Episode 96: Dominic Piperno of Hearthside

The CHEF Radio Podcast

There are so many phases throughout our lives, and restaurants are really no different. Many restaurants start off as one concept and then slowly evolve into what ultimately works best for the business. That evolution might be slow and gentle, barely felt by the guests, or it could be a clean break to start anew.

Today’s Guest, Dominic Piperno, a South Jersey native, recently made the life-changing decision to go from an ala carte menu, where he was working 100 hours plus, to a bimonthly, rotating prefix menu, where the chefs are able to become students of the game again and learn new techniques, dishes and create exciting new menus. What was the reason for this? Well, it was because he realized he was working himself towards inevitable burn out and he was tired of missing many of his young daughters milestones as well as not spending enough time with the rest of his family. Tune in and here how a chef, who was at his breaking point, was able to envision a new phase and a more sustainable vision for his restaurant, Hearthside 2.0

Here’s what else we talked about:

• The charm and allure of Collingswood, New Jersey
• Two European parents and how food was central to their family dynamic
• The memories of visiting the tiny Calabrian village of his father’s hometown
• His father’s guidance and wisdom and how it's been so important to him throughout his career
• The incredibly rich, fertile ground of South Jersey and the products that come from it
• Working for Chef Joey Baldino at Zeppoli in Collingswood and Greg Vernick at Vernick Food & Drink
• Falling in love with live fire cooking
• The way he knew he was ready to open his own place
• How the name Hearthside came about
• The financial aspect of operating a live fuel concept
• How switching from an à la carte format to a tasting menu has literally changed his life and given him new energy
• The many benefits of having a tasting menu concept
• How becoming a father has impacted his point of view when it comes to leadership
• How chef holds himself accountable
• Why mentoring is so important and why he enjoys it so much
• How being on this podcast is a full circle moment for Dominic

A huge shout out to our sponsors, Maxwell McKenney and Singer Equipment, for their unwavering support, which allows us to be able to bring these conversations to you. Check out their websites for all the amazing equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make your team more efficient and successful.

Welcome to our newest sponsor, Meez, which is one of the most powerful tools you can have as a cook and chef that allows you to have a free repository for all of your recipes, techniques and methods so that you never lose them. Besides that, it does way more, so check them out and make sure you use the discount code that you’ll here in the podcast to upload 25 free recipes to the platform.

Email Eli with any comments, concerns, criticisms, guest requests or any other ideas or thoughts you might have about the show. [e-mail]