The Hospitality Mentor · 2026-05-01 · 52 min
Host Steve Turk revisits an archived Hospitality Mentor Podcast episode featuring award-winning chef and restaurateur David Burke , who shares his path from dishwasher at a Sheraton to culinary school, Europe, and major New York kitchens. Burke recounts being mentored by a country club chef named Jose, attending the CIA, traveling through Europe, and working in top French restaurants and pastry school despite language barriers. He describes returning to the U.S. to work with, Daniel Boulud, and Charlie Palmer, then becoming executive chef at The River Café, earning a three-star New York Times review with a notable photo and winning the 1988 Tokyo culinary Olympics. Burke discusses opening and expanding restaurants, learning business under Alan Stillman, fighting for signature dishes like his pork shank, navigating partnerships, mentoring teams, and advising young cooks to stay focused, learn constantly, document, embrace mistakes, and find balance. Thank you to our sponsor Lodgify for this episode. Make sure to try Lodgify with our promo code THM60.
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