8. The Woke Kitchen

On episode 8 of The Carousel Podcast I chat with restaurants veteran Michael Nemcik about shifts in mainstream culinary propaganda.

He began his career as a line cook at Hooters Orlando and worked his way up to manager/beverage director at some of the best restaurants in LA. He possesses encyclopedic knowledge of food and wine and has as close to perfect taste as one can get.

Recent trends have him concerned about the industry he knows and loves. Including…

* The overwhelming inaccuracies and “snowflakery” of the hit Hulu show The Bear. Nemcik recently moved to Chicago where the supposedly gritty slice-of-life show takes place.

* The James Beard Awards are the Oscars of the cooking industry and, like the Oscars, recently shifted its primary mission from celebrating excellence to achieving inclusion. Nemcik, as a person of color, discusses the cheapening effects of a more propagandistic awards.

* The achievements (and demographic realities) of asians and Hispanics in the kitchen seem to go unrecognized by media like The Bear and the James Beard Awards.

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