On this week's edition of Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates welcomes Austin Allan, founder and CEO of Sugar Wood, and Rachel Chitwood, VP of Marketing at Tipsy Scoop Ice Cream, to discuss their perspectives on their adults-only dessert brands and how they are redefining indulgence and creativity in the culinary space.

On this week's edition of Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates welcomes Austin Allan, founder and CEO of Sugar Wood, and Rachel Chitwood, VP of Marketing at Tipsy Scoop Ice Cream, to discuss their perspectives on their adults-only dessert brands and how they are redefining indulgence and creativity in the culinary space.

Each week, on CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Christina Cates - a seasoned foodie who has worked at some of the New York City's top restaurants, will share her passion for the culinary world. Whether you're a professional chef, a restaurant enthusiast, or a lover of good food, Christina dives into the heart of hospitality - exploring the trends, triumphs, and challenges facing the food service profession...And you won't want to miss her chats with some of the most interesting and influential industry voices. CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Sunday nights, at 9PM... exclusively on AM 970 The Answer.

Each week, on CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Christina Cates - a seasoned foodie who has worked at some of the New York City's top restaurants, will share her passion for the culinary world.&nbsp;Whether you're a professional chef, a restaurant enthusiast, or a lover of good food, Christina dives into the heart of hospitality - exploring the trends, triumphs, and challenges facing the food service profession...And you won't want to miss her chats with some of the most interesting and influential industry voices.&nbsp;CULINARY CONFIDENTIAL, Sunday nights, at 9PM... exclusively on AM 970 The Answer.

Culinary Confidential with Christina Cates

Austin Allan & Rachel Chitwood

Some people make baking look beautiful. John Kanell, creator of Preppy Kitchen, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the biggest personalities in digital food, makes you believe that YOU can actually do it.

He joins the show this week to discuss how he got to this point, and highlight his newest cookbook - Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking.

Before the cookbooks, millions of followers, and beautifully styled cakes, John was a middle school math and science teacher. What began as a creative outlet eventually became the Preppy Kitchen platform, where he amassed nearly 10 million followers across his social platforms. His followers turn to him for recipes that are beautiful, reliable, and most importantly, approachable.

John has a way of taking something that may feel intimidating - whether it’s baking a layer cake, making the perfect pastry, or simply getting into the kitchen - and make you think, “I can actually do this!” He brings this same philosophy to Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking.

 

Some people make baking look beautiful. John Kanell, creator of Preppy Kitchen, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the biggest personalities in digital food, makes you believe that YOU can actually do it.
He joins the show this week to discuss how he got to this point, and highlight his newest cookbook - Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking.
Before the cookbooks, millions of followers, and beautifully styled cakes, John was a middle school math and science teacher. What began as a creative outlet eventually became the Preppy Kitchen platform, where he amassed nearly 10 million followers across his social platforms. His followers turn to him for recipes that are beautiful, reliable, and most importantly, approachable.
John has a way of taking something that may feel intimidating - whether it&rsquo;s baking a layer cake, making the perfect pastry, or simply getting into the kitchen - and make you think, &ldquo;I can actually do this!&rdquo; He brings this same philosophy to Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking.
&nbsp;

John Kanell: From Teacher to Culinary Internet Sensation

It's officially October, which means it's time to dim the lights, pull up a chair, and explore the two things making this time of year irresistible: the stories that haunt us and the treats we wait all year for.

First, Christina is joined by Jeff Belanger, one of the most fascinating voices in the world of folklore, legends, and the unexplained. An author, adventurer, podcaster, and longtime storyteller of all things strange and supernatural, Jeff has spent years travelling in search of the stories that live inside old places.

What happens when those stories meet hospitality? You have an in-depth conversation on haunted restaurants, historic inns, ghost stories passed down through generations, and why the places we eat, drink, sleep, and gather often have some of the best stories to tell.

Then from tricks to treats, Katie DeCapria of Hershey's returns to Culinary Confidential to discuss the world of Hersheyween and everything that goes into America's love affair with Halloween candy - the trends, traditions, nostalgia, what we're reaching for this year, and how Halloween has grown from one night of trick or treating into an entire season.

Because some of our strongest food memories aren't made around a dinner table, it can be made running from house to house with a pillowcase full of candy.

Ghost stories, haunted hospitality, Halloween nostalgia, and of course, candy. Spooky Season has never been more back.

It's officially October, which means it's time to dim the lights, pull up a chair, and explore the two things making this time of year irresistible: the stories that haunt us and the treats we wait all year for.
First, Christina is joined by Jeff Belanger, one of the most fascinating voices in the world of folklore, legends, and the unexplained. An author, adventurer, podcaster, and longtime storyteller of all things strange and supernatural, Jeff has spent years travelling in search of the stories that live inside old places.
What happens when those stories meet hospitality? You have an in-depth conversation on haunted restaurants, historic inns, ghost stories passed down through generations, and why the places we eat, drink, sleep, and gather often have some of the best stories to tell.
Then from tricks to treats, Katie DeCapria of Hershey's returns to Culinary Confidential to discuss the world of Hersheyween and everything that goes into America's love affair with Halloween candy - the trends, traditions, nostalgia, what we're reaching for this year, and how Halloween has grown from one night of trick or treating into an entire season.
Because some of our strongest food memories aren't made around a dinner table, it can be made running from house to house with a pillowcase full of candy.
Ghost stories, haunted hospitality, Halloween nostalgia, and of course, candy. Spooky Season has never been more back.

Spooky Season 2026 with Jeff Belanger and Katie DeCapria

Season 3 of Culinary Confidential is here! And what better way to kick off the season than with someone who can own and bring a unique kind of energy to the dining room.

Chef Josh Capon has the kind of energy that just can't be manufactured. He's loud, passionate, unapologetic, and underneath it is a guy who understands that the dining room matters. The food matters. The energy matters. And making someone feel like they belong at your table? It matters.

For over 25 years, Capon has built a career across some of the most recognizable names in hospitality from Lure Fishbar, Burger & Barrel, El Toro Blanco, and Bowery Meat Company, to becoming an eight-time People's Choice winner at the New York City Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash.

Today, he's a cofounder of VCR Group alongside David Rodolitz, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Conor Hanlon - the team behind ITO, Little Maven, Flyfish Club, Capon's Burgers, Capon's Chophouse, and a growing hospitality portfolio spanning New York, New Jersey, Las Vegas, and beyond.

This conversation isn't just about restaurants though, it's one on energy, ambition, reinvention, building an empire, the pressure that comes with always being "on", and what really goes into creating a dining room people want to come back to.

Capon brings exactly this, and then some. And he's kicking off season 3 of Culinary Confidential.

Season 3 of Culinary Confidential is here! And what better way to kick off the season than with someone who can own and bring a unique kind of energy to the dining room.
Chef Josh Capon has the kind of energy that just can't be manufactured. He's loud, passionate, unapologetic, and underneath it is a guy who understands that the dining room matters. The food matters. The energy matters. And making someone feel like they belong at your table? It matters.
For over 25 years, Capon has built a career across some of the most recognizable names in hospitality from Lure Fishbar, Burger &amp; Barrel, El Toro Blanco, and Bowery Meat Company, to becoming an eight-time People's Choice winner at the New York City Wine &amp; Food Festival Burger Bash.
Today, he's a cofounder of VCR Group alongside David Rodolitz, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Conor Hanlon - the team behind ITO, Little Maven, Flyfish Club, Capon's Burgers, Capon's Chophouse, and a growing hospitality portfolio spanning New York, New Jersey, Las Vegas, and beyond.
This conversation isn't just about restaurants though, it's one on energy, ambition, reinvention, building an empire, the pressure that comes with always being "on", and what really goes into creating a dining room people want to come back to.
Capon brings exactly this, and then some. And he's kicking off season 3 of Culinary Confidential.

Austin Allan & Rachel Chitwood

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