ME / MYSELF / & I

February 2, 2026·51 min·1 clip

On day one in a professional kitchen, the host severed his finger and kept working.

This solo episode features host Chef Jeff Fell sharing his personal journey through the food industry. Chef Jeff, a culinary professional and podcast host, recounts his career path to offer lessons and inspiration. He structures the episode as a chronological narrative of his professional life, from childhood to his current role. He grew up on a farm in rural Illinois, where he learned a strong work ethic through chores and his first job at a gas station deli called Country Junction. Jeff initially pursued a geology degree in college with dreams of becoming a paleontologist before dropping out. His retail career began with a cashier job at Home Depot, where he proactively learned multiple departments to increase his value. A pivotal moment came in his mid-twenties when he decided to pursue cooking professionally, driven by memories of his great grandmother's meals. Jeff enrolled in the culinary program at Joliet Junior College, funding his move with $600 earned from helping a friend's mother relocate. He landed his first kitchen job at a Harris Casino buffet after a rigorous, multi-stage interview process that included a panel where he impersonated Peyton Manning. A memorable early mistake involved cutting off a chunk of his finger with a newly sharpened knife on his first day, which he hid from his superiors. At the casino, he learned high-volume production from a cook named Angel and was promoted to a dual-rate sous chef position. A key lesson came when he was written up for scorching 40 gallons of product, and his chef told him that not everyone would work at his intense pace. Frustrated by being told he needed ten years of experience for a full sous chef role, he sought a new opportunity at Loyola University. There, he initially worked a front-of-house union job before taking over his first kitchen at age 28, where he managed a team of about 40. He emphasizes that building organized systems is crucial for managing any operation, a skill he honed using a daily whiteboard for tasks. Jeff eventually managed two entire kitchens at Loyola before becoming the Food Service Director, a role where he struggled with burnout due to a lack of support. This led him to a chef position at Dominican University and, shortly after, a move to the University of Indianapolis to run a massive operation with 170 staff. A recurring theme is his belief in "divine intervention," like the timely $600 that launched his culinary school move. He repeatedly sets ambitious personal goals, like becoming an executive chef by 28 and achieving financial freedom for his family by 30. The tone is candid, reflective, and conversational, as if sharing stories with a friend over a drink. The style is a motivational, first-person narrative focused on resilience and practical career lessons. This episode is perfect for aspiring chefs, culinary students, or anyone interested in a raw, honest story of career pivots and climbing the ladder in a demanding industry. Listeners seeking a highly produced, interview-focused show or discussions on current food trends might want to skip this personal monologue.

As heard by us

A grounded service-story episode about humility, discipline, and learning judgment on the job.

An origin story about service work and ego, this episode keeps coming back to a plain lesson: hospitality has a fast way of teaching humility.

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Why you'd press play

You want a hospitality story that lands on humility, not hype.

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