Fugitive Chefs

Justin Khanna trained in some of the most demanding kitchens in the world — Per Se, The French Laundry, and Grace.

He followed the classic path many chefs dream about.
Culinary school. Michelin kitchens. Climbing the brigade.

But along the way he started asking a harder question:
Is there a better way to build kitchens?

Today Justin runs Repertoire, a platform focused on improving performance in professional kitchens — helping chefs build better systems, leadership, and sustainable businesses.

In this episode we talk about:
• What really happens inside Michelin kitchens
• Why many talented chefs leave restaurants
• The hidden leadership challenges of running kitchens
• Restaurant profitability and performance systems
• Why kindness and high performance can coexist
• How chefs can build careers beyond the stove

If you’ve ever questioned the system but couldn’t articulate why, this conversation will resonate.

Learn more about Justin’s work and resources:
🔥 Total Station Domination (Justin’s program for chefs)
🎁 Friend of the Show Discount : FOTS75TSD for 20% off
📺 Repertoire YouTube
📸 Instagram
🌐 Website & Articles

🎧 Fugitive Chefs is your window into alternative culinary careers and bold food innovation. New episodes every Tuesday.👉 Follow, rate us on Spotify, subscribe & comment on YouTube, and share with someone who’s questioning their place in the kitchen.🌐 Website: www.fugitivechefs.com📸 Furqan’s Instagram: https://bit.ly/4dtiyTv🎧 Podcast Instagram: https://bit.ly/43ndATO🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3F6j25A🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/43vBtbT▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fugitivechefs

What happens when chefs decide to leave restaurant kitchens before their careers even begin?

In this episode I speak with Harsh Pawar and Seonghwan Park (Hans), two chefs studying the Master’s in Gastronomic Sciences at the Basque Culinary Center.

Instead of pursuing traditional restaurant careers, they are exploring paths in:
• food research
• sustainability
• fermentation
• food innovation labs
• R&D in the food industry

We talk about:
• why some chefs leave kitchens early
• what the Gastronomic Science master actually teaches
• whether a master’s degree helps enter food R&D
• the reality behind careers in food innovation
• applying to Basque Culinary Center as an international student

If you’re a chef wondering what careers exist beyond restaurants, this conversation gives a very honest perspective.

🎧 Fugitive Chefs is your window into alternative culinary careers and bold food innovation. New episodes every Tuesday.👉 Follow, rate us on Spotify, subscribe & comment on YouTube, and share with someone who’s questioning their place in the kitchen.🌐 Website: www.fugitivechefs.com📸 Furqan’s Instagram: https://bit.ly/4dtiyTv🎧 Podcast Instagram: https://bit.ly/43ndATO🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3F6j25A🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/43vBtbT▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fugitivechefs

“Corporate chef” gets thrown around a lot.

But what does it actually mean?

In this episode, I break down the different types of corporate chef roles I’ve seen across food companies — from R&D and innovation to activation, QSR development, business development, and institutional systems.

If you’re thinking about leaving restaurants, this episode will help you understand:

• What these roles really look like
• What daily life inside a food company involves
• The myths around “selling out”
• Who thrives in these environments
• Whether this path is actually right for you

Corporate chef isn’t one job. It’s an ecosystem.

And the more we decode it, the less confusing the transition becomes.

If this episode helped you, please consider to follow us and leave a rating — it genuinely helps other chefs discover these conversations.

Many chefs think going corporate means leaving the “real kitchen.” But what if it’s just a different kind of impact?

In this episode, I sit down with Marilen Ingco — Corporate Chef at UNOX and former Senior Development Chef at Givaudan & Unilever to unpack what really happens inside global food companies.

We talk about:
• What corporate chefs actually do day to day
• Working behind flavors millions consume
• The shift from craft to scale
• Stability vs creativity
• Returning to personal identity through pop-ups and Filipino cuisine

If you’ve ever questioned whether restaurants are your only path this conversation might expand your view.

🎧 Fugitive Chefs is your window into alternative culinary careers and bold food innovation. New episodes every Tuesday.
👉 Follow, rate us on Spotify, subscribe & comment on YouTube, and share with someone who’s questioning their place in the kitchen.

www.fugitivechefs.com

Estefanía Simon-Sasyk is a Michelin-trained chef who led kitchens across continents before moving into strategic consulting, food innovation, and systems thinking.

She has worked with institutions like the WTO and the Inter-American Development Bank, and founded Mycelium — a global network connecting chefs, scientists, and industry leaders.

This episode explores:

How kitchens can be both refuge and addiction

Why she left restaurants after 13 years

What education actually does (and doesn’t do) for chefs

Why “university is not a product”

The role of chefs in policy and corporate innovation

Whether food companies can drive positive change

Why innovation is about systems — not trends

This isn’t a story about burnout.
It’s a conversation about scale, agency, and what chefhood looks like when it expands beyond restaurants.

👇 If you’re a chef navigating your next move:
What do you think chefs are uniquely positioned to contribute outside kitchens?

🎧 Fugitive Chefs explores alternative culinary careers and food system transformation.
New episodes every Tuesday.

🌐 Website & community: https://www.fugitivechefs.com
📸 Furqan’s Instagram: https://bit.ly/4dtiyTv
🎧 Podcast Instagram: https://bit.ly/43ndATO
🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3F6j25A
🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/43vBtbT