matt, for what you do and your family and your heritage, your family. third generation, you know, Kansas rancher on Fifth, generation, excuse me, fifth generation, Kansas rancher on, and, and you're, you're, uh, ranching on, on ancient American Buffalo grazing land. And to me, like that's such a, a special point of view that I think we've got to get across and we've got to talk about. So to answer your question, second couple of San Francisco. Like, there's a level of authenticity and purity that kind of comes along with walking the walk and talking to talk and that we do every single day. And as long as people kind of understand that, like there's a, there's a respect for the animals, uh, that, that we, we have for sure. And it's best quality that you can possibly get your hands on. People are okay with that. I mean, obviously there's, you know, there's, there's vegans, there's vegan activists and all this kind of fun stuff. And I think there's room in the world for everybody, you know, it's free speech, say what you got to say, uh, you know, whatever. Um, but, but people, people love steak in San Francisco. We crush steaks. We sell a lot of steaks.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:We're glad you're there and doing it. And I think it's beneficial to all of us as producers too, who may not understand what it is that you have to do and see and accomplish on a daily basis. But I mean, let's face it, we're pretty good at raising cattle and producing beef and getting it to the pack processor and to Allen brothers, and then on to you. But as far as being able to celebrate that ceremony, as you called it, We're not very good at it. We're nervous. We're afraid somebody's going to ask us hard questions. And the fact that you went South by Southwest, what, two springs ago and decided that, hey, there's some information here that simply isn't right. And we need to change the narrative and then did everything that you did behind the scenes to make sure and bring that, uh, bring that story to life this past March. To me, that's, it's just awesome. I'm so glad you did it. And I'm even more glad that I got to be a part.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:It's a great place to have a conversation. And yeah, cause you really kind of like put yourself into like the lion's den of, you know, conversations and questioning, you know, what status quo is all about. And so everyone at South by Southwest is, you know, they're, they're very opinionated and it's just a good place to just kind of jump into it. Let's just jump into it. So instead of having A conversation in, you know, in a, um, information silo of, you know, singing to the choir in a way, right. Preaching the choir, like, like, let's just have a great conversation about progressive beef and what makes a difference and, and what, um, you know, what, uh, solutions are. And the mindset of ranchers today that are addressing a lot of the climate issues, right? Because it's not, they're not real. It's not that it's not a real issue, but they're not as bad as a lot of people say they are. And they're not as, um, they're not as bad as they used to be in a way. So it's reason we didn't call it best beef. We call it the better beef, right? And so the, the, the industry has changed in so many different ways. And, and we, Just wanted to shine some light on that and not hide in a way as if we're afraid of activists or we're afraid of, you know, anybody in particular, because, like, listen, we're, you know, beef is a very, important food source in America, right? And honestly, can I tell you, it's my favorite ingredient in the world. Is that like be nothing. Um, like, cause we were, I was just cooking some, uh, uh, some, uh, videos for our, our, our pot pan partner, Heston up at their lab in Napa yesterday, as a matter of fact, and we kind of did this whole thing where how easy it is to clean a pan. And uh, and I was searing a steak and then we let it rest for a little bit. And then right at the end of the video, we just ripped it alive like lions on the Serengeti. You know what I mean? We just salt and olive oil and it's just something about like a really good steak. It's just like. Come on, man. It's just so, so incredibly delicious. And, um, anyway, we're, we're just really excited to kind of keep the conversation going and, and I'm so grateful that you and I are friends and and I, I think anything that we can do to just, you know, in a sort of a stoicism kind of way, just like meet everything head on, let's have a conversation. You know, let's not hide behind it. Let's just talk about, yeah,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:those folks looked at things a lot differently than I did. I mean, you and I probably look at a lot of things a lot differently. However, there was a level of curiosity and quest for knowledge that I, you just don't see a lot. And they had questions. They had hard questions. They wanted answers to them and some of them that may not have necessarily changed their mind on beef production. They at least saw a reason that we do what we do and how much passion we have for it, and I think that was the part that coupled with hearing your stories and the impetus of this better beef. Panel that told me, Hey, it's not just a bunch of cowboys out here that want to, I hate to say defend, but talk about what it is we do every day. Here's, here's a. Food network chef and huge entrepreneur that is talking to hundreds, if not thousands of people every day that wants to defend that way of life as well. And that gave, that gave me hope. And I think it should to anybody, any of our producers that are listening to this. It is, we're not here on an Island. We can say, yeah, we're only 1 percent of the population, but we have a lot of friends like you who want to help us tell that story and we, you know, can continue together and do that.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:well, let's cover some of those issues today if you want to. I mean, honestly, I'm, I'm just sort of thinking about this and trying to dust off my memory from March, but what were some of the issues that, that, that some of the, cause you know, we had, We were on stage for an hour and we talked for 45 minutes and then we had, uh, 15 minutes of Q and a, and the Q and a was super interesting. And some of the questions were, okay, that's a bit predictable. Um, and then some of the questions were interesting. Do you remember them off the top of your head?
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, and I ran, actually I ran the recording, the audio recording as a podcast here on Practically Ranching like a month and a half ago. And, you know, a lot of them were about, I would just say management and, uh, production practices, grass fed versus grain fed, and lots of pretty pointed questions about, uh, climate change and cattle's effect on that, and we get those a lot, and we're doing a better job of trying to quantify and characterize as an industry just what kind of carbon footprint beef has, but, you know, the, the We've, we've been through a lot of those. Heck, like I said, I had Temple Grandin on the show a couple months ago, I believe, and we rehashed a few of those as well, but they were mainly production practices. They, they, none of them were extremely surprising to me, I guess, as a, as a producer, I guess the one thing that I would like you to touch on, this went with one of those questions, but you mentioned it also in that Better Beef panel. Was when you went with chef Tim Love there in Fort Worth to the processing facility and how important that was to you as a chef to see that animal go from living breathing animal to food source and how important you think that is for folks to see and understand that may not, in our world, may not get to see that on a daily basis or if ever.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, I, I, I don't think it's necessary that everybody see that. You know what I mean? Like, because it it is, it is very, you know, it's, it is, it's, it's, you know, you're, you're watching what you're
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:It is what it is. It's gruesome. Yeah, exactly.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:it is what it is. Right. But, um, if you are in the culinary space or if you're a chef. I do think it's very important that you understand how precious those primals that you get Cryovac'ed delivered to your restaurant are and what sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice that animal made for your sustenance and the life lesson is don't ever waste a one ounce of it. Don't, don't throw anything in the garbage can. And it is your job to, uh, prepare that beef with the, the up, utmost level of respect and professionalism and, and make it perfect and make it delicious because you're celebrating that animal's life and you're continuing its energy flow. Energy never dies. Right. Energy never dies. It just, it just remorphs itself into another opportunity. And so when, when this animal loses its life or your sustenance, and all of a sudden it becomes like a food source for somebody else, that energy gets passed on to someone else. And I, I think it's really important that chefs do understand that. And it was one of those life changing moments for me as a chef that I'll never forget. And I've taken other chefs to different like processing plants and, and seeing like pigs and chickens and like, you know, go through the whole process and, and, and you really kind of see that and you kind of understand like, these things are really precious. This thing was alive five minutes ago, and now it's up to me to make sure that I roast this and take care of it and clean it and prep it and prepare it in a way that that I'm not going to disrespect this animal's life, and I'm not going to throw anything away. I'm going to use every bit of it. And I'm going to make this as delicious as I possibly can. And I think that is the life lesson that every chef should take away from that opportunity. And that being said, I don't think everyone should go watch that. You know, it's a little, it's a little brutal, but, but I, I think if you are in the food industry and if you are a chef, I think you're going to get a lot out of it.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:And that's what, in my opinion, makes, you know, Sets you apart from some of your counterparts and those folks that maybe just aren't cut out to be where you are and who you are because you don't just want to sell the steak. You want to sell, as I say, the sizzle. You want to sell the story, and when you build the trust, like you're able to build with your co workers, with your customers, with your partners and suppliers, and everybody else that's part of that team, that's why you're seeing that comet tail burn as brightly as what you're seeing right now, in my opinion. And I'm not just blowing smoke up your dress. We need more folks to get way off of just ranching and, and restauranteurs... We need more folks like yourself who don't just do their job, but take so much pride and invest so much passion to make sure that they can answer every question and make every person feel like they're part of the process instead of just staring at their phone and passing the food out and whatever the case may be. I mean, you've, you've got to, as you said, make it a ceremony, especially when we're talking about steaks and beef and as expensive as what it is, there's gotta be more than just sustenance. There's, there's got to be that, that connection, uh, that ceremony. And, and, and, uh, You just, to me, you do a fabulous job and that's, it's refreshing. Again, it was refreshing for me to see and as we discussed and, and continue to watch from an Instagram standpoint and social media and everything else. I haven't gotten to come out, but if I ever get back to San Francisco, I'm, I'm going to be in line at Miller and Lux for Sure.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:it. And I just love what I do and our team and our staff love what we do together. And I think when you get good at hospitality, it's fun and we have a great time when people walk in the door and our service is spectacular. The ambiance of the room is amazing. And the rubber meets the road when you order dinner and the food comes out and it's just the best steak experience I've ever had. so so what we have, um, uh, I'm a kid of the 80s, right? I'm 53 years old. So I grew up in restaurants and my first job was like 1987, 86, something like that. I started washing dishes and the nicest restaurant in my hometown, this French restaurant called the fish market. Um, and, uh, they had like lobster tanks in the dining room and the tablecloths were pink and, and all the waiters wore tuxedos and, um, and. Uh, cummerbunds and like very 80s and they had a lot of table side service, which is great. And so they had, they had like these like finished sauces and like seared scallops. It kind of came out table side and things that got flambéed. And so, um, you know, we're all sort of, um, um, you know, collectors and curators of our own individual story, especially when it comes to the hospitality world, because we, We built movie sets for people to kind of walk in and have this like experience. Right. So a lot of these like wonderful memories that I have from tableside, um, service, uh, I brought to Miller and Lux and that's kind of like one of our old school refreshes that feels so fun again, as if you've never seen this kind of stuff before. So you get greeted with a champagne cart. Um, as you sit down, so our sommelier, uh, that you curate some of the most beautiful bottles, uh, of, of, you know, sparkling bubbles, but specifically champagne from the champagne region. And, uh, and you know, you, you can just celebrate when people come in for dinner, they're, they're coming into dinner for a reason, you know, they want to, they want to celebrate with their friends. Something. Big milestone happen. And even if it's just a Friday night, like, let's just get together and let's just do something. So we, you know, get a chance to celebrate the experience with a glass of champagne. And then, um, our oysters. Um, I think our oysters are our oyster program is incredible too. I built this estuary inside the kitchen. So, um, and it's one of one. I don't know of anybody else in America that has this because I had it custom built because I saw one in Hong Kong about 10 years ago and it blew me away. But the water is salinated and pH balanced to the ocean and it's, it's chilled to, I think it's about 37, 38 degrees. So, and it rains on top of the oysters. The oysters don't think they're in an estuary. The way you still think they're in kind of like this live water system, so they're not stressed. So when you crack them open, they're just plump and full as if you just pull them out of the water and you've never had a better oyster in your life. And we sort of kind of mix up the, the many net that comes along with that. Like right now we have kind of a Pickled strawberry, uh, shallot, minionette, which is just black pepper. So you get like a little bit of the sweet, a little bit of the black pepper bite on top of that. But with the brininess of the oysters, like it's just like that spectacular salty, sweet combo, which is just amazing. All of our oysters come from, um, uh, Marin County, uh, in Tomales Bay. So they're all super local.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:they are close.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Yeah. exactly. And then, um, If you don't order the Caesar salad at Miller Lux, did you even go? Did you go? So the Caesar salad, yeah, exactly. So the Caesar salad cart rolls out and our cart, our carts cost, um, um, 7, 000 bucks a piece. I have 10 of them and, uh, and they're, they're all custom made carts. And uh, and so it's a seven point, um, ceremony that kind of goes into the making the Caesar salad. The lettuces are hand grown for us, uh, in a ranch in San Jose. And then they're trucked up every day of San Francisco. And so the lettuces, which is a hybrid in between a little gym and a romaine, and the root system is still attached and it kind of comes out in this pot. And so it's like as fresh as you could possibly get lettuce. And then the, the, the dressing is made kind of right in front of your eyes. We use quail eggs instead of chicken eggs. I think the flavor profile is different. We use Meyer lemon instead of lemon. So we, we kind of create this and we, uh, we have the world's most expensive Parmesan cheese. It's a 36 month old Parmigiano Reggiano from Emilia Romagna. Like it's insane. Like the, the, the funk, the, the salt crystals, the flavor profile, like it's really spectacular Parmesan. And then the anchovies from Barcelona and the Meyer lemons are from Watsonville and just all just like really great. So we kind of build this stuff up and Forbes Magazine said it was the best cedar salad in America. I agree. So that comes out and then, uh, and then I missed one step because like to me, you know, that, that, uh, moment when I was a kid at the peddler, when they would bring the, the, uh, ribeye loin out and you could pick how thick you wanted to cut. We kind of do a similar experience, but I think classic steakhouse that brings the cuts out. So you can see them and talk about them because like our, our motto is marble makes money. So you want to see the car in the showroom before you drive it. So especially some of the, like, if you see it when it's like roasted and Brown, yeah, it looks delicious. But
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:too late.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, yeah, because you're kind of missing the nuances of why the steak is so great. And that's the marbling structure, right? So you kind of, so we have this, uh, spectacular 52 ounce, uh, uh, West home red Wagyu, uh, uh, Tomahawk, uh, from Australia, from Brisbane, which is unbelievably delicious. That's like. A 400 steak, but it feeds the family. It feeds four people, five people. And so you start doing the math and chopping it up. It's not, it's not, it's like, it's like you're, you listen, you're going to spend the money one way or the other. Right. But it's definitely, it's a super fun experience. And then, uh, then we have our, our, uh, our, um, our, uh, uh, uh, 48 ounce. Uh, Tomahawk, uh, from our, our branching partner in South Dakota, which is our signature steak, uh, and our New York strip is from the same partner. Our, our filet mignon is from a ranching partner in, uh, in Butte County in California. And then we have a couple of other cuts, which is kind of fun. We have a Dover sole from France. Uh, which gets the bone table sides. That's another really spectacular table side service. And so we just want to, you know, and our dining room was built by Ken Falk is one of the most, one of the most amazing, uh, you know, uh, uh, designers and public space designers in the country. He's just fantastic. And so you kind of get this whole big thing. You kind of walk in the door and somebody who gets steakhouses. AKA me knows what the F they're talking about, and they're delivering this world class experience as if you've never had it before, as if you've never seen it before and missing nothing, missing nothing. Our popovers or bread servers are like fresh baked out of the oven, so you kind of touch them. They're warm. You crack them open. You get this little burst of steam. Um, our, our salted grass fed beef butter, which is really, really great. Our desserts are amazing. And so I just, I love it. I feel like even in San Francisco, because there's, um, maybe there's like, I think two, two, two other notable steakhouses. So San Francisco magazine, December, the best steakhouse and the San Francisco Bay area and, uh, the Chronicle said we're one of the top five steakhouses in San Francisco because a few other, that was a voters poll. And there's a few others that are, that are, uh, that are really good too. There's like an old school, uh, place called house of prime rib. Um, which is just, just has like, you can get beef, but it's prime rib. And then there's another one, which is like a super fancy Japanese steakhouse called Niku, um, which is really great as well. And that, that's more of like a Japanese omakase kind of beef experience with a really great A5 Japanese Wagyu. But if you want an American steakhouse experience that misses nothing, are you joining? And, and also we're at the Chase Center, uh, home of the Golden State Warriors. So every basketball game, my God, is that restaurant a scene?
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:I'll bet.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:It's a scene with all of our, because like here in the Bay Area, like all of our, you know, our tech entrepreneurs, like they're kind of our local celebrities. So it's like the CEO of that company and the, you know, the CTO of that company and the, you know, the founder of that company and all our, we have like fantastic music scene here. So all of our hip hop artists are in and like, I'm like, you just kind of walk the dining room. I'm like, this place is dripping right now. Like, wow,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:uh, Every step that you have given me, now mind you here in central time zone it is 1239 p. m. And I usually record these over lunch. I am flipping starving to death right now after hearing you go step by step.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:and you know what I want? I want to. I want a steak.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:attaboy, me too. I want, I want the Caesar salad first though and maybe, maybe the champagne to start it. Um, Um, but every one of those steps along the line, you mentioned one, if not both things. And that was where the ingredient came from and who it was you worked with to source it. And that brings to mind something that you said to Amy, I think when we were in Austin and she was just in awe of all the things that you had going, not just that weekend, but back home and everything you were up to. And she said, Tyler, how do you? keep all these balls in the air. How do you get all this done? And you said, if you remember this, I believe you said, I surround myself with people with B positive blood
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Yep.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:And it took us both a second or so to think about B positive. Wait a second. He's not talking about blood type. He's talking about person.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:talking about your attitude.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Exactly.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:talking about either you love hospitality or this is not the right professional for you. Either you love it. Like you love air or this is not for you. And, uh, and, and, and thank you for that. Because like I was just talking about this, um, a couple of minutes ago, right before I hopped on, I had a quick little call with our, uh, operations director. And like, so like, if there's like. Somebody in our team who doesn't quite get it or doesn't quite fit in. You can just tell that they just, we have, they have a different blood type than we do. And so, and, and, and like hospitality is in your blood. You love to give joy for a living, or this is not your profession and you should go find something else to do. Either you love it or you don't. And if you don't, that's okay too. You know, I mean, the, the restaurant industry can feel transient. So you get a lot of people that are just kind of like buzzing through because I need a quick gig, but our servers and our captains are professional servers. They, they're the highest paid captains in the city of San Francisco, uh, uh, because they, they are professional restaurateurs, right? And then, and then our top line management team Um, we kind of pull the curtains back in a lot of ways and kind of show where all the money goes. And we're really super open with our P& Ls because I want this to be the most important thing that ever happens to you professionally in the restaurant world. And when you walk through the timeline of us working together and everybody has a for sale by date, everybody eventually moves on. We want to work with everybody forever, but eventually everybody moves on something else. And that's okay too. But I want you to be ready to open up your own restaurant when you're done with this, right? And I want to be friends with you forever You know It's like I have so many great relationships with like associates that have you know Grace our presence with their their professionalism for a while and then they've gone on to do other things and I'm their biggest cheerleader Right and so and and if and if you're not that type of person Then you can be a drag on the group. Right. And, and, and, and so we're really, really particular. I think one of our greatest strengths is our hiring practices. You know, we're, we're very, very particular about who we hire because it's really easy to hire somebody who just doesn't quite fit in sometimes. And it's really hard to get them out. Um, but, but that being said, my team is amazing, right? Like I do all this fun stuff. Because my team is great and it may seem like we're just kind of popping up with something new all the time. If we launch something in the public world where everybody can see it, know that we've been working on it for two years.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:I'll bet.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Know, know, that like every restaurant, every book, every TV show, every everything has been cooking slowly in a crock pot on the on the back stove for two years before it ever kind of gets to the public because everything that we do is at a super high level and it create, we need partnership. You know, we, we need food network. We need four seasons. We need all these people. And, and then there's just a level of, um, uh, scrutiny, uh, that kind of comes along with all these ideas too. You know, we, if we come up with a good business model, we really want to try to break it. Before we said, okay, we're going to go. And everything that we launched has been thoroughly vetted that we're, you know, if, if it doesn't succeed, it's because we, we screwed it up. Right. But on paper it works. Right. And so, uh, but my team are amazing. My, I love my group of people that I work with every day. And, and when we come up with a really good idea, we'll circulate it, put it in the hopper, and then figure out a really good time to start to execute the process. And then just begin the whole thing. Like I've got dude, I could, I would blow your mind. If I start talking about things we got in the hopper right now.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, you can't let it all, can't let it all out
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:well, cause I, cause honestly, like, cause we only talk about things we're doing, we don't talk about things we're thinking about and, but, but we've got so much stuff like, like, holy shit, we've got so much great stuff. Like you, you wouldn't believe the, the, the, the, the partners and the deals and the other things that we got cooking up, like I'm so. Excited and bullish on the future. Like we've got so many good things that we're kind of cooking up. And, and, and again, so many things have been working, we've been working on for like a year or so, you know, so it's all a slow process, but to answer your question, thank you so much for that, like, cause I always want to try to figure out some way in a public forum to thank my team. I, cause I never feel like I thank them enough. Uh, but all of our, um, the, the greater organization or TGO is our corporate company and, uh, our operations director and our CFO and my lovely wife and, uh, my chief of staff, like. Everybody is just like on their game every day. And then, uh, in our individual, like restaurant managers, like everyone just loves what they do. And I'm so excited to go to Hawaii to kind of revisit that team again. And, uh, and we just try to, we just try to walk the walk and talk the talk every day. Like we love hospitality and, and we prove it, you know, every day.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, my, my opinion is that is partly why you are drawn to the story about the steak and to the ranching culture because there's a ton of crossover with what you have just described about taking a long time to get something to market, making sure that you've got all the I's dotted and the T's crossed, having a team that's almost like family and, you know, decades, sometimes generations deep. There are more similarities, I think. than any of us realize between ranchers and restauranteurs. And I think you have illustrated that, and I mean, even when you were talking about why a chef has a double breasted coat, because you got a clean side and a dirty side, I'd never heard that, but that's fascinating. Um, most ranchers will have a clean hat and a dirty side. Dirty hat. They'll, they'll, you know, they'll go right from one thing into another that they may have to change one piece of the garment just so they don't look like they're completely out of character. Um, but you know, buy low, sell high. I mean, there's several things that you've mentioned just in the last 30 or 45 minutes that, uh, demonstrate to me the passion that you have to have about the hospitality industry and about your brand, the, the focus and the trust that you have to have of those around you just to get things done. And one other thing is, I think a lot of times in the restaurant business, you all hide your struggles that you might be dealing with, um, internally ranchers are just as bad or worse. Um, so maybe that's why we make pretty good partners.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, listen, um, um, you know, every, every business kind of, um, Phil Knight, who is the founder of Nike. Um, I was listening to a podcast that he was on, I think it was an older podcast, but somebody asked him like, what, what's the most important attribute of being an entrepreneur? And Phil Knight, who's like, you know, CEO and founder of like, like a billion multi billion dollar company like Nike. He says that you have to look into the face of adversity and and handle really dark times in a very professional manner. All right. And if those things scare you and if because you never know what's coming out of the pipeline, you never know what pandemic is going to hit or what. Market corrections going to happen or, and, and it seems that I wish, cause I remember when I was a kid, I remember like when 1987 there was like an economic, economic downturn, you know, there was a recession in 1987, but I don't think we saw one for a long time after that. Not until like the. com bubble
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Oh wait. Yeah, that's true.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Right. And so there was like a real long gap in between 20, 25 years. It seemed like it was like almost generational. Now it seems like there's a big market correction every five years or three years. Right. So, so, you know, we just have to be prepared and smart and sharp to be able to pivot when, when, and to be able to read the tea leaves of the economy in a way. To know something's going to happen because you've been there before. And I think the, the Oh, eight recession, the 2008 market correction, and then the pandemic has created such a, um, such scar tissue, right. With myself and my company that anything that kind of comes in the pipeline, we're prepared to start slashing and cutting down to the bone. If you need to. Right. And we're prepared to pivot because we know what the opposite end of the bookend, right? So the one end of the pendulum is success. And the other end is the brink of failure. And we've seen both and faced both head on, fearlessly. And we're prepared to do both. And I think that's what it means to be an entrepreneur. You just have to know what that mechanism is. That's survival mechanism and get to that pretty quickly if you have to, because you know what's about, you know, what's after that. If you wait too long, you know what's going to happen. Right. And so that's who we are as a person. And I don't hate it to be honest with you. Right. I hate we had to go through it, but I like who I am now. Right. Like, like, like our, uh, acumen, uh, of like, especially being in San Francisco, which is, you know, which, which is going through it, You know, like if you're, if you're, if you're paying attention to local politics or paying attention to like the news of what San Francisco looks like right now, it's, it's, it's I mean, it's not, not true. It's not, not true, but it's not everywhere. And it's not a hundred percent true. It's still San Francisco, California is still one of the greatest cities in America, but like San Francisco is going through it. so so we're in a unique position where we're, we're just like, we're, we're particularly hardened or particularly. You're like, you know, scrutinizing our P and L's and make sure we're saving every penny and making sure that, cause we just don't know what's going to happen next in a lot of ways. Right. But I think, I think that's what it means to be an entrepreneur and know that everybody, that's the reason I feel like I have such a kind, um, sensibility to myself because you never know what somebody else is going through. Like you'll, you'll stand behind somebody in line at coffee and you have trying to get coffee and you have no idea what kind of crises they're in the middle of. And so I think that that's overwhelming sense of kindness. That, that if you could just give, um, 5%, 10 percent more of yourself in a very, very kind way to strangers. Right. Like you're and know that that's going to come back to you. Um, at some point in time, you just kind of owe it to the universe.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Have you always had that or did that come as a result of being in the hospitality industry?
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, it's definitely part of being in the hospitality industry because like,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:early, so
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:yeah. I mean, honestly, it's who I am as a person. It really is. Like, I love TV. I love mentoring. I love the great food truck race. I love food network. I'm a chef, right? I'm a chef, and I run restaurants and that's my job, right? Everything else is fun, but I'm a chef and I run restaurants. And, uh, um, and that, that sense of hospitality and that sense of pride and that sense of kindness, it kind of comes along with it. Like you, you, um, um, like psychologically honed into reading that table, understanding where they are right now, and then giving them the appropriate level of feedback. And, and positive reinforcement to make sure that you have an opportunity to change their day. You have, you have an opportunity to change their life. Right there in this next three hours. Right. And so I, I carry that with me everywhere I go.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:That's awesome. And that's, that's why I'm drawn to you so much. And that's why I think that we as ranchers need to look to you all, whether you're running a restaurant, whether you're selling beef at retail, whether you're in a different industry altogether, because we can learn a lot. I mean, you were talking about bouncing back from adversity and tough financial times. I mean, we're right now when we're at the point in the cattle cycle that we are, we're in a pretty good spot, but we are. all looking at where do we need to be in three to five or seven years when we're on the other side of this commodity cycle. And, um, you know, it, your comments reminded me of the old quote that, uh, what is it? A diamond is nothing but a lump of coal that survived well under
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Yeah. Right. Exactly. Yeah.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:and that brings it out. I mean, that's, that's your area. That's our area. That's us as, as society. So before I let you go, um, you have an innate ability to look at your consumers and your customers, whether they're right there in the Bay Area or in, on the Big Island, Hawaii, or across the world, uh, with all the different things that you've got going on. What do you see changing in terms of consumer preferences? And let's, let's even distill it down to my listeners wheelhouse in the beef industry. Where are those folks going? What do they want going forth? Is it any different than we've seen the last 10 to 20 years? And if so, how do we need to prepare to make sure and help you have the best product and the best story to, to sell to them?
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, thank you so much. I appreciate that. And, and I, I, I love having this audience, uh, directly with the, the ranching community. Uh,'cause and, and, and no. That I have the utmost respect for what ranchers do and their families do and the service they provide and the food sources they provide to the American people. I just want you like from me to you, respect, right? Um, I appreciate what you're doing. If, if, if no one's told you that today, I'm telling you that right now.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, they probably haven't, but thank
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:appreciate you. I appreciate what you're doing. So that's the first message. The second message is like, Beef is back and beef has never been more popular, right? And so, and that was another part of our keynote address that we're talking about. The comment versus the comment tail, all of our data, right? And then we don't make casual decisions. Our, our, all of our decisions are based on data. All of our data shows that beef is back and better than ever. And, and in a lot of ways, because like the, the plant based faux meats, they've all had their moment in the sun. And,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Did they?
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:they have, Oh my God. Well, dude, like the honestly kind of going back to like, um, not to kind of call any brands out by name, but like, like, you know, being in the Bay area, I I've been invited, Oh my God. I've been offered so much money and like, Hey, can you be on our board? And gay, can you be the spokesperson for this? You know, artificial meat, plant based meat, and no one asks the question, what do you mean by plant based plant based? What? Right? And then you flip the box over and it's got 25 ingredients and it's the most mod, you know, food modified thing you've ever seen your entire life. And it's so fake and the fake flavoring and fake texture and fake everything. Right? And then you flip my box over and it's got one word on it and that's beef. Right. So there's a level of purity that I think people are really like into now because they, the, the, uh, I remember one company we did a, um, uh, like a, a fundraising meeting that I can't remember what round they were on. I can't remember the company because it's probably back in 2013, but it was, it was, uh, it was a plant based meat product that you, you can grill it and you press it and it bleeds.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Oh, gosh.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:gross, gross. And you know what it's like, like, you know what pork tastes like? Yeah. You know what beef, you know, beef tastes like,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Yeah.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:a duck tastes like,
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Uh, I can't say yes, but I would if I'd had
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:know what lamb tastes like, right? So this, this tasted like an animal. I had never had, right? It's weird, fake, meaty. Uh, and, and, and I, I think everybody has like gone through their fascination of like plant based and we're going to be healthy and I'm still going to get a burger, but it's a plant based burger. And, and you know, it's like dah, dah, dah. And like it's lentil based and blah, blah, blah. And then you start kind of getting like all the, the genetically modified foods additives that that go to make that patty a cohesive puck. And then you go and then you taste it and that tastes disgusting. And then, and then, so everyone, in a long winded way, I'm saying that people have like, have tried these other things and they're coming back to beef because there's nothing better. There's nothing better. Uh, and, and so we're really excited about that. Um, I think, I think the, the, the level of protein that beet provides, I think the level of scrutiny that the ranchers are putting kind of through this, the, the level of listening, which I think is really, really important, you know, to environmentalists and the industry. And meeting them as, as close to halfway as you possibly can is only going to do better for the environment, right? It's only going to be, we're only going to create like a better, better world, a better, you know, genetics and better beef and all this kind of stuff. And so we're getting there. We're getting there. And so anything I can do to you, and this is my last message, everybody out there in the world, anything I can do to you to help tell your story. Anything that I can do to help promote ranching in America, anything I can do to, to, to, to shine a light on this heartfelt industry that is all about family. Like I just want to do that. Right. And enjoy a good steak on top of it. Cause I think, I think everybody needs their moment in the sun. And I think the beef industry. deserves it more than most.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, you are doing that every night at Miller and Lux and on the television and on cookbooks and podcasts and you name it. I mean, you have, again, I go back to it. You have an incredible talent for making someone want to do business with you. Want making someone want to buy things that you are selling. I mean, I'm doggone glad personally that you didn't say yes to whatever deal that, uh, the plant
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:I was close
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:made. Because you
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:they were back in the truck up brother. I, I, I was, I was called a couple of them. I was like, wow, really? Okay. That's a lot of money.
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Well, there's, there's a reason for that, because I mean, luckily, uh, Nature ran it's course and people saw it for what it was and went absolutely not. But,
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:what I saw. Like, this is so
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:just glad they didn't have you out as their front man, because it may have been different. Ha ha
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:one company sent us a, they're like, Hey, we'd love for you to be the spokesperson of this. Like, plant based chicken nugget company. And, and our motto is always take the meeting. Cause you never know. Right. And so we took the meeting and it was kind of fun. And like they, they had a bunch of money and I'm like, well, let me try the product. Send me the product. Right. And so they sent us a cut. They were like frozen nuggets. You get it like Costco, whatever, right. In the freezer section. And I pulled them out and put them on the tray, pop in the oven, toasted them, tried a few. And then I flipped over. The bag and read the ingredients. And I think the fourth or fifth ingredient down was microcellulose, which is wood pulp
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:As the fourth ingredient.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:fourth or fifth ingredient down. Like, and that's the binder that holds the stuff together, right? It's just soylent green. Like what kind of garbage? Oh, you know what I mean? What's the matter? What's wrong with chicken? Right. And it's just crazy. So I think a lot of people have like tried that. Been down that road. It's last year's kale, you know, and if you don't like meat, enjoy vegetables. I love vegetarians. I love vegans. You know, I love we have a great vegetable tasting menu at the restaurant because I don't want anybody walking to go. There's nothing for me to eat here. We love that stuff. We have a vegan slash vegetarian tasting menu on the menu. Every night and the restaurant because that's how because like as a chef, that's where the honestly where the real storytelling is from a seasonality standpoint, because
matt_2_07-17-2024_120421:Oh, right,
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:a pork chop can taste like a pork chop from January to June, right? It's a saint. It's a pork chop, right? But the seasonality of all the stuff between going from, you know, slow roasted butternut squash and porcini mushrooms and, you know, You know, Madeira glaze and to tomatoes and fresh basil and Meyer lemon. And, and, you know, the seasonality of all this kind of stuff, like I love produce, right? But, but, um, I think a lot of people have kind of gone through this like fake protein thing and they're coming back to the reality of real healthy, good, sustainable protein. And that's, that's beef, that's chicken, that's lamb. And those are our ranchers that are doing this for the American public. And I'm, I'm proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
I would echo the same thoughts. I mean, we're so proud to get the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with you. And that passion that you have and that understanding of, of your customer and what it is, they want more than just food, more than just sustenance. You know, That entertainment, that understanding of how to bring that beef to them. We need to recognize here in the beef industry, how, just how important that is. And, um, yeah, we just, I can't thank you enough for being on here today. Uh, But for everything that you do with those steakhouses are on that food network show or in your cookbook or whatever the case may be. Any number of the things you do. Thank you for including beef. In those recipes, and then everything that you share. But thanks. More importantly for helping us share the why of what it is we do every morning. We walk out the door.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:Well, listen, buddy, um, um, I, I am so, uh, proud to be friends with you. And, uh, please tell your lovely wife, Amy, I said, hi, and, uh, I can't wait to see you again. And let's get something on the books, man. I want to come out to you. You guys come up to the West coast. Um, we got, uh, so the, um, um, I'm not sure when this is going to air, but the masters of fire festival, we've got, uh, Nashville coming up. We have Denver coming up. We have St. Louis coming up and then we have Sacramento coming up and then our finale is going to be in Dallas. on the Dallas Cowboys football field in October, um, which is gonna be super fun. Yeah, and we shot a pilot for this with Food Network. And so Masters of Fire, which is going to be the most incredible live fire cooking competition slash barbecue festival you've ever seen, uh, coming to a town near you. Uh, the show next year, uh, is going to be phenomenal. And, uh, we're just really, really happy where we are right now. It's a lot of hard work, um, but I love my team and, uh, we, we just, I surround myself with a bunch of fun, creative, hardworking people that like to get things done and, uh, and, and that's where we are right now. But, um, um, but I, I'm so proud of you and thank you so much. And I love telling your story. Um, you know, with like fifth generation, you know, Kansas rancher, come on, man. Like that, that, that's, that's so unique and interesting and real. I love it.
Well, there are plenty of others just like me that are out here listening. And. Very very glad that we have a friend in you. Uh, who can help us share that story with the world. So again, Thanks so much.
squadcaster-ifee_2_07-17-2024_100421:My pleasure. thank you so much, everybody.
Microphone (Yeti Stereo Microphone)-1:Thanks again for listening to practically ranching brought to you by Dalebanks Angus, as we've said before, if you like what we're doing here, give us a five star rating, drop us a comment and be sure to follow us, to hear future episodes. As soon as they're out. And be sure to make plans to join us for our annual bull sale, saturday, November 23rd at the ranch Northwest of Eureka, Kansas. We're sending our fall newsletter out later this week. So email me your address if you'd like to receive that. Uh, your physical mailing address or email address. Shoot that to mattperrier@dalebanks.Com and we will make sure and get you yours. Once again, thanks for listening. God bless each of you and we'll see you back here in two weeks.
