Ben Ford

Transcript

Ben Ford:
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I will say this about cuisine, and I will say

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this about danger in general.

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That's where you find the good stuff.

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If you want that good street taco,

if you want that good whatever.

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Announcer: Welcome to Story Craft.

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Now, here's your host, Marc Preston.

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Marc Preston: All right, here we go.

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Another episode of Story Craft.

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We are back together once again.

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Good to be back with you.

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If this is your first

episode, my name is Marc.

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Thank you for checking out the show.

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Glad to have you along, uh,

today sitting down with chef,

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restaurateur, entrepreneur, author,

philanthropist, chef Ben Ford.

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He's known for his restaurant in

Los Angeles called Ford's Filling

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Station, but he's been involved

in something like 27 different

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restaurants around the Los Angeles area.

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He's been involved in just all kinds

of different projects all over the

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world, actually, even, uh, working

along with the State Department.

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I mean, he's had a very,

very intriguing career.

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We discuss everything stem to stern his

entire career growing up, uh, with his

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father, of course, actor Harrison Ford.

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Of course, Ben has had a very

illustrious career as a chef.

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Uh, just great stories.

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This is a food nerd heavy episode.

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If you've been listening to the show for

a while, you know, I like talking food.

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Uh, we've had some chefs on before,

and this is just kind of a fun, uh,

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talking food and restaurants and kind

of what does it all mean and, you know,

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cultural influences, things like that.

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Tell you what, do me a favor,

always ask, if you would,

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cruise on over to Story Craft.

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pod.

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com, specifically story and craft pod.

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com slash rate, drop a

few stars, leave a review.

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Um, if the, at the very

least just follow the show.

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So you get notified every time we have a

new episode that way folks get to discover

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story and craft a little easier, and

it's a chance for them to take part in

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the mischief that I got going on here.

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Okay.

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So let's jump right into it today.

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It's Food Nerd Central.

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We're gonna have fun.

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It is Ben Ford Day, right

here on Story Craft.

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Ben Ford: Where, where are

you in Texas, by the way?

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Marc Preston: Very southern

tip of Texas, very bottom of

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an island called South Padre.

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

my girlfriend is from, uh, Glen, Glen

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Rose and I And I dated a, an original

Austin, Texas, Austin, uh, or I was

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married to her from San Antonio for many,

many years and have a child from her.

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

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Marc Preston: Well, do you ever

get to, if you ever go to Austin,

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you ever been down to Franklin

barbecue down there to check out?

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Yeah, Aaron's a good friend of mine.

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

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I tell you, anytime I'm down,

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

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uh, it was during the last time I

was here was during COVID actually.

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So they only had a pickup

orders, but I, I mean, the trick

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Ben Ford: is the trick is the

a hundred dollar pickup order.

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So you go, you, you call in,

you call an order in over a

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hundred and you skip the line.

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Yeah.

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You just have to have, you just need

a buddy or two to help you eat it.

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Marc Preston: Here it is.

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I hear it as someone in LA gave

me a way to crack the code.

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There you go.

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Ben Ford: this is,

there's our insider tips.

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You know, the back door

works there too, for me, but

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Marc Preston: you've got the

stripes, uh, the, to get in there,

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

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

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Ben Ford: in Los Angeles.

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Yeah.

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

doing projects around the U S and for.

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Since COVID.

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And so it's been spending parts of time

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

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a very exploratory couple of years.

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But, um, yeah, I'm here

still back based in LA.

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

I've got one child in school here still.

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So I'm rooted here for the next two

years at least, but I mine projects

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in places like the Pearl and.

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Looking in Scottsdale and San Diego

and trying to figure out how this new

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stuff is, but we'll get into that.

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Marc Preston: I'm sure.

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Are you an LA kid originally?

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I know your dad had a place, I think,

in uh, I am there or something or

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Ben Ford: yeah, we have a Wyoming, we

have a Wyoming, uh, Jackson hole that we,

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um, that we acquired in 1978 when it was

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

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Uh, it's changed quite a bit since

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

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Canyon kid from the Hollywood Hills.

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

crazy sixties and seventies Canyons

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and surrounded by all that, all

that, you know, um, learn to swim in

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

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Marc Preston: there was a song that got

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

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had a song called lullaby came out back.

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

somewhere around there about it.

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I think, I don't know.

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He never told me when I spoke with him,

he never told me where he was when he

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came up with the lyrics, but I always

imagined him sitting somewhere like at

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

and, and he would just overhear people.

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Kind of like yourself.

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You grew up there and the whole

song is about like just over, you

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know, overhearing, uh, these girls

just talking about life growing up

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in LA and a couple of the parents

were in the industry or something.

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And that always kind of stuck with me.

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And when I was a little younger, I

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

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And I worked briefly on the radio there.

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

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I lived in Encinitas, North County

of San Diego and I would drive up.

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I had my routine.

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I'd always drive up, but I just,

I was doing voiceover and other

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stuff and acting, but I would on

the weekends at work, uh, at a

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station there and I'd drive up and I

always go to Cantor's deli bringing

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Cantor's back up on Friday nights.

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

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

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got a shake, a chocolate shake, and

then drove back down to one on one

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to get back to Encinitas, you know?

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So it was, it was a fun time.

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I enjoyed it greatly.

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What did

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Ben Ford: you, what did you

bring up from Encinitas?

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There has to be like a trade.

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I had this, uh, Thing where I

would bring, uh, I bring Kurt

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to eat at house on Wisconsin and

to survive through the summer.

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And I'd bring hot sauce and tortillas

from California because he couldn't

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get them out there at that time.

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And then I, then I'd bring smoked

fish and new skis, bacon back

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with me on the return trip.

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And I started that at like 10 years old.

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So I was, you know, I was,

I was incubating the chef.

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Marc Preston: The chef

world already, I guess.

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When did you become enamored with

the idea of actually cooking?

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Was this something that came later in life

when you were looking for things to do?

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Or did it kind of kick off

when you were like a little?

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Ben Ford: No, it kicked off as

sort of a natural inclination.

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

found in the kitchen with one of my best

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friend's mothers, you know, preparing

dinner as I'd be Outside throwing the

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football, you know, it might be a 50 50

kind of visit Even when I would go or

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if the mother was a particularly good

cook And if the mother was a very good

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cook, I I definitely befriended that kid

and you know It was it was akin to it

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was akin at the time to them having a

swimming pool probably you know, it was

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it just it really meant it meant a lot to

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

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creation and and the library, you know,

this, um, ability to work with your hands.

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You know, my father was a was a carpenter

when I was up until I was 12, you

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know, and he still kept a workshop.

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He still keeps a workshop.

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Good worker, even though he

was also in entertainment.

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Um, and so this connection of working

with our hands and our craft, you

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know, it was all very important.

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And, uh, at the time when I was eyeing

cooking, when I originally was eyeing

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

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That's sort of the, you

know, the celebrity chef yet.

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And so for me, it was, it was sort

of a very good place to explore,

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uh, creativity, uh, free from the.

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Exploitations of being in a, you know,

having a famous father eventually,

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

it was, it was a very comfortable

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place for me for a long time.

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As sort of the celebrity chef kind of

part came into it more and more there

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became more conflict But the truth of

it in the beginning when I when I was in

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there in those kitchens early I was very

very passionate about it and very driven

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by something that was more mysterious to

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

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

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Um Uh, cooking in a, in a

restaurant in San Francisco.

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And I went up and did that.

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Um, and I experienced

that, had that experience.

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You

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Marc Preston: were 15 years old.

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You asked, wow, that's uh,

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Ben Ford: yeah.

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And, and, and yeah, it was interesting

because at the time I was still, uh,

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I was still focusing on baseball.

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Baseball was something that I

had turned, uh, it was a surprise

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talent of mine at 10 years old.

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It was something that if you're

very good at, you kind of

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have to dedicate your life to.

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And so I didn't leave a lot of room

for other explorations other than

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Marc Preston: cooking.

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Were you hanging out with

Charlie Sheen by any chance?

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Because I know he was, that

was his jam back in the day.

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

it was really interesting because the, I

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was from the sort of East Hollywood Hills.

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I was from Laurel Canyon, Woodrow

Wilson kind of, you know, area.

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And, uh, we were very much, we

weren't, we weren't from sort of

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the provincial part of Los Angeles.

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We weren't part of society.

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We're kind of living with the grips

and, you know, and the, and the,

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you know, the craftsmen worked,

you know, and stuff like that.

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The drug dealer still lived next

to the, you know, the up and coming

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actor, you know, it was an eclectic,

it was an eclectic sixties and

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seventies, uh, set up, you know.

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Um, but what it was really was.

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An incubator for creativity, you know,

I think that my if I asked my father

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is what we were like as kids He'll tell

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

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literally like running around in this

wild environment, but what it bred was

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You know, a lifetime of artistry and

creativity, you know, you know, it was a

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wonderful way to be exposed to the world.

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Marc Preston: Well, how many siblings,

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

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an only kid or did you have siblings?

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Ben Ford: Well, I had siblings.

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I, uh, you know, until

three, I was living in bliss.

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Uh, and then, uh, you know, they

decided to have another one.

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I have a little brother named Willard,

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

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who's a wonderful companion and, you

know, you know, and partner in life.

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Uh, I couldn't imagine being,

having life without him,

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without having a real brother.

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I also have a half brother and half

sister from my dad's second marriage,

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who are wonderful, uh, kids and, and,

uh, quite a bit younger, but wonderful.

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

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

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

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And you know, he's the

same age as my older son.

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

it's interesting to watch him

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Marc Preston: grow.

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I've got the same thing.

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

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

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My oldest daughter is like within

months of technically her aunt.

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You know, so it's kind of

a interesting paradigm.

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And then, you know, because of, uh,

yeah, for my father passed after COVID

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

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com, I discovered I had another sister.

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

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

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

kid, you know, took only took nearly 50

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years to discover this, but it's cool.

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Um, but so.

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Was there any inclination or, or, uh,

encouragement or anything for you to,

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to look at either on or off camera,

anything in the entertainment industry

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

your dad kind of like, you know, kind

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of follow your own path kind of thing?

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Ben Ford: I think there was always a

follow your own path kind of, uh, thing.

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And, and, you know, and part of it

also was part of the, the timing of

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my dad's career when I was, when I

was coming, becoming of age, you know,

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so, you know, he was really, Star

Wars didn't come out as 12 years old,

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

old when it was starting to come out.

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Raiders was a whole nother sort of level

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

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really changed when Star Wars came out.

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His, you know, before that I knew him

as a carpenter, you know, and so this

236

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idea of the Boehner entertainment

was still a, a fresh thing.

237

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And he was still going

through the assimilation of.

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Um, coming, being a, what he thought

was going to be a simple actor,

239

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you know, to trying to figure out

what it was like to have to also,

240

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um, transition into what would be

a movie star type of role, I guess.

241

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Marc Preston: Like

American graffiti about it.

242

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Like, were you, were you

around when that came out?

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So,

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Ben Ford: yeah.

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So American graffiti was in 72, 73.

246

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Uh, apocalypse now is in 72, 73,

although it wasn't released until

247

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77 and conversation conversation,

which also was, he had a small part

248

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in, but a very good part in, um,

Was in 72 73 somewhere around there.

249

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So he was doing parts.

250

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He was doing television, but he

wasn't supporting us that way.

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The day to day operations, the stuff that

I connection and stuff I had connections

252

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to was the workshop next to the house.

253

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So, so by that time, you

know, I was a young kid.

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My play toys were, were hammers and

chisels and, and, and, you know, at

255

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saws and, you know, unfortunately

sometimes I'd take his drill bits out,

256

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you know, at the time of this, these

things were very important tools, you

257

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didn't have the money to go and replace

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

258

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in the dirt with them and lose them.

259

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And, you know, there was, there was many

different other things that happened.

260

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Me hammering.

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You know, windows that were intended,

intended for his, um, uh, for homes

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that I'd nailed into my tree houses

and things like that, you know, so

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there was, there was some mistakes

across the way, but that showed some,

264

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Marc Preston: uh, that showed

some, uh, ingenuity on it.

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And like, uh, you know, wait a

minute, there's this thing here and

266

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I need a window and it's right there.

267

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You know.

268

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Uh oh.

269

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It, it's like your chefs knives,

you know, you, you know, those,

270

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they're, they're very protected.

271

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

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

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So the, the, the carpenter's tools

are kind of the same thing, you know?

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So,

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Ben Ford: yes.

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

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I was the one who was taking apart the

phones and the cameras and trying to

277

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put them back together, and, oh, you

know that also, oh, God, I thought

278

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

I was intimately acquainted with

279

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a Briggs and Stratton engine.

280

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Like I would like.

281

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My father would be off at work.

282

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I literally took apart the lawnmower

and put it back together again.

283

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And like he mowed the yard later.

284

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I had no clue.

285

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I think there were still a few screws

left over that didn't quite go back.

286

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

287

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I was like, how does

this whole thing work?

288

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You know?

289

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

what that instills in you, you know,

290

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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

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Um, you know, is is fairly evident.

293

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You know, I became a person who really

focused on, um, creativity, you know,

294

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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

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slogan of mine for a long time.

297

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And, you know, one of the reasons you see

me sort of, you know, my restaurants, I

298

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turn them out about certain, you know,

um There's a little bit of rhythm to

299

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it, but there's some time in between

them usually, because there's a lot of

300

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thought that goes into producing them.

301

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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

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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

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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

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I like the idea of having

Yeah, when you're running

311

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Marc Preston: a restaurant,

it's, it's all encompassing.

312

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

313

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It's, it's day

314

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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

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Station, you know, where I was waiting

for the messaging to sort of come.

318

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You know, I've always worked

for restaurants that had

319

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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

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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

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Ben Ford: it's, unfortunately

it's more holistic than that

331

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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

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me and, um, generally what I do is,

you know, I take the time to sort of.

334

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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

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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

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

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

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

Speaker:
1000

00:47:58,625 --> 00:48:00,345

class with a few of your friends?

Speaker:
1001

00:48:00,345 --> 00:48:02,605

And I'll give you, I'll

teach a class for you.

Speaker:
1002

00:48:03,375 --> 00:48:05,545

And what I've learned from these

experiences is that the kids

Speaker:
1003

00:48:05,545 --> 00:48:09,475

will, I've had ones that came in

with real food, real food fears.

Speaker:
1004

00:48:10,435 --> 00:48:11,545

They wouldn't wanna touch anything.

Speaker:
1005

00:48:11,545 --> 00:48:12,055

They really Oh, yeah.

Speaker:
1006

00:48:12,070 --> 00:48:12,190

Yeah.

Speaker:
1007

00:48:12,195 --> 00:48:14,365

And I understand some of

this is that there are, there

Speaker:
1008

00:48:14,365 --> 00:48:15,385

are real reasons for this.

Speaker:
1009

00:48:15,385 --> 00:48:19,410

Sometimes there are, there are

psychological reasons for this excuse,

Speaker:
1010

00:48:19,415 --> 00:48:22,235

but beyond that, I'm talking about

just sort of the, the gray area,

Speaker:
1011

00:48:22,235 --> 00:48:23,825

the, the, the fear-based part of it.

Speaker:
1012

00:48:24,005 --> 00:48:27,125

I've had kids that, you know,

where I expose them to the process,

Speaker:
1013

00:48:27,125 --> 00:48:28,505

I got their hands in the food.

Speaker:
1014

00:48:28,955 --> 00:48:31,175

We do things like make a

pizza and you make the dough.

Speaker:
1015

00:48:31,180 --> 00:48:32,645

You, you, you, you do the thing.

Speaker:
1016

00:48:32,645 --> 00:48:34,685

It could be making pasta,

it could be whatever it is.

Speaker:
1017

00:48:35,165 --> 00:48:38,135

But they go home and the next

thing you know is they're engaged

Speaker:
1018

00:48:38,135 --> 00:48:39,215

with their mom in the kitchen.

Speaker:
1019

00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:41,510

You know, they want to

help with the dishes.

Speaker:
1020

00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:43,340

They're involved in the process there.

Speaker:
1021

00:48:44,540 --> 00:48:45,860

And there's an opportunity to do that.

Speaker:
1022

00:48:46,170 --> 00:48:47,580

And they're not afraid of

the kitchen all of a sudden.

Speaker:
1023

00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:50,590

You know, some of these kids were

afraid of that is where the food is.

Speaker:
1024

00:48:50,730 --> 00:48:52,570

That's where all the

dangerous stuff is, you know?

Speaker:
1025

00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:54,020

And I've had a lot of success.

Speaker:
1026

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,

Speaker:
1027

00:48:57,290 --> 00:48:58,490

you know, we've made a breakthrough.

Speaker:
1028

00:48:59,190 --> 00:49:03,080

And I didn't do it with the intention

of breaking down these kids and

Speaker:
1029

00:49:03,090 --> 00:49:04,550

spreading this message that I have.

Speaker:
1030

00:49:04,550 --> 00:49:07,510

It's just the reaction of what I've

had working with some of these kids.

Speaker:
1031

00:49:08,530 --> 00:49:13,450

So getting kids hands into things,

trusting in them, putting a knife

Speaker:
1032

00:49:13,450 --> 00:49:14,940

in their hands a little prematurely.

Speaker:
1033

00:49:15,180 --> 00:49:16,020

Oh, I know the same thing.

Speaker:
1034

00:49:16,620 --> 00:49:16,930

I know.

Speaker:
1035

00:49:17,290 --> 00:49:19,730

Marc Preston: One of the first things

I did is taught knife technique.

Speaker:
1036

00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:21,450

Uh, and I, it was fun.

Speaker:
1037

00:49:21,460 --> 00:49:23,240

My daughter, Emma, she was much younger.

Speaker:
1038

00:49:23,240 --> 00:49:25,110

She, I think she was only 10

and I noticed her do this.

Speaker:
1039

00:49:25,110 --> 00:49:26,040

I said, Emma knife.

Speaker:
1040

00:49:26,170 --> 00:49:29,030

You know, she would, she would

just immediately, she would,

Speaker:
1041

00:49:29,100 --> 00:49:30,990

she was not intimidated at all.

Speaker:
1042

00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,390

And she became my spice

blender in the kitchen.

Speaker:
1043

00:49:33,390 --> 00:49:35,320

I'm like, okay, we need to

make a something for chicken.

Speaker:
1044

00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:38,040

So I had all these, I'm a

nerd about spices, you know?

Speaker:
1045

00:49:38,040 --> 00:49:41,540

So she'd blend it up and there was

nothing intimidating to him at all.

Speaker:
1046

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,

Speaker:
1047

00:49:45,060 --> 00:49:46,260

they didn't really like something.

Speaker:
1048

00:49:46,260 --> 00:49:48,730

I'm like, listen, if you don't like

something, you never have to have

Speaker:
1049

00:49:48,730 --> 00:49:50,390

it again, but maybe try it later on.

Speaker:
1050

00:49:50,455 --> 00:49:52,665

And their palates

evolve, they get into it.

Speaker:
1051

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

Speaker:
1052

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

Speaker:
1053

00:49:58,655 --> 00:50:00,265

of this stuff that they, uh, right.

Speaker:
1054

00:50:00,265 --> 00:50:02,465

Which was exciting to me

when she went to Spain, I was

Speaker:
1055

00:50:02,465 --> 00:50:03,765

living vicariously through her.

Speaker:
1056

00:50:03,765 --> 00:50:05,055

I was like, tell me what you ate today.

Speaker:
1057

00:50:05,065 --> 00:50:05,315

You know?

Speaker:
1058

00:50:05,355 --> 00:50:05,515

Ben Ford: Yeah.

Speaker:
1059

00:50:06,135 --> 00:50:11,175

My kids favorite, maybe like my oldest

favorite food was, was, uh, was, uh, eel.

Speaker:
1060

00:50:11,530 --> 00:50:19,290

And, um, octopus and, uh, and,

and escargot, you know, this

Speaker:
1061

00:50:19,290 --> 00:50:22,750

Marc Preston: is where it's got to

be exposed to it before they realize.

Speaker:
1062

00:50:22,790 --> 00:50:25,560

And, you know, I know one time

we were at a sushi restaurant

Speaker:
1063

00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:29,160

and, and they had a, like, uh,

uh, yakitori and they did tongue.

Speaker:
1064

00:50:29,495 --> 00:50:31,625

And the joke was my daughter

was like eight and the

Speaker:
1065

00:50:31,625 --> 00:50:32,915

oldest two, I was like, okay.

Speaker:
1066

00:50:33,185 --> 00:50:35,345

I think she went to the restroom or

something, came back and I was like,

Speaker:
1067

00:50:35,465 --> 00:50:36,815

don't tell her this is what's coming.

Speaker:
1068

00:50:37,145 --> 00:50:38,645

She was eating, this is so good.

Speaker:
1069

00:50:38,645 --> 00:50:38,945

This is so good.

Speaker:
1070

00:50:38,945 --> 00:50:39,845

I was like, yeah, it's tongue.

Speaker:
1071

00:50:39,845 --> 00:50:40,865

And she just spit it out.

Speaker:
1072

00:50:40,865 --> 00:50:42,965

It's like, why did you

admitted it tasted good?

Speaker:
1073

00:50:42,965 --> 00:50:43,115

Why?

Speaker:
1074

00:50:43,115 --> 00:50:47,255

It is just the idea of it at eight

years old is, uh, a little much.

Speaker:
1075

00:50:47,255 --> 00:50:47,345

But

Speaker:
1076

00:50:48,215 --> 00:50:49,625

Ben Ford: yeah, there was,

you know, I, I don't know.

Speaker:
1077

00:50:49,625 --> 00:50:50,585

We worked with that later.

Speaker:
1078

00:50:50,585 --> 00:50:53,300

I guess it was the secondary work,

but it was the, but, but, but

Speaker:
1079

00:50:53,305 --> 00:50:55,145

primarily, you know, it is about.

Speaker:
1080

00:50:55,480 --> 00:51:00,450

Breaking down the inhibitions and not

being and not being feared and and

Speaker:
1081

00:51:00,450 --> 00:51:06,040

also and also not not putting your not

Projecting your fears on fears onto them,

Speaker:
1082

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

Speaker:
1083

00:51:10,645 --> 00:51:12,625

Marc Preston: You know, when you were

like, when you were growing up though,

Speaker:
1084

00:51:12,645 --> 00:51:15,985

how, what was your household like

as far as, you know, was, were your

Speaker:
1085

00:51:15,985 --> 00:51:18,335

folks cooking, you know, for you or,

Speaker:
1086

00:51:19,185 --> 00:51:20,535

Ben Ford: well, this

is an interesting part.

Speaker:
1087

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,

Speaker:
1088

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.

Speaker:
1089

00:51:30,805 --> 00:51:32,364

This is the feral part,

Speaker:
1090

00:51:32,365 --> 00:51:32,635

Marc Preston: you know,

Speaker:
1091

00:51:32,635 --> 00:51:33,645

Ben Ford: is that my, my mother has MS.

Speaker:
1092

00:51:33,645 --> 00:51:37,204

And so, uh, at, um.

Speaker:
1093

00:51:37,855 --> 00:51:39,965

And my, my parents

separated when I was 10.

Speaker:
1094

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

Speaker:
1095

00:51:47,315 --> 00:51:51,695

symptomatic, but she hadn't, MS was at

that in the time, the eighties was very

Speaker:
1096

00:51:51,695 --> 00:51:54,045

hard to diagnose, very hard to diagnose.

Speaker:
1097

00:51:54,065 --> 00:51:56,845

And, and it took several

years for her to be diagnosed.

Speaker:
1098

00:51:57,175 --> 00:52:01,375

And what it looked like to me at the

time was an invisible deterioration.

Speaker:
1099

00:52:01,635 --> 00:52:02,475

It was sort of a.

Speaker:
1100

00:52:02,955 --> 00:52:06,245

You couldn't say, okay, this

day was worse than yesterday.

Speaker:
1101

00:52:06,245 --> 00:52:10,945

It was just like a progression and what

the progression was, was her weakening

Speaker:
1102

00:52:11,355 --> 00:52:15,225

and having less energy for us and having

less energy to spend in the kitchen.

Speaker:
1103

00:52:15,655 --> 00:52:20,575

And she was, this was a woman who,

um, would have groups of kids there

Speaker:
1104

00:52:20,575 --> 00:52:24,895

for several days in a row because, and

there are, there are more than, there

Speaker:
1105

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.

Speaker:
1106

00:52:30,085 --> 00:52:34,945

Uh, Neil Frazier will say in every

interview that he, you know, that he said,

Speaker:
1107

00:52:35,005 --> 00:52:39,665

my mom was his inspiration for cooking and

she was, and she was my inspiration too.

Speaker:
1108

00:52:40,565 --> 00:52:45,365

So, you know, when she was starting to

lose her ability to sort of give, muster

Speaker:
1109

00:52:45,365 --> 00:52:49,175

up the energy to do these meals, you

know, she started to fill the refrigerator

Speaker:
1110

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,

Speaker:
1111

00:52:52,145 --> 00:52:53,955

you know, and it was kind of like.

Speaker:
1112

00:52:54,375 --> 00:52:56,585

You want to eat, you

got to cook, you know?

Speaker:
1113

00:52:56,955 --> 00:53:00,255

And so we became, you know, we

started off being creative and,

Speaker:
1114

00:53:00,265 --> 00:53:01,815

you know, and things like that.

Speaker:
1115

00:53:01,815 --> 00:53:04,735

And I wrote my first recipe when I

was five years old, you know, there's,

Speaker:
1116

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

Speaker:
1117

00:53:11,185 --> 00:53:12,335

14, this was the next level of it.

Speaker:
1118

00:53:12,335 --> 00:53:13,449

Now you're, now you're.

Speaker:
1119

00:53:13,920 --> 00:53:16,030

Now your taste buds have

changed a little bit.

Speaker:
1120

00:53:16,040 --> 00:53:17,830

You're into making sandwiches and stuff.

Speaker:
1121

00:53:19,110 --> 00:53:22,920

I don't know, but we got into, it

became, um, uh, another beginning of

Speaker:
1122

00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:26,510

that process for me, and maybe that's

led to me why I made that decision

Speaker:
1123

00:53:26,510 --> 00:53:30,260

when I was 15, you know, the final

decision to kind of go into, into

Speaker:
1124

00:53:30,310 --> 00:53:34,704

cooking happened when my baseball career

was over, I played baseball at USC.

Speaker:
1125

00:53:36,015 --> 00:53:41,675

I, uh, signed to play with the Reds,

uh, in their rookie leagues and

Speaker:
1126

00:53:41,705 --> 00:53:46,615

immediately hurt myself and didn't

return to USC for my senior year.

Speaker:
1127

00:53:46,635 --> 00:53:53,005

I left my junior year to, to play and

being in this not really understanding.

Speaker:
1128

00:53:53,475 --> 00:53:55,865

The opportunities in life

that were now afforded to me.

Speaker:
1129

00:53:55,865 --> 00:53:59,465

I was still looking at life

as a carpenter's son and

Speaker:
1130

00:53:59,465 --> 00:54:00,695

all these sort of things.

Speaker:
1131

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

Speaker:
1132

00:54:04,205 --> 00:54:05,635

know, I needed to go back to college.

Speaker:
1133

00:54:05,715 --> 00:54:09,425

And I literally took some of my mom's

cookbooks, some of her jock, the

Speaker:
1134

00:54:09,425 --> 00:54:11,275

pen videos and cook in that kitchen.

Speaker:
1135

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.

Speaker:
1136

00:54:16,115 --> 00:54:17,775

That was Justin Wilson.

Speaker:
1137

00:54:17,775 --> 00:54:18,885

They were the trifecta of.

Speaker:
1138

00:54:19,350 --> 00:54:20,530

Yeah, and

Speaker:
1139

00:54:20,900 --> 00:54:24,300

Ben Ford: yes, and Martin Yan ended up

being an instructor of mine later, too.

Speaker:
1140

00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:28,730

So I went up to San Francisco and

literally started beating on back doors.

Speaker:
1141

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

Speaker:
1142

00:54:34,410 --> 00:54:40,850

Beach called, um, it was called, um,

Rose, uh, it was called wrath RAF and

Speaker:
1143

00:54:40,860 --> 00:54:44,070

it was a Mediterranean restaurant and

I didn't know any of the ingredients.

Speaker:
1144

00:54:44,070 --> 00:54:48,170

I was like, I, you know, this young

woman sous chef must've thought that I

Speaker:
1145

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.

Speaker:
1146

00:54:53,990 --> 00:54:57,180

I'd, I'd, I'd have to constantly be.

Speaker:
1147

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

Speaker:
1148

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

Speaker:
1149

00:55:04,735 --> 00:55:06,905

know, this pasta was or things like that.

Speaker:
1150

00:55:07,615 --> 00:55:11,545

Literally on my first day of

work inside the restaurants, this

Speaker:
1151

00:55:11,545 --> 00:55:14,475

restaurant was owned by the same family

that owned the Mac truck company.

Speaker:
1152

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

Speaker:
1153

00:55:20,515 --> 00:55:24,425

back they can come after me, but, uh,

this is not a company you want upset.

Speaker:
1154

00:55:24,545 --> 00:55:27,015

They, uh, but they had

a, uh, first day of work.

Speaker:
1155

00:55:27,185 --> 00:55:28,495

I'm sitting there within an hour.

Speaker:
1156

00:55:28,495 --> 00:55:31,875

They're beating up a bus boy in

the, in this little short alley

Speaker:
1157

00:55:31,875 --> 00:55:33,445

behind, behind the restaurant.

Speaker:
1158

00:55:33,535 --> 00:55:34,905

And talk about the conversion of.

Speaker:
1159

00:55:35,545 --> 00:55:39,465

Old world culture and new world culture

as far as restaurants are concerned.

Speaker:
1160

00:55:40,095 --> 00:55:42,895

I come to learn that this kid

is, is, is an Italian family.

Speaker:
1161

00:55:42,905 --> 00:55:45,795

The restaurant was owned by an Italian

family, Mac is of Italian family.

Speaker:
1162

00:55:46,105 --> 00:55:50,405

They, uh, the kid had been, was like

a cousin who had been shipped over

Speaker:
1163

00:55:50,405 --> 00:55:52,965

to work in this restaurant over the

summer and had been stealing things.

Speaker:
1164

00:55:53,465 --> 00:55:56,115

But they couldn't, they couldn't send

him back and they couldn't do anything.

Speaker:
1165

00:55:56,115 --> 00:55:58,495

All they could do is they could

beat him up and put him back to

Speaker:
1166

00:55:58,495 --> 00:55:59,825

work and hope he changed his place.

Speaker:
1167

00:56:00,505 --> 00:56:04,335

This is my first day on the

job in a restaurant, literally.

Speaker:
1168

00:56:04,795 --> 00:56:07,155

You know, next thing I know, you

know, I've got a chef who's walking

Speaker:
1169

00:56:07,155 --> 00:56:09,700

by with a Cup like this full of vodka.

Speaker:
1170

00:56:10,460 --> 00:56:13,960

You know, I lasted there about three

months before I found my first job, my

Speaker:
1171

00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:18,440

job at shape and ace, and that really was

the job that, that launched my career.

Speaker:
1172

00:56:18,860 --> 00:56:20,420

I never wrote a resume after that.

Speaker:
1173

00:56:20,885 --> 00:56:25,495

Um, it really installed a lot of

the, uh, why be culture like 15,

Speaker:
1174

00:56:26,775 --> 00:56:26,905

Marc Preston: 16.

Speaker:
1175

00:56:26,905 --> 00:56:27,395

Was that about how old?

Speaker:
1176

00:56:27,405 --> 00:56:27,765

No, no,

Speaker:
1177

00:56:27,955 --> 00:56:28,235

Ben Ford: no, no.

Speaker:
1178

00:56:28,235 --> 00:56:29,965

This is, this is now

after my baseball career.

Speaker:
1179

00:56:29,965 --> 00:56:33,455

So I'm probably, I'm

20, I'm 20, 20, 20, 21.

Speaker:
1180

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.

Speaker:
1181

00:56:38,195 --> 00:56:41,475

And I, I fell in with a

chef named Paul Bertolli.

Speaker:
1182

00:56:42,105 --> 00:56:47,195

Um, who wrote a book called, um,

Cooking by Hand, which really became

Speaker:
1183

00:56:47,195 --> 00:56:50,425

some of the foundational parts

of what I believe, which are the

Speaker:
1184

00:56:50,425 --> 00:56:52,355

magic that finds its way into food.

Speaker:
1185

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

Speaker:
1186

00:56:58,615 --> 00:57:00,075

temperature and it turns into prosciutto.

Speaker:
1187

00:57:00,675 --> 00:57:04,185

You know, you take, you take, take,

you know, you take, how do these things

Speaker:
1188

00:57:04,185 --> 00:57:06,045

transform with these natural environments?

Speaker:
1189

00:57:06,375 --> 00:57:10,475

What is nature's in, you know,

input into the, into the, um, in

Speaker:
1190

00:57:10,475 --> 00:57:11,665

the production of these things.

Speaker:
1191

00:57:11,835 --> 00:57:16,215

And he started to build not only the

nation's notions of messaging and culture

Speaker:
1192

00:57:16,215 --> 00:57:18,175

and things like that, but also flow.

Speaker:
1193

00:57:18,990 --> 00:57:21,510

You know, and how you spend your

time within the four walls of that

Speaker:
1194

00:57:21,510 --> 00:57:25,230

restaurant, what your hands are

doing, what is your brain doing?

Speaker:
1195

00:57:25,640 --> 00:57:29,260

How are you emotionally, holistically

involved in this entire process?

Speaker:
1196

00:57:29,780 --> 00:57:35,290

You know, and he taught me a lot

about, um, the magic of food and

Speaker:
1197

00:57:35,290 --> 00:57:37,010

believing in that, in that process.

Speaker:
1198

00:57:37,580 --> 00:57:41,220

And a lot of his things that he

taught me are things that I've

Speaker:
1199

00:57:41,220 --> 00:57:42,830

found myself teaching to others.

Speaker:
1200

00:57:43,100 --> 00:57:48,540

You know, as far as I'm my main

messaging, and, um, it was, it was

Speaker:
1201

00:57:48,590 --> 00:57:52,130

something that set the foundation

for the rest of my rest of my career.

Speaker:
1202

00:57:52,730 --> 00:57:56,240

Um, I didn't find that sort of thing

again until I worked at Campanile,

Speaker:
1203

00:57:56,340 --> 00:57:59,450

and that was another sort of wonderful

three years that I spent there.

Speaker:
1204

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

Speaker:
1205

00:58:03,010 --> 00:58:06,100

restaurant, a different experience, it's

almost like going to a different school.

Speaker:
1206

00:58:06,140 --> 00:58:10,340

You know, you're, you're, it's, it's,

uh, not necessarily a lateral move.

Speaker:
1207

00:58:10,340 --> 00:58:13,170

It's just, you're going to have different

experiences and that all kind of imprints.

Speaker:
1208

00:58:13,170 --> 00:58:16,490

And there's something that kind of

sticks with you that kind of becomes.

Speaker:
1209

00:58:16,695 --> 00:58:22,485

Your thing, you know, like, uh, as far

as like, when you, you found that you

Speaker:
1210

00:58:22,485 --> 00:58:27,915

had, uh, objectively found success,

was that at all intimidating to you?

Speaker:
1211

00:58:27,925 --> 00:58:30,505

Cause I mean, it's a very

competitive industry and yet people

Speaker:
1212

00:58:30,505 --> 00:58:32,945

who, you know, skyrocket, then

you don't hear from them again.

Speaker:
1213

00:58:32,985 --> 00:58:36,815

Was it, was there any kind of, was it

intimidating to become successful and

Speaker:
1214

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?

Speaker:
1215

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

Speaker:
1216

00:58:49,010 --> 00:58:52,950

restaurant too early in my career, you

know, to understand that there was going

Speaker:
1217

00:58:52,950 --> 00:58:57,310

to probably be a, that I probably would

be judged a little bit differently.

Speaker:
1218

00:58:57,530 --> 00:58:59,900

It wasn't intimidating because

I'd waited until I was mature

Speaker:
1219

00:58:59,900 --> 00:59:01,040

enough to be able to handle.

Speaker:
1220

00:59:01,755 --> 00:59:04,135

Some of them, you know, I didn't

open my first restaurant until

Speaker:
1221

00:59:04,135 --> 00:59:05,335

I was 30 years old, probably.

Speaker:
1222

00:59:05,780 --> 00:59:07,610

Two or 32 years old.

Speaker:
1223

00:59:07,620 --> 00:59:11,000

So it's probably three, two or

three years later than the, than,

Speaker:
1224

00:59:11,020 --> 00:59:12,230

than you would across the curve.

Speaker:
1225

00:59:12,230 --> 00:59:14,540

I spent a couple more years

learning under other people.

Speaker:
1226

00:59:15,110 --> 00:59:17,100

I wanted it to be people.

Speaker:
1227

00:59:17,120 --> 00:59:20,140

I wanted people to really understand

that I had not taken shortcuts in

Speaker:
1228

00:59:20,140 --> 00:59:22,590

my career, that this was not a.

Speaker:
1229

00:59:22,975 --> 00:59:24,625

Nepotism situation.

Speaker:
1230

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

Speaker:
1231

00:59:29,515 --> 00:59:31,485

seriously trying to build his craft.

Speaker:
1232

00:59:31,675 --> 00:59:33,015

And so I spent extra years doing that.

Speaker:
1233

00:59:33,045 --> 00:59:38,675

And when the acknowledgement start to

came come, you have to understand that

Speaker:
1234

00:59:38,955 --> 00:59:43,205

I'm always going to be a little bit

trepidatious about why the acknowledgement

Speaker:
1235

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

Speaker:
1236

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

Speaker:
1237

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,

Speaker:
1238

00:59:59,960 --> 01:00:06,400

very important for me in the beginning to

understand what, and I put the effort into

Speaker:
1239

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

Speaker:
1240

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

Speaker:
1241

01:00:13,800 --> 01:00:15,300

to know what I earned in my lifetime.

Speaker:
1242

01:00:15,650 --> 01:00:16,630

I want to know what's mine.

Speaker:
1243

01:00:17,200 --> 01:00:20,190

I don't want to know what was given to me.

Speaker:
1244

01:00:20,190 --> 01:00:21,230

And I don't care about that.

Speaker:
1245

01:00:21,660 --> 01:00:25,410

You know, to me, that's

dangerous material, but that's

Speaker:
1246

01:00:25,450 --> 01:00:27,000

dangerous territory to get into.

Speaker:
1247

01:00:27,590 --> 01:00:33,170

So for me, um, taking the time to

build my craft, really know what

Speaker:
1248

01:00:33,170 --> 01:00:37,120

I'm doing before I put myself out

there was, was really important.

Speaker:
1249

01:00:37,610 --> 01:00:43,240

And then also looking at the theme

and how it was coming and deciphering

Speaker:
1250

01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:47,730

it, whether it was coming from an

authentic place or not, became very

Speaker:
1251

01:00:47,730 --> 01:00:49,210

important to the process as well.

Speaker:
1252

01:00:49,230 --> 01:00:53,080

So you didn't see me going into

television, like a lot of the other chefs.

Speaker:
1253

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

Speaker:
1254

01:00:58,300 --> 01:01:00,540

a lot now, and there's really important.

Speaker:
1255

01:01:00,680 --> 01:01:01,820

There's big reasons for it.

Speaker:
1256

01:01:02,380 --> 01:01:05,610

You know, um, that some of those

lines are difficult for me.

Speaker:
1257

01:01:06,385 --> 01:01:10,785

You know, so I love restaurants, you know,

I think I thought that they, you know,

Speaker:
1258

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

Speaker:
1259

01:01:15,085 --> 01:01:17,145

of garner what my own achievements are.

Speaker:
1260

01:01:17,685 --> 01:01:20,695

And um, you know, that's been

really important part of it.

Speaker:
1261

01:01:21,145 --> 01:01:21,435

Marc Preston: Yeah.

Speaker:
1262

01:01:21,485 --> 01:01:25,625

Delineating between what is yours

and what you've created is, is kind

Speaker:
1263

01:01:25,625 --> 01:01:29,065

of the, one of the essence to me,

it's kind of the essence of life.

Speaker:
1264

01:01:29,065 --> 01:01:30,825

Like you said, you

weren't trying to emulate.

Speaker:
1265

01:01:31,090 --> 01:01:34,650

Uh, anything that had come before you

were, you're maybe you can be inspired,

Speaker:
1266

01:01:34,660 --> 01:01:39,070

but I think that like you said, having

the, uh, you know, the attention of people

Speaker:
1267

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

Speaker:
1268

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

Speaker:
1269

01:01:47,360 --> 01:01:51,230

be really rewarding when somebody sits

down and you've prepared something for

Speaker:
1270

01:01:51,230 --> 01:01:54,580

them and they're really, they light up,

you know, and because it's rewarding,

Speaker:
1271

01:01:54,610 --> 01:01:57,835

Ben Ford: it's It's rewarding when it

comes from the, from the people that

Speaker:
1272

01:01:58,105 --> 01:02:03,335

matter to you, you know, it's rewarding

when, you know, you get invited to do

Speaker:
1273

01:02:03,335 --> 01:02:06,695

a dinner at the James Beard house, you

know, or it's coming from your peers,

Speaker:
1274

01:02:06,725 --> 01:02:11,965

you know, or, you know, somebody you

really have looked up to says something.

Speaker:
1275

01:02:12,375 --> 01:02:12,655

To you,

Speaker:
1276

01:02:13,105 --> 01:02:14,675

Marc Preston: you know, you

know, on that note, you know,

Speaker:
1277

01:02:14,675 --> 01:02:17,055

one of the things I discovered a

few years ago, I enjoy cooking.

Speaker:
1278

01:02:17,055 --> 01:02:17,885

It's a jam for me.

Speaker:
1279

01:02:17,885 --> 01:02:18,885

I love to me.

Speaker:
1280

01:02:18,885 --> 01:02:19,855

It's, it's cathartic.

Speaker:
1281

01:02:19,895 --> 01:02:20,685

It's relaxing.

Speaker:
1282

01:02:20,745 --> 01:02:22,325

Uh, you know, here's

something all I can't cook.

Speaker:
1283

01:02:22,325 --> 01:02:23,185

It stresses me out for me.

Speaker:
1284

01:02:23,185 --> 01:02:24,135

It's total opposite.

Speaker:
1285

01:02:24,545 --> 01:02:27,915

I found that that's a personal, it's

kind of an intimate thing to, you

Speaker:
1286

01:02:27,915 --> 01:02:31,435

know, the people that matter, you

know, like you said, this is one,

Speaker:
1287

01:02:32,515 --> 01:02:34,125

Ben Ford: this is interesting

because people come out, you know,

Speaker:
1288

01:02:34,195 --> 01:02:36,245

I obviously have conversations

with people all the time.

Speaker:
1289

01:02:36,245 --> 01:02:39,175

They want to turn a, turn

a hobby into profession.

Speaker:
1290

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

Speaker:
1291

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

Speaker:
1292

01:02:48,805 --> 01:02:53,360

interesting conversation because It's a,

it's a very difficult life, you know, and

Speaker:
1293

01:02:53,360 --> 01:02:57,630

you're, and you're dedicating yourself to

something from a very young age sometimes,

Speaker:
1294

01:02:57,680 --> 01:03:01,360

you know, to, to, and you're, and we

know you go through divorces, life's

Speaker:
1295

01:03:01,360 --> 01:03:06,490

changes, your obligations change, you

know, you go in there thinking, gosh,

Speaker:
1296

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.

Speaker:
1297

01:03:10,120 --> 01:03:10,890

I can do all these things.

Speaker:
1298

01:03:10,890 --> 01:03:12,750

Then you have a kid, you

know, and life's changes.

Speaker:
1299

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.

Speaker:
1300

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?

Speaker:
1301

01:03:21,035 --> 01:03:24,395

Do you, and so, and you have to look

at the bigger reasons, you know, just

Speaker:
1302

01:03:24,395 --> 01:03:26,905

cooking with food is not always enough.

Speaker:
1303

01:03:27,455 --> 01:03:30,535

There has to be a nurturing

quality to what you're doing.

Speaker:
1304

01:03:31,135 --> 01:03:33,865

And there has to, that has to be

your love language in a way of

Speaker:
1305

01:03:33,865 --> 01:03:34,885

how you show your love for others.

Speaker:
1306

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

Speaker:
1307

01:03:39,525 --> 01:03:43,225

know, but sometimes it's methodically,

sometimes it's, sometimes it's a little

Speaker:
1308

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

Speaker:
1309

01:03:46,525 --> 01:03:48,015

that time and it's your meditation.

Speaker:
1310

01:03:48,435 --> 01:03:48,935

And that's.

Speaker:
1311

01:03:49,320 --> 01:03:50,650

And that's got to be okay too, but

Speaker:
1312

01:03:51,060 --> 01:03:52,960

Marc Preston: that was

always a litmus test for me.

Speaker:
1313

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.

Speaker:
1314

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

Speaker:
1315

01:03:59,160 --> 01:04:00,900

kitchen, cooking something up for them.

Speaker:
1316

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.

Speaker:
1317

01:04:04,660 --> 01:04:08,485

I, that was sort of like, uh, do I

really, am I really into this situation?

Speaker:
1318

01:04:08,485 --> 01:04:11,790

And it all kind of came back to like,

you know, the investment you make and

Speaker:
1319

01:04:11,820 --> 01:04:14,160

it is, uh, it is a personal thing.

Speaker:
1320

01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:18,255

And like you said, the investment

you make, it's, uh, You know, I

Speaker:
1321

01:04:18,255 --> 01:04:19,915

know you do philanthropic things.

Speaker:
1322

01:04:19,915 --> 01:04:22,495

I mean, to me, that's kind of

a natural offshoot feeding.

Speaker:
1323

01:04:22,735 --> 01:04:26,545

I think Jose Andres, uh, kind of like

epitomize that, like cooking for someone.

Speaker:
1324

01:04:26,575 --> 01:04:29,275

And it's a, what are you involved

in right now, philanthropically

Speaker:
1325

01:04:30,205 --> 01:04:31,545

that you're passionate about?

Speaker:
1326

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.

Speaker:
1327

01:04:35,655 --> 01:04:40,095

Um, and, uh, I'm, I'm in the midst

of, of changing some direction.

Speaker:
1328

01:04:40,760 --> 01:04:42,770

Um, I like I was mentioned before.

Speaker:
1329

01:04:42,780 --> 01:04:44,660

I'm very interested in

this sort of Baja region.

Speaker:
1330

01:04:45,120 --> 01:04:48,680

Um, and there are, there's some

things I want to do along the border.

Speaker:
1331

01:04:48,880 --> 01:04:51,720

Um, similar to what, you

know, works on both sides.

Speaker:
1332

01:04:52,040 --> 01:04:53,430

I also work with no kid hungry.

Speaker:
1333

01:04:53,430 --> 01:04:56,390

Still, that's been a main,

uh, very, uh, accordingly.

Speaker:
1334

01:04:56,390 --> 01:04:58,300

It's something that I,

yeah, that we started.

Speaker:
1335

01:04:58,670 --> 01:05:01,710

I was very involved with them

from the very beginnings, really.

Speaker:
1336

01:05:01,710 --> 01:05:05,210

So it's something that we've grown

together with, um, and is important to me.

Speaker:
1337

01:05:05,270 --> 01:05:08,260

Um, conservation is still

very important to me.

Speaker:
1338

01:05:08,260 --> 01:05:08,279

Okay.

Speaker:
1339

01:05:09,000 --> 01:05:14,160

And and the messaging between the which is

less of an organizational thing, but this.

Speaker:
1340

01:05:14,775 --> 01:05:17,945

Support of the small farmer and

the holistic farm system is still

Speaker:
1341

01:05:17,945 --> 01:05:21,165

something that I'm always trying

to bring messaging to and, and,

Speaker:
1342

01:05:21,205 --> 01:05:23,755

and, and, and be a part of, um,

Speaker:
1343

01:05:23,755 --> 01:05:27,435

Marc Preston: To me, it's elemental, you

know, it's really where, you know, uh,

Speaker:
1344

01:05:27,475 --> 01:05:29,215

Ben Ford: Yeah, but right now I've

been, you know, I've been, I've

Speaker:
1345

01:05:29,215 --> 01:05:32,695

been kind of like, I'm, I went

into something for LA food bank,

Speaker:
1346

01:05:32,705 --> 01:05:33,915

you know, a couple of weeks ago.

Speaker:
1347

01:05:33,955 --> 01:05:36,595

And, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm,

I'm always looking for something

Speaker:
1348

01:05:36,605 --> 01:05:40,695

charitable to do, um, because it

is a big way of, it is a big reason

Speaker:
1349

01:05:40,695 --> 01:05:41,935

for why I became a chef as well.

Speaker:
1350

01:05:42,455 --> 01:05:45,485

Marc Preston: As far as your dad, uh,

you know, you, you mentioned you were

Speaker:
1351

01:05:45,485 --> 01:05:49,405

12 when Star Wars came out, of course,

that's that phase of your life, you

Speaker:
1352

01:05:49,405 --> 01:05:52,025

know, that's a big transition point,

puberty and all that, you know, it's

Speaker:
1353

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

Speaker:
1354

01:05:55,995 --> 01:06:01,885

now, no longer doing the, uh, carpentry

thing as a primary revenue source.

Speaker:
1355

01:06:02,335 --> 01:06:06,865

How, how did you navigate that as all your

friends and contemporaries kind of like.

Speaker:
1356

01:06:07,410 --> 01:06:11,240

It's dad to you, but dad's taken

off and kind of becoming owned by

Speaker:
1357

01:06:11,240 --> 01:06:12,770

the culture a little bit, you know

Speaker:
1358

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

Speaker:
1359

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

Speaker:
1360

01:06:25,510 --> 01:06:27,220

every day and there's a connection to it.

Speaker:
1361

01:06:27,340 --> 01:06:30,370

There's a connection to his craft I was

interested in what he was doing every

Speaker:
1362

01:06:30,370 --> 01:06:34,725

day We are connected in some way to

going off and doing really what was an

Speaker:
1363

01:06:34,725 --> 01:06:39,785

invisible profession, you know, and sort

of just sort of leaving, you know, so

Speaker:
1364

01:06:39,785 --> 01:06:41,335

there was, there was that part of it.

Speaker:
1365

01:06:41,465 --> 01:06:48,545

Um, I think it, I think it was,

uh, something that I didn't figure

Speaker:
1366

01:06:48,545 --> 01:06:50,465

out until probably in my forties.

Speaker:
1367

01:06:50,695 --> 01:06:51,095

Marc Preston: Really?

Speaker:
1368

01:06:52,155 --> 01:06:53,585

Isn't that funny how that works?

Speaker:
1369

01:06:53,585 --> 01:06:56,385

Like you, you're an adult,

like it's sometimes it's the

Speaker:
1370

01:06:56,385 --> 01:06:57,645

perspective when you're a father.

Speaker:
1371

01:06:57,645 --> 01:06:59,115

Now you kind of look and go.

Speaker:
1372

01:06:59,675 --> 01:07:02,725

Some pieces go together a little

bit, but it's, it's weird.

Speaker:
1373

01:07:02,725 --> 01:07:05,765

The discovery we go through, even

though we're forties, fifties, you know?

Speaker:
1374

01:07:06,035 --> 01:07:06,325

Ben Ford: Yeah.

Speaker:
1375

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

Speaker:
1376

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.

Speaker:
1377

01:07:12,775 --> 01:07:17,195

Um, but it's, it's, and it's unique.

Speaker:
1378

01:07:17,925 --> 01:07:21,885

Situation to have to navigate, you

know, and I made it all that more

Speaker:
1379

01:07:21,885 --> 01:07:26,285

unique by going the profession that

I did But it's uh, I wouldn't trade

Speaker:
1380

01:07:26,285 --> 01:07:27,965

it wouldn't trade anything ever

Speaker:
1381

01:07:28,655 --> 01:07:32,175

Marc Preston: well on the artisan note

and on the craft note and and of course

Speaker:
1382

01:07:32,175 --> 01:07:37,345

your father doing the uh, the carpentry

i'm sure he saw parallels between that and

Speaker:
1383

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

Speaker:
1384

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,

Speaker:
1385

01:07:49,000 --> 01:07:52,650

or, or nuggets you took and they really

made something made a difference to you.

Speaker:
1386

01:07:53,240 --> 01:07:54,630

There's one story I can't tell you, but

Speaker:
1387

01:07:54,760 --> 01:07:57,080

Ben Ford: he used to, you know,

one day I'm going to write a

Speaker:
1388

01:07:57,080 --> 01:08:00,070

book about all the, it's, it's

not going to be a tell all book.

Speaker:
1389

01:08:00,070 --> 01:08:00,969

It's going to be.

Speaker:
1390

01:08:01,710 --> 01:08:04,000

It's going to be like advice my

father told me, and it'll be like

Speaker:
1391

01:08:04,280 --> 01:08:07,710

the cliche that he offered me, and

then how I did everything against it.

Speaker:
1392

01:08:08,140 --> 01:08:11,770

You know, like, yeah, but he

gave me carpenter ones, like, you

Speaker:
1393

01:08:11,770 --> 01:08:13,430

know, measure twice and cut once.

Speaker:
1394

01:08:13,910 --> 01:08:16,780

I mean, how did that, how

did that parlay into things?

Speaker:
1395

01:08:17,340 --> 01:08:23,000

Um, you know, um, I think his, uh,

because the way he's attached also

Speaker:
1396

01:08:23,000 --> 01:08:25,160

took carpentry into his craft.

Speaker:
1397

01:08:25,480 --> 01:08:26,080

As well.

Speaker:
1398

01:08:26,250 --> 01:08:29,150

There's always been

this sort of connection.

Speaker:
1399

01:08:29,390 --> 01:08:32,693

Uh, if, even if you watch this, if

you watch his handwork as an actor,

Speaker:
1400

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

Speaker:
1401

01:08:38,108 --> 01:08:42,078

actually kind of reMarcable because

these are very important acting parts.

Speaker:
1402

01:08:42,078 --> 01:08:44,604

It's also your connection to your craft.

Speaker:
1403

01:08:45,475 --> 01:08:49,065

You know and getting your hands into

it his hands in the wood my hands

Speaker:
1404

01:08:49,065 --> 01:08:51,525

in the food My hands in the wood.

Speaker:
1405

01:08:51,735 --> 01:08:52,235

I did this.

Speaker:
1406

01:08:52,265 --> 01:08:54,705

I don't know if you know, but I

did a whole cookbook called taming

Speaker:
1407

01:08:54,705 --> 01:09:00,625

the feast which was um my ben

ford's adventurous What was it?

Speaker:
1408

01:09:00,685 --> 01:09:03,605

Uh ben ford's adventurous

cuisine or something like that?

Speaker:
1409

01:09:03,955 --> 01:09:10,285

And basically what it did was it it

combined my two loves of carpentry

Speaker:
1410

01:09:10,305 --> 01:09:16,510

and and um And trade really just

knowing all the trades and a cookbook.

Speaker:
1411

01:09:16,570 --> 01:09:22,420

So, um, it's got, it came out of a

two different, two different things.

Speaker:
1412

01:09:22,980 --> 01:09:26,140

I had a, I used to do these art weekends,

which I talked about working with

Speaker:
1413

01:09:26,140 --> 01:09:28,150

other artists and being in, in getting.

Speaker:
1414

01:09:28,720 --> 01:09:33,580

filled up emotionally, you know,

spiritually, creatively by other

Speaker:
1415

01:09:33,600 --> 01:09:36,370

artists, by other people, you know,

that aren't necessarily my profession.

Speaker:
1416

01:09:36,840 --> 01:09:39,480

So I would go up and I'd spend

these weekends with other artists

Speaker:
1417

01:09:39,480 --> 01:09:43,380

in this wonderful house that had

a potter's room and a painting

Speaker:
1418

01:09:43,380 --> 01:09:44,760

room and a woodworking room.

Speaker:
1419

01:09:44,760 --> 01:09:46,570

And I would cook and then

we would do art all weekend.

Speaker:
1420

01:09:47,270 --> 01:09:47,640

Wow.

Speaker:
1421

01:09:47,650 --> 01:09:47,940

Marc Preston: Okay.

Speaker:
1422

01:09:48,010 --> 01:09:50,610

Ben Ford: They ended up being the same

group of people that ended up producing

Speaker:
1423

01:09:50,610 --> 01:09:53,160

my cookbook and they are way beyond.

Speaker:
1424

01:09:53,670 --> 01:09:56,010

The people that you would expect

that would normally do cookbooks.

Speaker:
1425

01:09:56,020 --> 01:09:59,150

So my photographer is a guy

named Frank Olkenfels, who

Speaker:
1426

01:09:59,150 --> 01:10:00,690

was an Andy Leibowitz protege.

Speaker:
1427

01:10:01,030 --> 01:10:04,140

The front, you know, the, the,

the, the, the whole thing is

Speaker:
1428

01:10:04,140 --> 01:10:05,460

just like above and beyond.

Speaker:
1429

01:10:06,040 --> 01:10:07,210

It's a wonderful, but isn't

Speaker:
1430

01:10:07,210 --> 01:10:08,260

Marc Preston: that kind

of cool the way we pull.

Speaker:
1431

01:10:08,260 --> 01:10:09,870

And I think restaurants are

the same way that you kind

Speaker:
1432

01:10:09,870 --> 01:10:11,720

of find your tribe, you know?

Speaker:
1433

01:10:13,210 --> 01:10:13,640

Ben Ford: It is.

Speaker:
1434

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

Speaker:
1435

01:10:20,270 --> 01:10:22,470

with, with food inside the cookbook.

Speaker:
1436

01:10:22,470 --> 01:10:26,620

So, we took this, remember at the time

I was raising all these large animals,

Speaker:
1437

01:10:26,920 --> 01:10:28,820

um, you know, 80 miles north of L.

Speaker:
1438

01:10:28,820 --> 01:10:33,990

A., I was learning how to I was getting

more into the rural type cooking,

Speaker:
1439

01:10:34,050 --> 01:10:38,320

you know, cooking in the ground, you

know, spits and things like that.

Speaker:
1440

01:10:38,980 --> 01:10:41,710

But you can't build big wood

fires inside an urban area.

Speaker:
1441

01:10:41,910 --> 01:10:46,780

So I started building contraptions

and I built contraptions like a

Speaker:
1442

01:10:46,780 --> 01:10:50,400

three sided rotisserie, you know,

like a six, eight foot high with a,

Speaker:
1443

01:10:50,670 --> 01:10:52,115

just so you can do a whole hog in.

Speaker:
1444

01:10:52,115 --> 01:10:58,320

And I was inspired from it, from driving

through some of the neighborhoods in,

Speaker:
1445

01:10:58,590 --> 01:11:02,240

or not even neighborhoods, driving out

in some of the The rural areas of North

Speaker:
1446

01:11:02,240 --> 01:11:07,370

Carolina and seeing some pigs being

roasted on like old kids swing sets, you

Speaker:
1447

01:11:07,370 --> 01:11:10,370

know, that they had re rigged it with

like, with like galvanized steel around

Speaker:
1448

01:11:10,370 --> 01:11:14,520

it, you know, so I built one that actually

comes apart and it was very architectural

Speaker:
1449

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.

Speaker:
1450

01:11:18,000 --> 01:11:22,460

I built caja chinas, I built, you

know, wine barrels that you can do

Speaker:
1451

01:11:22,460 --> 01:11:26,050

any sort of cooking in underneath the

ground, you know, and so I did all this

Speaker:
1452

01:11:26,060 --> 01:11:28,460

transportable, um, wood fire cooking.

Speaker:
1453

01:11:28,980 --> 01:11:31,710

And I brought all that into it and

it became sort of installation art,

Speaker:
1454

01:11:31,820 --> 01:11:35,450

almost, you know, kind of like cooking

demonstrations, but a lot of fun.

Speaker:
1455

01:11:35,670 --> 01:11:39,920

So that was me sort of really taking

my carpentry background and my dad and

Speaker:
1456

01:11:39,920 --> 01:11:43,430

finding a way to sort of celebrate it,

you know, within my, my cooking life.

Speaker:
1457

01:11:43,540 --> 01:11:46,230

And it's been a really, it was

a really fun cookbook to do.

Speaker:
1458

01:11:46,790 --> 01:11:48,180

I'm never going to do that hard

Speaker:
1459

01:11:48,180 --> 01:11:48,390

Marc Preston: again.

Speaker:
1460

01:11:48,730 --> 01:11:49,910

You mentioned it before.

Speaker:
1461

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,

Speaker:
1462

01:11:54,300 --> 01:11:58,060

kid like and explore, you know, that

seems to be part, as you're going

Speaker:
1463

01:11:58,060 --> 01:12:02,730

through decision making and evolution and

deciding, like you said, what the next.

Speaker:
1464

01:12:03,110 --> 01:12:06,150

What's your last restaurant is going

to be, you know, it seems like I would

Speaker:
1465

01:12:06,150 --> 01:12:09,880

suffer from absolutely too many choices,

you know, so I'd have to sit with it

Speaker:
1466

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,

Speaker:
1467

01:12:13,740 --> 01:12:15,140

we drive, drive down the street here.

Speaker:
1468

01:12:15,140 --> 01:12:18,700

You know, it's funny that, uh, there's

a few couple empty restaurants that used

Speaker:
1469

01:12:18,700 --> 01:12:20,070

to be like an old Italian restaurant.

Speaker:
1470

01:12:20,170 --> 01:12:23,360

Like if I had, if I had the

resources, what would I do?

Speaker:
1471

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

Speaker:
1472

01:12:25,310 --> 01:12:28,880

in my mind, realizing arguably

the most competitive business out

Speaker:
1473

01:12:28,880 --> 01:12:29,740

there, but I can kind of like.

Speaker:
1474

01:12:31,000 --> 01:12:31,930

I have to say no,

Speaker:
1475

01:12:32,270 --> 01:12:34,800

Ben Ford: I have to say no way more

than yes, you know, I've definitely

Speaker:
1476

01:12:34,800 --> 01:12:37,910

made more money by saying no than by

saying yes, uh, to certain things.

Speaker:
1477

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

Speaker:
1478

01:12:42,180 --> 01:12:46,790

have to find that message to, to bring

to the community and bring that some

Speaker:
1479

01:12:46,790 --> 01:12:54,169

sort of fresh sharpness perspective

because it slows me down a little.

Speaker:
1480

01:12:56,850 --> 01:12:59,530

Marc Preston: My seven questions always

kind of wrap up within the first one.

Speaker:
1481

01:12:59,990 --> 01:13:02,890

Custom tailored for you and I always put

that first because I always end up talking

Speaker:
1482

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?

Speaker:
1483

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

Speaker:
1484

01:13:13,870 --> 01:13:17,540

parent my parents are midwesterners,

you know, so You know, i'll i'll

Speaker:
1485

01:13:17,710 --> 01:13:19,420

constantly make i'm still a soup person.

Speaker:
1486

01:13:19,430 --> 01:13:23,310

I feel like a like a displaced soup

person, by the way Uh here in southern

Speaker:
1487

01:13:23,310 --> 01:13:29,175

california But I love making those

things but um There are a little more,

Speaker:
1488

01:13:29,335 --> 01:13:32,935

there are a couple of more intensive

things that I like to do, um, as well.

Speaker:
1489

01:13:33,155 --> 01:13:34,795

I love making wood fired paellas.

Speaker:
1490

01:13:34,795 --> 01:13:37,185

I love the process of doing paellas.

Speaker:
1491

01:13:37,485 --> 01:13:39,215

Marc Preston: That's one

thing I've never had.

Speaker:
1492

01:13:39,295 --> 01:13:40,625

I've always wanted to have.

Speaker:
1493

01:13:40,625 --> 01:13:43,205

I told my daughter, I gotta live

vicariously through, you gotta

Speaker:
1494

01:13:43,205 --> 01:13:44,275

go in Spain and go have one.

Speaker:
1495

01:13:44,275 --> 01:13:44,865

She never did.

Speaker:
1496

01:13:44,885 --> 01:13:48,745

I was like, that, that to me is, is

like, I love watching them get prepared.

Speaker:
1497

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.

Speaker:
1498

01:13:52,865 --> 01:13:55,095

Ben Ford: Yeah, I just like the

process and I, and I, and I like

Speaker:
1499

01:13:55,095 --> 01:13:56,805

these, you know, magical things.

Speaker:
1500

01:13:56,805 --> 01:14:01,395

I love barbecue nowadays, you know,

when, during COVID I went to, um, I'd

Speaker:
1501

01:14:01,395 --> 01:14:02,735

always done barbecue at my restaurants.

Speaker:
1502

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

Speaker:
1503

01:14:05,855 --> 01:14:07,945

that I had become a master at it.

Speaker:
1504

01:14:08,495 --> 01:14:10,505

And during COVID I became

a true master at it.

Speaker:
1505

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.

Speaker:
1506

01:14:15,655 --> 01:14:18,375

And who knows, maybe the

next barbecue restaurant,

Speaker:
1507

01:14:18,455 --> 01:14:20,325

Marc Preston: whenever I would

go as a kid over to somebody's.

Speaker:
1508

01:14:20,620 --> 01:14:21,710

Folks house to be barbecuing.

Speaker:
1509

01:14:21,730 --> 01:14:22,940

They layer on a lot of sauce.

Speaker:
1510

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,

Speaker:
1511

01:14:26,900 --> 01:14:27,920

pepper, maybe a little something.

Speaker:
1512

01:14:27,920 --> 01:14:30,840

I like it as basic and

just let the, let the,

Speaker:
1513

01:14:30,870 --> 01:14:31,690

Ben Ford: I agree.

Speaker:
1514

01:14:31,690 --> 01:14:33,390

That's a Texas style too, you know?

Speaker:
1515

01:14:33,540 --> 01:14:35,560

Um, and then you get inventive with woods.

Speaker:
1516

01:14:36,530 --> 01:14:38,080

smoke flavors and things like that.

Speaker:
1517

01:14:38,440 --> 01:14:41,630

Um, but I, I love that kind

of cooking, uh, as well.

Speaker:
1518

01:14:41,700 --> 01:14:45,760

Um, any of the old school craft

things, um, the more patience

Speaker:
1519

01:14:45,760 --> 01:14:46,900

and hands I can put into food.

Speaker:
1520

01:14:46,900 --> 01:14:47,200

I love,

Speaker:
1521

01:14:47,920 --> 01:14:48,100

Marc Preston: yeah.

Speaker:
1522

01:14:48,100 --> 01:14:49,520

Hey, as a Jewish kid, I got to ask this.

Speaker:
1523

01:14:49,540 --> 01:14:51,850

Now, doesn't your dad have

some Jewish lineage that,

Speaker:
1524

01:14:52,980 --> 01:14:54,050

uh, one of your grandmothers,

Speaker:
1525

01:14:54,620 --> 01:14:56,770

Ben Ford: his mother, my mother,

my grandmother is Jewish.

Speaker:
1526

01:14:56,770 --> 01:14:58,240

So he's technically Jewish.

Speaker:
1527

01:14:58,300 --> 01:15:01,190

Marc Preston: Um, did, did any

of the, uh, recipes come through,

Speaker:
1528

01:15:01,190 --> 01:15:03,630

uh, you know, cause I got to ask

if, uh, like you mentioned soup.

Speaker:
1529

01:15:03,630 --> 01:15:03,920

Soup.

Speaker:
1530

01:15:03,935 --> 01:15:05,592

That's not from

Speaker:
1531

01:15:05,592 --> 01:15:07,395

Ben Ford: that side of the family.

Speaker:
1532

01:15:08,125 --> 01:15:08,555

Marc Preston: Okay.

Speaker:
1533

01:15:08,555 --> 01:15:08,615

Yeah.

Speaker:
1534

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

Speaker:
1535

01:15:11,925 --> 01:15:14,565

trickle through and, you know, um, No,

Speaker:
1536

01:15:14,565 --> 01:15:19,195

Ben Ford: no, she was, uh, um, my

grandmother was, um, you know, a

Speaker:
1537

01:15:19,195 --> 01:15:23,085

product of her era, you know, a

petite, a petite, a petite woman,

Speaker:
1538

01:15:23,115 --> 01:15:26,185

you know, who liked her figure and

probably, you know, ate like a bird.

Speaker:
1539

01:15:26,855 --> 01:15:28,575

So that was her approach.

Speaker:
1540

01:15:28,775 --> 01:15:29,025

Yeah.

Speaker:
1541

01:15:29,025 --> 01:15:32,335

No, you know, and I was, I guess

technically I would be Jewish up

Speaker:
1542

01:15:32,335 --> 01:15:34,015

until about nine, eight, 1600.

Speaker:
1543

01:15:34,085 --> 01:15:37,885

It was a 600 AD, which is when

they changed the rules from

Speaker:
1544

01:15:37,895 --> 01:15:40,265

patriarchal to the matriarch.

Speaker:
1545

01:15:41,995 --> 01:15:42,825

So I know, I know

Speaker:
1546

01:15:43,125 --> 01:15:44,980

Marc Preston: that, uh, Adam's

Sandler's Hanukkah song.

Speaker:
1547

01:15:44,990 --> 01:15:46,660

Of course, your dad got

a little shout out there.

Speaker:
1548

01:15:46,660 --> 01:15:48,740

Yeah, it's like, yeah, exactly, exactly.

Speaker:
1549

01:15:48,740 --> 01:15:49,230

I had him when

Speaker:
1550

01:15:49,230 --> 01:15:50,130

Ben Ford: I talked about it.

Speaker:
1551

01:15:51,750 --> 01:15:52,560

He's a quarter Jew.

Speaker:
1552

01:15:52,570 --> 01:15:53,180

He's not an eighth.

Speaker:
1553

01:15:54,220 --> 01:15:55,930

Marc Preston: Some of those recipes

that, you know, that whenever I

Speaker:
1554

01:15:55,930 --> 01:15:59,070

go to, like I say, LA, it's one

of the stations on the cross.

Speaker:
1555

01:15:59,240 --> 01:16:02,490

I've got to go to Cantor's, get that

mishmash soup, get myself a salami

Speaker:
1556

01:16:02,510 --> 01:16:05,780

sandwich, you know, it's just,

I go there every time, you know,

Speaker:
1557

01:16:06,090 --> 01:16:07,870

Ben Ford: I just did a

whole, I just did a whole.

Speaker:
1558

01:16:08,595 --> 01:16:09,835

I write for periodicals too.

Speaker:
1559

01:16:09,855 --> 01:16:13,775

So I just did a whole story on comfort

food in America and the differences

Speaker:
1560

01:16:13,975 --> 01:16:15,395

regionally in your comfort food.

Speaker:
1561

01:16:15,535 --> 01:16:18,455

My comfort food is matzo ball

soup and a half of hot pastrami.

Speaker:
1562

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.

Speaker:
1563

01:16:21,275 --> 01:16:23,035

That's where I'll probably go to.

Speaker:
1564

01:16:23,445 --> 01:16:25,185

Maybe not in the dumps, but

maybe I just need a little

Speaker:
1565

01:16:25,185 --> 01:16:27,235

love, that little internal love.

Speaker:
1566

01:16:27,555 --> 01:16:31,925

My friend that I went to college with,

my roommate, his comfort food is a.

Speaker:
1567

01:16:32,120 --> 01:16:34,660

He grew up in Palm Springs,

you know, like on golf courses.

Speaker:
1568

01:16:34,670 --> 01:16:36,580

So his is like a club sandwich.

Speaker:
1569

01:16:37,090 --> 01:16:39,870

I find that the weirdest, the

weirdest, the weirdest thing.

Speaker:
1570

01:16:39,870 --> 01:16:40,189

Right.

Speaker:
1571

01:16:40,660 --> 01:16:43,580

So I started delving into this

more and I was like, you know, it's

Speaker:
1572

01:16:43,580 --> 01:16:47,140

interesting topic because comfort

food is not what we thought it was.

Speaker:
1573

01:16:47,140 --> 01:16:49,080

Definitely not what was to my generation.

Speaker:
1574

01:16:49,080 --> 01:16:51,180

It's not what it was to the

generation just 10 years ago.

Speaker:
1575

01:16:51,560 --> 01:16:53,940

You know, so I interviewed my son a

little bit, you know, I'm like, Oh, so

Speaker:
1576

01:16:53,940 --> 01:16:55,280

what's your, what are you guys eating?

Speaker:
1577

01:16:55,280 --> 01:16:56,730

You know, it's like, Oh,

what's your comfort food?

Speaker:
1578

01:16:56,970 --> 01:16:57,640

He's like, pho.

Speaker:
1579

01:16:57,990 --> 01:16:59,240

I'm like, interesting.

Speaker:
1580

01:16:59,920 --> 01:17:03,400

You know, um, that wouldn't have been my

answer, you know, in the, in the years.

Speaker:
1581

01:17:03,400 --> 01:17:04,460

So then I started looking at.

Speaker:
1582

01:17:05,005 --> 01:17:09,045

studying this idea of how

immigration is coming into the U.

Speaker:
1583

01:17:09,045 --> 01:17:09,255

Speaker:
1584

01:17:09,255 --> 01:17:09,515

now.

Speaker:
1585

01:17:10,005 --> 01:17:12,745

And mind you, you saw probably my bio

that I worked for the State Department.

Speaker:
1586

01:17:12,915 --> 01:17:15,335

I'm very interested in

immigration and all these things.

Speaker:
1587

01:17:15,635 --> 01:17:20,135

So, you know, we have these cities, you

know, where we have brought in immigrants.

Speaker:
1588

01:17:20,435 --> 01:17:23,975

Basically created instant, you know,

repopulations in the cities in order

Speaker:
1589

01:17:23,975 --> 01:17:27,295

to revitalize them, you know, and what

that's brought in is certain, it's

Speaker:
1590

01:17:27,295 --> 01:17:29,395

changed the comfort food for that region.

Speaker:
1591

01:17:29,525 --> 01:17:33,365

You know, immigration used to

come in or, or, or food used to be

Speaker:
1592

01:17:33,365 --> 01:17:34,755

affected through the coastlines.

Speaker:
1593

01:17:34,765 --> 01:17:37,675

You know, it did hit New York

first, LA first, and it would,

Speaker:
1594

01:17:37,675 --> 01:17:38,515

or whatever, it would increase.

Speaker:
1595

01:17:39,975 --> 01:17:40,915

It's not that way anymore.

Speaker:
1596

01:17:41,355 --> 01:17:46,495

You could have an incredible Vietnamese

restaurant in some place in the middle

Speaker:
1597

01:17:46,495 --> 01:17:48,365

of Michigan, a small town in Michigan.

Speaker:
1598

01:17:48,955 --> 01:17:52,175

You know, that wouldn't have

existed, you know, 20 years ago.

Speaker:
1599

01:17:52,775 --> 01:17:54,835

So this idea of how

comfort food is changing.

Speaker:
1600

01:17:54,835 --> 01:17:59,815

It's not mashed potatoes and, and,

and, uh, and, uh, meatloaf anymore.

Speaker:
1601

01:17:59,825 --> 01:18:00,395

For sure.

Speaker:
1602

01:18:00,525 --> 01:18:00,935

You know,

Speaker:
1603

01:18:01,405 --> 01:18:04,685

Marc Preston: the Brits I interviewed,

uh, that I've had the opportunity to sit

Speaker:
1604

01:18:04,685 --> 01:18:09,594

down with it's it two things always come

up Indian food and spaghetti bolognese.

Speaker:
1605

01:18:09,745 --> 01:18:13,105

Yeah, that seems to be the two

things that all the Brits like, yeah,

Speaker:
1606

01:18:13,105 --> 01:18:14,655

that's their comfort food, you know,

Speaker:
1607

01:18:15,085 --> 01:18:15,945

Ben Ford: exactly.

Speaker:
1608

01:18:16,045 --> 01:18:19,295

Marc Preston: Well, Hey, there is

maybe an idea, a restaurant of nothing

Speaker:
1609

01:18:19,295 --> 01:18:21,035

but comfort regional comfort foods.

Speaker:
1610

01:18:21,035 --> 01:18:21,295

I don't know.

Speaker:
1611

01:18:21,295 --> 01:18:24,035

I'm just, I'm just, I can tell

why I haven't had lunch yet.

Speaker:
1612

01:18:24,035 --> 01:18:24,855

Cause now I'm starting to get hungry.

Speaker:
1613

01:18:26,415 --> 01:18:28,375

Now, uh, the next question I

got for you, if you're to sit

Speaker:
1614

01:18:28,385 --> 01:18:30,105

down and talk story, you've got.

Speaker:
1615

01:18:30,380 --> 01:18:34,140

Three, just a few hours, sit down

with three people living or not.

Speaker:
1616

01:18:34,360 --> 01:18:37,180

Who would you like to sit down

and talk with over coffee?

Speaker:
1617

01:18:37,510 --> 01:18:41,350

Uh, just three people who you think would

be a great kind of mix for an afternoon.

Speaker:
1618

01:18:41,940 --> 01:18:42,440

Ben Ford: Oh boy.

Speaker:
1619

01:18:42,440 --> 01:18:46,570

I, you know, I was thinking about this the

other I'd like Jim Harrison, the writer.

Speaker:
1620

01:18:47,020 --> 01:18:48,240

Probably it would be one of them.

Speaker:
1621

01:18:48,730 --> 01:18:51,960

Marc Preston: Um, Jim Harrison,

was he the one from, uh, Wyoming or

Speaker:
1622

01:18:51,960 --> 01:18:53,740

Montana might think of the Montana,

Speaker:
1623

01:18:54,170 --> 01:18:54,640

Ben Ford: Montana.

Speaker:
1624

01:18:54,640 --> 01:18:56,980

He wrote, uh, not reruns through it.

Speaker:
1625

01:18:56,980 --> 01:19:00,460

He wrote, um, some legends of the

fall, I believe it's his that's right.

Speaker:
1626

01:19:00,460 --> 01:19:00,720

That's right.

Speaker:
1627

01:19:00,720 --> 01:19:00,940

Yeah.

Speaker:
1628

01:19:01,130 --> 01:19:02,990

Marc Preston: Actually going back

to Anthony Bourdain, there was

Speaker:
1629

01:19:02,990 --> 01:19:07,050

an episode where he was, uh, he

was prominently featured and, uh,

Speaker:
1630

01:19:07,050 --> 01:19:08,540

that was, it was very interesting.

Speaker:
1631

01:19:08,560 --> 01:19:11,199

I didn't know that much about

the guys going back 10, 15,

Speaker:
1632

01:19:11,380 --> 01:19:12,710

well, 15 years ago, I think.

Speaker:
1633

01:19:12,765 --> 01:19:19,035

Ben Ford: Um, it's, it's, it's

such a difficult question.

Speaker:
1634

01:19:19,385 --> 01:19:23,865

I, uh, I had, I have, I think about this

from time to time too, as far as the

Speaker:
1635

01:19:23,865 --> 01:19:25,505

people that I'd really, truly want there.

Speaker:
1636

01:19:25,965 --> 01:19:29,385

Um, you know, Eckhart Tolle,

maybe, but you know, I think he

Speaker:
1637

01:19:29,385 --> 01:19:32,375

might, but I think he might just

absorb the conversation too much.

Speaker:
1638

01:19:32,465 --> 01:19:33,575

I think he might hog the table.

Speaker:
1639

01:19:33,575 --> 01:19:37,745

Well, that's kind of the fun of

Speaker:
1640

01:19:37,745 --> 01:19:40,125

Marc Preston: it is how the folks at the

table would interact with each other.

Speaker:
1641

01:19:40,125 --> 01:19:40,515

Yeah.

Speaker:
1642

01:19:41,105 --> 01:19:41,655

Ben Ford: Yeah.

Speaker:
1643

01:19:41,785 --> 01:19:47,860

Um, You know, I think anybody that can

talk about their craft in a way that,

Speaker:
1644

01:19:48,020 --> 01:19:53,890

that, you know, I would love to have a

conversation with musicians, writers.

Speaker:
1645

01:19:54,420 --> 01:19:57,740

I grew up, you know, at a time when

there was, you know, my parents would

Speaker:
1646

01:19:57,750 --> 01:20:00,730

have writers at the tables and there

was, you know, all the time, whether

Speaker:
1647

01:20:00,730 --> 01:20:06,060

it be like a Joan Didion or John Dunn

or, you know, and these, these types of

Speaker:
1648

01:20:06,060 --> 01:20:11,090

people, Jim Harrison, another example,

conversations were just incredible.

Speaker:
1649

01:20:11,420 --> 01:20:14,450

Um, maybe Jerry Garcia,

I'd like to sort of.

Speaker:
1650

01:20:15,430 --> 01:20:19,570

You know, he, he was wonderfully

coherent, you know, in some

Speaker:
1651

01:20:19,570 --> 01:20:21,810

ways, um, nice to talk to.

Speaker:
1652

01:20:22,030 --> 01:20:25,130

Marc Preston: Well, you've got, you

say growing up, you had a chance to

Speaker:
1653

01:20:25,720 --> 01:20:27,460

have people at the table all the time.

Speaker:
1654

01:20:27,700 --> 01:20:27,940

Yeah.

Speaker:
1655

01:20:27,940 --> 01:20:28,470

Oh yeah.

Speaker:
1656

01:20:28,470 --> 01:20:31,360

That would be a really, that,

that, that would be fascinating.

Speaker:
1657

01:20:31,360 --> 01:20:31,630

Yeah.

Speaker:
1658

01:20:31,810 --> 01:20:33,630

Do you have just kind

of a quick side note?

Speaker:
1659

01:20:33,640 --> 01:20:37,540

You mentioned the table, you know, at

home, was there anybody that, that floated

Speaker:
1660

01:20:37,540 --> 01:20:41,010

in your folks ecosystem that you just,

you know, you really kind of drank up?

Speaker:
1661

01:20:41,680 --> 01:20:44,240

The moments you had with them

because they had something to share.

Speaker:
1662

01:20:44,240 --> 01:20:44,840

You enjoyed,

Speaker:
1663

01:20:44,910 --> 01:20:47,520

Ben Ford: no, I didn't really under,

everybody was so sort of under the

Speaker:
1664

01:20:47,520 --> 01:20:49,460

radar and it wasn't about that.

Speaker:
1665

01:20:49,470 --> 01:20:53,560

You know, I think one of the wonderful

things about the time that I came up

Speaker:
1666

01:20:53,560 --> 01:20:58,970

was that there was still this sort of

sharing of ideas and creativity, you

Speaker:
1667

01:20:58,970 --> 01:21:01,780

know, musicians would go over to their

musician's house and they would just

Speaker:
1668

01:21:01,790 --> 01:21:07,910

play, you know, and there's something

that happened in the, around 73, 74,

Speaker:
1669

01:21:07,920 --> 01:21:10,980

75, where the economics and the money.

Speaker:
1670

01:21:11,565 --> 01:21:16,015

Started to become such that the sharing

of ideas halted when I was growing up.

Speaker:
1671

01:21:16,505 --> 01:21:21,355

We would go to these communes on weekends

There was they were supported by the

Speaker:
1672

01:21:21,355 --> 01:21:26,665

record industry or the other labels or

studios basically or a wealthy person

Speaker:
1673

01:21:26,665 --> 01:21:31,555

Whoever knows who no one's who know who

owns these houses, but We'd go to them

Speaker:
1674

01:21:31,555 --> 01:21:36,835

and they'd be full of people, you know,

I I would I would be um You know, I only

Speaker:
1675

01:21:36,845 --> 01:21:40,215

have pictures to support these things,

but it'd be like Lou Reed and Nico

Speaker:
1676

01:21:40,215 --> 01:21:43,955

and Peter Fonda and, uh, I needs him.

Speaker:
1677

01:21:43,955 --> 01:21:48,055

And, um, you name it, it doesn't

think it can be across the board,

Speaker:
1678

01:21:48,435 --> 01:21:49,835

you know, who it'd be Bob Dylan,

Speaker:
1679

01:21:49,835 --> 01:21:52,155

Marc Preston: you know, salons almost.

Speaker:
1680

01:21:52,155 --> 01:21:53,435

It kind of like, yeah, yeah.

Speaker:
1681

01:21:53,435 --> 01:21:57,275

Ben Ford: And they were sharing ideas,

you know, and, um, and then there was

Speaker:
1682

01:21:57,275 --> 01:22:00,955

a halt to that, you know, and I think

the money dried up for those kinds of,

Speaker:
1683

01:22:00,995 --> 01:22:02,515

for that kind of, that kind of sharing.

Speaker:
1684

01:22:03,465 --> 01:22:09,125

Um, but I still grew up seeing that

happen, you know, seeing that incubator.

Speaker:
1685

01:22:09,650 --> 01:22:13,030

Of creativity within the within

the within the neighborhoods.

Speaker:
1686

01:22:13,250 --> 01:22:16,280

Um, there was a band called Little Feet.

Speaker:
1687

01:22:17,540 --> 01:22:17,932

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker:
1688

01:22:19,000 --> 01:22:19,870

From Louisiana,

Speaker:
1689

01:22:19,870 --> 01:22:20,050

Marc Preston: aren't

Speaker:
1690

01:22:20,050 --> 01:22:20,230

Ben Ford: they?

Speaker:
1691

01:22:20,960 --> 01:22:21,800

Uh, they're not from Louisiana.

Speaker:
1692

01:22:21,800 --> 01:22:22,520

They sound like it.

Speaker:
1693

01:22:22,580 --> 01:22:24,770

You know, they, they're from

la They're from Los Angeles,

Speaker:
1694

01:22:25,310 --> 01:22:26,390

but they had that partly.

Speaker:
1695

01:22:26,390 --> 01:22:26,900

Oh, okay.

Speaker:
1696

01:22:27,290 --> 01:22:27,470

Yeah.

Speaker:
1697

01:22:27,470 --> 01:22:28,790

They partly had that a little bit.

Speaker:
1698

01:22:28,790 --> 01:22:31,760

They had those horns, but they

also had a little bit of that

Speaker:
1699

01:22:31,940 --> 01:22:35,750

sort of Bakersfield country sound

that was affecting the canyons.

Speaker:
1700

01:22:36,290 --> 01:22:37,190

As well at that time.

Speaker:
1701

01:22:38,230 --> 01:22:41,510

And we would go over, they had a

wonderful, uh, they had a great guitar

Speaker:
1702

01:22:41,510 --> 01:22:44,390

player named, uh, Lowell George,

who was the guy who was resurrecting

Speaker:
1703

01:22:44,410 --> 01:22:46,640

really slide, you know, slide guitar.

Speaker:
1704

01:22:46,650 --> 01:22:49,700

He's the one who, what I understand

was the one who taught Bonnie Raitt

Speaker:
1705

01:22:49,710 --> 01:22:51,880

how to play, you know, originally.

Speaker:
1706

01:22:52,120 --> 01:22:55,380

And it was really inspirational

in bringing this sort of back.

Speaker:
1707

01:22:55,380 --> 01:22:58,920

And I, you know, I'd go over there and

watch these guys play in, in garages

Speaker:
1708

01:22:58,920 --> 01:23:02,250

and not really understanding what

I was, who I was watching or what I

Speaker:
1709

01:23:02,250 --> 01:23:04,580

was watching, you know, and watch.

Speaker:
1710

01:23:04,930 --> 01:23:09,270

Go over next door and watch Jackson Brown

picket with, you know, some songwriters,

Speaker:
1711

01:23:09,320 --> 01:23:12,470

you know, one of these boat houses that

was next to our houses, these stilt

Speaker:
1712

01:23:12,480 --> 01:23:16,780

houses, but it was just everywhere, you

know, it was, it was, it was literally

Speaker:
1713

01:23:17,050 --> 01:23:21,540

everywhere and the Hollywood Hills were

not as populated as they're now there's

Speaker:
1714

01:23:21,700 --> 01:23:23,270

one house for every three houses.

Speaker:
1715

01:23:24,140 --> 01:23:27,470

So, you know, there wasn't as much noise

up there either in some ways, unless

Speaker:
1716

01:23:27,470 --> 01:23:31,480

you want to say that there was always

a guitar playing in the background,

Speaker:
1717

01:23:32,180 --> 01:23:36,420

you know, later in life, I would

have this wonderful re introduction

Speaker:
1718

01:23:36,420 --> 01:23:38,730

to hearing music in the distance.

Speaker:
1719

01:23:38,760 --> 01:23:41,450

So I grew up with hearing it

like in the canyons, right?

Speaker:
1720

01:23:42,670 --> 01:23:45,450

So I would be practicing later in life.

Speaker:
1721

01:23:45,450 --> 01:23:49,570

I went to go and I was, I was actually

the third person to work for Bill Graham.

Speaker:
1722

01:23:50,175 --> 01:23:51,145

Up in San Francisco.

Speaker:
1723

01:23:51,195 --> 01:23:55,685

But when I went up there, I went to go

work for Bill Graham in his, uh, the VIP

Speaker:
1724

01:23:55,685 --> 01:23:58,725

and, and, uh, and security type things.

Speaker:
1725

01:23:59,195 --> 01:24:02,285

And so I was around a lot of music

and I was living in mill Valley

Speaker:
1726

01:24:02,945 --> 01:24:04,915

and there was a place called

the Sweetwater right down there.

Speaker:
1727

01:24:05,475 --> 01:24:09,635

And Carlos Santana also lived

in that same Canyon and he

Speaker:
1728

01:24:09,635 --> 01:24:10,905

would practice every afternoon.

Speaker:
1729

01:24:10,905 --> 01:24:12,935

He would just open up his doors

and you'd hear Carlos playing.

Speaker:
1730

01:24:13,665 --> 01:24:13,855

Yeah.

Speaker:
1731

01:24:14,245 --> 01:24:14,415

Yeah.

Speaker:
1732

01:24:14,525 --> 01:24:15,235

That's pretty cool.

Speaker:
1733

01:24:15,865 --> 01:24:18,785

So I don't know if it lasted forever,

but it was time when I was there.

Speaker:
1734

01:24:19,125 --> 01:24:22,285

The Sweetwater would every once in

a while, it was impromptu drop ins.

Speaker:
1735

01:24:22,535 --> 01:24:25,285

And so you would hear music

coming from the Sweetwater.

Speaker:
1736

01:24:26,175 --> 01:24:27,345

And you'd hear tune ups.

Speaker:
1737

01:24:27,635 --> 01:24:30,765

And you'd hear, you'd go, you'd

be like, oh, I know that one.

Speaker:
1738

01:24:31,265 --> 01:24:34,545

You know, oh, I, oh, I know,

I, I, I kind of get it.

Speaker:
1739

01:24:34,885 --> 01:24:39,175

And I saw Johnny Lee Hooker, Carla

Santana, and Jerry Garcia play there

Speaker:
1740

01:24:39,175 --> 01:24:41,145

one night, one day in the afternoon.

Speaker:
1741

01:24:41,605 --> 01:24:45,835

I saw Elvis Costello play with

Jerry Garcia one afternoon there.

Speaker:
1742

01:24:46,465 --> 01:24:53,785

I saw just impromptu, uh, you know, Grace

Slick do a, you know, a sort of mini

Speaker:
1743

01:24:53,805 --> 01:24:55,585

airplane sort of thing in the afternoon.

Speaker:
1744

01:24:55,955 --> 01:24:59,825

Just, you know, these kinds of things,

but it was, it was, was hearing the clues

Speaker:
1745

01:24:59,825 --> 01:25:03,415

and hearing the music fill the atmosphere

here to fill that little valley.

Speaker:
1746

01:25:03,915 --> 01:25:07,905

Was very reminiscent of what it felt like

to hear the Valley filled in the sixties

Speaker:
1747

01:25:07,905 --> 01:25:11,645

and seventies in Borough Canyon and,

and in the Hollywood Hills in that area.

Speaker:
1748

01:25:12,245 --> 01:25:12,875

Very nostalgic.

Speaker:
1749

01:25:12,980 --> 01:25:13,180

I was

Speaker:
1750

01:25:13,180 --> 01:25:13,340

Marc Preston: cognizant.

Speaker:
1751

01:25:13,340 --> 01:25:14,855

I mean, were you cognizant at that time?

Speaker:
1752

01:25:14,855 --> 01:25:19,475

Okay, I, were you aware like, I,

this, this is kind of a unique,

Speaker:
1753

01:25:19,475 --> 01:25:22,445

special thing I'm able to enjoy?

Speaker:
1754

01:25:22,445 --> 01:25:25,446

Or was it just, was it only through

perspective and time, you know.

Speaker:
1755

01:25:25,970 --> 01:25:26,980

Ben Ford: Yeah, it's perspective in time.

Speaker:
1756

01:25:26,980 --> 01:25:30,480

And who, who does, you know, I mean,

I would like to know somebody, maybe

Speaker:
1757

01:25:30,480 --> 01:25:33,790

you have to be truly present, you know,

maybe the Dalai Lama could do that.

Speaker:
1758

01:25:34,570 --> 01:25:35,080

I don't know.

Speaker:
1759

01:25:35,940 --> 01:25:40,610

But I mean, unfortunately for me, I'm

a person who doesn't celebrate my, my,

Speaker:
1760

01:25:40,890 --> 01:25:43,270

my successes and my, and my things.

Speaker:
1761

01:25:43,550 --> 01:25:45,300

I'm more interested in the next thing.

Speaker:
1762

01:25:45,630 --> 01:25:48,950

So maybe there's, there's part of that,

but also, yeah, much more in retrospect.

Speaker:
1763

01:25:48,950 --> 01:25:51,620

And I'm talking about years

later, do I get to truly.

Speaker:
1764

01:25:52,010 --> 01:25:55,260

Find enjoyment and, and,

and some connection there.

Speaker:
1765

01:25:55,510 --> 01:25:55,780

Marc Preston: Yeah.

Speaker:
1766

01:25:55,780 --> 01:25:58,590

And that's usually when I start telling

my kids stories, like when I worked at

Speaker:
1767

01:25:58,590 --> 01:26:02,770

ABC radio and I'm having, I'd always have

coffee in the morning with Jerry Mathers,

Speaker:
1768

01:26:02,770 --> 01:26:05,820

who were trying to develop a syndicated

show for him, you know, sitting there

Speaker:
1769

01:26:05,820 --> 01:26:09,310

with him and Alice Cooper and a guy named

Lee Abrams who kind of created album

Speaker:
1770

01:26:09,550 --> 01:26:13,470

rock and I'm, I'm bumming his Dunhill

cigarettes and drinking coffee with him.

Speaker:
1771

01:26:13,470 --> 01:26:16,010

And I'm like, I know this is kind of

cool, but it's only like later on.

Speaker:
1772

01:26:16,010 --> 01:26:17,220

I was like, Oh wow.

Speaker:
1773

01:26:17,220 --> 01:26:17,730

That was.

Speaker:
1774

01:26:17,890 --> 01:26:20,910

Talking with Alice Cooper about

playing golf and stuff like that.

Speaker:
1775

01:26:20,910 --> 01:26:23,510

It's like, I didn't really have

the cognition of like, okay, at

Speaker:
1776

01:26:23,520 --> 01:26:26,290

20 years old, like this is a cool

thing you're going to remember.

Speaker:
1777

01:26:26,290 --> 01:26:29,010

And you're going to be bending

your kid's ear about one day,

Speaker:
1778

01:26:29,010 --> 01:26:31,320

you know, and they're like, okay,

dad, whatever, you know, it was,

Speaker:
1779

01:26:31,770 --> 01:26:33,140

Ben Ford: you know, there's all

kinds of things like that in life.

Speaker:
1780

01:26:33,190 --> 01:26:37,614

You think we'll, we'll continue,

you know, and it just, and just.

Speaker:
1781

01:26:39,065 --> 01:26:41,615

Marc Preston: Well, that actually kind

of brings me to my next question, uh,

Speaker:
1782

01:26:41,615 --> 01:26:45,295

of the, of the seven, which is if you're

living on an island that you want to

Speaker:
1783

01:26:45,295 --> 01:26:47,245

be on, it's a wonderful, exotic island.

Speaker:
1784

01:26:47,525 --> 01:26:49,465

You got to spend an entire year there.

Speaker:
1785

01:26:49,665 --> 01:26:50,655

There's no streaming.

Speaker:
1786

01:26:50,655 --> 01:26:53,075

So you're going to have to bring one DVD.

Speaker:
1787

01:26:53,075 --> 01:26:55,725

If you want to watch one movie,

you can watch over and over again.

Speaker:
1788

01:26:56,285 --> 01:26:59,875

And one CD or an album, it

could be a box set, you know?

Speaker:
1789

01:26:59,875 --> 01:27:03,295

So for music, you got a

CD, a movie, you got a DVD.

Speaker:
1790

01:27:03,295 --> 01:27:05,305

What would you bring with you

for that year on the island?

Speaker:
1791

01:27:05,885 --> 01:27:07,805

Ben Ford: I would bring

first choice for a movie.

Speaker:
1792

01:27:07,805 --> 01:27:09,025

It'd be Babette's feast.

Speaker:
1793

01:27:09,525 --> 01:27:11,705

Cause maybe I could learn a

little language at the same time.

Speaker:
1794

01:27:12,155 --> 01:27:15,885

And that's a, that's a movie I haven't

gotten through without tearing up yet.

Speaker:
1795

01:27:15,895 --> 01:27:21,675

So, you know, we see if maybe

I can also a, uh, exercise.

Speaker:
1796

01:27:22,185 --> 01:27:25,325

He said, um, Yeah, Babette's Feast.

Speaker:
1797

01:27:25,335 --> 01:27:31,265

It's actually, it's in, it's a subtitled

movie, wonderful movie about a woman chef

Speaker:
1798

01:27:31,275 --> 01:27:36,355

who disappears, uh, for some reason or

another into the, into the fabric and

Speaker:
1799

01:27:36,945 --> 01:27:43,205

she wins the, she's, she goes to this

place on the Bluffs and near the ocean

Speaker:
1800

01:27:43,355 --> 01:27:47,605

destitute with a small town there and

she somehow wins the lottery and she

Speaker:
1801

01:27:47,605 --> 01:27:51,145

decides to do this wonderful meal as

her last, you know, offering to this,

Speaker:
1802

01:27:51,185 --> 01:27:55,015

to this community that she's, you know,

and they never know who she is and she

Speaker:
1803

01:27:55,015 --> 01:28:00,145

does this incredible meal and, uh, uh,

and, uh, I don't know why it's emotional,

Speaker:
1804

01:28:00,145 --> 01:28:05,405

but the guy, there's a, there's a, uh, a

general there and he's like, He recognizes

Speaker:
1805

01:28:05,405 --> 01:28:07,705

her for this dish that she does.

Speaker:
1806

01:28:08,075 --> 01:28:09,035

And yeah, it's a great movie.

Speaker:
1807

01:28:09,355 --> 01:28:11,225

Um, and a CD.

Speaker:
1808

01:28:11,565 --> 01:28:12,015

Hmm.

Speaker:
1809

01:28:12,945 --> 01:28:13,555

Wow.

Speaker:
1810

01:28:13,615 --> 01:28:14,125

I mean,

Speaker:
1811

01:28:15,095 --> 01:28:17,075

Marc Preston: see, I know music

is, is kind of that thing.

Speaker:
1812

01:28:17,075 --> 01:28:21,795

Is it different eras of your life

and different, you know, it's,

Speaker:
1813

01:28:21,805 --> 01:28:26,415

it's, it's to me, to me, music

is, um, a lot of like food is kind

Speaker:
1814

01:28:26,415 --> 01:28:28,005

of how we define our experience.

Speaker:
1815

01:28:28,025 --> 01:28:28,935

Well, I've destroyed

Speaker:
1816

01:28:28,935 --> 01:28:29,445

Ben Ford: some album.

Speaker:
1817

01:28:29,485 --> 01:28:33,635

I've destroyed some albums too,

you know, and, um, And, you know,

Speaker:
1818

01:28:33,635 --> 01:28:37,205

you bring in the notion of, do I

need, now do I need island music?

Speaker:
1819

01:28:40,775 --> 01:28:43,265

Because, you know, and it's, you know,

it's like when you ever try to bring

Speaker:
1820

01:28:43,265 --> 01:28:46,085

something back from a displacement,

you know, if you go, you buy that

Speaker:
1821

01:28:46,085 --> 01:28:48,825

shirt in Spain, you really think

it's going to mix in really well.

Speaker:
1822

01:28:48,825 --> 01:28:51,085

You love this colorful shirt that

you're going to get in Spain.

Speaker:
1823

01:28:51,405 --> 01:28:53,025

You're going to bring it back,

you hang it in your closet

Speaker:
1824

01:28:53,025 --> 01:28:54,685

and you're like, that's never.

Speaker:
1825

01:28:55,130 --> 01:28:56,020

Going to work.

Speaker:
1826

01:28:56,430 --> 01:28:56,950

Same with that.

Speaker:
1827

01:28:57,020 --> 01:29:00,310

Same with that cassette that you

got from, you know, you loved that

Speaker:
1828

01:29:00,780 --> 01:29:03,640

little band that you saw wherever

you saw them in the islands.

Speaker:
1829

01:29:04,030 --> 01:29:04,970

Doesn't always translate.

Speaker:
1830

01:29:05,650 --> 01:29:12,015

Um, It would probably be, uh, Exodus,

Exodus, Marley, and only because I'm

Speaker:
1831

01:29:12,125 --> 01:29:13,555

going to be on an island for a year.

Speaker:
1832

01:29:14,635 --> 01:29:17,275

Marc Preston: If you were to say,

uh, next question, you know, from

Speaker:
1833

01:29:17,275 --> 01:29:19,995

the time you get up to the time you

go to sleep, what, what would be the

Speaker:
1834

01:29:19,995 --> 01:29:22,455

component parts for you of a perfect day?

Speaker:
1835

01:29:22,535 --> 01:29:24,535

Like if you, at the end of

the day, put your head on the

Speaker:
1836

01:29:24,535 --> 01:29:26,265

pillow, go, this was perfect.

Speaker:
1837

01:29:26,355 --> 01:29:28,215

All these things came together.

Speaker:
1838

01:29:28,335 --> 01:29:29,565

Uh, what would those things be?

Speaker:
1839

01:29:29,565 --> 01:29:31,035

What would the component parts be for you?

Speaker:
1840

01:29:31,350 --> 01:29:33,440

Ben Ford: God, I, you know,

I love free work days, which

Speaker:
1841

01:29:33,440 --> 01:29:36,370

sounds like a weird thing, but

they're some of my favorite days.

Speaker:
1842

01:29:36,920 --> 01:29:40,960

Um, and I, and I crave, I

crave, I crave creative space.

Speaker:
1843

01:29:41,750 --> 01:29:44,160

Um, a lot of time and I've talked

about this, that time between the

Speaker:
1844

01:29:44,160 --> 01:29:48,830

notes, um, any day that, that where

I have the time to wake up in the

Speaker:
1845

01:29:48,830 --> 01:29:56,730

morning and having a selfish hour to

myself, um, some sort of meditation.

Speaker:
1846

01:29:56,900 --> 01:29:59,220

Um, and I don't mean

meditation in its truest sense.

Speaker:
1847

01:29:59,220 --> 01:30:04,640

I mean, uh, a walk, uh, time

outside with my cup of coffee, an

Speaker:
1848

01:30:04,640 --> 01:30:06,210

hour to sort of just set the day.

Speaker:
1849

01:30:07,350 --> 01:30:12,220

Um, and then to really harness my

creative time that I have in the morning.

Speaker:
1850

01:30:13,005 --> 01:30:19,705

Um, and I usually get about three or four

hours of that, uh, truly inspirational,

Speaker:
1851

01:30:20,025 --> 01:30:26,425

non clouded creative time and how I feel,

how I would, and, and be to, and to be

Speaker:
1852

01:30:26,485 --> 01:30:30,965

able and free to fill that creatively

however I want, whether it be to writing,

Speaker:
1853

01:30:31,735 --> 01:30:37,605

painting, cooking, doing whatever it

is I need to fill my, fill my spirit.

Speaker:
1854

01:30:38,110 --> 01:30:43,890

And then it would be, um, you know,

there would have to be a way of, uh,

Speaker:
1855

01:30:44,140 --> 01:30:49,770

a charitable aspect to my day, either

a charitable aspect outside or a

Speaker:
1856

01:30:49,770 --> 01:30:51,830

charitable nurturing aspect for myself.

Speaker:
1857

01:30:53,395 --> 01:30:58,445

I would like to talk to three friends,

um, make contact with three people,

Speaker:
1858

01:30:58,655 --> 01:31:01,085

either visit them in their restaurants

or pick up the phone to people

Speaker:
1859

01:31:01,085 --> 01:31:02,175

I haven't talked to for a while.

Speaker:
1860

01:31:02,625 --> 01:31:06,815

And then the rest of my day, uh,

would be dedicated to my kids and,

Speaker:
1861

01:31:06,815 --> 01:31:11,655

uh, being a dad and, um, and, uh,

that would be the perfect day for me.

Speaker:
1862

01:31:12,325 --> 01:31:12,945

Marc Preston: That's wonderful.

Speaker:
1863

01:31:13,135 --> 01:31:15,135

So there's inspiration

from Stenestern there.

Speaker:
1864

01:31:15,775 --> 01:31:16,225

Yeah, I didn't

Speaker:
1865

01:31:16,225 --> 01:31:19,285

Ben Ford: bring any, I didn't bring any

meals into it, you know, as, as, as it's

Speaker:
1866

01:31:19,645 --> 01:31:21,925

Marc Preston: assumed you're going

to eat at some point, you know, you

Speaker:
1867

01:31:21,925 --> 01:31:23,635

know, you're going to, yeah, yeah.

Speaker:
1868

01:31:23,875 --> 01:31:24,675

Ben Ford: Our favorite restaurants.

Speaker:
1869

01:31:25,565 --> 01:31:27,885

Marc Preston: Uh, now the next

question, if you weren't doing this,

Speaker:
1870

01:31:27,895 --> 01:31:30,755

if somebody said today, all right,

Ben, you know, this, this, this

Speaker:
1871

01:31:30,755 --> 01:31:34,065

cooking thing, this restaurant thing,

it's, it's, you know, you can't

Speaker:
1872

01:31:34,065 --> 01:31:35,265

earn a living doing this anymore.

Speaker:
1873

01:31:35,275 --> 01:31:39,745

What would be an alternate career

path for you that would bring you joy?

Speaker:
1874

01:31:41,315 --> 01:31:44,215

Ben Ford: Well, I've talked a little

bit about me being a renaissance

Speaker:
1875

01:31:44,215 --> 01:31:47,445

man, you know, and so I've tried many

times to figure out these peripheral

Speaker:
1876

01:31:47,455 --> 01:31:51,475

things and how do I, how do I add

on to what I do, you know, right?

Speaker:
1877

01:31:51,540 --> 01:31:58,090

I teach, I write books, I do stuff for

the State Department, I do charity, I

Speaker:
1878

01:31:58,090 --> 01:32:00,140

do all these things to sort of expand.

Speaker:
1879

01:32:00,320 --> 01:32:04,540

So since, since I, I went into licensing

my restaurants in 2016 and I've been

Speaker:
1880

01:32:04,540 --> 01:32:08,790

trying to investigate this question

myself for the last eight years.

Speaker:
1881

01:32:09,550 --> 01:32:12,890

And I've been, and, and while I'm having

fun going into this thing and I'm looking

Speaker:
1882

01:32:12,890 --> 01:32:15,920

for the messaging and I'm looking for the

next great restaurant that I want to do.

Speaker:
1883

01:32:16,925 --> 01:32:20,915

I've been getting into, uh,

perfecting the things that I

Speaker:
1884

01:32:20,925 --> 01:32:23,325

felt like I wasn't proficient at.

Speaker:
1885

01:32:23,980 --> 01:32:26,920

Or I could be better at, or I felt

like maybe these are attributes

Speaker:
1886

01:32:26,920 --> 01:32:30,730

that I could bring to my next

restaurant or to further round out

Speaker:
1887

01:32:30,730 --> 01:32:32,410

my understanding of what a chef is.

Speaker:
1888

01:32:32,850 --> 01:32:35,770

And so, you know, opening these

restaurants for other people, you know,

Speaker:
1889

01:32:35,800 --> 01:32:39,820

learning what it's like to do a restaurant

for someone else where I'm not the

Speaker:
1890

01:32:39,820 --> 01:32:43,070

main guy in the room, learning to work

with other people, being collaborative.

Speaker:
1891

01:32:43,350 --> 01:32:47,000

Um, those opportunities, um, have

some been things that I've taken the

Speaker:
1892

01:32:47,000 --> 01:32:51,120

opportunity to do, I've done a lot of,

I've been also very interested in kitchen

Speaker:
1893

01:32:51,160 --> 01:32:58,000

or restaurant design and in design in

general, because I'm a sole entrepreneur,

Speaker:
1894

01:32:58,190 --> 01:33:03,210

you know, for the most part, um, I

have done everything in my restaurants.

Speaker:
1895

01:33:03,820 --> 01:33:08,580

Entirely my on my own, you know, so

i've never you know had a partner

Speaker:
1896

01:33:08,720 --> 01:33:12,270

necessarily that i do this So I

know about building restaurants.

Speaker:
1897

01:33:12,270 --> 01:33:13,600

I know about setting up programs.

Speaker:
1898

01:33:13,600 --> 01:33:14,580

I know about cooking.

Speaker:
1899

01:33:14,590 --> 01:33:16,130

I know about wine I know

about all this stuff.

Speaker:
1900

01:33:16,540 --> 01:33:20,900

So Consulting was in bringing what

my knowledge is to other people was a

Speaker:
1901

01:33:20,900 --> 01:33:25,405

big part of what I was doing but also

learning You know, I've been working with

Speaker:
1902

01:33:25,405 --> 01:33:30,755

construction guys and, and, and, and,

and, and architects more lately, and I'm

Speaker:
1903

01:33:30,755 --> 01:33:36,815

doing more design type work because I

was seeing a niche, I was seeing a break

Speaker:
1904

01:33:36,815 --> 01:33:40,895

in that system, you know, the last few

restaurants that I've been handed to me

Speaker:
1905

01:33:40,895 --> 01:33:44,425

when they, by the time they came into

me, they were coming too late into the

Speaker:
1906

01:33:44,425 --> 01:33:50,305

process and what was happening is you

weren't, there was no advocating for the

Speaker:
1907

01:33:50,305 --> 01:33:52,175

operational aspects of the restaurant.

Speaker:
1908

01:33:52,880 --> 01:33:56,650

And so now I found a little niche

there where I'm consulting on.

Speaker:
1909

01:33:57,090 --> 01:34:01,320

When restaurants are first being built,

I'm consulting on advocating for the

Speaker:
1910

01:34:01,320 --> 01:34:03,850

people that are actually going to

operate these restaurants in the future.

Speaker:
1911

01:34:03,850 --> 01:34:04,870

Marc Preston: Common sense flow.

Speaker:
1912

01:34:04,920 --> 01:34:05,820

Like, you know, because

Speaker:
1913

01:34:05,820 --> 01:34:08,070

Ben Ford: exactly.

Speaker:
1914

01:34:08,070 --> 01:34:11,060

And so I found a little niche as far

as what I'm doing as far as design.

Speaker:
1915

01:34:11,060 --> 01:34:14,260

And that's been something that's

actually expanded me as far as my,

Speaker:
1916

01:34:14,380 --> 01:34:16,010

my abilities on the consulting side.

Speaker:
1917

01:34:16,010 --> 01:34:17,950

And eventually when I

opened my own restaurants

Speaker:
1918

01:34:18,000 --> 01:34:20,360

Marc Preston: kind of helping

people like to realize their.

Speaker:
1919

01:34:20,640 --> 01:34:21,410

They got a dream.

Speaker:
1920

01:34:21,410 --> 01:34:25,280

See, I want to do this thing and you can

kind of help them bring it to reality,

Speaker:
1921

01:34:25,320 --> 01:34:29,250

uh, because the restaurant business and

whenever you watch a web is, uh, chef

Speaker:
1922

01:34:29,270 --> 01:34:33,340

Robert Irvine, he does that thing, that

restaurant, impossible show that idea

Speaker:
1923

01:34:33,340 --> 01:34:37,580

that, you know, you start realizing how

many people step into this industry with

Speaker:
1924

01:34:37,610 --> 01:34:40,160

absolutely no cognition of how to do it.

Speaker:
1925

01:34:40,160 --> 01:34:40,460

They just.

Speaker:
1926

01:34:40,825 --> 01:34:44,565

I know how to cook at home, so it's really

where they seem to fail is on the business

Speaker:
1927

01:34:44,565 --> 01:34:48,455

side on the, on the, on the common

sense flow, kind of an idea, you know?

Speaker:
1928

01:34:48,805 --> 01:34:51,215

Ben Ford: Yeah, but you also may have, you

might have people that have a different,

Speaker:
1929

01:34:51,225 --> 01:34:56,005

you know, restaurants are multifaceted,

you know, and, and I just did a, um, a

Speaker:
1930

01:34:56,005 --> 01:35:00,335

live music venue in Nashville, you know,

where it was music first, you know, and

Speaker:
1931

01:35:00,335 --> 01:35:03,255

then I had a restaurant and you couldn't

lose sight of that, you know, you

Speaker:
1932

01:35:03,255 --> 01:35:05,025

couldn't lose sight of what your job was.

Speaker:
1933

01:35:05,430 --> 01:35:10,500

Inside that process, you know, and

yet it also I was there to also help

Speaker:
1934

01:35:10,750 --> 01:35:14,760

this person visualize realize his

dream, you know, I have my dreams.

Speaker:
1935

01:35:15,090 --> 01:35:16,300

I've done my restaurants.

Speaker:
1936

01:35:16,740 --> 01:35:21,880

It's it doesn't do them any good

for me to sit there and and and

Speaker:
1937

01:35:21,880 --> 01:35:23,070

tell them exactly what do it.

Speaker:
1938

01:35:23,100 --> 01:35:23,640

It's it's it.

Speaker:
1939

01:35:23,640 --> 01:35:26,900

You have to sit there and

help them realize their dream.

Speaker:
1940

01:35:27,440 --> 01:35:29,820

You know what they have

in a very successful way.

Speaker:
1941

01:35:30,150 --> 01:35:30,800

That's what I do.

Speaker:
1942

01:35:31,160 --> 01:35:34,240

Marc Preston: It also gives you a chance

to travel, get into different experiences,

Speaker:
1943

01:35:34,240 --> 01:35:36,170

spaces you wouldn't normally get into.

Speaker:
1944

01:35:36,180 --> 01:35:38,340

Ben Ford: Yeah, doing a

restaurant in Nashville is great.

Speaker:
1945

01:35:38,350 --> 01:35:41,770

You know, I did a, you know, I've

been able to spread my wings.

Speaker:
1946

01:35:41,770 --> 01:35:42,760

I did one in Plano.

Speaker:
1947

01:35:42,760 --> 01:35:45,700

I did one in, uh, upstate New York.

Speaker:
1948

01:35:45,700 --> 01:35:48,040

We did one in, in, uh, Lofton.

Speaker:
1949

01:35:48,340 --> 01:35:53,670

Uh, or not left, uh, uh, Langdon,

whatever, uh, Virginia for the

Speaker:
1950

01:35:53,670 --> 01:35:56,350

Marc Preston: one that you did in

Plano for when I get back to the, uh,

Speaker:
1951

01:35:56,380 --> 01:35:59,940

the, uh, uh, back, back up north to

Dallas to go see, you know, friends

Speaker:
1952

01:35:59,940 --> 01:36:02,690

and whatnot, I got to know where it

is, which, which restaurant it is.

Speaker:
1953

01:36:02,790 --> 01:36:05,280

Ben Ford: Well, it was, that was

just, uh, that was, uh, everything

Speaker:
1954

01:36:05,280 --> 01:36:06,420

is an exercise, you know?

Speaker:
1955

01:36:06,420 --> 01:36:09,650

So I, if I see that it's an interesting

exercise and there's growth there,

Speaker:
1956

01:36:10,210 --> 01:36:11,420

I I'm going to be interested in it.

Speaker:
1957

01:36:11,430 --> 01:36:15,360

So this one was a part as I did for

Barnes and Noble, but the bookstores and

Speaker:
1958

01:36:15,360 --> 01:36:17,200

they were doing, they're trying to, to.

Speaker:
1959

01:36:17,430 --> 01:36:21,040

But alter kitchens, they're trying

to put a, uh, restaurants into

Speaker:
1960

01:36:21,040 --> 01:36:24,330

their, into the things, give people

more of a reason for being there.

Speaker:
1961

01:36:25,470 --> 01:36:29,120

What was wonderful is I got to redesign

all the Starbucks kiosks as well within

Speaker:
1962

01:36:29,120 --> 01:36:30,800

the side of these, these, these things.

Speaker:
1963

01:36:30,800 --> 01:36:33,240

And I, we did several of

them in different, several

Speaker:
1964

01:36:33,240 --> 01:36:34,340

of them in different states.

Speaker:
1965

01:36:34,960 --> 01:36:36,705

Um, And it was a lot of fun.

Speaker:
1966

01:36:36,705 --> 01:36:39,265

It was, it was interesting to work

with a different rule structure.

Speaker:
1967

01:36:39,355 --> 01:36:42,845

You know, I like, there are rules, you

know, you have to work from it and there

Speaker:
1968

01:36:42,845 --> 01:36:47,565

you're working with a fortune 500 company,

you know, we're all there, all their, all

Speaker:
1969

01:36:47,565 --> 01:36:49,325

their policies and stuff are in stone.

Speaker:
1970

01:36:49,385 --> 01:36:53,175

You know, that stuff was written

30 years ago and it's not changing,

Speaker:
1971

01:36:53,625 --> 01:36:55,355

you know, and so you're going

to put a restaurant in there.

Speaker:
1972

01:36:55,355 --> 01:36:56,555

You got to learn how to do that.

Speaker:
1973

01:36:56,965 --> 01:37:01,755

And, and so I loved the process,

you know, and I love the, the,

Speaker:
1974

01:37:01,765 --> 01:37:03,825

the puzzles part of that as well.

Speaker:
1975

01:37:04,225 --> 01:37:06,875

You give me your problems,

I'll figure it out for you.

Speaker:
1976

01:37:07,515 --> 01:37:07,965

Marc Preston: I love that.

Speaker:
1977

01:37:07,995 --> 01:37:10,525

I love that analogy because

I, that's the same thing.

Speaker:
1978

01:37:10,525 --> 01:37:14,445

I, uh, was telling someone the other

day about what it, what it is I'm doing.

Speaker:
1979

01:37:14,445 --> 01:37:17,315

It's like, well, if I want to do a

thing, I'm going to figure it out.

Speaker:
1980

01:37:17,315 --> 01:37:19,625

There's, there's a Latin phrase at VN.

Speaker:
1981

01:37:19,675 --> 01:37:22,395

Oh, I'm going to mess up the Latin

phrase, but it's, if there's a

Speaker:
1982

01:37:22,395 --> 01:37:24,715

way I'm going to find it, there's

not a way I'm going to create it.

Speaker:
1983

01:37:24,805 --> 01:37:26,975

You know, that's kind of the way

I've always tried to look at things.

Speaker:
1984

01:37:27,005 --> 01:37:28,595

And that's kind of the

puzzle you get to solve.

Speaker:
1985

01:37:28,595 --> 01:37:31,795

And that's part of the joy of doing

the thing in my mind, you know?

Speaker:
1986

01:37:31,875 --> 01:37:36,425

Um, Now, the last question I got for

you, uh, is if you're going to try to

Speaker:
1987

01:37:36,435 --> 01:37:41,055

get that DeLorean travel back to when

you're 16 years old, you got a few minutes

Speaker:
1988

01:37:41,055 --> 01:37:44,915

with yourself, a piece of advice you can

offer up that either is going to make

Speaker:
1989

01:37:44,915 --> 01:37:48,285

that moment of your life somehow better,

a little easier, whatever have you, or

Speaker:
1990

01:37:48,285 --> 01:37:49,495

put you on a little bit different path.

Speaker:
1991

01:37:50,075 --> 01:37:53,505

What piece of advice are you

offering up a 16 year old Ben?

Speaker:
1992

01:37:54,135 --> 01:37:57,455

Ben Ford: Um, just that you're going

to, that life is not going to be as

Speaker:
1993

01:37:57,455 --> 01:37:58,975

smooth as you think it is going to be.

Speaker:
1994

01:37:59,185 --> 01:38:00,615

Life is just doesn't work that way.

Speaker:
1995

01:38:00,615 --> 01:38:01,215

That's not a.

Speaker:
1996

01:38:01,645 --> 01:38:05,405

Slow progression of success that

there, no matter how successful

Speaker:
1997

01:38:05,405 --> 01:38:09,325

you are, there's going to be ups

and downs and to embrace all of it.

Speaker:
1998

01:38:09,585 --> 01:38:12,255

Maybe try to celebrate your life

a little bit more when those, when

Speaker:
1999

01:38:12,255 --> 01:38:13,455

you do have things to celebrate.

Speaker:
2000

01:38:13,615 --> 01:38:13,945

Marc Preston: Yeah.

Speaker:
2001

01:38:13,945 --> 01:38:16,725

Cause you do, you did, you did

say that you don't typically do

Speaker:
2002

01:38:16,725 --> 01:38:18,715

that, you know, but absolutely.

Speaker:
2003

01:38:18,715 --> 01:38:21,565

I think you got, you got to celebrate

because it's those, that's why some

Speaker:
2004

01:38:21,565 --> 01:38:22,945

people like, Oh, it's my birthday.

Speaker:
2005

01:38:22,945 --> 01:38:23,255

I don't do it.

Speaker:
2006

01:38:23,255 --> 01:38:24,975

It's like, no, that's fine.

Speaker:
2007

01:38:24,975 --> 01:38:27,845

A reason that, you know, to,

you know, get people together.

Speaker:
2008

01:38:27,845 --> 01:38:30,355

You care about that kind of

thing and celebrate, you know,

Speaker:
2009

01:38:30,790 --> 01:38:33,760

Ben Ford: There's mysterious reasons

for why we do things, you know, and it's

Speaker:
2010

01:38:33,760 --> 01:38:37,180

not always, it's not always the most,

the thing you can put your finger on,

Speaker:
2011

01:38:37,240 --> 01:38:41,210

you know, it's not necessarily about the

celebration itself, it's about how it

Speaker:
2012

01:38:41,210 --> 01:38:43,100

makes you feel, what it does for you.

Speaker:
2013

01:38:44,010 --> 01:38:44,910

Marc Preston: That's, that's wonderful.

Speaker:
2014

01:38:44,910 --> 01:38:49,160

No, and, and Ben, I, I, I so appreciate,

uh, it's so generous with you, Tom.

Speaker:
2015

01:38:49,160 --> 01:38:51,680

I really appreciate the opportunity

to, you know, sit down and kind of

Speaker:
2016

01:38:51,680 --> 01:38:53,960

hear your perspective is, is wonderful.

Speaker:
2017

01:38:53,960 --> 01:38:56,780

Now I'm like, next time I'm in LA I'm

like, I gotta gotta check out this

Speaker:
2018

01:38:56,780 --> 01:38:58,430

guy's joints here, , I gotta do that.

Speaker:
2019

01:38:58,720 --> 01:39:02,110

Um, but I talked to my son the

other day who was in town and we

Speaker:
2020

01:39:02,110 --> 01:39:03,590

were put two and two together.

Speaker:
2021

01:39:03,590 --> 01:39:04,300

It's like, wait a minute.

Speaker:
2022

01:39:04,710 --> 01:39:07,880

Uh, so your dad in the last Star

Wars, his son's name is Ben.

Speaker:
2023

01:39:07,890 --> 01:39:09,950

That was kind of funny.

Speaker:
2024

01:39:09,950 --> 01:39:10,800

He's like, Oh, wait a minute.

Speaker:
2025

01:39:11,140 --> 01:39:12,730

It's like, Oh, I wonder

if that was playing.

Speaker:
2026

01:39:12,730 --> 01:39:15,600

It's like, what, but wasn't it

Obi Wan Kenobi as, Oh yeah, that's

Speaker:
2027

01:39:15,600 --> 01:39:16,790

the reason why I named him Ben.

Speaker:
2028

01:39:16,890 --> 01:39:19,440

Ben Ford: I don't know if I ever got,

if we ever got placed in that way.

Speaker:
2029

01:39:19,490 --> 01:39:19,850

There was.

Speaker:
2030

01:39:19,900 --> 01:39:24,570

His character in Apocalypse Now

is Captain Benjamin Willard.

Speaker:
2031

01:39:24,640 --> 01:39:28,010

My brother's name is Willard,

so maybe we got thrown in there.

Speaker:
2032

01:39:28,120 --> 01:39:28,290

Possibly.

Speaker:
2033

01:39:28,810 --> 01:39:29,230

I'd

Speaker:
2034

01:39:29,230 --> 01:39:32,920

Marc Preston: be remiss if I didn't ask

you, uh, like, if you had your Mount

Speaker:
2035

01:39:32,920 --> 01:39:37,400

Rushmore 2 or 3 films that you just,

that you, that kind of really stick

Speaker:
2036

01:39:37,410 --> 01:39:39,610

with you, that your dad did, that.

Speaker:
2037

01:39:40,260 --> 01:39:42,820

You just like, okay, like you'd

come into your restaurant, like

Speaker:
2038

01:39:42,850 --> 01:39:44,350

these are my favorite dishes you do.

Speaker:
2039

01:39:44,350 --> 01:39:46,230

And you could say, well,

this is my, you want to know

Speaker:
2040

01:39:46,230 --> 01:39:47,010

Ben Ford: something you want?

Speaker:
2041

01:39:47,060 --> 01:39:50,310

You want to know what's interesting

is that I've gone back and I've

Speaker:
2042

01:39:50,310 --> 01:39:51,360

looked at a lot of his things.

Speaker:
2043

01:39:51,390 --> 01:39:53,820

A frantic is probably my

favorite movie that he did.

Speaker:
2044

01:39:54,120 --> 01:39:59,380

Witness is probably the second one,

but my favorite part of act is my

Speaker:
2045

01:39:59,380 --> 01:40:01,460

favorite piece of acting that he's done.

Speaker:
2046

01:40:01,840 --> 01:40:04,280

Was in last week's episode is shrinking.

Speaker:
2047

01:40:04,550 --> 01:40:06,900

Marc Preston: The best thing about your

dad I love is when he doesn't even have

Speaker:
2048

01:40:06,910 --> 01:40:09,070

lines is reading his face in that moment.

Speaker:
2049

01:40:09,070 --> 01:40:13,170

And, and this, this, you mentioned

hands before, and that's figures

Speaker:
2050

01:40:13,170 --> 01:40:16,180

into the character, but I love

what he's doing with that show.

Speaker:
2051

01:40:16,390 --> 01:40:17,130

Ben Ford: Yeah, I do too.

Speaker:
2052

01:40:17,130 --> 01:40:19,090

And I think he's, and I think

he's really enjoying it.

Speaker:
2053

01:40:19,160 --> 01:40:22,600

Um, and you can see it, you can

see in the, in the product of it.

Speaker:
2054

01:40:22,650 --> 01:40:28,505

And, um, And I just, I don't, it's,

it's episode, I think it's season two,

Speaker:
2055

01:40:28,505 --> 01:40:30,103

episode eight, I believe is what it is.

Speaker:
2056

01:40:30,103 --> 01:40:30,321

Episode seven.

Speaker:
2057

01:40:30,321 --> 01:40:30,866

I haven't gotten that far

Speaker:
2058

01:40:30,866 --> 01:40:31,145

Marc Preston: into it yet.

Speaker:
2059

01:40:31,155 --> 01:40:33,455

I think I'm, I'm up to four, I think.

Speaker:
2060

01:40:33,455 --> 01:40:33,675

Speaker:
2061

01:40:33,675 --> 01:40:36,245

Ben Ford: think the episode's his

last, his last drink, I believe

Speaker:
2062

01:40:36,245 --> 01:40:39,205

it's what it is, but, uh, is

what it's, is what it's titled.

Speaker:
2063

01:40:39,535 --> 01:40:43,295

Um, but I really, um, you have to

understand, I understand where he

Speaker:
2064

01:40:43,295 --> 01:40:44,895

pulls every bit of acting from.

Speaker:
2065

01:40:44,895 --> 01:40:49,165

I've seen the expressions, the things like

that probably without him even knowing.

Speaker:
2066

01:40:49,545 --> 01:40:52,665

Marc Preston: Segel are just, uh,

you know, there was no dialogue.

Speaker:
2067

01:40:52,665 --> 01:40:55,425

There's just, just, you can sit there

and just kind of watch, you know, even

Speaker:
2068

01:40:55,425 --> 01:41:00,505

going back to, I could go back into his

library, just he and, uh, uh, uh, the

Speaker:
2069

01:41:00,505 --> 01:41:03,115

last Indiana, well, the last of the first.

Speaker:
2070

01:41:03,450 --> 01:41:09,410

Set of Indiana Jones last crusade just the

reactions, you know being with his dad,

Speaker:
2071

01:41:09,420 --> 01:41:14,240

you know Or his on screen dad that that's

such a great show that I meant to mention

Speaker:
2072

01:41:14,240 --> 01:41:18,620

shrinking because I just I'm so glad Jason

Segel got him on to you know, I thought

Speaker:
2073

01:41:18,620 --> 01:41:23,870

with the Think I heard an interview

with him and it was it was a pretty easy

Speaker:
2074

01:41:23,870 --> 01:41:27,320

decision It wasn't a lot of laboring over

it seemed like it was like, yeah, we'll

Speaker:
2075

01:41:27,320 --> 01:41:31,930

do this I mean and it was it's such a

interesting project because because it's

Speaker:
2076

01:41:31,940 --> 01:41:35,625

not It's, it's not, this is not something

I haven't seen him do before, you know?

Speaker:
2077

01:41:35,825 --> 01:41:36,205

Yeah,

Speaker:
2078

01:41:36,495 --> 01:41:36,915

Ben Ford: I agree.

Speaker:
2079

01:41:37,415 --> 01:41:37,765

I agree.

Speaker:
2080

01:41:37,785 --> 01:41:40,205

And I, and those, those to

me are the most profound.

Speaker:
2081

01:41:40,205 --> 01:41:43,675

So, you know, it's, it's just a little,

you wouldn't expect me to say that.

Speaker:
2082

01:41:43,725 --> 01:41:44,905

Marc Preston: So I just threw it in there.

Speaker:
2083

01:41:45,175 --> 01:41:47,635

You mentioned the state department

thing a couple of times.

Speaker:
2084

01:41:47,985 --> 01:41:50,965

Is that, is that kind of like a

consulting thing you're doing?

Speaker:
2085

01:41:51,515 --> 01:41:55,355

Ben Ford: No, it's a blue, it's a blue,

it was a blue coat thing that, um, that

Speaker:
2086

01:41:55,395 --> 01:42:01,565

Hillary Clinton started during her, when

she was, um, um, Uh, Secretary of State.

Speaker:
2087

01:42:02,235 --> 01:42:04,695

And that's actually something that

Clinton, Clinton said started while

Speaker:
2088

01:42:04,695 --> 01:42:08,445

they were in, when they were in office

was they would do a lot of policy,

Speaker:
2089

01:42:08,445 --> 01:42:10,415

a lot of meetings around the table.

Speaker:
2090

01:42:10,865 --> 01:42:15,675

They really felt like the cuisine and

food was a way to find common ground.

Speaker:
2091

01:42:16,425 --> 01:42:24,465

And, um, and then when she came in, she,

uh, initially found 30 chefs, uh, within

Speaker:
2092

01:42:24,465 --> 01:42:29,995

the U S that have particular, uh, reasons

for being a part of the, of the messaging,

Speaker:
2093

01:42:30,425 --> 01:42:32,615

Jose Andres was one of them, Rick Bayless.

Speaker:
2094

01:42:33,395 --> 01:42:39,975

Uh, you know, people that had certain

talents or reasons and, um, I was one

Speaker:
2095

01:42:39,975 --> 01:42:41,665

of the first chefs to be a part of it.

Speaker:
2096

01:42:41,665 --> 01:42:43,185

I've done several missions.

Speaker:
2097

01:42:43,325 --> 01:42:44,835

Um, it's always interesting.

Speaker:
2098

01:42:44,835 --> 01:42:48,985

You know, I did one to Hong Kong, you

know, where you are, which would have,

Speaker:
2099

01:42:48,985 --> 01:42:53,875

it was a 12 billion trade deal with

China, where we were doing the, uh, the

Speaker:
2100

01:42:53,875 --> 01:42:56,725

beef, uh, the meat, uh, export thing.

Speaker:
2101

01:42:56,765 --> 01:42:58,425

It was about 2016.

Speaker:
2102

01:42:59,385 --> 01:43:01,345

I did a prison reform in Georgia.

Speaker:
2103

01:43:01,780 --> 01:43:04,110

You know, where I was going in

there and do vocational training

Speaker:
2104

01:43:04,530 --> 01:43:05,780

inside of prisons because the U.

Speaker:
2105

01:43:05,780 --> 01:43:05,960

Speaker:
2106

01:43:05,960 --> 01:43:07,260

was giving money to Georgia.

Speaker:
2107

01:43:07,720 --> 01:43:15,650

I did, you know, uh, done assignments

in Turkey, Israel, Canada, um, Uruguay.

Speaker:
2108

01:43:15,660 --> 01:43:18,340

You know, it, it, it, and

it's always different.

Speaker:
2109

01:43:18,950 --> 01:43:21,030

It's just been, you know,

I never served my country.

Speaker:
2110

01:43:21,030 --> 01:43:25,680

I didn't have a way of, I'm not very,

um, patriotic, you know, and at least

Speaker:
2111

01:43:25,680 --> 01:43:29,340

not in the most raw, raw way, but it

really, it was a way for me to really

Speaker:
2112

01:43:29,340 --> 01:43:34,300

contribute, you know, and I really felt

great about, um, what we were doing.

Speaker:
2113

01:43:34,310 --> 01:43:36,660

And I think we'd shaved a lot

of great things, you know, and

Speaker:
2114

01:43:36,660 --> 01:43:40,260

I got to, I got to, uh, cook for

some really interesting people.

Speaker:
2115

01:43:40,790 --> 01:43:41,960

I got to do the, um.

Speaker:
2116

01:43:42,355 --> 01:43:45,835

Last thing I did was I just

cooked at the um, world Expo

Speaker:
2117

01:43:45,835 --> 01:43:47,455

in Dubai and I did their there.

Speaker:
2118

01:43:47,455 --> 01:43:48,955

Oh, that seems like an exciting

Speaker:
2119

01:43:48,955 --> 01:43:49,375

Marc Preston: place.

Speaker:
2120

01:43:49,375 --> 01:43:51,955

And I know, uh, like Gordon

Ramsey, I think has already kind

Speaker:
2121

01:43:51,955 --> 01:43:53,575

of plugged in out there, I think.

Speaker:
2122

01:43:53,575 --> 01:43:53,755

Yeah.

Speaker:
2123

01:43:53,755 --> 01:43:55,965

Like they've got that seems

to be like everybody was gonna

Speaker:
2124

01:43:55,965 --> 01:43:56,985

Vegas at some point in time.

Speaker:
2125

01:43:56,985 --> 01:43:58,425

Now it's like Dubai, isn't it?

Speaker:
2126

01:43:58,425 --> 01:44:00,215

Like a lot of chefs are setting up.

Speaker:
2127

01:44:00,220 --> 01:44:00,710

It's a lot of Dubai

Speaker:
2128

01:44:00,815 --> 01:44:03,755

Ben Ford: stuff, you know, it's a

lot of licensing, uh, type stuff too.

Speaker:
2129

01:44:03,785 --> 01:44:07,085

That's another sort of

change in the industry.

Speaker:
2130

01:44:07,175 --> 01:44:09,265

You know, , you'll see.

Speaker:
2131

01:44:09,950 --> 01:44:10,410

Well, that's cool.

Speaker:
2132

01:44:10,410 --> 01:44:10,810

You know, I think

Speaker:
2133

01:44:10,820 --> 01:44:12,720

Marc Preston: the State Department,

because I know, like I spoke with Andrew

Speaker:
2134

01:44:12,720 --> 01:44:16,400

Zimmer and he's doing something like with

the United Nations and it's, uh, food

Speaker:
2135

01:44:16,400 --> 01:44:19,820

is, it's to me, it's, it's, it's because

it's universal, you know, it's, it's,

Speaker:
2136

01:44:19,820 --> 01:44:24,690

um, it's, it's, it seems like a very

specific, but easy way to reach people

Speaker:
2137

01:44:24,960 --> 01:44:26,200

because everybody's got to have meals.

Speaker:
2138

01:44:26,200 --> 01:44:30,280

Everybody's got their culture built

around eating to some degree, you know?

Speaker:
2139

01:44:30,320 --> 01:44:30,680

Yeah.

Speaker:
2140

01:44:30,790 --> 01:44:31,020

Yeah.

Speaker:
2141

01:44:31,170 --> 01:44:31,450

Yeah.

Speaker:
2142

01:44:31,660 --> 01:44:35,350

Ben Ford: I loved, I loved the

work, loved, loved, loved the work.

Speaker:
2143

01:44:35,850 --> 01:44:36,810

I felt like it was just.

Speaker:
2144

01:44:37,605 --> 01:44:40,265

You know, it was, I was opening my

eyes to so many different things.

Speaker:
2145

01:44:40,575 --> 01:44:42,605

And it was, it was interesting

because I would go there with one

Speaker:
2146

01:44:42,605 --> 01:44:43,955

agenda for the state department.

Speaker:
2147

01:44:44,215 --> 01:44:49,705

And they always gave me the room to

also do other work while I was there.

Speaker:
2148

01:44:50,125 --> 01:44:53,585

So when we were in the Republic of

Georgia, they have broken farm system.

Speaker:
2149

01:44:53,765 --> 01:44:58,785

And so I did, um, I worked with farmers

and culinary schools in order to sort of

Speaker:
2150

01:44:58,785 --> 01:45:03,455

bring that shape and nice way of engaging

farmers and, and chefs and trying to make

Speaker:
2151

01:45:03,455 --> 01:45:05,225

them even make them aware of that notion.

Speaker:
2152

01:45:05,765 --> 01:45:07,825

Uh, in, uh, in.

Speaker:
2153

01:45:08,140 --> 01:45:11,020

Hong Kong was more, you know, the

homeless that I was looking for.

Speaker:
2154

01:45:11,020 --> 01:45:12,990

Hong

Speaker:
2155

01:45:12,990 --> 01:45:15,000

Marc Preston: Kong is let me tell

my grandfather used to do a lot

Speaker:
2156

01:45:15,000 --> 01:45:18,200

of like when every year, uh, six

months to a year he had business.

Speaker:
2157

01:45:18,540 --> 01:45:21,810

Uh, they were importing, this is

going back to the seventies, but I

Speaker:
2158

01:45:21,860 --> 01:45:23,210

always wanted to go to Hong Kong.

Speaker:
2159

01:45:23,220 --> 01:45:26,740

Like, and it's heyday seems like

just in a magical place to go to.

Speaker:
2160

01:45:27,170 --> 01:45:27,820

Yeah.

Speaker:
2161

01:45:28,110 --> 01:45:31,130

Ben Ford: I think I was personally

responsible for the consulate general

Speaker:
2162

01:45:31,140 --> 01:45:36,630

getting called into the, into the Chinese

three or four times during my visit.

Speaker:
2163

01:45:37,240 --> 01:45:37,600

So.

Speaker:
2164

01:45:37,935 --> 01:45:40,485

You know, as long as you can

Speaker:
2165

01:45:40,615 --> 01:45:43,075

Marc Preston: stir up some good trouble,

that's, that's, that's, that's wonderful.

Speaker:
2166

01:45:43,085 --> 01:45:43,165

It's

Speaker:
2167

01:45:43,245 --> 01:45:44,695

Ben Ford: always, it's

always good trouble.

Speaker:
2168

01:45:44,775 --> 01:45:45,715

Marc Preston: Now, one last question.

Speaker:
2169

01:45:45,735 --> 01:45:47,135

Do you have any projects coming up?

Speaker:
2170

01:45:47,135 --> 01:45:50,895

Any cookbooks, anything as you're kind

of going through this kind of little,

Speaker:
2171

01:45:51,085 --> 01:45:53,415

you know, as you're going through your

kind of contemplating what's next?

Speaker:
2172

01:45:53,435 --> 01:45:53,685

No,

Speaker:
2173

01:45:53,685 --> 01:45:57,555

Ben Ford: I think, I think, I think I'm,

I'm, um, you know, I've, I've hinted

Speaker:
2174

01:45:57,555 --> 01:46:00,985

at some of the, the projects that I,

that I'm, I'm, I'm looking at doing.

Speaker:
2175

01:46:01,465 --> 01:46:06,310

Um, and I think, I think that that

restaurant that, Encompasses this area,

Speaker:
2176

01:46:06,310 --> 01:46:09,280

this region that I was talking about as

a restaurant that I really do want to do.

Speaker:
2177

01:46:09,700 --> 01:46:12,480

It also brings a lot of my

wood fire cooking, small beef

Speaker:
2178

01:46:12,480 --> 01:46:15,450

programs, all this stuff that I

kind of would really like to do.

Speaker:
2179

01:46:15,530 --> 01:46:16,670

Well, it's so it's

Speaker:
2180

01:46:16,670 --> 01:46:19,500

Marc Preston: exciting because

that's, that's actually, uh, the,

Speaker:
2181

01:46:19,510 --> 01:46:23,390

the, uh, that, that, that Baha med

that they call that that's a quiz.

Speaker:
2182

01:46:23,530 --> 01:46:25,710

I'm really interested in, uh,

Speaker:
2183

01:46:26,400 --> 01:46:28,180

Ben Ford: when you were mentioning

the, when you were mentioning earlier,

Speaker:
2184

01:46:28,180 --> 01:46:31,985

you're talking about, uh, Tijuana,

you know, and the danger of Tijuana.

Speaker:
2185

01:46:32,175 --> 01:46:36,385

I will say this about cuisine and I

will say this about danger in general

Speaker:
2186

01:46:36,645 --> 01:46:38,715

is that's where you find the good stuff.

Speaker:
2187

01:46:39,025 --> 01:46:39,225

Yeah.

Speaker:
2188

01:46:41,455 --> 01:46:44,935

You're never going to, if you

want that good street taco, if

Speaker:
2189

01:46:44,955 --> 01:46:46,435

you want that good, whatever.

Speaker:
2190

01:46:46,805 --> 01:46:49,715

You're gonna have to, you know, oh yeah.

Speaker:
2191

01:46:49,715 --> 01:46:49,955

That's

Speaker:
2192

01:46:49,955 --> 01:46:51,935

Marc Preston: something that,

uh, uh, I take some chances,

Speaker:
2193

01:46:52,295 --> 01:46:53,225

you know, I gotta ask you.

Speaker:
2194

01:46:53,225 --> 01:46:57,305

I'd asked Andrew and, uh, uh, uh,

Zimmer and, and, uh, chef Robert Irvine.

Speaker:
2195

01:46:57,635 --> 01:47:00,895

Did you ever have a chance to connect

with, um, uh, Anthony Bourdain?

Speaker:
2196

01:47:00,895 --> 01:47:02,695

Did he, that, did paths ever cross?

Speaker:
2197

01:47:02,875 --> 01:47:05,665

Ben Ford: Yes, but, but in a very

sort of, uh, quick way, you know,

Speaker:
2198

01:47:05,665 --> 01:47:09,235

I met him one time at, at Campanile

when he had just written his, uh, the

Speaker:
2199

01:47:09,235 --> 01:47:10,975

book that, that had made him famous.

Speaker:
2200

01:47:11,205 --> 01:47:12,925

Marc Preston: Oh, it was

really at the beginning.

Speaker:
2201

01:47:12,935 --> 01:47:13,265

Yeah.

Speaker:
2202

01:47:13,295 --> 01:47:13,515

Ben Ford: Yeah.

Speaker:
2203

01:47:13,515 --> 01:47:14,325

Really in the beginning.

Speaker:
2204

01:47:14,325 --> 01:47:17,125

And then we had a chance

to have coffee together.

Speaker:
2205

01:47:17,555 --> 01:47:21,505

Um, uh, about a year before,

two, before he died at, at, uh,

Speaker:
2206

01:47:21,765 --> 01:47:23,735

at, uh, South beach, good wine.

Speaker:
2207

01:47:24,725 --> 01:47:25,535

Marc Preston: He did say something.

Speaker:
2208

01:47:25,535 --> 01:47:28,365

He said, even though you mentioned

something about the immigration thing and

Speaker:
2209

01:47:28,365 --> 01:47:31,495

all that, he said, I don't care, you know,

what cuisine you're eating in New York.

Speaker:
2210

01:47:31,495 --> 01:47:32,435

I don't care how fancy it is.

Speaker:
2211

01:47:32,675 --> 01:47:35,295

It's been cooked from by

somebody, probably from Mexico.

Speaker:
2212

01:47:35,450 --> 01:47:39,260

You know, it's like somebody

who's and, and it's, it's, it's

Speaker:
2213

01:47:39,260 --> 01:47:41,790

a, you know, there was a lot of

love and appreciation for that.

Speaker:
2214

01:47:41,800 --> 01:47:44,730

Hopefully we can, uh, we're, we're

in an interesting time, right?

Speaker:
2215

01:47:44,760 --> 01:47:45,080

I think

Speaker:
2216

01:47:45,080 --> 01:47:49,260

Ben Ford: Anthony and Z and I are all cut

from the same cloth, you know, for sure.

Speaker:
2217

01:47:49,290 --> 01:47:49,890

A hundred percent.

Speaker:
2218

01:47:50,260 --> 01:47:52,810

Marc Preston: Well, well, my friend,

again, I wanted to thank you.

Speaker:
2219

01:47:52,870 --> 01:47:54,630

This is a chat more for me.

Speaker:
2220

01:47:54,650 --> 01:47:55,110

Like, you know what?

Speaker:
2221

01:47:55,110 --> 01:47:58,600

I like to bring it back around to the

culinary thing when I can, you know,

Speaker:
2222

01:47:58,610 --> 01:48:01,790

cause it's just something I enjoy and I

enjoyed, uh, sitting down with you, my

Speaker:
2223

01:48:01,790 --> 01:48:06,030

friend, but, uh, certainly, uh, next time

I'm in LA, I've got to besides Cantor's.

Speaker:
2224

01:48:06,070 --> 01:48:08,850

I've hopefully by then you'll

have your new concept out there.

Speaker:
2225

01:48:08,850 --> 01:48:09,080

And

Speaker:
2226

01:48:09,150 --> 01:48:11,280

Ben Ford: otherwise we still got

one, I still got one in the airport.

Speaker:
2227

01:48:11,290 --> 01:48:12,130

You got to walk by.

Speaker:
2228

01:48:13,530 --> 01:48:15,730

Marc Preston: I will most

certainly, uh, check it out.

Speaker:
2229

01:48:15,770 --> 01:48:18,070

Ben Ford: And I will say, I'll

leave you with this in that.

Speaker:
2230

01:48:18,570 --> 01:48:21,130

You know, restaurants, we get

stressed from time to time.

Speaker:
2231

01:48:21,280 --> 01:48:25,650

There are things that happen, you know,

but we've always innovated for the better.

Speaker:
2232

01:48:25,910 --> 01:48:26,880

And we've always.

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And I don't know what's going

to come out of these, these last

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01:48:31,450 --> 01:48:35,950

stresses, you know, but I'm very

excited for whatever renaissance

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01:48:35,950 --> 01:48:39,240

or next chapter we see, because we

always seem to make the best of it.

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Marc Preston: Yeah.

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And in preparing the next generation

of, like you said, getting them ready

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01:48:45,040 --> 01:48:49,820

to, you know, well, they're showing

them the love, you know, you'll

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01:48:49,820 --> 01:48:52,730

find, you'll find those diamonds in

the rough that will carry your, your

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01:48:52,730 --> 01:48:54,440

lead, your legacy forward, my friend.

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But yeah, absolutely.

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Ben Ford: Absolutely.

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Absolutely.

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01:48:57,090 --> 01:48:59,440

Marc Preston: We've talked about the

art, talking about the craft, but

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01:48:59,440 --> 01:49:03,130

definitely you're, you're, you're all the

above, my friend, and I appreciate it.

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01:49:03,500 --> 01:49:06,020

And hopefully we'll have a

chance to catch up down the line.

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Thank

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Ben Ford: you.

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01:49:08,450 --> 01:49:11,020

Marc Preston: Well, there

you go, Chef Ben Ford.

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01:49:11,250 --> 01:49:12,970

What a, uh, what a great chat.

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01:49:13,360 --> 01:49:16,780

Ran longer than our normal

episodes because, you know, me

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01:49:16,780 --> 01:49:18,490

and food just love talking food.

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01:49:18,490 --> 01:49:20,770

And, uh, I loved his stories.

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01:49:20,830 --> 01:49:25,360

Uh, just a, just a really interesting,

uh, very talented guy who's really, uh,

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01:49:25,390 --> 01:49:27,280

put his stamp on the culinary world.

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01:49:27,280 --> 01:49:31,150

And of course, love hearing some

Harrison Ford stories as well.

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Why not, do me a favor, if you would make

sure to head to story in craft pod.com/.

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2258

01:49:37,370 --> 01:49:37,970

Rate.

Speaker:
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01:49:38,130 --> 01:49:39,250

Uh, rate the show.

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2260

01:49:39,300 --> 01:49:40,550

Uh, leave a review.

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01:49:40,650 --> 01:49:42,320

Drop some stars in there.

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2262

01:49:42,400 --> 01:49:46,600

Make sure to grab your podcast app

right now, follow Story and Craft.

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01:49:46,630 --> 01:49:49,040

That way you get notified every

time we have a new episode.

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01:49:49,200 --> 01:49:51,230

It's a way to stay up on

what I got going on here.

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01:49:51,310 --> 01:49:52,980

Alright, I'm gonna go

grab a bite to eat now.

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01:49:52,980 --> 01:49:58,125

All this talking about food with Ben Ford

has made me thoroughly Thoroughly hungry.

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01:49:58,195 --> 01:49:59,515

Maybe, maybe the same for you.

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01:49:59,865 --> 01:50:04,175

As I always say, thank you so much

for making what I got going on here.

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01:50:04,205 --> 01:50:08,395

Part of what you've got going on,

joining in for every episode and

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01:50:08,395 --> 01:50:09,865

checking out what I got going on.

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01:50:09,945 --> 01:50:12,925

It does mean a lot to me and I

really appreciate you being here.

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01:50:13,155 --> 01:50:13,525

Okay.

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01:50:13,525 --> 01:50:15,255

So I'm going to step on out, grab a bite.

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01:50:15,345 --> 01:50:18,015

You have yourself a good one

and I will check you next time.

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Right here on story and craft.

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01:50:21,255 --> 01:50:25,155

Announcer: For this episode of Story

Craft, join Marc next week for more

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01:50:25,155 --> 01:50:27,785

conversation, right here on Story Craft.

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01:50:28,255 --> 01:50:32,125

Story Craft is a presentation of

Marc Preston Productions, LLC.

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01:50:33,065 --> 01:50:35,455

Executive Producer is Marc Preston.

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01:50:35,855 --> 01:50:39,885

Associate Producer Is Zachary

Holden, please rate and review

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2281

01:50:39,885 --> 01:50:42,165

story and craft on Apple Podcasts.

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01:50:42,225 --> 01:50:46,395

Don't forget to subscribe to the

show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

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01:50:46,545 --> 01:50:48,075

or your favorite podcast app.

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01:50:48,375 --> 01:50:51,285

You can subscribe to show

updates, and stay in the know.

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01:50:51,465 --> 01:50:55,575

Just head to story and craft pod.com

and sign up for the newsletter.

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01:50:56,175 --> 01:50:57,045

I'm Emma Dylan.

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01:50:57,315 --> 01:50:58,120

See you next time.

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01:50:58,425 --> 01:51:00,855

And remember, keep telling your story.

Ben Ford | An Artisan's Craft

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