Ep. 118 Building a Sustainable Culinary Future with Tracy Malechek of Birdies

We're thrilled to have Chef Tracy Malechek join us on CHEF Radio, where we discuss her impressive background that includes working at some of New York's finest restaurants, honing her craft and developing a profound understanding of the culinary world. In this episode, we’ll explore her journey from the bustling kitchens of New York to meeting her husband, a renowned wine expert, and how together they are building a sustainable business that truly supports their employees at Birdies in Austin Texas. We’ll also discuss the challenges and rewards of balancing parenthood with restaurant ownership, and what it means to be mission-driven in today’s food industry. Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation with Chef Tracy Malechek (00:00:00) Intro (00:05:39) Start in Chicago  (00:07:25) James Beard Talk / Origin of Birdies (00:10:09) New York Experience (00:14:46) Eli and Tracy ALMOST Cross Paths: Things learned at Del Posto (00:24:36) Post Del Posto (00:25:50) Takeaways from Blue Hill (00:27:06) How Failure Impacts You (00:28:32) Checking Out Gramercy Tavern (00:30:17) Mike Anthony Umbrella (00:33:01) Time at Untitled and Meeting Arjav (00:37:19) The Coin Flip (00:42:24) The Origin of the Name and Getting Birdies Ready (00:47:40) Biggest Piece of Advice for Potential Restaurants Owners (00:49:14) Overcoming Pressure of the Pandemic (00:51:12) First Day of Birdies and it’s Unique Business Model  (00:56:22) Balancing Parenthood and Restaurant Ownership  (01:01:53) What it Means to Mission Driven Restaurant (01:04:30) The Balance Between Profitability and Hospitality (01:12:23) How the Birdies Menu Came to Be (01:15:34) Key Behind the Birdies Popularity (01:20:00) Noticing the Rise of Birdies (01:27:27) Rapid Fire Round Up A huge shout out to our sponsor, Singer Equipment for their unwavering support, which allows us to be able to bring these conversations to you. Check out their website for all the amazing equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make your team more efficient and successful. If you are looking for the best in class pizza oven for your next concept, make sure you check out the incredible ovens built by Moretti Forni and reach out to Greg Listino at their exclusive Northeast dealer, Rosito Bisani. Meez, is one of the most powerful tools you can have as a cook and chef because it allows you to have a free repository for all of your recipes, techniques and methods so that you never lose them. Meez does way more than just recipe development though; it's an incredibly powerful tool that any chef or restaurant would benefit from. My favorite new beer on the market, Kenwood Original, might be the most drinkable and most flavorful craft lager I've ever tried. Nothing goes better with a five star meal than a five star beer so head to their website and check out the Kenny Finder for location nearest you. So before we get started, go ahead and grab yourself a Kenny and enjoy this week’s guest.