844: Andy Little Chef at Josephine On 12th

With excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest, Chef Andy Little. Chef Little came to Nashville in 2013 by way of central Pennsylvania where he grew up on traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. After realizing "orchestral musician" was not his career path, Little took up a server position to pay his way through school and discovered his love of the restaurant kitchen. Little graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and began his rising career in the industry first working under Patrick O'Connell at The Inn at Little Washington before a stint at Pennsylvania's Evermay-on-the-Delaware, which eventually led him back to his hometown to spearhead the fine dining restaurant at The Sheppard Mansion. Now a 2017 and 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast, Little helms the kitchen at popular restaurant Josephine, where Pennsylvania Dutch roots meet Southern hospitality for a distinct and thoughtful experience beloved by guests.

Check out Atomic Habits by James Clear as mentioned in today's episode.

Show notes…

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Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "A little bit better everyday."

In today's episode with Andy Little we will discuss:

• Staring as a server
• Team environments in the kitchen
• Attending the C.I.A.
• Should you go to culinary school?
• Networking in the restaurant world
• Discipline
• Be unique within a specific standard
• Recipe execution - what makes the end result taste different?
• The Nashville food scene explosion in the early 2010s
• Seeking momentum markets
• Sharing a curated YouTube list with your team
• If you can't teach and inspire, you can't lead
• The interview process
• The desire to help your employees grow and leave your restaurant when they are ready
• Give your staff the tools and knowledge to be better than you
• Identifying when you are in over your head
• Branding
• Chasing success on social media

Today's sponsor:

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Dogged persistence
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Dogged persistence
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Attitude
4. AttitudeWhat's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Staffing
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Don't be an asshole
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Personal engagement on a human level; we don't just take orders
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Clear perspective of what they want for themselves
9. Name one service you've hired.
   • Allen Benton Bacon
10. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
    • iPhone
11. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    1. Try to get a little better every day
    2. be a good person
    3. Be yourself

Contact info:

Josephine On 12th website

Josephine on Instagram: @josephineon12

Andy Little on Instagram: @chefandylittle

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

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Huge thanks to Andy Little for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!