In the Weeds Podcast with Chef Spike Mendelsohn

• Chef Rose Previte: No White Plates, No Rules, All Heart

  Restaurateur, chef, and experience-architect Rose Previte doesn’t just run restaurants—she builds worlds. The creative force behind Compass Rose, Maydān, and the new Maydān Market in LA joins Spike to talk about crafting spaces that connect people through fire, flavor, and story.From convincing Georgian ambassadors she wasn’t a spy to fighting neighborhood boards for her liquor license, Rose shares how she turned her Sicilian-Lebanese heritage and global travels into one of DC’s most distinctive culinary voices. This episode dives into identity, hospitality, and the art of creating places that feel like home—filled with the warmth of oak smoke and za’atar.On The Menu This Episode:– The small Sicilian village where everyone shares Rose’s last name– Growing up Lebanese and Sicilian in small-town Ohio with homemade sausage in the basement– Convincing a Georgian ambassador she wasn’t a spy while trying to import cheese– Why Compass Rose was born on a Trans-Siberian train ride– The fight to open her first restaurant (and win a liquor license battle with angry neighbors)– Building Maydān around live fire and learning to let the flames lead– Why she’s reclaiming the word “chef” for the women who taught her to cook– The origin of “No White Plates” and designing experiences instead of perfect plating– Opening Maydān Market in LA and bringing her gathering-place philosophy west– Finding connection, identity, and purpose through food, travel, and story Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://linktr.ee/intheweeds.pod 🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by: Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com to see what they are cooking up!DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org

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• Chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio: Two Brothers, One Grind, Zero Shortcuts

  Today we're not just plating one powerhouse chef — we’ve got two. The Voltaggio Brothers sit down with Spike for an episode layered like a perfect terrine: humble beginnings, razor-sharp sibling banter, Michelin-level intensity, and true DMV loyalty.From banging pans in a Holiday Inn kitchen at 14 to chasing greatness across New York, West Virginia, California & back home, Bryan and Michael break down what it really takes to rise from busboy to industry icon. They talk family dinners as religion, working 100-hour weeks, learning luxury through hospitality, fabricating deer on porches to pay rent, Michelin highs, leadership lessons from Charlie Palmer, and why home — and mom’s meatballs — still matter.If you love chef origin stories with grit, humor, and brotherly smoke, tuck in. This one cooks.What’s On the Menu This Episode:Origins & UpbringingGrew up in Frederick, Maryland — blue-collar roots, tight family tableFirst jobs in a Holiday Inn kitchen — busboys turned cooks by necessityDinner at home was sacred — mom in the apron, family around the tableTwo Paths, One HungerBryan heads to Culinary Institute of AmericaMichael earns stripes at the Greenbrier apprenticeshipOne chasing prestige, the other chasing survival — same fire either wayNew York GrindSleep-deprived, broke, bunk beds in ChinatownEarly mornings, late nights, learning luxury by cooking for itBurn the fingertips, bruise the ego, sharpen the knivesCraft, Competition & Michelin MomentsCalifornia kitchens & Napa stage workMichael earns a Michelin star at 26Bryan opens Charlie Palmer Steak DC and lays foundation for his own empireSibling support with a side of rivalry — iron sharpens ironRoots + ReturnComing home to the DMVDinner with mom still brings critiques and joyProof you can build the world and still know where you came fromLife Beyond the LineFrom chefs to operators, mentors, fathers, foundersEntrepreneurs who learned the hard parts: payroll, ice machines, broken dreams, rebuilt visionsRespect for hustle, respect for struggle, respect for each other Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://linktr.ee/intheweeds.pod 🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by: Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com to see what they are cooking up!DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org

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• Chef Chad Rosenthal: The Smoke, The Strip & The Story In Between (plus a side of warm nuts)

  From slinging ribs in the Philly suburbs to beating Bobby Flay on national TV, Chef Chad Rosenthal has built a career on smoke, soul, and a stubborn refusal to take himself too seriously. In this episode of In The Weeds, Spike and Chad trade stories about the unglamorous grind behind the grill—barbecue battles, burnt ends, kosher competitions gone sideways, and why Chad finally walked away from the pit. They talk about art school detours, the Memphis rub that changed his life, and the fine line between “hospitality nerd” and “fried-chicken lord.” It’s chef-world honesty at its funniest and most unfiltered—equal parts heart, hustle, and humor.Episode Notes-Chef Chad Rosenthal is a self-taught Philly native whose barbecue roots run deep—from backyard experiments to Beat Bobby Flay champion.-Spike and Chad swap stories about The Bear, Iron Chef, and culinary TV chaos.-Chad explains how fine-arts school (and a giant papier-mâché sperm) somehow led him to opening restaurants like The Lucky Well and Mary in Ardmore.-A deep dive into Memphis-style ribs, dry rubs, and why “room-temperature nuts” belong in culinary history.-Barbecue purism, kosher cook-offs, and the “Chicken Strip Club” at Mary—yes, that’s a thing.-Reflections on burnout, fun in the kitchen, and why good food should always come with a good laugh. Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://linktr.ee/intheweeds.pod 🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by: Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com to see what they are cooking up!DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org

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• Salt of the Earth: From Puffins to Pure Flakes with Gísli Grímsson of Saltverk

  This week on In The Weeds Podcast, Spike sits down with Gísli Grímsson — chef, storyteller, and sustainable saltmaker from the wild Westfjords of Iceland. From a childhood spent on remote puffin islands to hand-harvesting geothermal sea salt, Gísli’s journey is one part island resilience, one part culinary innovation, and entirely fascinating.They dive deep into Icelandic traditions — puffin hunting with lacrosse-like sticks, fermented fries in Copenhagen, and how geothermal power fuels both homes and Saltverk’s evaporation tanks. Gísli explains how Iceland’s untouched nature and ancient energy sources shape the cleanest, most sustainable sea salt on earth — salt so pure, it’s found on plates at NOMA  and the best home kitchens from Reykjavík to D.C.Spike and Gísli swap stories from back-of-house chaos to volcanic landscapes, talk about how kitchens have changed from “violent” to “visionary,” and laugh through tales of lava salts and late-night Icelandic hot dogs. It’s a masterclass in craftsmanship, sustainability, and staying salty — in all the right ways.On This Episode, You Will Hear:-Puffin hunting traditions and generational Icelandic food culture-The birth of Saltverk: using geothermal energy to make pure, sustainable sea salt-How Iceland’s natural energy sources drive food innovation-Saltverk Salt and why purity matters-How the culinary world shifted from “rage kitchens” to “mentorship kitchens”-Working with top restaurants like NOMA-Using flavored salts like birch-smoked and Arctic thyme in cooking-How Icelandic food culture blends nature, preservation, and creativity Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://linktr.ee/intheweeds.pod 🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by: Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com to see what they are cooking up!DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org

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• Shawn Townsend: From the Night Mayor to DC's Restaurant Boss

  Spike sits down with Shawn Townsend, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington — aka the guy making sure the DMV’s food scene doesn’t burn out under pressure. Shawn has seen DC from every side of the line — behind the bar, behind the badge, and now behind the movement keeping restaurants alive. From his early days crushing grapes in Sicily to becoming DC’s first “Night Mayor,” Shawn breaks down what it really takes to keep a city eating — through politics, policy, and pandemic fallout. They dig into everything from third-party delivery fees and minimum wage battles to ICE raids, nightlife culture, and what “Together We Dine” really means for the future of dining out in DC.This one’s for anyone who’s ever fought to keep the lights on, the kitchen running, and the city’s flavor alive.What You'll Hear In This Episode:How a military kid from Charleston ended up shaping DC’s restaurant policyLessons from working nightlife enforcement to advocating for restaurantsThe evolution of DC’s food scene — from Obama-era renaissance to post-COVID recoveryWhy third-party delivery apps became both a lifeline and a liabilityHow ICE presence and federal optics are scaring off both workers and dinersThe reality of doing business across DC, Maryland, and Virginia“Together We Dine” — RAMW’s new campaign to bring people back into restaurantsWhat local owners can do to adapt, innovate, and survive the new era of hospitalityWhy DC’s food scene is still on fire — in the best and worst ways   Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://linktr.ee/intheweeds.pod 🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by: Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com to see what they are cooking up!DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org

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