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In The Weeds with Ben Randall

In The Weeds with Ben Randall

509 episodes — Page 6 of 11

Episode 233: Don't Eat The Cicadas

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You guys, today we're learning. We're learning about chicken shortages, possible cicada allergies, we get an update on Lummi Island, and we mull over some people management strategies. It's a full day. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Jun 7, 20211h 46m

Episode 232: Sydney Says

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You guys, today we have a guest! We're joined by Sydney to talk about the female experience in the foodservice industry (FOH, BOH, and agriculture)! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

May 30, 202150 min

Episode 231: Slimeheads & Mudbugs

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Tonight we're talking the ongoing restaurant employee 'shortage', hastily renamed fish and questionable Marvel-based breakfast foods. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

May 24, 20211h 47m

Episode 230: Tweezer Chefs

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Today we're talking Mother's Day, The Offspring, wage theft, sexual and physical abuse in restaurants, lying about dem Costco chickens and much more. Maybe there'll be Chicken Pepperoni? Who knows? As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

May 9, 20211h 58m

Episode 229: Rad Food

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On the anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster (April 26, 1986), we talk radioactive food! Also, homemade bacon, airfrying french fries and we float more first-time uses for the octopus bundt pan! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Apr 25, 20211h 53m

Episode 228: Playing Ketchup

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Tonight, we're talking shortages; ketchup packet shortages, cook shortages, politeness shortages, you name it. Also, we continue planting our backyard gardens, get an airfryer and smoker update, and we talk Book Club! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Apr 19, 20211h 46m

Episode 227: Sausage Taco

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We're a day late but we're back! Today we're talking Chicago-Style hotdogs, olde-timey cookies, home improvement (or at least -adjustment) and more air frying! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Apr 13, 20211h 46m

Episode 226: Bad Barbecue

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You guys, Ben went on vacation, Steve got the vaccine, and we talk LOTS of home improvement stuff. Also, Southern Illinois is really hit & miss for BBQ, and there's suddenly a really expensive strawberry out there? As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Apr 5, 20211h 48m

Episode 225: No Objective

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Want to apply for a restaurant job? Worried that your resume isn't up to the task? We can help! Also, there's cows in the Suez canal and we skipped getting an update on the Air Fryer. Next time!

Mar 29, 20212h 6m

Episode 224: 2 Weeks Notice or Not 2 Weeks Notice

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Topic of the evening: do you give your employer 2 weeks notice when you're leaving, or do you not? Also, Florida & Texas are reopening, we do some grilling, smoking & airfrying, and Steve still doesn't have a bathroom.

Mar 22, 20211h 50m

Episode 223: The Pants Code

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Welcome Back! Tonight we talk the Economic Stimulus' effect on restaurants, to mask or not to mask, smoking meat and olde timey comedy variety shows. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Mar 10, 20211h 57m

Episode 222: Rich Jones Music & Food

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Special treat tonight, folks! We're talking to Rich Jones, Chicago native musician and all around life-lover. We talk the music scene, the food scene, BBQ and what reopening venues looks like. When? Not so much. Find Rich here! https://richjonesmusic.bandcamp.com/music As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Mar 5, 20211h 11m

Episode 221: Stupid Exploding Potatoes

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Today we're exploring food idioms from around the world, we talk grocery store closures, Little House on the Prairie and somehow (Mr.) Potatohead?

Feb 28, 20212h 1m

Episode 220: Red Alarm, Dippin' Dots!

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Today we owe an apology to Dippin' Dots, we talk through Pork Wellington, there's a mystery song on the internet, Ben gets fully vaccinated and we apply trite movie lines to restaurant work. It's a smorgasbord of talk!

Feb 21, 20212h 6m

Episode 219: Feels Good & Smells Great

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It's Valentine's Day folks, so of course we don't talk about it at all (but don't go out, though. For serious.) Today we're talking more restaurant pivots, landlords taking it right in the investments, and kitchen ASMR. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Feb 14, 20211h 37m

Episode 218: The Situation in Colorado with Chef Clyde Dolan

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It's interview time again, kids! Today we're sitting down with Chef Clyde Dolan (@chefcdolan on Instagram) to talk about the culinary scene in Colorado & Boulder! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Feb 7, 202158 min

Episode 217: Neither Grapes Nor Nuts

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You guys, it's time to talk COVID again, and its effect on restaurant employees, restaurants themselves and the economy at large. Also, we talk about GrubHub trying to sneak into Disney, snow and Chicago and the Great Grape-Nuts Shortage of 2021. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Jan 31, 20211h 33m

Episode 216: Dear Margaret

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You guys. I got to sit down and have a discussion. Like with real people. It was glorious. I met with the owner (Lacey Irby) and head chef (Ryan Brosseau) of Dear Margaret, an intimate French Canadian bistro that just opened in Chicago! (https://www.dearmargaretchi.com/) Give us a listen! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter) And find our guests at DearMargaretChi on Instagram!

Jan 27, 20211h 10m

Episode 215: Charming Garbage

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Heya kids! Today we're rockin' some Audience Appreciation! We talk returning to schools, Oreo's bonkers flavors, GrubHub drivers being pieces of shit without any repercussions, and of course, Taiwanese food. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Jan 18, 20212h 9m

Episode 214: Grandma Flavored KitKats and Tequila Mustard

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Today Ben & Steve are sampling candy from Japan and mustard from the National Mustard Museum! No news this week because we're all waiting to see what the next season of 'America Implodes' brings us. As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ (instagram) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com @wurstharold (twitter)

Jan 11, 20211h 34m

Episode 213: Precariously Positive About 2021

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Today we're talking about food media's predictions for the 2021 trends, which include austerity, the continued rise of vampiric third party delivery systems, and the death of the salad bar. But there's hope! There's always pizza! As always, find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/774902433251568 https://www.instagram.com/chefbenrandall/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-weeds-with-ben-randall/id869521547 intheweedswbr.com

Jan 6, 20211h 57m

Episode 212: 2020, Don't Let The Door Hit Ya

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Happy soon-to-be-New-Year everyone! Is it too early to celebrate? Probably!

Dec 31, 20202h 16m

Episode 211: Add Marshmallows, That'll Fix It

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Today we're talking weird one-off junk food flavor combos, the continuing miasma of confusing COVID-related directives for restaurants and how operators are handling all of that. Also, you can drink in airports!

Dec 28, 20202h 0m

Episode 210: Did It All For The Cookies

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Today we're talking Christmas (holiday) Cookies, Guy Fieri's foundation for out of work restaurant folk, and the 2020 food trends that never were.

Dec 21, 20201h 15m

Episode 209: The Chicago Charge

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Tonight we're talking about DoorDash's new grift, Christmas menu plans, Arby's and we're working on a 2020 wrapup, which is just as horrible as you'd imagine! Find us here: @soberchefben (twitter) ChefBenRandall (instagram) inthweedswbr.com [email protected]

Dec 13, 20201h 48m

Episode 208: Thanksgiving Post-Mortem

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It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and we're up to our eyeballs in leftovers! Today we talk turkey roasting, family favorites, international listener mail and US politics (obviously). Catch us out in the social media world! Instagram: ChefBenRandall Twitter: @soberchefben Email: [email protected] Website: intheweedswbr.com

Nov 29, 20201h 44m

Episode 207: Give Me One Good Raisin

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You guys, it's almost Thanksgiving! Tonight we're talking pie (again), ChowNow and (for some reason), raisins. Do you have a family favorite Thanksgiving dish that NOBODY else eats? Tell us about it! Find us @soberchefben on Twitter, ChefBenRandall on Instagram, or email us at [email protected]!

Nov 23, 20202h 4m

Episode 206: PanDisneyEmic

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You guys. Steve went to Disney. Like the World. The Happiest Place On Earth. Or, possibly the Happiest Place To Get Coronavirus. Let's find out!

Nov 18, 20201h 38m

Episode 205: Greg H, Out In The Field

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Tonight we talk about the future of restaurant assistance from our 'new' federal government, and we have a guest!

Nov 9, 20201h 16m

Episode 204: Ham Candy & Turkey Rollups

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You guys. Brach's has made an abomination. Also, we talk Halloween in the time of COVID, restaurant dining restrictions, the further shenanigans of GrubHub, and we rank candies.

Nov 2, 20202h 10m

Just The Tip Episode 16: Cut Fingers & Mental Health

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Right when everything's about to crash down, that's the best time to injure yourself, right?

Oct 25, 202023 min

Episode 203: Fling Candy Out Your Mail Slot

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This episode we're talking 2020 COVID kitchen hiring, Halloween, cold coffee, non-traditional Thanksgiving and the end (?) of restaurants in this country.

Oct 18, 20202h 6m

Episode 202: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Peacotum

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Today we're talking ongoing staffing issues in hospitality, weird fruit hybrids and food on sticks. Who doesn't love food on sticks?

Oct 12, 20202h 10m

Episode 201: Ghosted!

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Sorry we skipped a week, kids, but I lost an employee two weeks ago and have been up to my eyeballs in production work. On top of my management work. It's been a ride. Today we talk restaurant cover charges, restaurant openings, roll-feed printers and how NOT to quit a job. Roller. Coaster.

Oct 4, 20201h 47m

Episode 200: Curated Balls, $12

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It's our 200th Episode! Tonight we're talking about menu writing, specifically descriptive word choice. Also, we dissect a particularly awful article from 2016, and the restaurant news is still all bad.

Sep 21, 20202h 7m

Episode 199: 1 Wedding & 3 Funerals

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There are two things that I am extremely happy to NOT be doing in 2020: dating and getting married. How do you even do that? Also, we get an in-school foodservice update, and a drop-in from Ben's younger brother Luke! (Spoilers, he WENT to a wedding recently!)

Sep 13, 20202h 29m

Episode 198: Everything Sucks And You Get To Be Part Of It

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It's a long one today, kids! We're talking long-term restaurant design planning in the time of COVID, grocery delivery ideas, Kool-Aid Pickles and Ben's first full week back to work. Let's be honest; this episode is therapy in action.

Sep 6, 20202h 21m

Episode 197: Aggressive Nachos

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Oh, man you guys, Ben's back to work! Also we talk menu writing, 3rd-party delivery systems, food lathing and product shortages, outages & delays.

Aug 30, 20202h 16m

Just The Tip Episode 15: Back To School

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...and you thought back-to-school shopping sucked? How about going back to school in 2020? IT'S WAY WORSE.

Aug 16, 202020 min

Episode 196: The Maduro Split

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Ok kids, today Steve & Ben are talking Back To School, fancy KitKats, desserts that are also probably sex moves and Star Wars restaurant food. ft: The Matcha Train, Pumpkin Squeezins and Don't Lie To The Clown

Aug 11, 20201h 56m

Episode 195: Salt Iron Twitter

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It's Equipment Care 101 tonight, folks! Also we cover a bit of obligatory COVID housekeeping, pitch a haunted house movie and try to find parts for Steve's old-ass stove.

Aug 3, 20201h 46m

Episode 194: Fueled Up For Paletas Gringos

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Let's fix cultural appropriation in restaurants! No, there is too much. Let's start with moldy jam and paletas. Also, how much is a pizza worth, what's YOUR favorite energy drink, and who actually eats pandas?

Jul 27, 20202h 5m

Episode 193: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Mask, GTFO

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"I wear the mask to protect my loved ones." -Batman Wear a mask when you go out. Be like Batman. Also, today we talk upcoming guests, kitchen redesigns and Sbarro, somehow.

Jul 19, 20201h 49m

Episode 192: Disney or DisNot?

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Heya kids! Today we're talking about Disney reopening in the COVID world, Goya hitching their wagon to a turd, Alinea's intensely high-falutin' "art" mocking the global pandemic, and of course, we tie it to Corner Gas.

Jul 13, 20201h 46m

Episode 191:Cold Coffee & Gentle Humps

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It's the 4th of July, so of course we're talking about food spokespeople, robot delivery services and cold-brew coffee!

Jul 5, 20201h 44m

Episode 190: GermHub

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Still no good news, kids! Today we talk restaurants reopening amidst COVID-19, pizza of varying qualities, the supposed meat shortage and why Rian Johnson shouldn't be the chef/owner of a restaurant.

Jun 28, 20201h 59m

Episode 189: Mr. Pickle Has A Mann Problem

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You guys. Bosses. Restaurant owners. While it has never really been a good time to be racist, now is REALLY NOT A GOOD TIME. Also, Chipotle continues to poison people, bakers are uniting against racism and Ben becomes obsessed with beans.

Jun 16, 20201h 39m

Episode 188: That Waffle House Reuben

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It is really tough to be funny and run a light, silly show about the restaurant industry in June of 2020. So we aren't really trying. Today we're talking systemic racism in restaurants, what happens when restaurant owners open their big stupid racist mouths on social media, why Bon Apetit is likely to see a huge management staffing shift, and geckos.

Jun 9, 20201h 55m

Here's The Thing: Episode 2 Smarter Than Our Programming

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Black Lives Matter. I cannot do much, but here is what I am going to do. Donate Here: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#about https://www.naacpldf.org/support/other-ways-to-give/ https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep

Jun 3, 202023 min

Episode 187: Listen to the Experts

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Good morning America. Today we're talking about flooding in Michigan, flooding in restaurants, chip salad, culinary whitewashing and deeply flawed kitchen 'tips & tricks'. It's getting wild out there. Spoilers, don't trust everything on the internet. (You can trust us.) https://www.facebook.com/intheweedswithbenrandall/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBAxVsnxHsGG34SVyFNxEF28m0ToIcfEPiWNEVp3Q8WqCy6HDsGav6IiNSuN1xVs2sVG3XjPy4-MQQNtN2S_gfficcjDeRTcJv_pmh1oPjP6q8Q_lDn4nlzgTPb1F7Ly3cM7h2DzE7cf_6_chXRaRZCZKExErwk_sXdwFoSq8ryOldwzlmL7xyELgsDF1kB6_p3Us_oBQiNV3bSZgsYIblSIgpguZVrX4qd5toKNbw6OxvoPnI2W1Evf7bX1xc4nIzBMFSOPFk9INnyTq20bdwK7T6iLwLJguFW2PMEKpzWf9a5qKstZ3WQq2BXuo20f-S-4F9GMkJrq5lI_3cRfTBFWg @soberchefben on twitter @chefbenrandall on instagram

May 24, 2020