It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with Chef Jensen Cummings this week for a beautiful beast of an episode. Jensen is host of the Best Served Podcast, chef, restaurateur, and restaurant consultant. To say that Jensen Cummings was born to be in the culinary world is quite the understatement. He is the fifth consecutive generation of Chef and Restaurateurs in his family. They opened their first restaurant, La Fond House, in 1900 in Little Falls, Minnesota. While they joke that his father can't boil an egg, multiple family members are in the industry across the US. So, it was no surprise that Jensen jumped into the kitchen at 17 years old and has had a heralded twenty-year career as an award-winning Chef, Certified Cicerone, Fermentation expert, and Consultant

Jensen is a prolific public speaker, bringing education and entertainment to forums such as chef conferences, food fermentation groups, and craft brewing events like the Great American Beer Festival. Put him in front a room full of culinary students, with his bravado and philosophical delivery (along with a few F-bombs), he really resonates with these future industry leaders, seeking authentic insights into hospitality and the opportunities and challenges therein.

As part of his efforts with Best Served Creative, to focus on Why and Who before what and how, he launched the Best Served Podcast. On this platform, he has the opportunity to interview current industry leaders on the #UnsungHospitalityHeroes in the trenches that make it all happen. They have the chance to reflect on the people who have impacted their lives and careers. He strongly believes that is only in acknowledging others can we capture the true essence of hospitality and usher in the future of the industry he was born to inspire.

When Jensen finds some time to himself, you'll find him indulging in his love of movies. In his youth when others were immersed in college sports bracketology, he was filling out Oscar brackets. He is also a true-blue Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Since his first experience at Chavez Ravine, getting a cheap blue giveaway glove signed by Ramon Martinez, he was hooked.

www.bestservedpodcast.com

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Cameran Surles is a producer, writer, actor living in Los Angeles. We had the most wonderful time hearing about her entrance into the film business, her current projects, and what makes her keep pressing forward creatively. She got her start working on Terrence Mallick's Tree of Life. Soon after, she met another director great James L. Brooks who wrote a part for her in his next film. These experiences instilled in her a deep and enduring love of flawed, complex characters and stories that find the comedy in spite of the tragedies of life. She went on to appear in numerous network TV shows, indie film and award-winning theater.

Cameran got her start in writing at UCLA's Professional Program in screenwriting. Her writing accolades include projects advancing in Sundance New Media Labs, Imagine Impact, Napa Valley FF, Cinestory, NYTVF, among others. She is also a member of the Creative Network (from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Impact) and has completed courses in writing and directing through Sundance Co//ab.

She currently works as a creative producer and head of development for former head of Paramount Adam Goodman’s digital studio Invisible Narratives. Since 2020, she has produced two feature films, and is prepping a third: SONGBIRD (starring Demi Moore, Bradley Whitford, Paul Walter Hauser, producer Michael Bay), CRIMSON (director Greg Plotkin), and TIME TRIPPER (upcoming, starring Craig Robinson, Vivica Fox, director Tim van Dammen). She developed and EP'd the HBO Max pilot “Camp Friends” based on her original idea.

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Renée Felice Smith and Chris Gabriel are writing/directing/life partners who met in the 6th grade and somehow still "like like" each other today. And we like them, too! They’re warm, hilarious, and beautiful souls. In this episode, we chat about their journey from class Presidents to partners, their latest film projects, and where they think their creativity originates. We hope you enjoy our conversation!

Most recently, Smith and Gabriel sold their animated show, H.U.M.A.N., to TBS in March of 2022.

Additionally, they sold their comedy pilot, I'M FINE, to FX in February 2020.

Smith and Gabriel wrote and directed their first feature, THE RELATIONTRIP, a surreal comedy, which went to SXSW and was acquired by HULU.

Additionally, Smith and Gabriel released their first children's book, HUGO AND THE IMPOSSIBLE THING, through Penguin Random House (March 2021) which went on to receive the highly sought-after, Kirkus starred review.

In addition to their work as a creative duo, Smith is an actor who has appeared in over 250 episodes of network television on CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles as series regular, Nell Jones.  Gabriel is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist songwriter and composer for film, television, and theater.

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Anchor: www.anchor.fm/themakers