Episode 84 – Chef Caroline Glover of Annette restaurant

The CHEF Radio Podcast

For this episode we head out to the Rocky Mountains, where chef Caroline Glover of Annette restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, joins us to talk about her journey, which started as an improbable cook and has culminated in a 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef.

See, what Caroline innately possesses that allowed her to achieve what she has, is an amazing work ethic, and as she says it, while working at the famous/infamous gastropub that started that trend in America, The Spotted Pig in NYC, she “just kept showing up”, which allowed her to get recognized by then chef owner April Bloomfield, who took a liking to her and became her mentor. After being exposed to all the amazing farmers that come into New York City to sell their product while working at The Pig, Caroline decided to check out farming, where she worked for one of the best in the tri-state area, Tim Stark, of Eckerton Hill Farm, who's peppers and tomatoes adorn some of the worlds best restaurant's plates. But, Caroline's journey doesn’t just stop there though; tune in to hear about all the lessons that she’s learned along the way as a rising star in our industry!

Here are some of the things we chatted about:

• The taste challenges of being a chef and being pregnant
• Dropping out of school to pursue a life in food
• Getting pushed out of the nest
• The shock of moving to NYC and being embarrassed at TSP
• Watching her mentor go through a tremendously difficult time
• How her former chef earned the nickname “The Claw”
• Caroline's exposure to farming from one of the best to ever do it
• The importance of using all of the vegetable, even if they are slightly imperfect
• The importance of hiring women in the kitchen and why it matters to her
• How Caroline knew it was time to open her own restaurant
• The experience of doing IVF while still running a restaurant
• Winning the James Beard Award in 2022
• Annette’s unique and groundbreaking way of paying their employees as an “equal restaurant”

A huge shout out to our sponsors, Maxwell McKenney and Singer Equipment, for their unwavering support, which allows us to be able to bring these conversations to you. Check out their websites for all the amazing equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make your team more efficient and successful.

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