Episode #208 - Chef Richie Farina

This week's guest is Chef Richie Farina, a man who turns food into theater without losing sight of flavor. A Johnson & Wales grad, three-time collegiate ice-carving champion, Moto alum, Top Chef competitor, and host of Carnival Kings, Richie has spent his career reworking familiar pleasures into strange, funny, technically impressive dishes, like Cuban sandwiches as cigars, smoked fish as a riverbed, s'mores toasted at the table, and fair food rebuilt under pressure. He tells us about finding his way from pizza shops and Boston kitchens to Moto, what he learned from Homaro Cantu about making food feel like an event, and why his next chapter is less about chasing stars than finding a life that leaves room for family, creativity, and the occasional dragon's breath puff. We're talking competitive ice sculpture, deep-fried Coca-Cola, Moto's creative process, TV-show sequestration, the decline of three-hour tasting menus — and so much more!