Send us a text

Welcome to the second episode of the SNACKS series.

SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.

In SNACKS Episode 2, Chef JKP brings together insights from Himanshu Saini and Peggy Pui Ki Li, exploring pressure, recognition, and what really changes after success arrives.

Himanshu speaks candidly about what Michelin recognition actually feels like. From the uncertainty of awards season to the pressure that follows, he reflects on how visibility reshapes a restaurant, its guests, and the expectations placed on the chef. He shares the emotional weight of recognition, the responsibility that comes with it, and why peace and patience matter more than chasing the next milestone.

Peggy brings a complementary perspective shaped by years of operating at the highest level of hospitality. She breaks down the difference between commercial and fine dining, how attention to detail defines premium experiences, and why leadership, clarity, and mental resilience are essential when operating under constant scrutiny.

Together, this SNACK episode explores what happens after recognition. The pressure it brings, the responsibility it creates, and how chefs navigate visibility, expectations, and their own wellbeing without losing focus on the craft.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• What Michelin recognition actually feels like in real time
• The pressure that follows awards and global attention
• How visibility changes guests, expectations, and business
• Mental health challenges after success arrives
• Managing distractions outside the kitchen
• Leadership through uncertainty and responsibility
• Commercial dining versus fine dining operations
• Attention to detail at the highest level of hospitality
• Developing talent and kitchen culture
• Staying grounded while navigating recognition

CHAPTERS

01:00 The reality of Michelin announcements
03:00 Pressure, nerves, and expectations
05:00 Visibility and changing audiences
07:00 Managing attention beyond the kitchen
09:00 Mental health and balance
11:00 Leadership under pressure
13:00 Commercial versus fine dining
15:00 Talent, culture, and long-term thinking
17:00 Final reflections on recognition

FOLLOW THE GUESTS

Himanshu Saini

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/chefhimanshusaini

Restaurant

https://www.instagram.com/tresindstudio

Peggy Pui Ki Li

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/peggy_p_li

FOLLOW CHEF JKP

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/chefjkppodcast

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-knight-paccheco-447b1b17

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@jamesknightpaccheco

Support the show

Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a text

Welcome to the first episode of the SNACKS series.

SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.

In Snack Episode 1, Chef JKP brings together insights from the legendary chef Pierre Koffmann and Reim El Houni, offering two perspectives on leadership, craft, and visibility in hospitality.

Pierre reflects on building excellence in an era before trends, PR, and performance culture. He shares what it took to shape The Waterside Inn on its rise to three Michelin stars, why a kitchen needs one clear voice, and how originality and restraint defined his approach.

Reim brings a modern lens to the conversation with a clear message. If you are not visible, you are invisible. She explains why visibility is now part of the job, how chefs and creatives can turn presence into opportunity, and why preparation, testing ideas, and owning your platform matter more than ever.

Together, this SNACK contrasts two generations of excellence. One built quietly through discipline and craft. The other shaped by communication, visibility, and evolving expectations.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Building a Michelin kitchen in a very different era
• Life inside The Waterside Inn during its rise to three stars
• Leadership, authority, and why one clear voice matters
• Cooking without trends, tweezers, or theatrics
• Ingredient quality versus presentation culture
• Knowing when to back your own taste
• Why originality creates attention
• Visibility as a modern responsibility
• Turning content into real opportunity
• What longevity in gastronomy really requires

CHAPTERS

01:00 Michelin kitchens before trends and performance
03:00 Leadership at the pass and owning responsibility
05:00 Cooking with instinct, seasonality, and restraint
07:00 Opening your own restaurant and backing your taste
09:00 Originality, risk, and confidence
11:00 Visibility and modern expectations
13:00 Testing ideas before building them
15:00 Creating your own platform
17:00 Final reflections on longevity

FOLLOW THE GUESTS

Pierre Koffmann
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/pierre.koffmann/
https://www.instagram.com/thefoodheroesfamily

Reim El Houni
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/reimelhouni/
https://www.instagram.com/ti22films

FOLLOW CHEF JKP

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/chefjkppodcast

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-knight-paccheco-447b1b17

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@jamesknightpaccheco

Support the show

Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a text

Season 11 closes with a conversation that defines what true creative commitment looks like at the highest level of gastronomy.

In this season finale of the Chef JKP Podcast, Chef JKP is joined by Carmen Rueda Hernandez, Executive Pastry Chef of Bricks Dessert and one of the most quietly influential pastry chefs working today.

From a small village in the mountains of Spain to the kitchens of El Bulli and The Fat Duck, Carmen’s journey is not driven by titles or shortcuts, but by curiosity, discipline, and an uncompromising respect for craft.

This conversation traces her evolution from a young cook obsessed with meat and fish to a pastry chef who found her voice through chocolate, research, and storytelling. Carmen speaks candidly about unpaid stages, 14-hour days, creative pressure at the world’s most demanding kitchens, and the mental resilience required to grow without losing yourself along the way.

She reflects on working during El Bulli’s final season, rebuilding The Fat Duck’s menu from scratch, leading experimental research kitchens, and why pastry is not about sweetness but about balance, texture, memory, and emotion.

The episode also dives deep into her work in Dubai, where she built Bricks as the Middle East’s first dessert-only fine dining restaurant. Carmen explains how storytelling shapes every menu, why education is still the biggest challenge, and how trust, repetition, and patience are essential when introducing new ideas to diners.

At its core, this is a conversation about mastery. About staying curious. About knowing when to push, when to listen, and why greatness is built slowly, choice by choice.

A fitting end to a season focused on growth in all its forms.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Growing up in rural Spain and developing curiosity through observation
• Choosing culinary school over economics on instinct
• Discovering pastry through chocolate and laboratory kitchens
• The reality of unpaid stages and long working hours
• Working at El Bulli during its final season
• Discipline, structure, and calm at the world’s top kitchens
• Rebuilding creativity at The Fat Duck through research and psychology
• Leading experimental kitchens under extreme pressure
• Competing at the World Chocolate Masters
• Why dessert is about balance, not sweetness
• Building Bricks as a dessert-only fine dining concept
• Advice for young chefs on repetition, patience, and mastery

CHAPTERS

00:00 Season finale introduction
04:10 Childhood food memories and curiosity
09:30 Choosing culinary over economics
15:20 Early kitchen realities and work ethic
22:10 Discovering pastry through chocolate
30:40 Moving to France and classical training
42:00 Joining El Bulli
55:20 Lessons from the world’s top kitchen
68:10 The Fat Duck and experimental research
86:40 Competition mindset and pressure
104:30 Creating Bricks in Dubai
136:20 Final reflections and advice

PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY POTATOES USA

Potatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and champions chefs, home cooks, and food lovers across the world. From nutrition to creativity, they continue to show why the potato remains one of the most versatile and essential ingredients in every kitchen.

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/

Website
https://www.potatogoodnessgcc.com/

FOLLOW THE GUEST

Carmen Rueda Hernandez
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/chefcarmenrueda6

GUEST BUSINESSES

Support the show

Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE