Ben Ford | An Artisan's Craft

I will say this about cuisine, and I will say

2

00:00:03,870 --> 00:00:05,740

this about danger in general.

3

00:00:05,820 --> 00:00:07,149

That's where you find the good stuff.

4

00:00:09,210 --> 00:00:12,790

If you want that good street taco,

if you want that good whatever.

5

00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:14,679

Announcer: Welcome to Story Craft.

6

00:00:15,250 --> 00:00:17,269

Now, here's your host, Marc Preston.

7

00:00:17,620 --> 00:00:18,509

Marc Preston: All right, here we go.

8

00:00:18,509 --> 00:00:20,939

Another episode of Story Craft.

9

00:00:20,989 --> 00:00:23,409

We are back together once again.

10

00:00:23,849 --> 00:00:24,929

Good to be back with you.

11

00:00:24,930 --> 00:00:28,070

If this is your first

episode, my name is Marc.

12

00:00:28,130 --> 00:00:29,880

Thank you for checking out the show.

13

00:00:30,099 --> 00:00:33,650

Glad to have you along, uh,

today sitting down with chef,

14

00:00:33,779 --> 00:00:39,210

restaurateur, entrepreneur, author,

philanthropist, chef Ben Ford.

15

00:00:39,259 --> 00:00:42,499

He's known for his restaurant in

Los Angeles called Ford's Filling

16

00:00:42,499 --> 00:00:46,230

Station, but he's been involved

in something like 27 different

17

00:00:46,239 --> 00:00:48,329

restaurants around the Los Angeles area.

18

00:00:48,419 --> 00:00:52,589

He's been involved in just all kinds

of different projects all over the

19

00:00:52,589 --> 00:00:55,749

world, actually, even, uh, working

along with the State Department.

20

00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,290

I mean, he's had a very,

very intriguing career.

21

00:00:58,445 --> 00:01:03,725

We discuss everything stem to stern his

entire career growing up, uh, with his

22

00:01:03,725 --> 00:01:06,405

father, of course, actor Harrison Ford.

23

00:01:06,515 --> 00:01:10,665

Of course, Ben has had a very

illustrious career as a chef.

24

00:01:10,965 --> 00:01:12,525

Uh, just great stories.

25

00:01:12,564 --> 00:01:14,845

This is a food nerd heavy episode.

26

00:01:14,955 --> 00:01:19,575

If you've been listening to the show for

a while, you know, I like talking food.

27

00:01:19,730 --> 00:01:23,350

Uh, we've had some chefs on before,

and this is just kind of a fun, uh,

28

00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,660

talking food and restaurants and kind

of what does it all mean and, you know,

29

00:01:27,700 --> 00:01:29,710

cultural influences, things like that.

30

00:01:29,970 --> 00:01:32,810

Tell you what, do me a favor,

always ask, if you would,

31

00:01:33,090 --> 00:01:35,030

cruise on over to Story Craft.

32

00:01:35,155 --> 00:01:35,735

pod.

33

00:01:36,175 --> 00:01:39,395

com, specifically story and craft pod.

34

00:01:39,655 --> 00:01:44,115

com slash rate, drop a

few stars, leave a review.

35

00:01:44,415 --> 00:01:47,985

Um, if the, at the very

least just follow the show.

36

00:01:47,985 --> 00:01:52,214

So you get notified every time we have a

new episode that way folks get to discover

37

00:01:52,214 --> 00:01:57,065

story and craft a little easier, and

it's a chance for them to take part in

38

00:01:57,065 --> 00:01:59,325

the mischief that I got going on here.

39

00:01:59,445 --> 00:01:59,815

Okay.

40

00:01:59,815 --> 00:02:02,005

So let's jump right into it today.

41

00:02:02,215 --> 00:02:03,735

It's Food Nerd Central.

42

00:02:03,795 --> 00:02:04,705

We're gonna have fun.

43

00:02:04,785 --> 00:02:08,445

It is Ben Ford Day, right

here on Story Craft.

44

00:02:10,395 --> 00:02:11,895

Ben Ford: Where, where are

you in Texas, by the way?

45

00:02:12,154 --> 00:02:13,885

Marc Preston: Very southern

tip of Texas, very bottom of

46

00:02:13,955 --> 00:02:15,814

an island called South Padre.

47

00:02:16,045 --> 00:02:19,284

Ben Ford: I'm dating a girl from, my,

my girlfriend is from, uh, Glen, Glen

48

00:02:19,285 --> 00:02:26,060

Rose and I And I dated a, an original

Austin, Texas, Austin, uh, or I was

49

00:02:26,060 --> 00:02:30,010

married to her from San Antonio for many,

many years and have a child from her.

50

00:02:30,010 --> 00:02:31,950

So, you know, a lot of roots in Texas.

51

00:02:32,030 --> 00:02:33,759

Marc Preston: Well, do you ever

get to, if you ever go to Austin,

52

00:02:33,770 --> 00:02:36,580

you ever been down to Franklin

barbecue down there to check out?

53

00:02:37,210 --> 00:02:38,550

Yeah, Aaron's a good friend of mine.

54

00:02:38,820 --> 00:02:40,510

He's got to make that line shorter for me.

55

00:02:40,510 --> 00:02:43,200

I tell you, anytime I'm down,

anytime I'm down there, I'm like,

56

00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,800

uh, it was during the last time I

was here was during COVID actually.

57

00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,880

So they only had a pickup

orders, but I, I mean, the trick

58

00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,560

Ben Ford: is the trick is the

a hundred dollar pickup order.

59

00:02:51,659 --> 00:02:54,929

So you go, you, you call in,

you call an order in over a

60

00:02:54,929 --> 00:02:56,170

hundred and you skip the line.

61

00:02:56,170 --> 00:02:56,319

Yeah.

62

00:02:56,459 --> 00:02:58,829

You just have to have, you just need

a buddy or two to help you eat it.

63

00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:00,739

Marc Preston: Here it is.

64

00:03:00,739 --> 00:03:03,579

I hear it as someone in LA gave

me a way to crack the code.

65

00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:04,100

There you go.

66

00:03:04,109 --> 00:03:04,130

So

67

00:03:04,650 --> 00:03:06,459

Ben Ford: this is,

there's our insider tips.

68

00:03:06,459 --> 00:03:08,570

You know, the back door

works there too, for me, but

69

00:03:09,910 --> 00:03:12,209

Marc Preston: you've got the

stripes, uh, the, to get in there,

70

00:03:12,209 --> 00:03:13,849

you know, now you're in LA, right?

71

00:03:13,859 --> 00:03:15,209

That's yeah, I'm in, I'm

72

00:03:15,619 --> 00:03:16,450

Ben Ford: in Los Angeles.

73

00:03:16,450 --> 00:03:16,650

Yeah.

74

00:03:16,650 --> 00:03:21,120

I was, uh, I've been, you know, I've been

doing projects around the U S and for.

75

00:03:21,345 --> 00:03:22,095

Since COVID.

76

00:03:22,484 --> 00:03:26,745

And so it's been spending parts of time

in other places, but, uh, it's been

77

00:03:26,745 --> 00:03:28,445

a very exploratory couple of years.

78

00:03:28,795 --> 00:03:31,774

But, um, yeah, I'm here

still back based in LA.

79

00:03:31,815 --> 00:03:34,985

I've got my children still in, you know,

I've got one child in school here still.

80

00:03:34,995 --> 00:03:38,844

So I'm rooted here for the next two

years at least, but I mine projects

81

00:03:38,844 --> 00:03:40,224

in places like the Pearl and.

82

00:03:40,825 --> 00:03:44,135

Looking in Scottsdale and San Diego

and trying to figure out how this new

83

00:03:44,135 --> 00:03:45,495

stuff is, but we'll get into that.

84

00:03:45,575 --> 00:03:45,955

Marc Preston: I'm sure.

85

00:03:45,995 --> 00:03:47,455

Are you an LA kid originally?

86

00:03:47,455 --> 00:03:52,334

I know your dad had a place, I think,

in uh, I am there or something or

87

00:03:52,515 --> 00:03:56,745

Ben Ford: yeah, we have a Wyoming, we

have a Wyoming, uh, Jackson hole that we,

88

00:03:57,255 --> 00:04:03,565

um, that we acquired in 1978 when it was

still kind of a, a place to go and escape.

89

00:04:03,744 --> 00:04:07,355

Uh, it's changed quite a bit since

then, but no, I'm a, uh, I'm a real

90

00:04:07,355 --> 00:04:09,075

Canyon kid from the Hollywood Hills.

91

00:04:09,575 --> 00:04:14,225

So I grew up, I grew up in the, in the

crazy sixties and seventies Canyons

92

00:04:14,685 --> 00:04:19,624

and surrounded by all that, all

that, you know, um, learn to swim in

93

00:04:19,635 --> 00:04:21,894

mama Cass's pool, you know, and, uh,

94

00:04:23,695 --> 00:04:27,549

Marc Preston: there was a song that got

him Sean Mullins, uh, Oh God, uh, he

95

00:04:27,549 --> 00:04:29,259

had a song called lullaby came out back.

96

00:04:29,289 --> 00:04:33,259

Uh, I don't know about 99, 98,

somewhere around there about it.

97

00:04:33,830 --> 00:04:34,859

I think, I don't know.

98

00:04:34,929 --> 00:04:38,090

He never told me when I spoke with him,

he never told me where he was when he

99

00:04:38,090 --> 00:04:41,049

came up with the lyrics, but I always

imagined him sitting somewhere like at

100

00:04:41,049 --> 00:04:45,109

Cantor's deli and, and, and talking to,

and, and he would just overhear people.

101

00:04:45,489 --> 00:04:46,119

Kind of like yourself.

102

00:04:46,119 --> 00:04:48,919

You grew up there and the whole

song is about like just over, you

103

00:04:48,919 --> 00:04:52,439

know, overhearing, uh, these girls

just talking about life growing up

104

00:04:52,439 --> 00:04:55,330

in LA and a couple of the parents

were in the industry or something.

105

00:04:55,330 --> 00:04:56,719

And that always kind of stuck with me.

106

00:04:56,719 --> 00:04:58,859

And when I was a little younger, I

was like, man, I got to get to LA.

107

00:04:58,869 --> 00:05:01,039

And I worked briefly on the radio there.

108

00:05:01,039 --> 00:05:03,309

And I was like, you know, I love it here.

109

00:05:03,309 --> 00:05:06,299

I lived in Encinitas, North County

of San Diego and I would drive up.

110

00:05:07,044 --> 00:05:08,175

I had my routine.

111

00:05:08,175 --> 00:05:10,675

I'd always drive up, but I just,

I was doing voiceover and other

112

00:05:10,675 --> 00:05:13,895

stuff and acting, but I would on

the weekends at work, uh, at a

113

00:05:13,895 --> 00:05:18,505

station there and I'd drive up and I

always go to Cantor's deli bringing

114

00:05:18,535 --> 00:05:20,224

Cantor's back up on Friday nights.

115

00:05:20,225 --> 00:05:23,165

And then I'd on the way, when I got

off the air, I went to In N Out burger,

116

00:05:23,165 --> 00:05:26,185

got a shake, a chocolate shake, and

then drove back down to one on one

117

00:05:26,215 --> 00:05:27,735

to get back to Encinitas, you know?

118

00:05:27,735 --> 00:05:29,805

So it was, it was a fun time.

119

00:05:29,835 --> 00:05:31,205

I enjoyed it greatly.

120

00:05:31,365 --> 00:05:31,605

What did

121

00:05:31,605 --> 00:05:33,305

Ben Ford: you, what did you

bring up from Encinitas?

122

00:05:33,375 --> 00:05:34,365

There has to be like a trade.

123

00:05:34,365 --> 00:05:37,520

I had this, uh, Thing where I

would bring, uh, I bring Kurt

124

00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,510

to eat at house on Wisconsin and

to survive through the summer.

125

00:05:40,510 --> 00:05:43,500

And I'd bring hot sauce and tortillas

from California because he couldn't

126

00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:44,970

get them out there at that time.

127

00:05:45,410 --> 00:05:48,480

And then I, then I'd bring smoked

fish and new skis, bacon back

128

00:05:48,530 --> 00:05:50,450

with me on the return trip.

129

00:05:51,149 --> 00:05:52,869

And I started that at like 10 years old.

130

00:05:52,899 --> 00:05:55,340

So I was, you know, I was,

I was incubating the chef.

131

00:05:55,860 --> 00:05:57,250

Marc Preston: The chef

world already, I guess.

132

00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,950

When did you become enamored with

the idea of actually cooking?

133

00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:03,440

Was this something that came later in life

when you were looking for things to do?

134

00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,160

Or did it kind of kick off

when you were like a little?

135

00:06:06,380 --> 00:06:09,020

Ben Ford: No, it kicked off as

sort of a natural inclination.

136

00:06:09,020 --> 00:06:13,599

You know, I was, I was just as apt to be

found in the kitchen with one of my best

137

00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,850

friend's mothers, you know, preparing

dinner as I'd be Outside throwing the

138

00:06:17,850 --> 00:06:21,730

football, you know, it might be a 50 50

kind of visit Even when I would go or

139

00:06:21,730 --> 00:06:24,820

if the mother was a particularly good

cook And if the mother was a very good

140

00:06:24,820 --> 00:06:29,449

cook, I I definitely befriended that kid

and you know It was it was akin to it

141

00:06:29,450 --> 00:06:32,699

was akin at the time to them having a

swimming pool probably you know, it was

142

00:06:32,730 --> 00:06:38,940

it just it really meant it meant a lot to

me, um, cooking and just uh, the Uh, the

143

00:06:38,940 --> 00:06:44,560

creation and and the library, you know,

this, um, ability to work with your hands.

144

00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,549

You know, my father was a was a carpenter

when I was up until I was 12, you

145

00:06:48,550 --> 00:06:50,460

know, and he still kept a workshop.

146

00:06:50,470 --> 00:06:51,660

He still keeps a workshop.

147

00:06:52,505 --> 00:06:55,475

Good worker, even though he

was also in entertainment.

148

00:06:55,965 --> 00:07:01,344

Um, and so this connection of working

with our hands and our craft, you

149

00:07:01,344 --> 00:07:02,755

know, it was all very important.

150

00:07:02,805 --> 00:07:07,705

And, uh, at the time when I was eyeing

cooking, when I originally was eyeing

151

00:07:07,705 --> 00:07:09,365

it, there hadn't been this birth of the.

152

00:07:09,979 --> 00:07:12,450

That's sort of the, you

know, the celebrity chef yet.

153

00:07:13,059 --> 00:07:18,980

And so for me, it was, it was sort

of a very good place to explore,

154

00:07:19,550 --> 00:07:23,609

uh, creativity, uh, free from the.

155

00:07:23,939 --> 00:07:27,969

Exploitations of being in a, you know,

having a famous father eventually,

156

00:07:28,479 --> 00:07:32,179

you know, so, so, you know, it was,

it was, it was a very comfortable

157

00:07:32,179 --> 00:07:33,669

place for me for a long time.

158

00:07:34,729 --> 00:07:38,549

As sort of the celebrity chef kind of

part came into it more and more there

159

00:07:38,549 --> 00:07:42,179

became more conflict But the truth of

it in the beginning when I when I was in

160

00:07:42,179 --> 00:07:46,219

there in those kitchens early I was very

very passionate about it and very driven

161

00:07:46,219 --> 00:07:52,509

by something that was more mysterious to

me um, and I At 15 I went and I you know,

162

00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,770

asked my mom to do a uh, spend my summer.

163

00:07:55,859 --> 00:07:58,824

Um Uh, cooking in a, in a

restaurant in San Francisco.

164

00:07:58,905 --> 00:07:59,884

And I went up and did that.

165

00:08:00,384 --> 00:08:02,098

Um, and I experienced

that, had that experience.

166

00:08:02,098 --> 00:08:02,311

You

167

00:08:02,311 --> 00:08:03,294

Marc Preston: were 15 years old.

168

00:08:03,294 --> 00:08:05,204

You asked, wow, that's uh,

169

00:08:05,284 --> 00:08:05,644

Ben Ford: yeah.

170

00:08:05,645 --> 00:08:09,194

And, and, and yeah, it was interesting

because at the time I was still, uh,

171

00:08:09,664 --> 00:08:11,124

I was still focusing on baseball.

172

00:08:11,684 --> 00:08:14,864

Baseball was something that I

had turned, uh, it was a surprise

173

00:08:15,155 --> 00:08:16,844

talent of mine at 10 years old.

174

00:08:17,344 --> 00:08:19,615

It was something that if you're

very good at, you kind of

175

00:08:19,625 --> 00:08:21,155

have to dedicate your life to.

176

00:08:21,575 --> 00:08:25,055

And so I didn't leave a lot of room

for other explorations other than

177

00:08:25,295 --> 00:08:25,575

Marc Preston: cooking.

178

00:08:25,575 --> 00:08:27,915

Were you hanging out with

Charlie Sheen by any chance?

179

00:08:27,925 --> 00:08:30,604

Because I know he was, that

was his jam back in the day.

180

00:08:30,995 --> 00:08:35,014

Ben Ford: No, you know, I think, you know,

it was really interesting because the, I

181

00:08:35,014 --> 00:08:37,224

was from the sort of East Hollywood Hills.

182

00:08:37,224 --> 00:08:41,325

I was from Laurel Canyon, Woodrow

Wilson kind of, you know, area.

183

00:08:41,745 --> 00:08:44,604

And, uh, we were very much, we

weren't, we weren't from sort of

184

00:08:44,615 --> 00:08:46,305

the provincial part of Los Angeles.

185

00:08:46,305 --> 00:08:47,665

We weren't part of society.

186

00:08:47,915 --> 00:08:50,604

We're kind of living with the grips

and, you know, and the, and the,

187

00:08:50,685 --> 00:08:53,245

you know, the craftsmen worked,

you know, and stuff like that.

188

00:08:53,555 --> 00:08:56,704

The drug dealer still lived next

to the, you know, the up and coming

189

00:08:56,704 --> 00:09:00,855

actor, you know, it was an eclectic,

it was an eclectic sixties and

190

00:09:00,855 --> 00:09:03,344

seventies, uh, set up, you know.

191

00:09:03,745 --> 00:09:05,755

Um, but what it was really was.

192

00:09:06,655 --> 00:09:10,785

An incubator for creativity, you know,

I think that my if I asked my father

193

00:09:10,785 --> 00:09:13,964

is what we were like as kids He'll tell

you that we were feral, you know, we're

194

00:09:13,964 --> 00:09:18,964

literally like running around in this

wild environment, but what it bred was

195

00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:25,370

You know, a lifetime of artistry and

creativity, you know, you know, it was a

196

00:09:25,370 --> 00:09:26,949

wonderful way to be exposed to the world.

197

00:09:27,459 --> 00:09:31,180

Marc Preston: Well, how many siblings,

uh, uh, well, at that time, were you

198

00:09:31,359 --> 00:09:32,829

an only kid or did you have siblings?

199

00:09:33,510 --> 00:09:35,069

Ben Ford: Well, I had siblings.

200

00:09:35,069 --> 00:09:37,349

I, uh, you know, until

three, I was living in bliss.

201

00:09:37,350 --> 00:09:42,720

Uh, and then, uh, you know, they

decided to have another one.

202

00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,650

I have a little brother named Willard,

who's a full brother of mine, who's,

203

00:09:45,650 --> 00:09:50,740

who's a wonderful companion and, you

know, you know, and partner in life.

204

00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,250

Uh, I couldn't imagine being,

having life without him,

205

00:09:54,599 --> 00:09:55,670

without having a real brother.

206

00:09:56,020 --> 00:09:59,020

I also have a half brother and half

sister from my dad's second marriage,

207

00:09:59,030 --> 00:10:03,849

who are wonderful, uh, kids and, and,

uh, quite a bit younger, but wonderful.

208

00:10:03,849 --> 00:10:09,415

And I have a, uh, uh, A third brother from

my dad's third marriage, uh, uh, uh, Liam,

209

00:10:09,445 --> 00:10:12,805

who's, uh, just, uh, learning about life.

210

00:10:12,815 --> 00:10:14,485

And you know, he's the

same age as my older son.

211

00:10:14,505 --> 00:10:17,102

So we're, it's a, it's a,

it's interesting to watch him

212

00:10:17,102 --> 00:10:17,366

Marc Preston: grow.

213

00:10:17,366 --> 00:10:18,484

I've got the same thing.

214

00:10:18,485 --> 00:10:22,965

I've got, uh, I was the only kid up

to the time I was, uh, 29, I think.

215

00:10:23,005 --> 00:10:27,159

My oldest daughter is like within

months of technically her aunt.

216

00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,270

You know, so it's kind of

a interesting paradigm.

217

00:10:29,550 --> 00:10:32,790

And then, you know, because of, uh,

yeah, for my father passed after COVID

218

00:10:32,790 --> 00:10:35,260

and then, uh, because of, uh, ancestry.

219

00:10:35,430 --> 00:10:37,300

com, I discovered I had another sister.

220

00:10:37,740 --> 00:10:41,480

Uh, so it was kind of, it was like,

it's like next thing, you know, I'm

221

00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,130

just like, Hey, I'm no longer an only

kid, you know, took only took nearly 50

222

00:10:45,140 --> 00:10:46,750

years to discover this, but it's cool.

223

00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:48,280

Um, but so.

224

00:10:48,765 --> 00:10:53,675

Was there any inclination or, or, uh,

encouragement or anything for you to,

225

00:10:53,725 --> 00:10:57,385

to look at either on or off camera,

anything in the entertainment industry

226

00:10:57,385 --> 00:10:59,894

when you were a kid, or was it, or is

your dad kind of like, you know, kind

227

00:10:59,894 --> 00:11:01,714

of follow your own path kind of thing?

228

00:11:01,814 --> 00:11:05,655

Ben Ford: I think there was always a

follow your own path kind of, uh, thing.

229

00:11:05,655 --> 00:11:08,915

And, and, you know, and part of it

also was part of the, the timing of

230

00:11:09,345 --> 00:11:12,905

my dad's career when I was, when I

was coming, becoming of age, you know,

231

00:11:12,905 --> 00:11:17,750

so, you know, he was really, Star

Wars didn't come out as 12 years old,

232

00:11:17,770 --> 00:11:21,000

you know, or 10, I was 11, 12 years

old when it was starting to come out.

233

00:11:21,610 --> 00:11:26,069

Raiders was a whole nother sort of level

of fame, but, but, but his, but my life

234

00:11:26,069 --> 00:11:27,920

really changed when Star Wars came out.

235

00:11:28,780 --> 00:11:33,159

His, you know, before that I knew him

as a carpenter, you know, and so this

236

00:11:33,159 --> 00:11:36,639

idea of the Boehner entertainment

was still a, a fresh thing.

237

00:11:36,660 --> 00:11:39,080

And he was still going

through the assimilation of.

238

00:11:39,835 --> 00:11:43,065

Um, coming, being a, what he thought

was going to be a simple actor,

239

00:11:43,475 --> 00:11:46,555

you know, to trying to figure out

what it was like to have to also,

240

00:11:47,395 --> 00:11:52,124

um, transition into what would be

a movie star type of role, I guess.

241

00:11:52,195 --> 00:11:53,764

Marc Preston: Like

American graffiti about it.

242

00:11:53,824 --> 00:11:55,635

Like, were you, were you

around when that came out?

243

00:11:55,654 --> 00:11:56,054

So,

244

00:11:56,125 --> 00:11:56,445

Ben Ford: yeah.

245

00:11:56,445 --> 00:11:59,075

So American graffiti was in 72, 73.

246

00:11:59,615 --> 00:12:03,365

Uh, apocalypse now is in 72, 73,

although it wasn't released until

247

00:12:03,375 --> 00:12:07,855

77 and conversation conversation,

which also was, he had a small part

248

00:12:07,855 --> 00:12:12,810

in, but a very good part in, um,

Was in 72 73 somewhere around there.

249

00:12:13,010 --> 00:12:13,970

So he was doing parts.

250

00:12:13,970 --> 00:12:16,630

He was doing television, but he

wasn't supporting us that way.

251

00:12:16,660 --> 00:12:20,209

The day to day operations, the stuff that

I connection and stuff I had connections

252

00:12:20,209 --> 00:12:22,630

to was the workshop next to the house.

253

00:12:22,630 --> 00:12:26,810

So, so by that time, you

know, I was a young kid.

254

00:12:27,205 --> 00:12:32,395

My play toys were, were hammers and

chisels and, and, and, you know, at

255

00:12:32,395 --> 00:12:37,125

saws and, you know, unfortunately

sometimes I'd take his drill bits out,

256

00:12:37,135 --> 00:12:40,354

you know, at the time of this, these

things were very important tools, you

257

00:12:40,355 --> 00:12:43,364

didn't have the money to go and replace

these things, you know, and I'd go play

258

00:12:43,364 --> 00:12:44,655

in the dirt with them and lose them.

259

00:12:44,655 --> 00:12:48,525

And, you know, there was, there was many

different other things that happened.

260

00:12:48,525 --> 00:12:49,755

Me hammering.

261

00:12:49,855 --> 00:12:57,005

You know, windows that were intended,

intended for his, um, uh, for homes

262

00:12:57,005 --> 00:13:00,125

that I'd nailed into my tree houses

and things like that, you know, so

263

00:13:00,125 --> 00:13:04,295

there was, there was some mistakes

across the way, but that showed some,

264

00:13:04,564 --> 00:13:06,797

Marc Preston: uh, that showed

some, uh, ingenuity on it.

265

00:13:06,797 --> 00:13:09,535

And like, uh, you know, wait a

minute, there's this thing here and

266

00:13:09,535 --> 00:13:11,185

I need a window and it's right there.

267

00:13:11,185 --> 00:13:11,545

You know.

268

00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:12,130

Uh oh.

269

00:13:12,130 --> 00:13:14,140

It, it's like your chefs knives,

you know, you, you know, those,

270

00:13:14,140 --> 00:13:15,550

they're, they're very protected.

271

00:13:15,550 --> 00:13:18,460

You know, they're, they're, they're

sacred, you know, it's kind of the, yes.

272

00:13:18,460 --> 00:13:22,630

So the, the, the carpenter's tools

are kind of the same thing, you know?

273

00:13:22,630 --> 00:13:22,990

So,

274

00:13:23,230 --> 00:13:23,530

Ben Ford: yes.

275

00:13:23,530 --> 00:13:25,210

And I was a tinker as a, as a young kid.

276

00:13:25,210 --> 00:13:28,000

I was the one who was taking apart the

phones and the cameras and trying to

277

00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,575

put them back together, and, oh, you

know that also, oh, God, I thought

278

00:13:31,735 --> 00:13:34,450

Marc Preston: I, I took, I, I,

I was intimately acquainted with

279

00:13:34,450 --> 00:13:35,830

a Briggs and Stratton engine.

280

00:13:35,830 --> 00:13:36,730

Like I would like.

281

00:13:37,639 --> 00:13:38,629

My father would be off at work.

282

00:13:38,629 --> 00:13:41,499

I literally took apart the lawnmower

and put it back together again.

283

00:13:41,499 --> 00:13:43,030

And like he mowed the yard later.

284

00:13:43,030 --> 00:13:43,819

I had no clue.

285

00:13:44,219 --> 00:13:47,670

I think there were still a few screws

left over that didn't quite go back.

286

00:13:47,670 --> 00:13:49,300

But I was like, yeah, I was the same way.

287

00:13:49,300 --> 00:13:50,769

I was like, how does

this whole thing work?

288

00:13:50,769 --> 00:13:51,170

You know?

289

00:13:51,639 --> 00:13:53,929

Ben Ford: But, but what, but what that,

what that instills in you, you know,

290

00:13:53,929 --> 00:13:57,869

is it, it gives you the ability and

you become fearless, you know, and, and

291

00:13:57,869 --> 00:14:02,829

how that translated into my creativity

later, you know, into my craft.

292

00:14:03,410 --> 00:14:05,859

Um, you know, is is fairly evident.

293

00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:11,699

You know, I became a person who really

focused on, um, creativity, you know,

294

00:14:11,700 --> 00:14:13,540

true, true creativity, not immune.

295

00:14:13,750 --> 00:14:17,599

And, you know, creating not

emulating was was a big was a big

296

00:14:17,690 --> 00:14:19,270

slogan of mine for a long time.

297

00:14:20,020 --> 00:14:23,829

And, you know, one of the reasons you see

me sort of, you know, my restaurants, I

298

00:14:23,829 --> 00:14:28,945

turn them out about certain, you know,

um There's a little bit of rhythm to

299

00:14:28,945 --> 00:14:31,495

it, but there's some time in between

them usually, because there's a lot of

300

00:14:31,495 --> 00:14:33,135

thought that goes into producing them.

301

00:14:33,625 --> 00:14:35,525

Um, because there's a

lot of original thought.

302

00:14:36,045 --> 00:14:39,915

And right now I'm actually in a period

of time where I'm transitioning into

303

00:14:39,915 --> 00:14:41,044

what my next restaurant will be.

304

00:14:41,045 --> 00:14:44,924

And it's been a very sort of,

uh, uh, creative time for me.

305

00:14:45,265 --> 00:14:48,595

And I have to do a lot of things during

these times to transition and, and, and.

306

00:14:49,635 --> 00:14:51,285

I'm sorry, I'm getting

a little esoteric here.

307

00:14:52,165 --> 00:14:56,225

Um, I, I really enjoy these times

of in between the restaurants.

308

00:14:56,695 --> 00:15:01,875

I really enjoy the times of having to

fight with the, um, with not having

309

00:15:01,885 --> 00:15:04,645

the clue yet exactly what you're

gonna, what you're gonna do next.

310

00:15:05,055 --> 00:15:06,514

I like the idea of having

Yeah, when you're running

311

00:15:06,515 --> 00:15:08,074

Marc Preston: a restaurant,

it's, it's all encompassing.

312

00:15:08,185 --> 00:15:09,164

I mean, it's, you're married to it.

313

00:15:09,164 --> 00:15:09,982

It's, it's day

314

00:15:09,982 --> 00:15:11,723

Ben Ford: in and day

out once you get going,

315

00:15:11,723 --> 00:15:11,941

Marc Preston: yeah.

316

00:15:11,941 --> 00:15:14,805

Ben Ford: It's true, but there was two

years between Chadwick and Ford's Filling

317

00:15:14,805 --> 00:15:18,524

Station, you know, where I was waiting

for the messaging to sort of come.

318

00:15:18,885 --> 00:15:20,765

You know, I've always worked

for restaurants that had

319

00:15:20,785 --> 00:15:21,825

that strong messaging.

320

00:15:21,825 --> 00:15:26,405

I worked at Chez Panisse, you know, I

worked at Campanile, you know, I worked

321

00:15:26,405 --> 00:15:29,105

at, um, you know, my restaurant Chadwick.

322

00:15:29,145 --> 00:15:31,134

They all had very strong messaging.

323

00:15:31,745 --> 00:15:34,915

And, um, you know, that's something

that has always sort of guided

324

00:15:34,915 --> 00:15:36,204

me and guided my creativity.

325

00:15:36,599 --> 00:15:41,280

And so right now I'm in a very exploratory

time, you know, and when I'm really

326

00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,640

excited about the next restaurant

that I'm working on and I don't know

327

00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:46,480

Marc Preston: what informs you

though, like when you're looking

328

00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,799

at at a restaurant, is it, is it

the cuisine, is it the experience

329

00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,809

for the, uh, diner, you know,

aesthetically, or is it just sort of like

330

00:15:54,409 --> 00:15:56,370

Ben Ford: it's, unfortunately

it's more holistic than that

331

00:15:56,420 --> 00:15:57,080

Marc Preston: and, and,

332

00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:59,840

Ben Ford: and more cerebral than

that, you know, it's a process for

333

00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,940

me and, um, generally what I do is,

you know, I take the time to sort of.

334

00:16:05,250 --> 00:16:07,130

You know, it's interesting.

335

00:16:07,310 --> 00:16:08,840

I'm a little bit of a renaissance man.

336

00:16:08,970 --> 00:16:13,239

I sort of delve between these

two personalities of being

337

00:16:13,239 --> 00:16:14,849

a craftsman and an artist.

338

00:16:15,449 --> 00:16:19,239

And my father and I have had

this conversation about whether

339

00:16:19,239 --> 00:16:22,170

you're an artist or whether

you're a, you know, a craftsman.

340

00:16:22,755 --> 00:16:25,855

My father looks at his, at

his, at his craft as a craft.

341

00:16:26,115 --> 00:16:28,505

He doesn't look at it as, and I know

one of the things we want to cover

342

00:16:28,505 --> 00:16:32,065

today is the topic of crafts and

I, and I love talking about this,

343

00:16:32,075 --> 00:16:36,385

this subject in general, but we'll

say, you know, a, uh, a craftsman

344

00:16:36,395 --> 00:16:38,035

or a worker works with his hands.

345

00:16:38,035 --> 00:16:41,575

So labor works, his hands, a craftsman

works with his hands and his brain.

346

00:16:42,615 --> 00:16:46,175

And a, an artist works with his

hands, his brain, and his heart.

347

00:16:46,605 --> 00:16:48,255

And I used to find that

sometimes the heart got in the

348

00:16:48,255 --> 00:16:50,475

way of my, sort of, production.

349

00:16:50,564 --> 00:16:52,015

You know, as a, as a craftsman.

350

00:16:52,485 --> 00:16:55,274

And so sometimes I sort of

make this, I go dabble back and

351

00:16:55,275 --> 00:16:56,615

forth between these two worlds.

352

00:16:57,395 --> 00:17:00,145

As an artist, I need to

go and find fulfillment.

353

00:17:00,184 --> 00:17:02,275

And I need to find, I need to refuel.

354

00:17:02,315 --> 00:17:05,365

And I need to go out and find inspiration

and people that I need to be around.

355

00:17:05,675 --> 00:17:08,505

And sometimes that is in the

most unconventional places.

356

00:17:08,980 --> 00:17:11,260

Sometimes that's going and

hanging out with educators.

357

00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,000

Sometimes it's going and

hanging out with farmers.

358

00:17:13,270 --> 00:17:14,800

Sometimes it's hanging

out with other chefs.

359

00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,530

Very rarely is it actually hanging out

with people inside my own community

360

00:17:18,530 --> 00:17:20,509

where I'll find that kind of inspiration.

361

00:17:20,710 --> 00:17:21,510

And then I wait.

362

00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:23,369

And I wait.

363

00:17:23,409 --> 00:17:24,499

And I do other things.

364

00:17:24,699 --> 00:17:25,369

And I do other things.

365

00:17:25,369 --> 00:17:26,290

I write cookbooks.

366

00:17:26,650 --> 00:17:30,080

I've designed, I've done several

other restaurants since COVID.

367

00:17:30,110 --> 00:17:34,650

I've opened, I think, uh,

seven restaurants since 2018.

368

00:17:35,070 --> 00:17:35,990

But you wouldn't know it.

369

00:17:36,324 --> 00:17:39,475

You know, because they're not under

my, under my name, because I'm waiting

370

00:17:39,475 --> 00:17:43,695

for that same thing, because when I

do, when I create concepts, I truly

371

00:17:43,695 --> 00:17:47,325

want to create a concept that is going

to make a difference in the community.

372

00:17:48,264 --> 00:17:52,135

I don't want to emulate anything

that's been successful in the past.

373

00:17:52,485 --> 00:17:55,785

I want to figure out a new idea

and Chadwick was like that.

374

00:17:55,785 --> 00:18:00,205

Chadwick, my first, my first fine dining

restaurant in Beverly Hills had what

375

00:18:00,205 --> 00:18:02,015

I used to call spoon fed organics.

376

00:18:02,055 --> 00:18:06,054

You know, it was 1998 when that

restaurant opened and we used

377

00:18:06,054 --> 00:18:07,395

to have our own organic farms.

378

00:18:07,395 --> 00:18:08,355

We had foragers.

379

00:18:08,395 --> 00:18:11,435

We had, you know, people out there

were doing things that were way

380

00:18:11,435 --> 00:18:15,905

ahead of this, of the, of the

curve as far as that's concerned.

381

00:18:15,905 --> 00:18:18,525

And we were, we had a

real strong message there.

382

00:18:19,125 --> 00:18:21,339

The next restaurant that

I ended up doing was Josh.

383

00:18:21,620 --> 00:18:24,980

Ford's filling station after that

and Ford's filling station in order

384

00:18:24,980 --> 00:18:29,149

to keep the conversation going

was really about continue this

385

00:18:29,149 --> 00:18:32,050

conversation about the holistic farm

system that I was very interested

386

00:18:32,050 --> 00:18:33,699

in now is already doing farming.

387

00:18:34,020 --> 00:18:36,080

Now I wanted to add in

the animals part of it.

388

00:18:36,529 --> 00:18:39,869

And so snap to tail cookery

wasn't being really.

389

00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,659

Done in this, in this, in this, in the

U S at that time, this is about 2000.

390

00:18:44,669 --> 00:18:45,810

Marc Preston: Why do you,

why do you think that is?

391

00:18:45,810 --> 00:18:49,559

Cause to me, that seems sort of elemental,

you know, that seems to be kind of

392

00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:51,480

where everything came from originally.

393

00:18:52,279 --> 00:18:53,270

We kind of got away from

394

00:18:53,270 --> 00:18:53,390

Ben Ford: that.

395

00:18:53,390 --> 00:18:56,569

I mean, you know, I think that we have

to, I think as humans, we have to guard

396

00:18:56,569 --> 00:19:00,420

our laziness, you know, at sometimes,

you know, and we have to find the craft

397

00:19:00,420 --> 00:19:03,380

in certain things and we learn our

lessons, you know, in certain things,

398

00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:05,390

how important these connections are.

399

00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:08,820

But I think that a lot of it had

to do with the economics of it.

400

00:19:08,910 --> 00:19:13,230

The, the middleman, the, the, the, the

person selling the meat had figured out

401

00:19:13,230 --> 00:19:17,340

a way to close the price point and taking

some of the work out of it for the chef,

402

00:19:17,910 --> 00:19:20,610

you know, and then they looked, they

looked at us, Hey, this is a great way

403

00:19:20,610 --> 00:19:24,330

for me to save a little bit labor and,

and for me to do a what gets lost, you

404

00:19:24,330 --> 00:19:25,740

know, what gets lost in the process.

405

00:19:25,745 --> 00:19:28,140

Mm-hmm . You know, unfortunately

these are some of the things

406

00:19:28,140 --> 00:19:30,660

that are being lost inside the

restaurant industry right now too.

407

00:19:31,274 --> 00:19:35,215

You know, the time, the ability

to grow a chef inside of your

408

00:19:35,215 --> 00:19:38,495

restaurant, the ability to teach them

and have that time to train them.

409

00:19:38,774 --> 00:19:41,254

At Ford's Filling Station, we had so

many different programs, whether it

410

00:19:41,254 --> 00:19:45,144

be, we raised our own animals 80 miles

north of Los Angeles, raised pig,

411

00:19:45,144 --> 00:19:46,314

sheep, and goat for the restaurant.

412

00:19:46,694 --> 00:19:49,814

We had real butchery programs that

nobody was teaching at the time.

413

00:19:50,254 --> 00:19:52,675

You know, we had all these

charcuterie programs, you know,

414

00:19:52,675 --> 00:19:53,935

meat curings and all this stuff.

415

00:19:54,284 --> 00:19:57,034

The learning curve to work, to work

and become a chef and learn meat

416

00:19:57,034 --> 00:19:58,434

was about three and a half years.

417

00:19:59,179 --> 00:20:03,690

You know, to do that nowadays in

restaurants, it's plug and play.

418

00:20:04,100 --> 00:20:06,959

You gotta be able to go out there

and bring a chef in off the street.

419

00:20:07,340 --> 00:20:11,180

And plug him in and he's got to be able

to function, you know, pretty quickly.

420

00:20:12,050 --> 00:20:12,950

It doesn't leave a Why do you think

421

00:20:12,950 --> 00:20:16,809

Marc Preston: that the, like the, the

farm system, like the, like, baseball

422

00:20:16,820 --> 00:20:18,869

farm system, you know, like 1A, 2A.

423

00:20:18,869 --> 00:20:21,730

Why is that not as

prevalent as it once was?

424

00:20:21,740 --> 00:20:23,970

Where you can, like, I think

of like, uh, Anthony Bourdain.

425

00:20:24,039 --> 00:20:25,740

I got his story that's

always intrigued me.

426

00:20:25,740 --> 00:20:28,440

Kind of, you know, you're just cutting

your teeth doing this, and you're

427

00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:29,780

just kind of climbing the ranks.

428

00:20:29,830 --> 00:20:30,670

Uh, yeah.

429

00:20:31,810 --> 00:20:34,650

Do you see that's not really a

thing as it used, as much as it

430

00:20:34,650 --> 00:20:37,160

used to be, you got to kind of

come in already knowing your stuff.

431

00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:38,100

Is that kind of, I

432

00:20:38,100 --> 00:20:39,440

Ben Ford: think there's

a lot of reasons for it.

433

00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,450

I think one is that a lot of the

knowledge is learned off the internet

434

00:20:42,709 --> 00:20:44,929

in the beginning when you wanted

to learn something, there was

435

00:20:44,930 --> 00:20:49,219

this wonderful process, you know,

you had to go, you had to go and.

436

00:20:49,420 --> 00:20:50,420

eat in the restaurant.

437

00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:55,939

And then you had to, you had to become

inquisitive about this chef, you know,

438

00:20:55,939 --> 00:20:58,559

and you had decided whether you wanted to

work with this guy or not, or whether he

439

00:20:58,559 --> 00:21:00,029

would even accept you into his kitchen.

440

00:21:00,399 --> 00:21:02,269

And there was a whole

sort of process to it.

441

00:21:02,279 --> 00:21:06,300

And the chef, the chef was

obligated in some ways to teach you.

442

00:21:06,810 --> 00:21:10,430

You know, and then it was your obligation

as you kind of came up in order to sort

443

00:21:10,430 --> 00:21:14,510

of bring some young creativity in the

kitchen, you know, and then this was sort

444

00:21:14,510 --> 00:21:19,019

of the exchange between the chef and the,

and the, and the, and the cook as, as they

445

00:21:19,020 --> 00:21:21,440

grew inside of the, inside of the system.

446

00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:23,919

There's none of that anymore.

447

00:21:23,930 --> 00:21:26,679

You know, the, the, the kids are learning.

448

00:21:27,004 --> 00:21:29,995

Don't have to go and eat in eight

different restaurants in New York city

449

00:21:29,995 --> 00:21:34,455

in order to find out yet one great

little morsel that they can take home.

450

00:21:34,455 --> 00:21:35,322

And you talked about

451

00:21:35,322 --> 00:21:37,685

Marc Preston: the, you talked about

the art though, and it's like, it's

452

00:21:37,685 --> 00:21:42,415

almost begs the question of where

do they get turned on by food?

453

00:21:42,464 --> 00:21:43,594

Ben Ford: I don't, I don't know.

454

00:21:43,594 --> 00:21:45,764

And I think the problem is,

is that none of the work is

455

00:21:45,764 --> 00:21:46,935

being done back here anymore.

456

00:21:46,955 --> 00:21:50,154

And I'm pointing to the back of my

middle of my head where the thinking

457

00:21:50,154 --> 00:21:55,354

goes on, because it's when everything

is done, learned on a screen, you know,

458

00:21:55,354 --> 00:21:56,834

or if it's learned, you know, even.

459

00:21:57,255 --> 00:21:58,055

With connection.

460

00:21:58,055 --> 00:22:01,165

It's it's it's just it's a

different kind of learning.

461

00:22:01,535 --> 00:22:03,245

You know, it's a

different kind of process.

462

00:22:03,804 --> 00:22:08,014

There's a lot less, um, appreciation

for that kind of learning, you know,

463

00:22:08,014 --> 00:22:09,925

especially from the from younger people.

464

00:22:09,925 --> 00:22:12,844

And there's and there's a lot

of needs to first shortcuts.

465

00:22:13,115 --> 00:22:18,245

Now, I don't want to come off as sounding

like a like Like a 58 year old chef that

466

00:22:18,245 --> 00:22:22,834

I am, you know, because the truth is

I'm a very young 58, you know, and, uh,

467

00:22:22,865 --> 00:22:23,905

but I know what you're talking about.

468

00:22:23,905 --> 00:22:23,965

I

469

00:22:23,995 --> 00:22:26,094

Marc Preston: think it seems like

without inspiration, you just sort

470

00:22:26,095 --> 00:22:30,064

of kind of, uh, uh, do you feel it's

kind of a, not paint by numbers,

471

00:22:30,064 --> 00:22:31,715

that's kind of reductive, but, uh,

472

00:22:31,854 --> 00:22:32,294

Ben Ford: I don't know.

473

00:22:32,294 --> 00:22:34,875

You know, it was, it was so interesting

because when we were younger, you

474

00:22:34,875 --> 00:22:37,745

know, there was no money to go out

and eat in restaurants really either.

475

00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,900

You know, sort of like there's

this, um, there were chefs that

476

00:22:40,900 --> 00:22:42,580

would do discounted nights for you.

477

00:22:42,590 --> 00:22:45,570

Like when I was working in San Francisco,

you know, and you'd get like, you know, or

478

00:22:45,570 --> 00:22:48,810

your chef would send you into a restaurant

and then he would do an exchange.

479

00:22:49,225 --> 00:22:52,425

Dinner for the, for the cooks at another

restaurant, you know, so that you'd have

480

00:22:52,425 --> 00:22:56,155

some learning processes built in, but

it was, it was very difficult, you know,

481

00:22:56,155 --> 00:22:59,425

when I started to make a little bit more

income as a chef, you know, and not as

482

00:22:59,425 --> 00:23:03,065

a cook, when I started to see what they

call a chef's salary, um, you know, I was

483

00:23:03,065 --> 00:23:06,294

able to explore a little bit more into

food and I spent a lot more money, you

484

00:23:06,294 --> 00:23:11,544

know, on my education, but now, you know,

I don't know necessarily how they, how,

485

00:23:11,605 --> 00:23:14,635

how they, they learn, you know, I mean,

I think that, I think a lot of it is.

486

00:23:14,635 --> 00:23:14,675

Yeah.

487

00:23:15,055 --> 00:23:17,605

Like I said, it's just, it's

web based and digital based.

488

00:23:18,025 --> 00:23:19,565

And so I don't find it.

489

00:23:19,605 --> 00:23:22,575

I don't myself get inspired

by these kinds of connections.

490

00:23:22,645 --> 00:23:25,675

I need an authentic sort of, I

need to go to the restaurant.

491

00:23:25,725 --> 00:23:28,345

I need to touch and feel and smell

things still, but I think this is

492

00:23:28,345 --> 00:23:30,434

where the majority of the connect

where the, where the connection is

493

00:23:30,445 --> 00:23:33,615

starting nowadays, uh, but I think

it's fundamentally different, I think.

494

00:23:33,615 --> 00:23:36,425

And I think it's difficult for chefs

that are probably, you know, it, it.

495

00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,409

In my age group, you know, we're

in, we're in similar, we're, we're

496

00:23:39,409 --> 00:23:40,870

looking at our last restaurants.

497

00:23:41,159 --> 00:23:44,080

Do we do our, and, and mind

you, I don't build restaurants

498

00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:45,190

when I say last restaurants.

499

00:23:45,470 --> 00:23:47,779

I only say that because I build

restaurants with the intention of

500

00:23:47,779 --> 00:23:52,039

them lasting 20 years, you know, and

so the messaging that I'm looking

501

00:23:52,039 --> 00:23:56,350

for is also something that needs to

sustain and be relevant for 20 years.

502

00:23:56,679 --> 00:24:00,929

Something that's very difficult to

find in nowadays world, or you need

503

00:24:00,929 --> 00:24:02,590

to have a concept that is malleable.

504

00:24:02,905 --> 00:24:06,165

You know, and, and, you know, and you

feel like has this sort of messaging

505

00:24:06,175 --> 00:24:10,755

that can continue to be delivered

through it, where it's more of a conduit.

506

00:24:11,055 --> 00:24:12,344

I'm eyeing my last restaurant.

507

00:24:12,435 --> 00:24:16,455

You know, I'm looking for that, for that

last place to put my messaging down.

508

00:24:16,715 --> 00:24:22,514

It's very important to me that I,

that I sustain, or I find a way to

509

00:24:22,715 --> 00:24:27,355

continue the message that I did while

still finding a way to 20 years.

510

00:24:28,044 --> 00:24:29,825

And that's a delicate in

between, especially when

511

00:24:29,825 --> 00:24:31,125

things are changing so quickly.

512

00:24:31,205 --> 00:24:31,534

Marc Preston: Yeah.

513

00:24:31,625 --> 00:24:31,784

Yeah.

514

00:24:31,784 --> 00:24:33,465

I heard Bobby in an

interview not too long ago.

515

00:24:33,534 --> 00:24:34,875

I don't know what he was alluding to.

516

00:24:34,875 --> 00:24:37,844

This is, this was on a TV

interview, maybe a few weeks ago.

517

00:24:37,844 --> 00:24:40,114

And he was talking about, you

know, the restaurant industry

518

00:24:40,114 --> 00:24:42,314

now is facing some challenges.

519

00:24:42,374 --> 00:24:43,674

He didn't really expand upon that.

520

00:24:43,675 --> 00:24:46,384

I guess the segment didn't really

allow for him to kind of go into

521

00:24:46,384 --> 00:24:49,774

it, but what kind of challenges now

is this something that was born out

522

00:24:49,774 --> 00:24:51,445

of COVID that just hasn't kind of.

523

00:24:52,455 --> 00:24:53,235

Change or, well, it's

524

00:24:53,235 --> 00:24:55,125

Ben Ford: hard not to be

feudalistic, , you know?

525

00:24:55,125 --> 00:24:56,804

I think that's probably why

he, that's probably why he

526

00:24:56,835 --> 00:24:58,935

cut himself off , you know?

527

00:24:58,935 --> 00:25:01,965

'cause we're, we're training

ourselves to sort of not be that way

528

00:25:01,965 --> 00:25:06,315

because, you know, and, and that's,

and that's, and, and someone who's

529

00:25:06,315 --> 00:25:08,085

22 may not even see it that way.

530

00:25:08,845 --> 00:25:11,575

You know, they're, they may see

something the world completely

531

00:25:11,575 --> 00:25:14,304

different way and they not, they're,

they're prepared for it differently.

532

00:25:15,094 --> 00:25:18,665

Um, but I do think there's some

challenges, you know, that we're facing.

533

00:25:18,935 --> 00:25:21,125

Um, I do think there's some

challenges we're facing,

534

00:25:21,125 --> 00:25:22,504

particularly here in California.

535

00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:24,220

Is it because people

536

00:25:24,220 --> 00:25:27,100

Marc Preston: are more of a delivery

culture at some level that they're

537

00:25:27,230 --> 00:25:28,570

actually going into the restaurant?

538

00:25:28,620 --> 00:25:30,300

Ben Ford: It's so much

more complex than that.

539

00:25:30,330 --> 00:25:33,280

You know, it really has to do with,

you know, we're adding another layer

540

00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,689

onto it now with immigration and, and,

and, and some of the political things

541

00:25:36,700 --> 00:25:39,270

that we're going to, that could affect

the rest of the restaurant industry.

542

00:25:39,270 --> 00:25:42,930

But aside of that, you know,

those are just question Marcs.

543

00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:44,979

The stuff that's really there already.

544

00:25:45,364 --> 00:25:49,125

Is that the equation is just become

more difficult than ever to realize,

545

00:25:49,135 --> 00:25:52,295

you know, and some of those that went

into restaurants for a variety of risk

546

00:25:52,315 --> 00:25:56,114

reasons are not able to fully realize

the reasons why we went in there in the

547

00:25:56,135 --> 00:26:00,694

first place, you know, when I started

my restaurants, Chadwick, the first

548

00:26:00,694 --> 00:26:05,425

one we had yoga classes on Sundays for

the for the for the For the servers.

549

00:26:05,425 --> 00:26:09,875

Yeah, there was a lot of, you

know, I always wanted to turn

550

00:26:09,875 --> 00:26:11,235

restaurants into something else.

551

00:26:11,295 --> 00:26:13,595

I always wanted to turn them

into community based centers.

552

00:26:13,595 --> 00:26:16,774

I wanted to always make them bigger

than the four walls they were part of.

553

00:26:17,395 --> 00:26:22,780

Um, and, um, and I've Had a

lot of success in doing that.

554

00:26:22,850 --> 00:26:24,520

Um, I forgot the original question.

555

00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:24,920

I'm sorry.

556

00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:26,169

I was getting off topic.

557

00:26:26,199 --> 00:26:27,960

I'm notorious for going

all over the place.

558

00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:28,610

It was a good thought.

559

00:26:28,620 --> 00:26:29,199

It was a good thought.

560

00:26:29,210 --> 00:26:31,320

I mean, I was on, I was onto

something really special there.

561

00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:35,770

Marc Preston: No, we're talking like, you

know, as far as the inspiration and that,

562

00:26:35,770 --> 00:26:39,600

and the, the people you're bringing in,

uh, it's, I, I, I'm starting to sound like

563

00:26:39,610 --> 00:26:42,030

a guy in his fifties also, but it's like.

564

00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:46,720

The idea of 10, 000 hours, the investment,

it seems to be less and less of that,

565

00:26:46,730 --> 00:26:49,949

you know, in other words, there's all

kinds of shortcuts and there's no buy

566

00:26:49,949 --> 00:26:50,129

Ben Ford: in.

567

00:26:50,159 --> 00:26:51,879

There's no, there's no buy in, you know?

568

00:26:51,949 --> 00:26:57,300

And, um, you know, I think part of it was,

you know, the buy in or drinking the Kool

569

00:26:57,300 --> 00:27:00,889

Aid or wherever you're going to, wherever

the chef you're going to learn from, you

570

00:27:00,889 --> 00:27:05,100

know, as a part of that, as a part of

that process, I don't know how to cure it.

571

00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:08,420

You know, what I do is I, I

interview differently than I used

572

00:27:08,420 --> 00:27:11,979

to, how I pick, how I pick the

individuals that I'll work with.

573

00:27:12,544 --> 00:27:16,114

Is, is a different process,

you know, and, and it's changed

574

00:27:16,114 --> 00:27:17,584

a lot in the last five years.

575

00:27:18,145 --> 00:27:23,205

Um, and more so it's part of, because

I know more of what I want, even

576

00:27:23,215 --> 00:27:26,604

this far into my career, there's

still change going on, but also it's

577

00:27:26,604 --> 00:27:31,014

about how to find the diamonds in

the rough sort of within this thing.

578

00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:33,705

Cause I still believe in training people.

579

00:27:33,775 --> 00:27:36,865

I still believe, you know, there's

still chefs that will complain about,

580

00:27:36,865 --> 00:27:39,785

they don't have a staff, you know,

it's hard to find good workers,

581

00:27:40,115 --> 00:27:41,165

you know, you don't have to find.

582

00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:43,100

Yes, you have to find good workers.

583

00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,880

You have to find people that are

passionate and care about what they're

584

00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:47,850

doing every day and pay attention.

585

00:27:48,290 --> 00:27:53,420

You have to find people that are serious

about life, you know, but other than that,

586

00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,880

you know, it's like train them, take the

time to train them, you know, and in fact,

587

00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:02,960

that's, that's, that's a far better way

to go about, you know, building a staff

588

00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,650

and building a career, you know, so.

589

00:28:06,495 --> 00:28:07,875

Well, that seems to be like, there's

590

00:28:07,875 --> 00:28:10,665

Marc Preston: a guy in

Dallas who, uh, Sakurai.

591

00:28:10,665 --> 00:28:13,245

He's, uh, he had a sushi

restaurant down in Greenville.

592

00:28:13,245 --> 00:28:14,905

If you've ever been to Dallas

down in Greenville Avenue,

593

00:28:14,905 --> 00:28:16,945

it's kind of a near SMU.

594

00:28:16,945 --> 00:28:19,365

It's it's, it's usually

people try some things out.

595

00:28:19,365 --> 00:28:20,705

They're a little bit, you know, different.

596

00:28:21,125 --> 00:28:22,744

Uh, he would, he would start a place.

597

00:28:22,744 --> 00:28:25,064

He'd have his, his number

two, eventually he'd sell his

598

00:28:25,065 --> 00:28:25,965

restaurant to his number two.

599

00:28:25,965 --> 00:28:28,355

And he, I think he's done

that like two or three times.

600

00:28:28,675 --> 00:28:31,715

And I was like, what a, what a cool

kind of a way to kind of leave, uh,

601

00:28:31,730 --> 00:28:36,000

I don't want to say highfalutin, but

say legacy, uh, but you're doing it.

602

00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,659

You're, you've got an imprint on,

you know, people know, but your

603

00:28:39,659 --> 00:28:42,760

guys that you train, then have a

chance to spread their own wings

604

00:28:42,770 --> 00:28:43,930

and kind of leave their own brand.

605

00:28:43,930 --> 00:28:46,750

And, you know, there's gotta

be a certain aspect of pride.

606

00:28:46,750 --> 00:28:49,889

Like if you go into a restaurant with

a chef that you trained and they're

607

00:28:49,890 --> 00:28:51,350

doing their thing, it seems like it's,

608

00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:53,110

Ben Ford: it's a big part of what I do.

609

00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,290

I mean, it's, it's absolutely, it

was fundamental from the beginning.

610

00:28:57,215 --> 00:28:59,645

I have a lot of projects out there,

you know, some of them are, I

611

00:28:59,645 --> 00:29:01,585

think there's 27 restaurants in l.

612

00:29:01,585 --> 00:29:01,685

A.

613

00:29:01,685 --> 00:29:03,965

Right now that have come

off of out of my kitchens.

614

00:29:04,405 --> 00:29:07,835

So there's, there's quite a bit

and the mentoring doesn't stop.

615

00:29:08,004 --> 00:29:11,334

Um, I sat down, you know, have

lunch with Vinnie and johnny.

616

00:29:11,955 --> 00:29:15,094

Uh, there are two of my cooks,

very successful chefs now here.

617

00:29:15,574 --> 00:29:15,794

They don't

618

00:29:15,794 --> 00:29:17,485

Marc Preston: want to have that

Italian place across from campus.

619

00:29:18,445 --> 00:29:23,395

I was, I was just there, uh, with my

daughter for, uh, last, last Christmas

620

00:29:23,395 --> 00:29:28,395

before last, I was there, uh, with

an actor friend and we, uh, all I

621

00:29:28,395 --> 00:29:32,105

remember is they gave her, I gave

us a big bag of cookies at the end.

622

00:29:32,105 --> 00:29:35,815

That was very, it was very good.

623

00:29:35,815 --> 00:29:36,945

I mean, I, it was.

624

00:29:37,170 --> 00:29:38,140

Wine, pizza.

625

00:29:38,410 --> 00:29:40,970

It was like the three of us, but

it was an obscene amount of food.

626

00:29:40,970 --> 00:29:42,280

But yeah, then they're enjoyed.

627

00:29:42,510 --> 00:29:43,050

Ben Ford: So that never.

628

00:29:43,090 --> 00:29:44,240

So that process never ends.

629

00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,090

You know, I mean, you sit down with

people, you, you talk about what

630

00:29:47,090 --> 00:29:49,140

they're, what they're going through,

what challenges they're going through

631

00:29:49,140 --> 00:29:51,950

and you, and you, you know, and you,

you break bread every once in a while.

632

00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:56,520

And that's how I, that's how I continue

to work with the, with the, the chefs that

633

00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:58,850

I've had that have grown beyond my walls.

634

00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,230

Um, I always did want to do that.

635

00:30:02,250 --> 00:30:03,290

One of the problems.

636

00:30:04,385 --> 00:30:06,825

And it's an interesting problem

because it's not a problem.

637

00:30:07,135 --> 00:30:08,725

These are, these are,

these are good people.

638

00:30:08,745 --> 00:30:12,325

These are, these are good problems,

but Ford's filling station.

639

00:30:12,685 --> 00:30:18,985

It's success was actually a inhibitor

in some ways to my creativity, not

640

00:30:19,255 --> 00:30:22,015

the fact that it's been a restaurant

that's been around for over 20 years

641

00:30:22,015 --> 00:30:24,675

now and has continued to be successful.

642

00:30:24,955 --> 00:30:26,615

Kind of kept me from

doing that next thing.

643

00:30:26,615 --> 00:30:28,965

Sometimes we're doing that next

thing or doing that next thing.

644

00:30:29,415 --> 00:30:33,985

And, uh, it's because because it was

the work that was going on inside

645

00:30:33,985 --> 00:30:36,855

those four walls was important at the

time, and it was and there was and

646

00:30:36,855 --> 00:30:39,975

there was a lot still going on, and

it did have that ability to sort of

647

00:30:39,995 --> 00:30:43,359

reload on messaging and stuff like

that, you know, still at the same time.

648

00:30:43,700 --> 00:30:46,440

I didn't have the restaurants to turn

over to the other, the other guys.

649

00:30:46,740 --> 00:30:50,130

And like I talked about the learning

curve of how long I've turned, learned

650

00:30:50,130 --> 00:30:53,260

to for someone to come in and learn

underneath me because of all the programs

651

00:30:53,260 --> 00:30:56,750

that we did inside the restaurant,

um, it becomes something that was

652

00:30:56,750 --> 00:31:00,260

more difficult to do inside my four

walls, but it's definitely something

653

00:31:00,260 --> 00:31:03,120

I believe in and, you know, I used to.

654

00:31:03,645 --> 00:31:08,645

Really work hard at not only finding

people that I could train from the

655

00:31:08,645 --> 00:31:13,865

beginning, but I also use it as a,

uh, you know, talking about making

656

00:31:13,865 --> 00:31:15,105

restaurants bigger than they are.

657

00:31:15,105 --> 00:31:20,090

I also used it as a, a way of a

simulating, um, People that were

658

00:31:20,100 --> 00:31:23,380

new in this country and into,

into, uh, into a profession.

659

00:31:23,820 --> 00:31:24,940

So, uh, But

660

00:31:24,940 --> 00:31:27,890

Marc Preston: also you, they're giving you

something that they're, they're bringing

661

00:31:27,890 --> 00:31:32,270

you nuggets of something you wouldn't have

otherwise be it, you know, uh, There's,

662

00:31:32,300 --> 00:31:33,710

Ben Ford: there's, there's

that part of that too.

663

00:31:33,710 --> 00:31:36,900

I remember, you know, I had a lot

of Latino cooks and, you know, and I

664

00:31:36,900 --> 00:31:40,030

have one of the best huevos rancheros

still to this day on the menu.

665

00:31:40,510 --> 00:31:43,580

And that was, that was a, that was

a, that was a literally across the

666

00:31:43,580 --> 00:31:45,620

board, like, Jose, what do you got?

667

00:31:45,620 --> 00:31:46,520

Kind of refi beans.

668

00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:47,360

You got, you know.

669

00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:48,110

Well, you do.

670

00:31:48,110 --> 00:31:48,710

What do you got?

671

00:31:48,710 --> 00:31:49,190

What do you got?

672

00:31:49,190 --> 00:31:49,730

What do you got?

673

00:31:49,730 --> 00:31:51,770

We turned this thing into

sort of a collaboration

674

00:31:52,190 --> 00:31:56,455

Marc Preston: like an LBE

buoy, but Lbu, Buie lbu.

675

00:31:56,660 --> 00:31:57,680

My, I talk for a living.

676

00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:58,280

It's shocking.

677

00:31:58,280 --> 00:31:58,610

I know.

678

00:31:58,940 --> 00:31:59,240

Sorry.

679

00:31:59,245 --> 00:32:04,850

But Yeah, but I, the, the thing was, I

was, I, I had heard, or, or I'd seen,

680

00:32:04,850 --> 00:32:08,090

I think it was Anthony Bourdain had an

episode, he was there and the idea that.

681

00:32:08,250 --> 00:32:11,400

There was a day of the week that

you would have, uh, members of staff

682

00:32:11,410 --> 00:32:15,180

kind of create something, or the

chefs, and then everybody tried out.

683

00:32:15,180 --> 00:32:18,610

It wasn't necessarily something to put

on the menu, but sometimes it did, but

684

00:32:18,610 --> 00:32:19,800

that, that's kind of, you know, cool.

685

00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,300

You get, it's like, you get,

uh, like, like you said, the

686

00:32:22,300 --> 00:32:25,940

buy in, you know, somebody is

participating in what's going on.

687

00:32:25,940 --> 00:32:26,069

But

688

00:32:26,070 --> 00:32:28,670

Ben Ford: the ability to do these

kinds of things inside the restaurant,

689

00:32:28,700 --> 00:32:29,790

you know, these are, these are.

690

00:32:30,285 --> 00:32:36,095

These are, um, things that you have

to make the decision to do, you

691

00:32:36,095 --> 00:32:39,665

know, they, they cost dollars, they

take away from the, from the bottom

692

00:32:39,665 --> 00:32:41,165

line, you know, in a lot of ways.

693

00:32:41,635 --> 00:32:45,245

And when you're dealing with a profit

margin in a lot of restaurants, it's

694

00:32:45,255 --> 00:32:47,455

four to 8%, you know, or even lower.

695

00:32:47,495 --> 00:32:47,805

That's it.

696

00:32:47,845 --> 00:32:48,165

That's it.

697

00:32:48,335 --> 00:32:48,755

Marc Preston: Really?

698

00:32:48,865 --> 00:32:49,285

Ben Ford: It is.

699

00:32:49,695 --> 00:32:54,875

Um, you know, you, you, you have to,

the question of whether the integrity

700

00:32:54,875 --> 00:32:59,590

questions comes in, you know, a lot of

times, you know, and, and, and, And I'm

701

00:32:59,590 --> 00:33:03,760

always interested in people to do the

right thing at the hardest times, you

702

00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,770

know, and these guys that are running

their restaurants right now and still

703

00:33:06,770 --> 00:33:10,160

running their programs and have the

high integrity and are putting all that

704

00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:12,010

work and hands into the food right now.

705

00:33:12,250 --> 00:33:15,780

I have the utmost respect for those

guys because I know the effort

706

00:33:15,780 --> 00:33:18,240

and the work that they're putting

in to sustain those programs.

707

00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:20,139

You know, it's, it's something that is.

708

00:33:20,460 --> 00:33:22,880

Being washed out of the

culture of the restaurants.

709

00:33:23,130 --> 00:33:25,670

Marc Preston: That's a shame because

that's, that's kind of what sort of made

710

00:33:25,670 --> 00:33:29,870

it not exciting, but for, for somebody

coming into a restaurant and enjoying,

711

00:33:30,250 --> 00:33:33,280

you know, there's always something kind

of new, there's like a vibe and you

712

00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:37,370

can always tell just for me being a lay

person, you know, growing up in Dallas,

713

00:33:37,370 --> 00:33:38,860

there was a street called a belt line.

714

00:33:39,035 --> 00:33:42,975

And everybody, it was actually a suburb

called Addison or it is called Addison and

715

00:33:43,245 --> 00:33:47,835

you have a lot of big national chains come

do their test, uh, of, of a concept there.

716

00:33:47,845 --> 00:33:51,895

So we always got tons of, but my

jam was always mom and pop places.

717

00:33:51,895 --> 00:33:55,225

You know, it was always something,

you know, not a big national chain.

718

00:33:55,665 --> 00:33:58,475

Uh, but when those restaurants

that did really well.

719

00:33:58,945 --> 00:34:01,635

When they got sold or went under

other ownership, it seems like the

720

00:34:01,635 --> 00:34:04,625

first thing they start cutting is the

quality, the quality of the ingredients.

721

00:34:04,625 --> 00:34:07,385

And there's like, you're talking

about culture that seemed to

722

00:34:07,385 --> 00:34:10,235

shift and that would just sort of

change the whole experience of the

723

00:34:10,235 --> 00:34:14,775

restaurant and then they would either

fix it or Peter out, you know, so

724

00:34:14,895 --> 00:34:17,375

Ben Ford: it's very difficult for

a mother, for a mom and pop to

725

00:34:17,375 --> 00:34:20,445

get above their restaurants and

see what's going on inside them.

726

00:34:20,455 --> 00:34:23,455

You know, they're reacting to the

day to day, day to day reactions of

727

00:34:23,665 --> 00:34:26,675

the restaurant and what's pulling

at them in that particular moment.

728

00:34:26,905 --> 00:34:30,275

And for them to get vision on top of

it, for them to truly change and get

729

00:34:30,615 --> 00:34:35,245

put everything against the blackboard

again, you know, and, and truly analyze

730

00:34:35,255 --> 00:34:36,765

it is very difficult for them to do.

731

00:34:36,905 --> 00:34:39,725

Um, you know, not a lot of people

know this, but in France, the

732

00:34:39,725 --> 00:34:41,945

mom and pop restaurants are

subsidized by the government.

733

00:34:41,945 --> 00:34:48,435

They're there's, they, they, they

look at them as a cultural necessity.

734

00:34:48,795 --> 00:34:52,025

You know, as far as the community is

concerned, and they subsidize them,

735

00:34:52,585 --> 00:34:55,975

you know, and, you know, maybe we need

something like that in this country,

736

00:34:56,055 --> 00:34:59,295

you know, or at least in certain

areas, especially if they're tourist

737

00:34:59,295 --> 00:35:03,695

oriented, you know, I just think it's,

it's a really a, it's restaurants

738

00:35:03,695 --> 00:35:08,214

are really important messages for

the community and for those cities.

739

00:35:08,505 --> 00:35:12,365

You know, we're getting ready to have

the Olympics here in 2008, right?

740

00:35:12,565 --> 00:35:17,925

It's very interesting to watch us

try to shift into what LA is going to

741

00:35:17,935 --> 00:35:21,525

say as a community to the world, you

know, when it comes to our Olympics,

742

00:35:22,075 --> 00:35:26,175

you know, and, um, LA still has

a lot of identity to its cuisine.

743

00:35:26,195 --> 00:35:29,815

You know, we still have a lot of this

sort of street food that ends up in our.

744

00:35:30,330 --> 00:35:33,160

In our big boy restaurants, you

know, eventually we still have these

745

00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,020

influences that happen there, but it's

not like you're going to new Orleans

746

00:35:37,140 --> 00:35:39,880

when you come there and you're trying

to discover, you know, if you want to

747

00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,530

know what LA cuisine is about, you know,

at least I don't think it is necessary.

748

00:35:43,630 --> 00:35:46,090

It's not like you're going into these,

some of these destination places.

749

00:35:46,270 --> 00:35:46,420

Well,

750

00:35:46,420 --> 00:35:48,410

Marc Preston: it's like, but

we have lived in a new Orleans.

751

00:35:48,420 --> 00:35:51,840

Like, you know, the thing about that is

they, what new Orleans does, they do it.

752

00:35:52,105 --> 00:35:53,165

Better than anybody else.

753

00:35:53,235 --> 00:35:55,035

And you can only get the real deal thing.

754

00:35:55,045 --> 00:35:58,835

They're kind of on the way they do

it, but it's not a lot of other stuff.

755

00:35:58,895 --> 00:36:01,435

You know, it's not like a light

where you can go and like, you

756

00:36:01,435 --> 00:36:02,965

want to go find Armenian food.

757

00:36:03,025 --> 00:36:06,205

You can go to, you know, you couldn't do

that as readily in New Orleans, but if

758

00:36:06,215 --> 00:36:10,165

you wanted some proper jambalaya or some

etouffee, it's the best in the world.

759

00:36:10,175 --> 00:36:12,805

You know, so that's one thing

I did love about LA though.

760

00:36:12,805 --> 00:36:15,385

You, you know, whatever you're in the

mood for, you're going to find it.

761

00:36:15,495 --> 00:36:16,765

Ben Ford: I'm also, I'm just very honest.

762

00:36:16,765 --> 00:36:19,795

So, you know, a lot of what's,

what's captivated me in the last.

763

00:36:20,685 --> 00:36:27,095

Decade or two has been, you know, this

this, um, region of northern Baja and

764

00:36:27,095 --> 00:36:30,595

southern California, you know, is a

true sort of culinary region of its own.

765

00:36:31,345 --> 00:36:34,395

Um, and I'm talking about

blurring the borders in between

766

00:36:34,395 --> 00:36:39,175

the two, um, as northern Baja is

sort of become more provincial.

767

00:36:39,790 --> 00:36:43,870

It's almost like Mexican Mediterranean

cuisine, you know, it's almost, it's

768

00:36:43,870 --> 00:36:47,190

sort of very similar to kind of what

we're doing here in those, and as

769

00:36:47,190 --> 00:36:51,090

they're doing their job and lifting their

cuisine up there in places like Guadalupe

770

00:36:51,090 --> 00:36:55,100

and stuff, we also, you know, I'm

finding more of a kinship between them.

771

00:36:55,620 --> 00:37:00,560

And I really want to do a

restaurant that blinds, blurs the

772

00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:02,193

border between Mexico and the U.

773

00:37:02,193 --> 00:37:02,596

S.

774

00:37:02,596 --> 00:37:04,570

and creates a cuisine that really.

775

00:37:05,095 --> 00:37:06,455

Kind of exists in that region

776

00:37:07,115 --> 00:37:09,945

Marc Preston: Whereas everybody

goes down for uh, the lobster, you

777

00:37:09,945 --> 00:37:11,435

know, I was living in san diego.

778

00:37:11,435 --> 00:37:13,305

Everybody used it starts with uh, Is it?

779

00:37:13,565 --> 00:37:14,125

Yeah, but

780

00:37:14,125 --> 00:37:16,945

Ben Ford: yeah, uh, um, um porto nuevo

781

00:37:17,125 --> 00:37:19,465

Marc Preston: I always wanted to get down

there because it seemed like and from

782

00:37:19,465 --> 00:37:23,975

what I saw I think uh, Andrew zimmer and

I think had gone down there and featured

783

00:37:24,005 --> 00:37:26,915

and it was like wait a minute that's

going on down there It's a little bit

784

00:37:27,195 --> 00:37:31,820

when you think mexican Me being a Texan,

it's always that Tex Mex, but there's

785

00:37:31,820 --> 00:37:33,290

a whole different vibe going on there.

786

00:37:33,290 --> 00:37:35,110

It is that Mediterranean kind of thing.

787

00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,710

And that was like, okay,

that's just south of here.

788

00:37:37,710 --> 00:37:38,850

I get to go experience that.

789

00:37:38,860 --> 00:37:39,700

That would be pretty exciting.

790

00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,480

Ben Ford: And I've always been, I've

always been intrigued by the bravery,

791

00:37:42,500 --> 00:37:48,560

you know, by the brave, um, when I was

first learning to cook, um, And up in San

792

00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:53,330

Francisco, I befriended Julian Serrano

and I spent a little time around him,

793

00:37:53,830 --> 00:37:57,950

uh, and in his, in his kitchen, he had

a restaurant called masa that had been

794

00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,050

celebrated in, I think one best restaurant

in San Francisco, 12 years in a row.

795

00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:03,160

Really?

796

00:38:03,300 --> 00:38:04,760

And it was, it was very celebrated.

797

00:38:04,770 --> 00:38:08,220

He was sort of a bit of a Spanish

icon here in the United States.

798

00:38:08,220 --> 00:38:11,460

He'd been the Spanish chef that came here

and didn't the first to be successful.

799

00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:15,300

He was actually the one that Steve Wynn

actually first brought to Vegas in order

800

00:38:15,300 --> 00:38:16,730

to attract the rest of the chefs there.

801

00:38:17,055 --> 00:38:21,765

But what he did for me is he set

me up with, um, chefs in Spain, and

802

00:38:21,765 --> 00:38:23,365

I used to work the Bay of Biscay.

803

00:38:23,365 --> 00:38:26,965

I'd work from Biarritz down to Lisbon

along that coastline and spent a lot

804

00:38:26,965 --> 00:38:32,405

of time in San Sebastian, where in

the late 90s or mid 90s, I found that

805

00:38:32,405 --> 00:38:33,955

to be where the bravest chefs were.

806

00:38:34,635 --> 00:38:36,645

They were doing things

that were unbridled.

807

00:38:37,235 --> 00:38:38,525

They were doing it with some rules.

808

00:38:38,635 --> 00:38:40,225

They had some structure

to what they were doing.

809

00:38:40,375 --> 00:38:43,935

They had rules, but it was, but

it was unbridled in some ways.

810

00:38:43,965 --> 00:38:44,355

And.

811

00:38:44,790 --> 00:38:47,700

I'm finding a similar sort

of what's going on in Mexico.

812

00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:50,350

I'm finding a similar kinship

to, you know, and I'm finding

813

00:38:50,350 --> 00:38:51,590

a very, very exciting.

814

00:38:51,750 --> 00:38:55,330

Um, and I think a lot of people are

looking at Mexico and Mexico city,

815

00:38:55,330 --> 00:38:59,510

especially, uh, in part and read

certain important regions as being,

816

00:38:59,940 --> 00:39:03,330

you know, maybe one of the top

five places to visit in the world.

817

00:39:03,370 --> 00:39:03,830

Culinary,

818

00:39:03,970 --> 00:39:07,180

Marc Preston: I think, uh, Monterey,

which is not too far from here.

819

00:39:07,180 --> 00:39:08,170

It's a few hours away.

820

00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,970

A lot of people who come

here, uh, live down there.

821

00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,570

Uh, they have vacation properties up here.

822

00:39:13,165 --> 00:39:16,395

I, it's, uh, what I hear is there's

a lot of cool stuff happening there

823

00:39:16,395 --> 00:39:19,865

as well, uh, because it's, it's

something like just kind of where

824

00:39:19,865 --> 00:39:23,435

they are in the mountains and it's

kind of this isolated little thing.

825

00:39:23,435 --> 00:39:27,555

And so, you know, if I say, what would

you do if you were, you're wealthy?

826

00:39:27,555 --> 00:39:28,145

I was like, man, I just.

827

00:39:28,305 --> 00:39:31,245

Travel and eat, you know, I'd get, I

828

00:39:31,245 --> 00:39:32,565

Ben Ford: did that.

829

00:39:32,565 --> 00:39:36,085

I just lost two and a half

years, lose my 60 pounds.

830

00:39:37,535 --> 00:39:39,985

Marc Preston: My daughter studied,

uh, last fall, she studied, uh,

831

00:39:40,005 --> 00:39:43,435

in, uh, in, uh, Barcelona and

she had gone to Portugal also.

832

00:39:43,435 --> 00:39:46,449

And she was telling me it's the, what?

833

00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,520

I think turn her on about it is

there is the simple things like,

834

00:39:49,530 --> 00:39:51,990

uh, I'm going to mess this up.

835

00:39:51,990 --> 00:39:56,420

It's, uh, upon a tomato or something into

words, crusty bread with just, you know,

836

00:39:56,420 --> 00:40:00,400

to make something simple like that, you

know, she, and, and of course they have

837

00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:04,380

different rules over there, which I wish

we would adopt on, uh, quality of the

838

00:40:04,380 --> 00:40:05,990

food and the, the chemicals and stuff.

839

00:40:06,180 --> 00:40:07,230

They don't do that over there.

840

00:40:07,270 --> 00:40:08,670

You know, there's something about,

841

00:40:08,750 --> 00:40:11,740

Ben Ford: there's something

about mundane too, and I can't

842

00:40:11,740 --> 00:40:12,780

quite put my finger on it.

843

00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,550

About, you know, as far as cuisine

is concerned, when you, when you talk

844

00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:19,880

about the simplicity of cuisine and

Alice Waters had this at cheap and

845

00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:24,030

these, we definitely had a camping with,

with Nancy Silverton and Marc Peel.

846

00:40:24,460 --> 00:40:26,460

And Nancy Silverton is

very good at this as well.

847

00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:28,450

And we have disciples that

have come off of this.

848

00:40:28,450 --> 00:40:31,504

I would say that Suzanne Gowan

is also very, very good at this.

849

00:40:32,065 --> 00:40:34,835

And what they do is they

plant seeds in your brain.

850

00:40:35,275 --> 00:40:38,735

You'll be having what you think was

your, was your highlight of your meal

851

00:40:38,865 --> 00:40:40,255

is not the highlight of your meal.

852

00:40:40,875 --> 00:40:43,045

The highlight of your meal is

what's hitting you halfway during

853

00:40:43,045 --> 00:40:44,105

your drive home, and you're going.

854

00:40:45,385 --> 00:40:46,285

God, darn it.

855

00:40:46,335 --> 00:40:49,925

I wish I had one more bite of that,

you know, and that's, and that's

856

00:40:49,925 --> 00:40:53,425

the dish that you're going to return

for, you know, and it's sometimes

857

00:40:53,435 --> 00:40:56,455

the most mundane because you're that,

because it can be that surprising.

858

00:40:56,455 --> 00:40:59,365

It's usually not a layered or

an extent, or, you know, it's

859

00:40:59,365 --> 00:41:00,785

usually not the truffle stuff.

860

00:41:00,915 --> 00:41:05,145

It's usually not the, the dish that,

you know, the layered lobster dish or

861

00:41:05,145 --> 00:41:09,215

whatever, you know, thing that you would

think it would be, it's going to be

862

00:41:09,215 --> 00:41:14,415

something simple and that's something

we paid attention to in cuisine.

863

00:41:14,795 --> 00:41:18,635

You know, in a big way, those are the

dishes that you want to have on your menu.

864

00:41:18,935 --> 00:41:22,215

Marc Preston: Uh, I forgot what it was,

but Jose Andres, I was watching him once

865

00:41:22,235 --> 00:41:26,195

and he was just got excited about just

cutting into a tomato and just like,

866

00:41:26,635 --> 00:41:29,795

there's this love of this, this, and he

said, it's almost like caviar, you know,

867

00:41:29,795 --> 00:41:32,205

he's Is it, is it that kind of excitement?

868

00:41:32,205 --> 00:41:34,165

I know, kind of hearkening back to

what you said and talking about our,

869

00:41:34,175 --> 00:41:40,185

our, uh, the art of it and the, uh, and

talking about the younger chefs, are they

870

00:41:40,185 --> 00:41:42,465

maybe missing that kind of excitement?

871

00:41:42,555 --> 00:41:42,805

Yes.

872

00:41:42,805 --> 00:41:44,855

Allow themselves to be kid like, you know?

873

00:41:45,005 --> 00:41:45,675

Ben Ford: Yes.

874

00:41:45,725 --> 00:41:46,095

Yes.

875

00:41:46,095 --> 00:41:48,945

They're missing all the exploration

and the play because they didn't

876

00:41:49,025 --> 00:41:52,375

necessarily grow up playing,

you know, in the same way.

877

00:41:53,090 --> 00:41:56,970

You know, uh, and it's, and it's, and

I know this is one big societal, you

878

00:41:56,970 --> 00:42:02,150

know, uh, uh, experiment, you know,

and I wonder, I wonder what great next

879

00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,820

thing we're going to give ourselves

as a treat to ruin our creativity

880

00:42:05,820 --> 00:42:08,350

and, and, you know, and evolutionary.

881

00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:09,630

I mean, I feel

882

00:42:09,630 --> 00:42:09,990

Marc Preston: like.

883

00:42:10,435 --> 00:42:15,875

Is not, I want to say, uh, an ingredient,

uh, kind of, uh, an approach, but maybe

884

00:42:15,875 --> 00:42:17,515

something that's getting missed, you know,

885

00:42:17,545 --> 00:42:19,905

Ben Ford: what they're missing

is the time between the notes,

886

00:42:20,115 --> 00:42:21,325

the space between the notes.

887

00:42:22,175 --> 00:42:26,405

And what I mean by that is sitting

with your thoughts, you know, I mean,

888

00:42:26,425 --> 00:42:30,485

we, we're in such a production driven

society, you know, and I, and I had to

889

00:42:30,485 --> 00:42:31,635

learn, I had to do it the other way.

890

00:42:31,635 --> 00:42:35,845

I had to learn to be productive, you know,

and I still have to learn to be productive

891

00:42:35,925 --> 00:42:37,395

because my default is the other way.

892

00:42:37,445 --> 00:42:43,530

My default is to, is to, you know, is to

put more work and more hands into things.

893

00:42:44,090 --> 00:42:46,165

My default is to I don't know.

894

00:42:46,215 --> 00:42:49,795

It's, it's, it's, it's, it's completely

opposite, you know, but what I think is

895

00:42:49,815 --> 00:42:53,045

time, you know, and patience and some

of the things that we're, that we're

896

00:42:53,045 --> 00:42:57,705

losing in, in, in general, um, that's,

that needs to be a part of the process.

897

00:42:58,735 --> 00:43:00,765

Marc Preston: Alan Watts, the, uh,

philosopher kind of said something

898

00:43:00,765 --> 00:43:04,445

once he said, even in music, the spaces

between the notes are just important.

899

00:43:04,455 --> 00:43:08,315

The empty space is just because it

defines the notes, you know, kind of like

900

00:43:08,315 --> 00:43:12,015

Ben Ford: exactly, and there's no time

for them to be seen the notes anymore.

901

00:43:12,035 --> 00:43:12,655

There's not even.

902

00:43:13,070 --> 00:43:14,910

There's not even the notion

of understanding that

903

00:43:14,910 --> 00:43:15,910

that's important anymore.

904

00:43:16,710 --> 00:43:19,900

You know, I don't believe so, you know, at

least I don't hear it being talked about.

905

00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:21,560

And, um.

906

00:43:22,065 --> 00:43:25,565

You know, it's, I, I, I love that, you

know, when I, when I, it's still my

907

00:43:25,565 --> 00:43:29,125

favorite thing to do is sit down with some

of my buddies, you know, and chefs, and we

908

00:43:29,125 --> 00:43:31,995

have the ability to, with some of the ones

who are, you know, this only happens when

909

00:43:31,995 --> 00:43:35,745

we're able to get together once or twice

a year at some of these food festivals

910

00:43:35,745 --> 00:43:38,215

and things like that, where we're able

to get away and truly have some time.

911

00:43:38,215 --> 00:43:38,345

Yeah.

912

00:43:38,345 --> 00:43:38,445

Yeah.

913

00:43:38,705 --> 00:43:39,505

That's usually when I

914

00:43:39,515 --> 00:43:42,584

Marc Preston: start seeing the Instagram

light up whenever there's a, you know, as

915

00:43:42,585 --> 00:43:46,105

I follow a few guys and I start seeing,

Oh, everybody's at this thing, you know?

916

00:43:46,205 --> 00:43:46,435

Ben Ford: Yeah.

917

00:43:46,435 --> 00:43:49,225

I'm getting ready to go to one next week,

you know, and I'm really looking forward

918

00:43:49,235 --> 00:43:50,695

to sitting down with some of the guys.

919

00:43:51,085 --> 00:43:54,385

That I started off in my career with

and that you feel really like you can

920

00:43:54,385 --> 00:43:57,695

have these authentic conversations

with where they truly understand

921

00:43:57,695 --> 00:44:00,375

every word that you're talking

about substantively, you know,

922

00:44:07,715 --> 00:44:12,890

Marc Preston: What do you think

about food television is How do you

923

00:44:12,890 --> 00:44:16,510

feel that impacted, uh, just here

domestically, just in the U S like,

924

00:44:16,540 --> 00:44:18,360

what, what do you, was it a good thing?

925

00:44:18,370 --> 00:44:19,550

Was it not a good thing?

926

00:44:19,550 --> 00:44:22,390

Was it just, where are we now?

927

00:44:22,410 --> 00:44:23,500

Comparatively, you know,

928

00:44:23,730 --> 00:44:23,920

Ben Ford: Yeah.

929

00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:26,660

I mean, we fall in love with our,

with our, you know, when something

930

00:44:26,660 --> 00:44:29,520

works, we, we fall in love with

it and we, we emulate it to death.

931

00:44:29,630 --> 00:44:32,080

And that's, that's part of the

problem of what I'm talking about.

932

00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:37,180

So, you know, when we went, when we went

from what were kind of traditional dump

933

00:44:37,180 --> 00:44:41,870

and stir, um, Uh, cooking classes, you

know, basically the person's there in

934

00:44:41,870 --> 00:44:45,630

front of you, the Martha Stewart, the shop

935

00:44:45,630 --> 00:44:47,770

Marc Preston: assistant, you know, they

936

00:44:47,770 --> 00:44:51,890

Ben Ford: call them dump and stir,

you know, the time and, um, You

937

00:44:51,890 --> 00:44:54,280

know, those kind of traditional

cooking classes taught you something.

938

00:44:54,450 --> 00:44:57,340

Then there became this notion that

don't try to teach them something.

939

00:44:57,910 --> 00:44:59,330

Just brand yourself.

940

00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:03,320

Just sell yourself while you're up

there, you know, and be entertaining.

941

00:45:03,620 --> 00:45:06,170

You know, and you see these people go

through these recipes now, and they're

942

00:45:06,170 --> 00:45:09,090

just chopping them up, and you can look

it up later, and you can try to follow up.

943

00:45:09,090 --> 00:45:10,160

It's really about entertainment.

944

00:45:10,810 --> 00:45:11,180

Yeah.

945

00:45:11,810 --> 00:45:12,710

And all that's fine.

946

00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:18,920

But I think where we really lost the, the,

the patience, where we lost the direction,

947

00:45:18,940 --> 00:45:20,480

it was with the competition shows.

948

00:45:21,230 --> 00:45:24,570

You know, where we kind of started

making fun of the, of the profession.

949

00:45:24,580 --> 00:45:28,970

We started making fun of the concepts

a little bit and my, it, mind you,

950

00:45:28,970 --> 00:45:30,540

you know, it, it brought in another.

951

00:45:31,460 --> 00:45:35,760

Uh, a person that was less interested

in the older ways, and it brought

952

00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:40,030

in more of a demographic that I have

less of a connection to, you know, and

953

00:45:40,030 --> 00:45:43,510

that's, and that's fine, you know, I've

got to figure out my next 20 years.

954

00:45:43,510 --> 00:45:45,100

I don't have to figure

out my next 50 years.

955

00:45:45,720 --> 00:45:47,240

Does any of it start at

956

00:45:47,250 --> 00:45:47,790

Marc Preston: home though?

957

00:45:47,790 --> 00:45:49,420

Does any of the start your own kitchen?

958

00:45:49,460 --> 00:45:52,680

Uh, the kids, they want to eat

something like how old is your oldest?

959

00:45:52,700 --> 00:45:54,080

Uh, my cook, my

960

00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:56,990

Ben Ford: kids cook, you know,

they, they cook a lot and they,

961

00:45:56,990 --> 00:45:58,090

and they both know how to cook.

962

00:45:58,090 --> 00:45:59,310

And part of that is.

963

00:45:59,790 --> 00:46:03,410

Um, you know, I want it's

part of its resourcefulness.

964

00:46:03,790 --> 00:46:05,980

Um, you know, there's

economics involved in it.

965

00:46:05,980 --> 00:46:06,360

There's health.

966

00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:06,820

Yeah.

967

00:46:06,940 --> 00:46:07,220

Marc Preston: Yeah.

968

00:46:07,270 --> 00:46:09,700

Ben Ford: There's a lot of health

benefits involved in cooking and

969

00:46:09,700 --> 00:46:10,720

knowing how to cook for yourself.

970

00:46:11,570 --> 00:46:14,750

And you know, but I trained my, I

trained my sons to be good roommates.

971

00:46:14,870 --> 00:46:18,450

You know, I, uh, my oldest son just

moved in with his girlfriend for

972

00:46:18,460 --> 00:46:21,270

the first time and this is a big

test to see how good a parent I was.

973

00:46:21,270 --> 00:46:26,480

Uh, this is a real, this is a real

barometer, but I think, yeah, a lot

974

00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:29,460

of it has to do with, uh, with that.

975

00:46:29,460 --> 00:46:32,580

And I think that there is a lot of

fear based parenting, unfortunately.

976

00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:35,310

Um, you know, it's really.

977

00:46:35,820 --> 00:46:38,540

I don't want to get into parenting

advice and things like that because

978

00:46:38,540 --> 00:46:39,940

it's really not my expertise.

979

00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:41,970

We all have to parent on our own way.

980

00:46:41,970 --> 00:46:43,800

We get lucky, things happen, you know.

981

00:46:44,350 --> 00:46:47,390

I understand that parenting

is a crapshoot, you know.

982

00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:53,300

Um, but getting your kids interested

and, and, you know, and, and, you know,

983

00:46:53,300 --> 00:46:56,930

you, you have parents first households

and you have kids first households.

984

00:46:57,585 --> 00:47:01,895

You know, and, you know, and mine

is somewhat of in between as a chef,

985

00:47:01,955 --> 00:47:04,785

whereas we were probably, you know,

in as much dedicated as I need to

986

00:47:04,785 --> 00:47:08,185

be the restaurant, we were still

very much a kid's first household.

987

00:47:08,725 --> 00:47:14,465

And so the foundations, how we

allowed them to function inside

988

00:47:14,465 --> 00:47:17,735

the household, what we allowed

them to do, their exploratory, what

989

00:47:17,735 --> 00:47:20,975

they were able to do exploratory

was really, was really important.

990

00:47:21,035 --> 00:47:24,995

And, um, how we broke

down the fears of food.

991

00:47:25,575 --> 00:47:28,255

You know, we have, you have to combine

this with other kids that are at

992

00:47:28,255 --> 00:47:32,125

the table that, you know, won't eat

tomatoes or don't eat this, you know,

993

00:47:32,125 --> 00:47:35,295

and it's not because they didn't want

to be, it might because their parents

994

00:47:35,295 --> 00:47:38,915

didn't like it, you know, and they

heard them say something, you know,

995

00:47:38,915 --> 00:47:44,825

or that maybe that, um, you know, it

could be a hyperallergenic situation.

996

00:47:45,265 --> 00:47:49,775

It could be all kinds of things, but

I've had a lot of skill, a lot of,

997

00:47:50,135 --> 00:47:52,085

of, because I'll do this sneakily.

998

00:47:52,455 --> 00:47:54,465

What I'll do is I'll do

it in a very sneaky way.

999

00:47:55,055 --> 00:47:58,625

I'll do things like, for my son,

I'll say, do you want to do a cooking

00:47:58,625 --> 00:48:00,345

class with a few of your friends?

00:48:00,345 --> 00:48:02,605

And I'll give you, I'll

teach a class for you.

00:48:03,375 --> 00:48:05,545

And what I've learned from these

experiences is that the kids

00:48:05,545 --> 00:48:09,475

will, I've had ones that came in

with real food, real food fears.

00:48:10,435 --> 00:48:11,545

They wouldn't wanna touch anything.

00:48:11,545 --> 00:48:12,055

They really Oh, yeah.

00:48:12,070 --> 00:48:12,190

Yeah.

00:48:12,195 --> 00:48:14,365

And I understand some of

this is that there are, there

00:48:14,365 --> 00:48:15,385

are real reasons for this.

00:48:15,385 --> 00:48:19,410

Sometimes there are, there are

psychological reasons for this excuse,

00:48:19,415 --> 00:48:22,235

but beyond that, I'm talking about

just sort of the, the gray area,

00:48:22,235 --> 00:48:23,825

the, the, the fear-based part of it.

00:48:24,005 --> 00:48:27,125

I've had kids that, you know,

where I expose them to the process,

00:48:27,125 --> 00:48:28,505

I got their hands in the food.

00:48:28,955 --> 00:48:31,175

We do things like make a

pizza and you make the dough.

00:48:31,180 --> 00:48:32,645

You, you, you, you do the thing.

00:48:32,645 --> 00:48:34,685

It could be making pasta,

it could be whatever it is.

00:48:35,165 --> 00:48:38,135

But they go home and the next

thing you know is they're engaged

00:48:38,135 --> 00:48:39,215

with their mom in the kitchen.

00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:41,510

You know, they want to

help with the dishes.

00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:43,340

They're involved in the process there.

00:48:44,540 --> 00:48:45,860

And there's an opportunity to do that.

00:48:46,170 --> 00:48:47,580

And they're not afraid of

the kitchen all of a sudden.

00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:50,590

You know, some of these kids were

afraid of that is where the food is.

00:48:50,730 --> 00:48:52,570

That's where all the

dangerous stuff is, you know?

00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:54,020

And I've had a lot of success.

00:48:54,020 --> 00:48:57,260

I've had moms that have come back to me

literally in tears telling me that they,

00:48:57,290 --> 00:48:58,490

you know, we've made a breakthrough.

00:48:59,190 --> 00:49:03,080

And I didn't do it with the intention

of breaking down these kids and

00:49:03,090 --> 00:49:04,550

spreading this message that I have.

00:49:04,550 --> 00:49:07,510

It's just the reaction of what I've

had working with some of these kids.

00:49:08,530 --> 00:49:13,450

So getting kids hands into things,

trusting in them, putting a knife

00:49:13,450 --> 00:49:14,940

in their hands a little prematurely.

00:49:15,180 --> 00:49:16,020

Oh, I know the same thing.

00:49:16,620 --> 00:49:16,930

I know.

00:49:17,290 --> 00:49:19,730

Marc Preston: One of the first things

I did is taught knife technique.

00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:21,450

Uh, and I, it was fun.

00:49:21,460 --> 00:49:23,240

My daughter, Emma, she was much younger.

00:49:23,240 --> 00:49:25,110

She, I think she was only 10

and I noticed her do this.

00:49:25,110 --> 00:49:26,040

I said, Emma knife.

00:49:26,170 --> 00:49:29,030

You know, she would, she would

just immediately, she would,

00:49:29,100 --> 00:49:30,990

she was not intimidated at all.

00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,390

And she became my spice

blender in the kitchen.

00:49:33,390 --> 00:49:35,320

I'm like, okay, we need to

make a something for chicken.

00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:38,040

So I had all these, I'm a

nerd about spices, you know?

00:49:38,040 --> 00:49:41,540

So she'd blend it up and there was

nothing intimidating to him at all.

00:49:41,540 --> 00:49:45,040

They had the things they liked, but what's

exciting to me is when they were younger,

00:49:45,060 --> 00:49:46,260

they didn't really like something.

00:49:46,260 --> 00:49:48,730

I'm like, listen, if you don't like

something, you never have to have

00:49:48,730 --> 00:49:50,390

it again, but maybe try it later on.

00:49:50,455 --> 00:49:52,665

And their palates

evolve, they get into it.

00:49:52,665 --> 00:49:55,455

But they had a lot of what I call chicken

finger kids or chicken nugget kids they

00:49:55,455 --> 00:49:58,655

went to school with who just, there's

no way in the world they'd try some

00:49:58,655 --> 00:50:00,265

of this stuff that they, uh, right.

00:50:00,265 --> 00:50:02,465

Which was exciting to me

when she went to Spain, I was

00:50:02,465 --> 00:50:03,765

living vicariously through her.

00:50:03,765 --> 00:50:05,055

I was like, tell me what you ate today.

00:50:05,065 --> 00:50:05,315

You know?

00:50:05,355 --> 00:50:05,515

Ben Ford: Yeah.

00:50:06,135 --> 00:50:11,175

My kids favorite, maybe like my oldest

favorite food was, was, uh, was, uh, eel.

00:50:11,530 --> 00:50:19,290

And, um, octopus and, uh, and,

and escargot, you know, this

00:50:19,290 --> 00:50:22,750

Marc Preston: is where it's got to

be exposed to it before they realize.

00:50:22,790 --> 00:50:25,560

And, you know, I know one time

we were at a sushi restaurant

00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:29,160

and, and they had a, like, uh,

uh, yakitori and they did tongue.

00:50:29,495 --> 00:50:31,625

And the joke was my daughter

was like eight and the

00:50:31,625 --> 00:50:32,915

oldest two, I was like, okay.

00:50:33,185 --> 00:50:35,345

I think she went to the restroom or

something, came back and I was like,

00:50:35,465 --> 00:50:36,815

don't tell her this is what's coming.

00:50:37,145 --> 00:50:38,645

She was eating, this is so good.

00:50:38,645 --> 00:50:38,945

This is so good.

00:50:38,945 --> 00:50:39,845

I was like, yeah, it's tongue.

00:50:39,845 --> 00:50:40,865

And she just spit it out.

00:50:40,865 --> 00:50:42,965

It's like, why did you

admitted it tasted good?

00:50:42,965 --> 00:50:43,115

Why?

00:50:43,115 --> 00:50:47,255

It is just the idea of it at eight

years old is, uh, a little much.

00:50:47,255 --> 00:50:47,345

But

00:50:48,215 --> 00:50:49,625

Ben Ford: yeah, there was,

you know, I, I don't know.

00:50:49,625 --> 00:50:50,585

We worked with that later.

00:50:50,585 --> 00:50:53,300

I guess it was the secondary work,

but it was the, but, but, but

00:50:53,305 --> 00:50:55,145

primarily, you know, it is about.

00:50:55,480 --> 00:51:00,450

Breaking down the inhibitions and not

being and not being feared and and

00:51:00,450 --> 00:51:06,040

also and also not not putting your not

Projecting your fears on fears onto them,

00:51:06,130 --> 00:51:10,120

you know about food because a lot of this

is in the is in the messaging to the kid

00:51:10,645 --> 00:51:12,625

Marc Preston: You know, when you were

like, when you were growing up though,

00:51:12,645 --> 00:51:15,985

how, what was your household like

as far as, you know, was, were your

00:51:15,985 --> 00:51:18,335

folks cooking, you know, for you or,

00:51:19,185 --> 00:51:20,535

Ben Ford: well, this

is an interesting part.

00:51:20,535 --> 00:51:26,455

Cause it brings up a whole other, uh, part

of why I entered into the chef world, um,

00:51:27,105 --> 00:51:30,805

and why cooking became a part, but this is

more, this is more of the survival parts.

00:51:30,805 --> 00:51:32,364

This is the feral part,

00:51:32,365 --> 00:51:32,635

Marc Preston: you know,

00:51:32,635 --> 00:51:33,645

Ben Ford: is that my, my mother has MS.

00:51:33,645 --> 00:51:37,204

And so, uh, at, um.

00:51:37,855 --> 00:51:39,965

And my, my parents

separated when I was 10.

00:51:40,975 --> 00:51:47,315

So when, uh, when, or 10 or 11, somewhere

in there, when my mother was becoming more

00:51:47,315 --> 00:51:51,695

symptomatic, but she hadn't, MS was at

that in the time, the eighties was very

00:51:51,695 --> 00:51:54,045

hard to diagnose, very hard to diagnose.

00:51:54,065 --> 00:51:56,845

And, and it took several

years for her to be diagnosed.

00:51:57,175 --> 00:52:01,375

And what it looked like to me at the

time was an invisible deterioration.

00:52:01,635 --> 00:52:02,475

It was sort of a.

00:52:02,955 --> 00:52:06,245

You couldn't say, okay, this

day was worse than yesterday.

00:52:06,245 --> 00:52:10,945

It was just like a progression and what

the progression was, was her weakening

00:52:11,355 --> 00:52:15,225

and having less energy for us and having

less energy to spend in the kitchen.

00:52:15,655 --> 00:52:20,575

And she was, this was a woman who,

um, would have groups of kids there

00:52:20,575 --> 00:52:24,895

for several days in a row because, and

there are, there are more than, there

00:52:24,895 --> 00:52:28,835

are a few chefs in LA that pay homage

to her as reasons why they're chefs.

00:52:30,085 --> 00:52:34,945

Uh, Neil Frazier will say in every

interview that he, you know, that he said,

00:52:35,005 --> 00:52:39,665

my mom was his inspiration for cooking and

she was, and she was my inspiration too.

00:52:40,565 --> 00:52:45,365

So, you know, when she was starting to

lose her ability to sort of give, muster

00:52:45,365 --> 00:52:49,175

up the energy to do these meals, you

know, she started to fill the refrigerator

00:52:49,175 --> 00:52:52,105

with, she'd freeze a bunch of steaks

and they'd just be there in the freezer,

00:52:52,145 --> 00:52:53,955

you know, and it was kind of like.

00:52:54,375 --> 00:52:56,585

You want to eat, you

got to cook, you know?

00:52:56,955 --> 00:53:00,255

And so we became, you know, we

started off being creative and,

00:53:00,265 --> 00:53:01,815

you know, and things like that.

00:53:01,815 --> 00:53:04,735

And I wrote my first recipe when I

was five years old, you know, there's,

00:53:04,795 --> 00:53:11,185

I'd already, I'd done some creation,

but when I was like, you know, 13 and

00:53:11,185 --> 00:53:12,335

14, this was the next level of it.

00:53:12,335 --> 00:53:13,449

Now you're, now you're.

00:53:13,920 --> 00:53:16,030

Now your taste buds have

changed a little bit.

00:53:16,040 --> 00:53:17,830

You're into making sandwiches and stuff.

00:53:19,110 --> 00:53:22,920

I don't know, but we got into, it

became, um, uh, another beginning of

00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:26,510

that process for me, and maybe that's

led to me why I made that decision

00:53:26,510 --> 00:53:30,260

when I was 15, you know, the final

decision to kind of go into, into

00:53:30,310 --> 00:53:34,704

cooking happened when my baseball career

was over, I played baseball at USC.

00:53:36,015 --> 00:53:41,675

I, uh, signed to play with the Reds,

uh, in their rookie leagues and

00:53:41,705 --> 00:53:46,615

immediately hurt myself and didn't

return to USC for my senior year.

00:53:46,635 --> 00:53:53,005

I left my junior year to, to play and

being in this not really understanding.

00:53:53,475 --> 00:53:55,865

The opportunities in life

that were now afforded to me.

00:53:55,865 --> 00:53:59,465

I was still looking at life

as a carpenter's son and

00:53:59,465 --> 00:54:00,695

all these sort of things.

00:54:00,985 --> 00:54:04,205

I didn't know how to go back to my

parents and tell them that I now, you

00:54:04,205 --> 00:54:05,635

know, I needed to go back to college.

00:54:05,715 --> 00:54:09,425

And I literally took some of my mom's

cookbooks, some of her jock, the

00:54:09,425 --> 00:54:11,275

pen videos and cook in that kitchen.

00:54:11,855 --> 00:54:16,075

Marc Preston: That that's, that was the,

he and, uh, Martin Yan Yan can't cook.

00:54:16,115 --> 00:54:17,775

That was Justin Wilson.

00:54:17,775 --> 00:54:18,885

They were the trifecta of.

00:54:19,350 --> 00:54:20,530

Yeah, and

00:54:20,900 --> 00:54:24,300

Ben Ford: yes, and Martin Yan ended up

being an instructor of mine later, too.

00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:28,730

So I went up to San Francisco and

literally started beating on back doors.

00:54:29,110 --> 00:54:34,410

Um, of restaurants and my first job that

I got was at a small restaurant in North

00:54:34,410 --> 00:54:40,850

Beach called, um, it was called, um,

Rose, uh, it was called wrath RAF and

00:54:40,860 --> 00:54:44,070

it was a Mediterranean restaurant and

I didn't know any of the ingredients.

00:54:44,070 --> 00:54:48,170

I was like, I, you know, this young

woman sous chef must've thought that I

00:54:48,180 --> 00:54:53,990

was, you know, took attraction to me and

hired me on and I had no knowledge of it.

00:54:53,990 --> 00:54:57,180

I'd, I'd, I'd have to constantly be.

00:54:58,135 --> 00:55:01,675

You know, they'd ask me for an ingredient

and somebody would walk by and I'd repeat

00:55:01,675 --> 00:55:04,735

the word to them and have them go and

get it for me and I'd learn what, you

00:55:04,735 --> 00:55:06,905

know, this pasta was or things like that.

00:55:07,615 --> 00:55:11,545

Literally on my first day of

work inside the restaurants, this

00:55:11,545 --> 00:55:14,475

restaurant was owned by the same family

that owned the Mac truck company.

00:55:15,415 --> 00:55:20,515

And, you know, actually I'll, I'll see,

maybe I shouldn't, I don't know how far

00:55:20,515 --> 00:55:24,425

back they can come after me, but, uh,

this is not a company you want upset.

00:55:24,545 --> 00:55:27,015

They, uh, but they had

a, uh, first day of work.

00:55:27,185 --> 00:55:28,495

I'm sitting there within an hour.

00:55:28,495 --> 00:55:31,875

They're beating up a bus boy in

the, in this little short alley

00:55:31,875 --> 00:55:33,445

behind, behind the restaurant.

00:55:33,535 --> 00:55:34,905

And talk about the conversion of.

00:55:35,545 --> 00:55:39,465

Old world culture and new world culture

as far as restaurants are concerned.

00:55:40,095 --> 00:55:42,895

I come to learn that this kid

is, is, is an Italian family.

00:55:42,905 --> 00:55:45,795

The restaurant was owned by an Italian

family, Mac is of Italian family.

00:55:46,105 --> 00:55:50,405

They, uh, the kid had been, was like

a cousin who had been shipped over

00:55:50,405 --> 00:55:52,965

to work in this restaurant over the

summer and had been stealing things.

00:55:53,465 --> 00:55:56,115

But they couldn't, they couldn't send

him back and they couldn't do anything.

00:55:56,115 --> 00:55:58,495

All they could do is they could

beat him up and put him back to

00:55:58,495 --> 00:55:59,825

work and hope he changed his place.

00:56:00,505 --> 00:56:04,335

This is my first day on the

job in a restaurant, literally.

00:56:04,795 --> 00:56:07,155

You know, next thing I know, you

know, I've got a chef who's walking

00:56:07,155 --> 00:56:09,700

by with a Cup like this full of vodka.

00:56:10,460 --> 00:56:13,960

You know, I lasted there about three

months before I found my first job, my

00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:18,440

job at shape and ace, and that really was

the job that, that launched my career.

00:56:18,860 --> 00:56:20,420

I never wrote a resume after that.

00:56:20,885 --> 00:56:25,495

Um, it really installed a lot of

the, uh, why be culture like 15,

00:56:26,775 --> 00:56:26,905

Marc Preston: 16.

00:56:26,905 --> 00:56:27,395

Was that about how old?

00:56:27,405 --> 00:56:27,765

No, no,

00:56:27,955 --> 00:56:28,235

Ben Ford: no, no.

00:56:28,235 --> 00:56:29,965

This is, this is now

after my baseball career.

00:56:29,965 --> 00:56:33,455

So I'm probably, I'm

20, I'm 20, 20, 20, 21.

00:56:33,765 --> 00:56:37,685

And I found a place of meaning, you

know, a place with a real message to it.

00:56:38,195 --> 00:56:41,475

And I, I fell in with a

chef named Paul Bertolli.

00:56:42,105 --> 00:56:47,195

Um, who wrote a book called, um,

Cooking by Hand, which really became

00:56:47,195 --> 00:56:50,425

some of the foundational parts

of what I believe, which are the

00:56:50,425 --> 00:56:52,355

magic that finds its way into food.

00:56:52,525 --> 00:56:58,615

You know, what makes a leg of, you know,

you hang a leg of pork in a certain

00:56:58,615 --> 00:57:00,075

temperature and it turns into prosciutto.

00:57:00,675 --> 00:57:04,185

You know, you take, you take, take,

you know, you take, how do these things

00:57:04,185 --> 00:57:06,045

transform with these natural environments?

00:57:06,375 --> 00:57:10,475

What is nature's in, you know,

input into the, into the, um, in

00:57:10,475 --> 00:57:11,665

the production of these things.

00:57:11,835 --> 00:57:16,215

And he started to build not only the

nation's notions of messaging and culture

00:57:16,215 --> 00:57:18,175

and things like that, but also flow.

00:57:18,990 --> 00:57:21,510

You know, and how you spend your

time within the four walls of that

00:57:21,510 --> 00:57:25,230

restaurant, what your hands are

doing, what is your brain doing?

00:57:25,640 --> 00:57:29,260

How are you emotionally, holistically

involved in this entire process?

00:57:29,780 --> 00:57:35,290

You know, and he taught me a lot

about, um, the magic of food and

00:57:35,290 --> 00:57:37,010

believing in that, in that process.

00:57:37,580 --> 00:57:41,220

And a lot of his things that he

taught me are things that I've

00:57:41,220 --> 00:57:42,830

found myself teaching to others.

00:57:43,100 --> 00:57:48,540

You know, as far as I'm my main

messaging, and, um, it was, it was

00:57:48,590 --> 00:57:52,130

something that set the foundation

for the rest of my rest of my career.

00:57:52,730 --> 00:57:56,240

Um, I didn't find that sort of thing

again until I worked at Campanile,

00:57:56,340 --> 00:57:59,450

and that was another sort of wonderful

three years that I spent there.

00:57:59,940 --> 00:58:03,010

Marc Preston: But what's cool thing about

being a chef is when you go to a different

00:58:03,010 --> 00:58:06,100

restaurant, a different experience, it's

almost like going to a different school.

00:58:06,140 --> 00:58:10,340

You know, you're, you're, it's, it's,

uh, not necessarily a lateral move.

00:58:10,340 --> 00:58:13,170

It's just, you're going to have different

experiences and that all kind of imprints.

00:58:13,170 --> 00:58:16,490

And there's something that kind of

sticks with you that kind of becomes.

00:58:16,695 --> 00:58:22,485

Your thing, you know, like, uh, as far

as like, when you, you found that you

00:58:22,485 --> 00:58:27,915

had, uh, objectively found success,

was that at all intimidating to you?

00:58:27,925 --> 00:58:30,505

Cause I mean, it's a very

competitive industry and yet people

00:58:30,505 --> 00:58:32,945

who, you know, skyrocket, then

you don't hear from them again.

00:58:32,985 --> 00:58:36,815

Was it, was there any kind of, was it

intimidating to become successful and

00:58:36,825 --> 00:58:41,335

end up on the radar of, of people and,

and the food critics and whatever in LA?

00:58:41,850 --> 00:58:49,010

Ben Ford: I think that there was a, um,

a real decision to not open my first

00:58:49,010 --> 00:58:52,950

restaurant too early in my career, you

know, to understand that there was going

00:58:52,950 --> 00:58:57,310

to probably be a, that I probably would

be judged a little bit differently.

00:58:57,530 --> 00:58:59,900

It wasn't intimidating because

I'd waited until I was mature

00:58:59,900 --> 00:59:01,040

enough to be able to handle.

00:59:01,755 --> 00:59:04,135

Some of them, you know, I didn't

open my first restaurant until

00:59:04,135 --> 00:59:05,335

I was 30 years old, probably.

00:59:05,780 --> 00:59:07,610

Two or 32 years old.

00:59:07,620 --> 00:59:11,000

So it's probably three, two or

three years later than the, than,

00:59:11,020 --> 00:59:12,230

than you would across the curve.

00:59:12,230 --> 00:59:14,540

I spent a couple more years

learning under other people.

00:59:15,110 --> 00:59:17,100

I wanted it to be people.

00:59:17,120 --> 00:59:20,140

I wanted people to really understand

that I had not taken shortcuts in

00:59:20,140 --> 00:59:22,590

my career, that this was not a.

00:59:22,975 --> 00:59:24,625

Nepotism situation.

00:59:24,985 --> 00:59:29,095

This was not a daddy's bought a restaurant

situation is a man who spent his career

00:59:29,515 --> 00:59:31,485

seriously trying to build his craft.

00:59:31,675 --> 00:59:33,015

And so I spent extra years doing that.

00:59:33,045 --> 00:59:38,675

And when the acknowledgement start to

came come, you have to understand that

00:59:38,955 --> 00:59:43,205

I'm always going to be a little bit

trepidatious about why the acknowledgement

00:59:43,205 --> 00:59:49,135

is coming, you know, and I'm and I'm and

I and so I'm I was born I was I was born

00:59:49,135 --> 00:59:54,860

into I mean, I wasn't born into it, but

I had to learn, you know, how to decipher

00:59:54,860 --> 00:59:59,960

between what is my dad's fame and what's

my thing, you know, and it became very,

00:59:59,960 --> 01:00:06,400

very important for me in the beginning to

understand what, and I put the effort into

01:00:06,400 --> 01:00:10,170

it because I really wanted to understand

at the end what my, when I taught at the

01:00:10,170 --> 01:00:13,800

end, I'm saying at the end of my life,

when I'm sitting on my deathbed, I want

01:00:13,800 --> 01:00:15,300

to know what I earned in my lifetime.

01:00:15,650 --> 01:00:16,630

I want to know what's mine.

01:00:17,200 --> 01:00:20,190

I don't want to know what was given to me.

01:00:20,190 --> 01:00:21,230

And I don't care about that.

01:00:21,660 --> 01:00:25,410

You know, to me, that's

dangerous material, but that's

01:00:25,450 --> 01:00:27,000

dangerous territory to get into.

01:00:27,590 --> 01:00:33,170

So for me, um, taking the time to

build my craft, really know what

01:00:33,170 --> 01:00:37,120

I'm doing before I put myself out

there was, was really important.

01:00:37,610 --> 01:00:43,240

And then also looking at the theme

and how it was coming and deciphering

01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:47,730

it, whether it was coming from an

authentic place or not, became very

01:00:47,730 --> 01:00:49,210

important to the process as well.

01:00:49,230 --> 01:00:53,080

So you didn't see me going into

television, like a lot of the other chefs.

01:00:53,530 --> 01:00:58,300

Um, that were from my generation we're

doing, and you don't see me in television

01:00:58,300 --> 01:01:00,540

a lot now, and there's really important.

01:01:00,680 --> 01:01:01,820

There's big reasons for it.

01:01:02,380 --> 01:01:05,610

You know, um, that some of those

lines are difficult for me.

01:01:06,385 --> 01:01:10,785

You know, so I love restaurants, you know,

I think I thought that they, you know,

01:01:10,785 --> 01:01:15,085

and I feel like they're a safe haven for

creativity place where I can really sort

01:01:15,085 --> 01:01:17,145

of garner what my own achievements are.

01:01:17,685 --> 01:01:20,695

And um, you know, that's been

really important part of it.

01:01:21,145 --> 01:01:21,435

Marc Preston: Yeah.

01:01:21,485 --> 01:01:25,625

Delineating between what is yours

and what you've created is, is kind

01:01:25,625 --> 01:01:29,065

of the, one of the essence to me,

it's kind of the essence of life.

01:01:29,065 --> 01:01:30,825

Like you said, you

weren't trying to emulate.

01:01:31,090 --> 01:01:34,650

Uh, anything that had come before you

were, you're maybe you can be inspired,

01:01:34,660 --> 01:01:39,070

but I think that like you said, having

the, uh, you know, the attention of people

01:01:39,070 --> 01:01:42,870

based upon, you know, last name that would

be, that would be in my mind also, you

01:01:42,870 --> 01:01:47,360

know, why are, why are, why am I getting

this, uh, this attention and it's got to

01:01:47,360 --> 01:01:51,230

be really rewarding when somebody sits

down and you've prepared something for

01:01:51,230 --> 01:01:54,580

them and they're really, they light up,

you know, and because it's rewarding,

01:01:54,610 --> 01:01:57,835

Ben Ford: it's It's rewarding when it

comes from the, from the people that

01:01:58,105 --> 01:02:03,335

matter to you, you know, it's rewarding

when, you know, you get invited to do

01:02:03,335 --> 01:02:06,695

a dinner at the James Beard house, you

know, or it's coming from your peers,

01:02:06,725 --> 01:02:11,965

you know, or, you know, somebody you

really have looked up to says something.

01:02:12,375 --> 01:02:12,655

To you,

01:02:13,105 --> 01:02:14,675

Marc Preston: you know, you

know, on that note, you know,

01:02:14,675 --> 01:02:17,055

one of the things I discovered a

few years ago, I enjoy cooking.

01:02:17,055 --> 01:02:17,885

It's a jam for me.

01:02:17,885 --> 01:02:18,885

I love to me.

01:02:18,885 --> 01:02:19,855

It's, it's cathartic.

01:02:19,895 --> 01:02:20,685

It's relaxing.

01:02:20,745 --> 01:02:22,325

Uh, you know, here's

something all I can't cook.

01:02:22,325 --> 01:02:23,185

It stresses me out for me.

01:02:23,185 --> 01:02:24,135

It's total opposite.

01:02:24,545 --> 01:02:27,915

I found that that's a personal, it's

kind of an intimate thing to, you

01:02:27,915 --> 01:02:31,435

know, the people that matter, you

know, like you said, this is one,

01:02:32,515 --> 01:02:34,125

Ben Ford: this is interesting

because people come out, you know,

01:02:34,195 --> 01:02:36,245

I obviously have conversations

with people all the time.

01:02:36,245 --> 01:02:39,175

They want to turn a, turn

a hobby into profession.

01:02:39,925 --> 01:02:44,045

You know, or a young kid that has a, has a

passion for cooking, you know, that might

01:02:44,045 --> 01:02:48,805

want to become a chef, you know, and, and

that becomes a really, it's a, it's a very

01:02:48,805 --> 01:02:53,360

interesting conversation because It's a,

it's a very difficult life, you know, and

01:02:53,360 --> 01:02:57,630

you're, and you're dedicating yourself to

something from a very young age sometimes,

01:02:57,680 --> 01:03:01,360

you know, to, to, and you're, and we

know you go through divorces, life's

01:03:01,360 --> 01:03:06,490

changes, your obligations change, you

know, you go in there thinking, gosh,

01:03:06,490 --> 01:03:10,120

you know, I can, I'm doing great at 20

an hour, you know, I can pay my rent.

01:03:10,120 --> 01:03:10,890

I can do all these things.

01:03:10,890 --> 01:03:12,750

Then you have a kid, you

know, and life's changes.

01:03:12,760 --> 01:03:17,380

So, you know, looking at whether what the

real reasons are for why you're doing it.

01:03:17,605 --> 01:03:20,625

And why you want to do it and how you

want to do it, are the rules there?

01:03:21,035 --> 01:03:24,395

Do you, and so, and you have to look

at the bigger reasons, you know, just

01:03:24,395 --> 01:03:26,905

cooking with food is not always enough.

01:03:27,455 --> 01:03:30,535

There has to be a nurturing

quality to what you're doing.

01:03:31,135 --> 01:03:33,865

And there has to, that has to be

your love language in a way of

01:03:33,865 --> 01:03:34,885

how you show your love for others.

01:03:36,805 --> 01:03:39,525

Because then you're going to take it out

and you're going to want to share it, you

01:03:39,525 --> 01:03:43,225

know, but sometimes it's methodically,

sometimes it's, sometimes it's a little

01:03:43,225 --> 01:03:46,525

more self or sometimes it's making bread

in your home, you know, and it's taking

01:03:46,525 --> 01:03:48,015

that time and it's your meditation.

01:03:48,435 --> 01:03:48,935

And that's.

01:03:49,320 --> 01:03:50,650

And that's got to be okay too, but

01:03:51,060 --> 01:03:52,960

Marc Preston: that was

always a litmus test for me.

01:03:52,960 --> 01:03:55,880

If I want to cook for someone, I'm

like, yes, I want them in my orbit.

01:03:55,930 --> 01:03:59,160

You know, if I'm like, I can't imagine

sitting in my kitchen, I sitting in my

01:03:59,160 --> 01:04:00,900

kitchen, cooking something up for them.

01:04:00,900 --> 01:04:04,660

I'm like, um, I don't know if it's

really as like a dating perspective.

01:04:04,660 --> 01:04:08,485

I, that was sort of like, uh, do I

really, am I really into this situation?

01:04:08,485 --> 01:04:11,790

And it all kind of came back to like,

you know, the investment you make and

01:04:11,820 --> 01:04:14,160

it is, uh, it is a personal thing.

01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:18,255

And like you said, the investment

you make, it's, uh, You know, I

01:04:18,255 --> 01:04:19,915

know you do philanthropic things.

01:04:19,915 --> 01:04:22,495

I mean, to me, that's kind of

a natural offshoot feeding.

01:04:22,735 --> 01:04:26,545

I think Jose Andres, uh, kind of like

epitomize that, like cooking for someone.

01:04:26,575 --> 01:04:29,275

And it's a, what are you involved

in right now, philanthropically

01:04:30,205 --> 01:04:31,545

that you're passionate about?

01:04:31,895 --> 01:04:35,605

Ben Ford: You know, it's, it's, I kind

of go to where the need is right now.

01:04:35,655 --> 01:04:40,095

Um, and, uh, I'm, I'm in the midst

of, of changing some direction.

01:04:40,760 --> 01:04:42,770

Um, I like I was mentioned before.

01:04:42,780 --> 01:04:44,660

I'm very interested in

this sort of Baja region.

01:04:45,120 --> 01:04:48,680

Um, and there are, there's some

things I want to do along the border.

01:04:48,880 --> 01:04:51,720

Um, similar to what, you

know, works on both sides.

01:04:52,040 --> 01:04:53,430

I also work with no kid hungry.

01:04:53,430 --> 01:04:56,390

Still, that's been a main,

uh, very, uh, accordingly.

01:04:56,390 --> 01:04:58,300

It's something that I,

yeah, that we started.

01:04:58,670 --> 01:05:01,710

I was very involved with them

from the very beginnings, really.

01:05:01,710 --> 01:05:05,210

So it's something that we've grown

together with, um, and is important to me.

01:05:05,270 --> 01:05:08,260

Um, conservation is still

very important to me.

01:05:08,260 --> 01:05:08,279

Okay.

01:05:09,000 --> 01:05:14,160

And and the messaging between the which is

less of an organizational thing, but this.

01:05:14,775 --> 01:05:17,945

Support of the small farmer and

the holistic farm system is still

01:05:17,945 --> 01:05:21,165

something that I'm always trying

to bring messaging to and, and,

01:05:21,205 --> 01:05:23,755

and, and, and be a part of, um,

01:05:23,755 --> 01:05:27,435

Marc Preston: To me, it's elemental, you

know, it's really where, you know, uh,

01:05:27,475 --> 01:05:29,215

Ben Ford: Yeah, but right now I've

been, you know, I've been, I've

01:05:29,215 --> 01:05:32,695

been kind of like, I'm, I went

into something for LA food bank,

01:05:32,705 --> 01:05:33,915

you know, a couple of weeks ago.

01:05:33,955 --> 01:05:36,595

And, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm,

I'm always looking for something

01:05:36,605 --> 01:05:40,695

charitable to do, um, because it

is a big way of, it is a big reason

01:05:40,695 --> 01:05:41,935

for why I became a chef as well.

01:05:42,455 --> 01:05:45,485

Marc Preston: As far as your dad, uh,

you know, you, you mentioned you were

01:05:45,485 --> 01:05:49,405

12 when Star Wars came out, of course,

that's that phase of your life, you

01:05:49,405 --> 01:05:52,025

know, that's a big transition point,

puberty and all that, you know, it's

01:05:52,025 --> 01:05:55,995

just, you're becoming your own dude at

that age, you know, and here's your dad

01:05:55,995 --> 01:06:01,885

now, no longer doing the, uh, carpentry

thing as a primary revenue source.

01:06:02,335 --> 01:06:06,865

How, how did you navigate that as all your

friends and contemporaries kind of like.

01:06:07,410 --> 01:06:11,240

It's dad to you, but dad's taken

off and kind of becoming owned by

01:06:11,240 --> 01:06:12,770

the culture a little bit, you know

01:06:12,850 --> 01:06:18,310

Ben Ford: I don't think I I don't think

I handled it very well the Maybe part of

01:06:18,320 --> 01:06:25,510

the age part of also you go from having

a father who you can see What he's doing

01:06:25,510 --> 01:06:27,220

every day and there's a connection to it.

01:06:27,340 --> 01:06:30,370

There's a connection to his craft I was

interested in what he was doing every

01:06:30,370 --> 01:06:34,725

day We are connected in some way to

going off and doing really what was an

01:06:34,725 --> 01:06:39,785

invisible profession, you know, and sort

of just sort of leaving, you know, so

01:06:39,785 --> 01:06:41,335

there was, there was that part of it.

01:06:41,465 --> 01:06:48,545

Um, I think it, I think it was,

uh, something that I didn't figure

01:06:48,545 --> 01:06:50,465

out until probably in my forties.

01:06:50,695 --> 01:06:51,095

Marc Preston: Really?

01:06:52,155 --> 01:06:53,585

Isn't that funny how that works?

01:06:53,585 --> 01:06:56,385

Like you, you're an adult,

like it's sometimes it's the

01:06:56,385 --> 01:06:57,645

perspective when you're a father.

01:06:57,645 --> 01:06:59,115

Now you kind of look and go.

01:06:59,675 --> 01:07:02,725

Some pieces go together a little

bit, but it's, it's weird.

01:07:02,725 --> 01:07:05,765

The discovery we go through, even

though we're forties, fifties, you know?

01:07:06,035 --> 01:07:06,325

Ben Ford: Yeah.

01:07:06,325 --> 01:07:09,065

I mean, I think, I think I went through

some phases, you know, that I'm proud

01:07:09,065 --> 01:07:12,085

of some prizes I'm less proud of, you

know, and that's just, that's this life.

01:07:12,775 --> 01:07:17,195

Um, but it's, it's, and it's unique.

01:07:17,925 --> 01:07:21,885

Situation to have to navigate, you

know, and I made it all that more

01:07:21,885 --> 01:07:26,285

unique by going the profession that

I did But it's uh, I wouldn't trade

01:07:26,285 --> 01:07:27,965

it wouldn't trade anything ever

01:07:28,655 --> 01:07:32,175

Marc Preston: well on the artisan note

and on the craft note and and of course

01:07:32,175 --> 01:07:37,345

your father doing the uh, the carpentry

i'm sure he saw parallels between that and

01:07:37,345 --> 01:07:43,540

what you're doing and had it and and and

Monetize making it a career Did he drop

01:07:43,540 --> 01:07:48,800

any bits of advice to you as far as how to

navigate business wise or, you know, or,

01:07:49,000 --> 01:07:52,650

or, or nuggets you took and they really

made something made a difference to you.

01:07:53,240 --> 01:07:54,630

There's one story I can't tell you, but

01:07:54,760 --> 01:07:57,080

Ben Ford: he used to, you know,

one day I'm going to write a

01:07:57,080 --> 01:08:00,070

book about all the, it's, it's

not going to be a tell all book.

01:08:00,070 --> 01:08:00,969

It's going to be.

01:08:01,710 --> 01:08:04,000

It's going to be like advice my

father told me, and it'll be like

01:08:04,280 --> 01:08:07,710

the cliche that he offered me, and

then how I did everything against it.

01:08:08,140 --> 01:08:11,770

You know, like, yeah, but he

gave me carpenter ones, like, you

01:08:11,770 --> 01:08:13,430

know, measure twice and cut once.

01:08:13,910 --> 01:08:16,780

I mean, how did that, how

did that parlay into things?

01:08:17,340 --> 01:08:23,000

Um, you know, um, I think his, uh,

because the way he's attached also

01:08:23,000 --> 01:08:25,160

took carpentry into his craft.

01:08:25,480 --> 01:08:26,080

As well.

01:08:26,250 --> 01:08:29,150

There's always been

this sort of connection.

01:08:29,390 --> 01:08:32,693

Uh, if, even if you watch this, if

you watch his handwork as an actor,

01:08:32,693 --> 01:08:38,108

he just turn the sound off and you

watch his hands, it's kind of, it's

01:08:38,108 --> 01:08:42,078

actually kind of reMarcable because

these are very important acting parts.

01:08:42,078 --> 01:08:44,604

It's also your connection to your craft.

01:08:45,475 --> 01:08:49,065

You know and getting your hands into

it his hands in the wood my hands

01:08:49,065 --> 01:08:51,525

in the food My hands in the wood.

01:08:51,735 --> 01:08:52,235

I did this.

01:08:52,265 --> 01:08:54,705

I don't know if you know, but I

did a whole cookbook called taming

01:08:54,705 --> 01:09:00,625

the feast which was um my ben

ford's adventurous What was it?

01:09:00,685 --> 01:09:03,605

Uh ben ford's adventurous

cuisine or something like that?

01:09:03,955 --> 01:09:10,285

And basically what it did was it it

combined my two loves of carpentry

01:09:10,305 --> 01:09:16,510

and and um And trade really just

knowing all the trades and a cookbook.

01:09:16,570 --> 01:09:22,420

So, um, it's got, it came out of a

two different, two different things.

01:09:22,980 --> 01:09:26,140

I had a, I used to do these art weekends,

which I talked about working with

01:09:26,140 --> 01:09:28,150

other artists and being in, in getting.

01:09:28,720 --> 01:09:33,580

filled up emotionally, you know,

spiritually, creatively by other

01:09:33,600 --> 01:09:36,370

artists, by other people, you know,

that aren't necessarily my profession.

01:09:36,840 --> 01:09:39,480

So I would go up and I'd spend

these weekends with other artists

01:09:39,480 --> 01:09:43,380

in this wonderful house that had

a potter's room and a painting

01:09:43,380 --> 01:09:44,760

room and a woodworking room.

01:09:44,760 --> 01:09:46,570

And I would cook and then

we would do art all weekend.

01:09:47,270 --> 01:09:47,640

Wow.

01:09:47,650 --> 01:09:47,940

Marc Preston: Okay.

01:09:48,010 --> 01:09:50,610

Ben Ford: They ended up being the same

group of people that ended up producing

01:09:50,610 --> 01:09:53,160

my cookbook and they are way beyond.

01:09:53,670 --> 01:09:56,010

The people that you would expect

that would normally do cookbooks.

01:09:56,020 --> 01:09:59,150

So my photographer is a guy

named Frank Olkenfels, who

01:09:59,150 --> 01:10:00,690

was an Andy Leibowitz protege.

01:10:01,030 --> 01:10:04,140

The front, you know, the, the,

the, the, the whole thing is

01:10:04,140 --> 01:10:05,460

just like above and beyond.

01:10:06,040 --> 01:10:07,210

It's a wonderful, but isn't

01:10:07,210 --> 01:10:08,260

Marc Preston: that kind

of cool the way we pull.

01:10:08,260 --> 01:10:09,870

And I think restaurants are

the same way that you kind

01:10:09,870 --> 01:10:11,720

of find your tribe, you know?

01:10:13,210 --> 01:10:13,640

Ben Ford: It is.

01:10:13,920 --> 01:10:20,170

And then I, and then we, and then I was

able to marry this love of building things

01:10:20,270 --> 01:10:22,470

with, with food inside the cookbook.

01:10:22,470 --> 01:10:26,620

So, we took this, remember at the time

I was raising all these large animals,

01:10:26,920 --> 01:10:28,820

um, you know, 80 miles north of L.

01:10:28,820 --> 01:10:33,990

A., I was learning how to I was getting

more into the rural type cooking,

01:10:34,050 --> 01:10:38,320

you know, cooking in the ground, you

know, spits and things like that.

01:10:38,980 --> 01:10:41,710

But you can't build big wood

fires inside an urban area.

01:10:41,910 --> 01:10:46,780

So I started building contraptions

and I built contraptions like a

01:10:46,780 --> 01:10:50,400

three sided rotisserie, you know,

like a six, eight foot high with a,

01:10:50,670 --> 01:10:52,115

just so you can do a whole hog in.

01:10:52,115 --> 01:10:58,320

And I was inspired from it, from driving

through some of the neighborhoods in,

01:10:58,590 --> 01:11:02,240

or not even neighborhoods, driving out

in some of the The rural areas of North

01:11:02,240 --> 01:11:07,370

Carolina and seeing some pigs being

roasted on like old kids swing sets, you

01:11:07,370 --> 01:11:10,370

know, that they had re rigged it with

like, with like galvanized steel around

01:11:10,370 --> 01:11:14,520

it, you know, so I built one that actually

comes apart and it was very architectural

01:11:14,520 --> 01:11:17,580

and I built plans for it and it's inside

the cookbook and you can build those.

01:11:18,000 --> 01:11:22,460

I built caja chinas, I built, you

know, wine barrels that you can do

01:11:22,460 --> 01:11:26,050

any sort of cooking in underneath the

ground, you know, and so I did all this

01:11:26,060 --> 01:11:28,460

transportable, um, wood fire cooking.

01:11:28,980 --> 01:11:31,710

And I brought all that into it and

it became sort of installation art,

01:11:31,820 --> 01:11:35,450

almost, you know, kind of like cooking

demonstrations, but a lot of fun.

01:11:35,670 --> 01:11:39,920

So that was me sort of really taking

my carpentry background and my dad and

01:11:39,920 --> 01:11:43,430

finding a way to sort of celebrate it,

you know, within my, my cooking life.

01:11:43,540 --> 01:11:46,230

And it's been a really, it was

a really fun cookbook to do.

01:11:46,790 --> 01:11:48,180

I'm never going to do that hard

01:11:48,180 --> 01:11:48,390

Marc Preston: again.

01:11:48,730 --> 01:11:49,910

You mentioned it before.

01:11:49,910 --> 01:11:54,280

It's kind of that idea of, you kind of

have to, at some level, stay curious,

01:11:54,300 --> 01:11:58,060

kid like and explore, you know, that

seems to be part, as you're going

01:11:58,060 --> 01:12:02,730

through decision making and evolution and

deciding, like you said, what the next.

01:12:03,110 --> 01:12:06,150

What's your last restaurant is going

to be, you know, it seems like I would

01:12:06,150 --> 01:12:09,880

suffer from absolutely too many choices,

you know, so I'd have to sit with it

01:12:10,110 --> 01:12:13,740

and see what, you know, cause it's

like, I do this cause I, I just, it was,

01:12:13,740 --> 01:12:15,140

we drive, drive down the street here.

01:12:15,140 --> 01:12:18,700

You know, it's funny that, uh, there's

a few couple empty restaurants that used

01:12:18,700 --> 01:12:20,070

to be like an old Italian restaurant.

01:12:20,170 --> 01:12:23,360

Like if I had, if I had the

resources, what would I do?

01:12:23,360 --> 01:12:25,300

And I'm always kind of, you know,

it's one of the things I play with

01:12:25,310 --> 01:12:28,880

in my mind, realizing arguably

the most competitive business out

01:12:28,880 --> 01:12:29,740

there, but I can kind of like.

01:12:31,000 --> 01:12:31,930

I have to say no,

01:12:32,270 --> 01:12:34,800

Ben Ford: I have to say no way more

than yes, you know, I've definitely

01:12:34,800 --> 01:12:37,910

made more money by saying no than by

saying yes, uh, to certain things.

01:12:37,940 --> 01:12:42,170

And, um, and you know, I think that

I'm sort of blessed by the fact that I

01:12:42,180 --> 01:12:46,790

have to find that message to, to bring

to the community and bring that some

01:12:46,790 --> 01:12:54,169

sort of fresh sharpness perspective

because it slows me down a little.

01:12:56,850 --> 01:12:59,530

Marc Preston: My seven questions always

kind of wrap up within the first one.

01:12:59,990 --> 01:13:02,890

Custom tailored for you and I always put

that first because I always end up talking

01:13:02,890 --> 01:13:09,280

food on my show at some point Uh, but

what is your go to favorite comfort food?

01:13:10,310 --> 01:13:13,870

Ben Ford: Uh, well I have i'll give you

you know, my favorite I love soups my

01:13:13,870 --> 01:13:17,540

parent my parents are midwesterners,

you know, so You know, i'll i'll

01:13:17,710 --> 01:13:19,420

constantly make i'm still a soup person.

01:13:19,430 --> 01:13:23,310

I feel like a like a displaced soup

person, by the way Uh here in southern

01:13:23,310 --> 01:13:29,175

california But I love making those

things but um There are a little more,

01:13:29,335 --> 01:13:32,935

there are a couple of more intensive

things that I like to do, um, as well.

01:13:33,155 --> 01:13:34,795

I love making wood fired paellas.

01:13:34,795 --> 01:13:37,185

I love the process of doing paellas.

01:13:37,485 --> 01:13:39,215

Marc Preston: That's one

thing I've never had.

01:13:39,295 --> 01:13:40,625

I've always wanted to have.

01:13:40,625 --> 01:13:43,205

I told my daughter, I gotta live

vicariously through, you gotta

01:13:43,205 --> 01:13:44,275

go in Spain and go have one.

01:13:44,275 --> 01:13:44,865

She never did.

01:13:44,885 --> 01:13:48,745

I was like, that, that to me is, is

like, I love watching them get prepared.

01:13:49,095 --> 01:13:52,565

It's just, that's kind of a turn on also

to watch a paella come together, you know.

01:13:52,865 --> 01:13:55,095

Ben Ford: Yeah, I just like the

process and I, and I, and I like

01:13:55,095 --> 01:13:56,805

these, you know, magical things.

01:13:56,805 --> 01:14:01,395

I love barbecue nowadays, you know,

when, during COVID I went to, um, I'd

01:14:01,395 --> 01:14:02,735

always done barbecue at my restaurants.

01:14:02,735 --> 01:14:05,855

I'd always had a smoker in the

back, but I would do, I wouldn't say

01:14:05,855 --> 01:14:07,945

that I had become a master at it.

01:14:08,495 --> 01:14:10,505

And during COVID I became

a true master at it.

01:14:10,575 --> 01:14:15,325

I spent a lot of time with it, you know,

and I, and I really perfected a lot of it.

01:14:15,655 --> 01:14:18,375

And who knows, maybe the

next barbecue restaurant,

01:14:18,455 --> 01:14:20,325

Marc Preston: whenever I would

go as a kid over to somebody's.

01:14:20,620 --> 01:14:21,710

Folks house to be barbecuing.

01:14:21,730 --> 01:14:22,940

They layer on a lot of sauce.

01:14:22,940 --> 01:14:26,880

I'm like, if you got to put sauce on

it, there is a, that's I'm just salt,

01:14:26,900 --> 01:14:27,920

pepper, maybe a little something.

01:14:27,920 --> 01:14:30,840

I like it as basic and

just let the, let the,

01:14:30,870 --> 01:14:31,690

Ben Ford: I agree.

01:14:31,690 --> 01:14:33,390

That's a Texas style too, you know?

01:14:33,540 --> 01:14:35,560

Um, and then you get inventive with woods.

01:14:36,530 --> 01:14:38,080

smoke flavors and things like that.

01:14:38,440 --> 01:14:41,630

Um, but I, I love that kind

of cooking, uh, as well.

01:14:41,700 --> 01:14:45,760

Um, any of the old school craft

things, um, the more patience

01:14:45,760 --> 01:14:46,900

and hands I can put into food.

01:14:46,900 --> 01:14:47,200

I love,

01:14:47,920 --> 01:14:48,100

Marc Preston: yeah.

01:14:48,100 --> 01:14:49,520

Hey, as a Jewish kid, I got to ask this.

01:14:49,540 --> 01:14:51,850

Now, doesn't your dad have

some Jewish lineage that,

01:14:52,980 --> 01:14:54,050

uh, one of your grandmothers,

01:14:54,620 --> 01:14:56,770

Ben Ford: his mother, my mother,

my grandmother is Jewish.

01:14:56,770 --> 01:14:58,240

So he's technically Jewish.

01:14:58,300 --> 01:15:01,190

Marc Preston: Um, did, did any

of the, uh, recipes come through,

01:15:01,190 --> 01:15:03,630

uh, you know, cause I got to ask

if, uh, like you mentioned soup.

01:15:03,630 --> 01:15:03,920

Soup.

01:15:03,935 --> 01:15:05,592

That's not from

01:15:05,592 --> 01:15:07,395

Ben Ford: that side of the family.

01:15:08,125 --> 01:15:08,555

Marc Preston: Okay.

01:15:08,555 --> 01:15:08,615

Yeah.

01:15:08,765 --> 01:15:11,885

Cause I didn't know if any of those kind

of Eastern European things that kind of

01:15:11,925 --> 01:15:14,565

trickle through and, you know, um, No,

01:15:14,565 --> 01:15:19,195

Ben Ford: no, she was, uh, um, my

grandmother was, um, you know, a

01:15:19,195 --> 01:15:23,085

product of her era, you know, a

petite, a petite, a petite woman,

01:15:23,115 --> 01:15:26,185

you know, who liked her figure and

probably, you know, ate like a bird.

01:15:26,855 --> 01:15:28,575

So that was her approach.

01:15:28,775 --> 01:15:29,025

Yeah.

01:15:29,025 --> 01:15:32,335

No, you know, and I was, I guess

technically I would be Jewish up

01:15:32,335 --> 01:15:34,015

until about nine, eight, 1600.

01:15:34,085 --> 01:15:37,885

It was a 600 AD, which is when

they changed the rules from

01:15:37,895 --> 01:15:40,265

patriarchal to the matriarch.

01:15:41,995 --> 01:15:42,825

So I know, I know

01:15:43,125 --> 01:15:44,980

Marc Preston: that, uh, Adam's

Sandler's Hanukkah song.

01:15:44,990 --> 01:15:46,660

Of course, your dad got

a little shout out there.

01:15:46,660 --> 01:15:48,740

Yeah, it's like, yeah, exactly, exactly.

01:15:48,740 --> 01:15:49,230

I had him when

01:15:49,230 --> 01:15:50,130

Ben Ford: I talked about it.

01:15:51,750 --> 01:15:52,560

He's a quarter Jew.

01:15:52,570 --> 01:15:53,180

He's not an eighth.

01:15:54,220 --> 01:15:55,930

Marc Preston: Some of those recipes

that, you know, that whenever I

01:15:55,930 --> 01:15:59,070

go to, like I say, LA, it's one

of the stations on the cross.

01:15:59,240 --> 01:16:02,490

I've got to go to Cantor's, get that

mishmash soup, get myself a salami

01:16:02,510 --> 01:16:05,780

sandwich, you know, it's just,

I go there every time, you know,

01:16:06,090 --> 01:16:07,870

Ben Ford: I just did a

whole, I just did a whole.

01:16:08,595 --> 01:16:09,835

I write for periodicals too.

01:16:09,855 --> 01:16:13,775

So I just did a whole story on comfort

food in America and the differences

01:16:13,975 --> 01:16:15,395

regionally in your comfort food.

01:16:15,535 --> 01:16:18,455

My comfort food is matzo ball

soup and a half of hot pastrami.

01:16:18,545 --> 01:16:21,175

If I'm truly in the dumps, that's

where I'm, that's where I got it.

01:16:21,275 --> 01:16:23,035

That's where I'll probably go to.

01:16:23,445 --> 01:16:25,185

Maybe not in the dumps, but

maybe I just need a little

01:16:25,185 --> 01:16:27,235

love, that little internal love.

01:16:27,555 --> 01:16:31,925

My friend that I went to college with,

my roommate, his comfort food is a.