Culinary Confidential With Christina Cates 9-29-24

Guests: Lucas A. Ferrara - A "Top 100" NY Super Lawyer, Professor and Radio Host (nfllp.com); Jake Spitz, Public Relations Specialist Found on Instagram @JakeSpitzNYC 

Culinary Confidential With Christina Cates 9-29-24
Guests: Lucas A. Ferrara - A "Top 100" NY Super Lawyer, Professor and Radio Host (<a href="nfllp.com">nfllp.com</a>); Jake Spitz, Public Relations Specialist Found on Instagram @JakeSpitzNYC

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. 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.

Culinary Confidential with Christina Cates

Lucas A. Ferrara / Jake Spitz

For the St. Patrick's Day 2026 edition of Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates looks into an art that refuses to disappear. 

It's an art that has survived not just because it's easy, but because of a select few people that still believe it is worth protecting. Meet Sean Daly, one of the last master crystal cutters in Ireland and the founder of Dingle Crystal, a workshop built on precision, heritage, and a fierce commitment to doing things the right way - even when the world begins to move in the opposite direction.

Daly began his career at Waterford Crystal, mastering the deep hand-cutting techniques that defined Irish crystal for centuries. When production shifted overseas, he didn't follow but rather set up his own workshop on the Dingle Peninsula, keeping alive a tradition that once shaped Ireland's cultural identity. Today, every piece he creates is designed and cut by hand, inspired by Celtic symbols, ancient patterns, and the wild landscape of Kerry.

This episode explores what it means to preserve a craft in a time when speed prevails over skill. Daly shares the origins of Irish crystal cutting, the meaning behind his designs, and why handmade work still carries a brilliance that no machine can replicate. Because some traditions shine the brightest when shaped by human hands.

For the St. Patrick's Day 2026 edition of Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates looks into an art that refuses to disappear.&nbsp;
It's an art that has survived not just because it's easy, but because of a select few people that still believe it is worth protecting. Meet Sean Daly, one of the last master crystal cutters in Ireland and the founder of <a href="https://dinglecrystal.ie/">Dingle Crystal</a>, a workshop built on precision, heritage, and a fierce commitment to doing things the right way - even when the world begins to move in the opposite direction.
Daly began his career at Waterford Crystal, mastering the deep hand-cutting techniques that defined Irish crystal for centuries. When production shifted overseas, he didn't follow but rather set up his own workshop on the Dingle Peninsula, keeping alive a tradition that once shaped Ireland's cultural identity. Today, every piece he creates is designed and cut by hand, inspired by Celtic symbols, ancient patterns, and the wild landscape of Kerry.
This episode explores what it means to preserve a craft in a time when speed prevails over skill. Daly shares the origins of Irish crystal cutting, the meaning behind his designs, and why handmade work still carries a brilliance that no machine can replicate. Because some traditions shine the brightest when shaped by human hands.

Sean Daly

This week on Culinary Confidential, it’s all about where craft meets courage!

Dee Robinson, the visionary behind Good Trouble Bourbon, joins the show to explore what happens when a brand is built with purpose at its core.

Robinson’s journey is a masterclass in intentional entrepreneurship. Good Trouble was created to honor legacy, spark dialogue, and remind us that challenging the status quo is not only necessary but noble. Inspired by Congressman John Lewis, Robinson crafted a bourbon designed to bring people together and ignite meaningful conversation.

Christina brings her deep hospitality expertise to a conversation moving from craft distilling to community impacts, as Robinson shares how her Shine Your Light Foundation is expanding access, mentorship, and opportunity for underrepresented communities. The bourbon and the foundation are two sides of the same mission: building pathways, elevating voices, and leading with purpose.

This episode is a toast to bold ideas, brave ideas, and the belief that business can be a force for good.

This week on Culinary Confidential, it&rsquo;s all about where craft meets courage!
Dee Robinson, the visionary behind <a href="https://goodtroublebourbon.com/">Good Trouble Bourbon</a>, joins the show to explore what happens when a brand is built with purpose at its core.
Robinson&rsquo;s journey is a masterclass in intentional entrepreneurship. Good Trouble was created to honor legacy, spark dialogue, and remind us that challenging the status quo is not only necessary but noble. Inspired by Congressman John Lewis, Robinson crafted a bourbon designed to bring people together and ignite meaningful conversation.
Christina brings her deep hospitality expertise to a conversation moving from craft distilling to community impacts, as Robinson shares how her <a href="https://www.shineyourlightfoundation.org/">Shine Your Light Foundation</a> is expanding access, mentorship, and opportunity for underrepresented communities. The bourbon and the foundation are two sides of the same mission: building pathways, elevating voices, and leading with purpose.
This episode is a toast to bold ideas, brave ideas, and the belief that business can be a force for good.

Dee Robinson

Ever watch someone lick their knife at the dinner table and thought, “Humanity is doomed,” Culinary Confidential has just the episode for you!

Christina Cates welcomes Thomas Farley, better known as “Mr. Manners” for a chat all about etiquette at the dinner table and beyond. Farley has spent years helping people navigate the social, professional, and cultural moments that make up everyday life. His work spans television, corporate workshops, and public speaking, all rooted in the idea that etiquette isn’t just about memorizing rules. It’s about understanding people. In a world featuring short attention spans and distractions multiplying by the minute, this message could not be more relevant.

This conversation takes a wide-angle look into how we behave, whether it’s at the table, online, in the workplace, and everywhere in between. Farley breaks down the evolution of dining customs, the collision between digital and real-world communication, and the new complexities of dating in an era where half of the conversation happens on a screen. He also examines shifting expectations around workplace professionalism, from tone to timing to the etiquette of hybrid meetings. The discussion is sharp, grounded, and refreshingly unpretentious, offering a practical roadmap for navigating daily interactions with a little more clarity and a lot less chaos.

Because if you can’t manage basic manners, the least that can be done is listening in and pretending to try.

Ever watch someone lick their knife at the dinner table and thought, &ldquo;Humanity is doomed,&rdquo; Culinary Confidential has just the episode for you!
Christina Cates welcomes Thomas Farley, better known as &ldquo;Mr. Manners&rdquo; for a chat all about etiquette at the dinner table and beyond. Farley has spent years helping people navigate the social, professional, and cultural moments that make up everyday life. His work spans television, corporate workshops, and public speaking, all rooted in the idea that etiquette isn&rsquo;t just about memorizing rules. It&rsquo;s about understanding people. In a world featuring short attention spans and distractions multiplying by the minute, this message could not be more relevant.
This conversation takes a wide-angle look into how we behave, whether it&rsquo;s at the table, online, in the workplace, and everywhere in between. Farley breaks down the evolution of dining customs, the collision between digital and real-world communication, and the new complexities of dating in an era where half of the conversation happens on a screen. He also examines shifting expectations around workplace professionalism, from tone to timing to the etiquette of hybrid meetings. The discussion is sharp, grounded, and refreshingly unpretentious, offering a practical roadmap for navigating daily interactions with a little more clarity and a lot less chaos.
Because if you can&rsquo;t manage basic manners, the least that can be done is listening in and pretending to try.

Lucas A. Ferrara / Jake Spitz

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